If you are a LIGHT packer, advice please

[dAZ]

We are leaving for a 2 week European vacation (England, Scotland, Ireland). If you were doing this trip what would you pack and how much? I am a habitual over packer and I'm trying really hard to take one small bag for this trip. We will have access to washer/dryer along the way in airbnb.

Any advice? I'm usually a just in case packer but I'd love to pack in a way that I actually WEAR everything I pack.


I'm thinking:
2 travel pants (Eddie Bauer)
1 jean
1 short
5 short sleeve t's
1 long sleeve t
1-2 dress
5 undies
2 bras
2 PJ's
jacket
walking shoes
sandals
toiletries (as minimum as possible)

[mbcdefg]

I WAY over-packed for a London/Paris/Brussels trip a few years ago and I still regret it. Especially since our Paris VRBO wound up being right next to a laundromat. A Rick Steves tip I've heard since then was to pack up everything you want, carry it around town for an hour, then come home and pare down some more.

Unless you really love the travel pants, I'd nix those. Or cut down to one. (ETA: And ditto @mrsgreeko, you may not even need the shorts.)

Maybe cut one or two t-shirts as well. You may also not need the long-sleeved t-shirt if you have the jacket. Stick to solid/neutral colors.

Speaking of the jacket, does it have a hood? I wore my raincoat nearly every day in Ireland. If you're going to the Cliffs of Moher you should also bring a warm beanie hat or ear headband. It's very cold and windy, even in summer.

I'd actually add more underwear. They take up so little room and it's nice to always have clean undies. 

Wear the jeans and jacket on the plane if it's comfortable enough.

Like you said, bring as few toiletries as possible. Use it as an excuse to buy something over there. Example, Boots (England) has nice stuff. I'm sure you can also easily buy a shirt over there if you really need it. Plus it's a souvenir.

Putting rolled clothes into packing cubes and big Ziploc bags can help save some space.

I brought a fully stocked First Aid kit but I think all I actually used was Advil and maybe a couple Band-Aids. Again, you're not going to be in the middle of nowhere and (I assume) there's no language barrier so you can easily buy what you need.

Looking back at my vacation pics from the UK and Ireland, I mainly wore jeans, t-shirts, a yoga jacket or light raincoat, and sneakers. DEFINITELY make sure your shoes are comfortable. I skipped sneakers on the LPB trip because I didn't want to stick out as an American but they saw me coming a mile away. Just be comfortable, nobody cares. 

I've bookmarked these extreme minimal packing lists for inspiration for next time:

www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/think-bringing-one-carry-on-for-a-two-week-trip-is-hard-try-only-packing-11-pounds/2016/10/20/f74d372c-9255-11e6-9c85-ac42097b8cc0_story.html?utm_term=.4ca95dbafc3f

herpackinglist.com/2016/05/ultralight-packing-list/ 

[Deleted]

Is the jacket a rain jacket or a warm jacket?

When we went to England/Scotland I packed shorts that never got worn and didn’t pack a warm jacket and had to buy sweatshirts for me and my kids because it was colder than I thought it would be. We wore our rain jackets over our sweatshirts on the rainy days because it was cold and wet. So just make sure you have something warm and something waterproof (not water resistant, actually waterproof).



ETA: we actually did 10 days in England/Scotland with DH, me, and 3 kids in 2 hikers backpacks. We just washed clothes vey frequently. I think 2 pairs of pants (wear one on the plane), 4-5 shirts, 1 PJs, 5-6 pairs of socks and underwear, a warm jacket/sweatshirt, and a rain coat and good walking shoes (wear on the plane) are all you really need. And then essential toiletries. I’m not a big dressy person though and we had 3 kids with us so we didn’t go anywhere fancy where I needed to wear a dress, plus it was cold, way colder than I anticipated it being in July because when I looked at the weather it said 70’s and such, but if it was remotely near 70 it didn’t feel like 70 in CO! So there was no way I was wearing shorts, dresses or sandals.

[smock]

I've done month-long trips to Europe with just a carry on. The easiest way to pack light in summer is bringing dresses. It's an entire outfit! I live in a similar climate and would pack 3-4 dresses, one pair of pants, and bring a cardigan for morning/evening. You could cut the shorts and a few of the shirts. And I'd also take one pair of PJs.

[frlcb]

If you are going soon you will absolutely need shorts, we have been in the UK almost all month and it’s really freaking hot, as in London is going to be 95 tomorrow. And most places do not have a/c. They are having major heatwave all over Europe.

[mich1]

Great Britain has been very warm recently, I'd keep the shorts, and depending upon where you are staying, add a swimsuit.

Not sure what the travel pants are. Can they be dressed up? Normally, I take khakis for this. They are more comfortable to wear on the flight and can be as dressy or not as I want.

I'd dump one pair of pjs and a dress. I'd add more underwear. Make sure your jacket has a hood and is waterproof.

Whatever shoes you chose to bring, I'd make sure that they are truly comfortable. I don't pack anything I don't normally wear.

Like the other person, I bring 2 smaller travel sizes of certain toiletries and dump them as I empty them.

[kpol]

Ditto everyone else on the underwear. No matter how light I am packing, I always bring more. And I also recommend dresses. If the weather is cooler, I like to bring a blazer that I can use to dress up an outfit for dinner and doubles as a layer.

I have a really light jacket that folds its own pocket that I took to Brussels/Paris/Barcelona a few years ago. It came in handy as backup pillow on the plane, too.

Lastly, I will lay out my outfits and take a picture with my phone to get a general idea of what pairs with what and how I can use everything with each other. It can be tedious, but it really helps me.

[erbear]

I would pack a week's worth of clothes and count on laundry.

a pair of jeans
a pair of pants
a pair of leggings
7 shirts (mix of short and long sleeves)
7 sets of underwear
7 pairs of socks
a rain jacket
a pair of PJs
2 pairs of shoes
a sweatshirt or a fleece

Everything in a neutral so everything matches.

[origami]

This is what I’d pack:

2 travel pants
1 jean
1 short
4 short sleeve t's
1 long sleeve t
1 dress
7 undies
1 bras
1 PJ's
jacket
walking shoes
sandals
toiletries (as minimum as possible)



ETA: forgot to say I’d wear 1 of the travel pants or jeans on the plane.

[mrsukyankee]

I live in London - keep the shorts. It's going to be in the 70s/80s for the next few weeks (it's luckily getting a bit cooler from today - in the 90s). I travel around Scotland and Ireland and this is what I would pack for one week (as you can do laundry easily - but do know that most places will NOT have dryers so you'll have to hang dry):

1 pair jeans - wear on the plane? unless you want to wear leggings then do that
1 pair shorts
1 skirt
1 dress
3 short-sleeve ts
1 long-sleeve t
1 cardigan - wear on plane?
7 undies
2 bras (I sweat and need an extra)
1 PJs
sandals
walking shoes
toiletries
1 rain jacket - using umbrellas is almost impossible if it is windy

[steamboat185]

Is this in addition to what you will wear on the plane? If so it’s probably too many pant options. If includes what you will wear on the plane I’d add in more underwear and consider a pair of yoga pants/leggings instead of two pairs of travel pants.

[wise_rita]

Jul 25, 2018 11:15:04 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Like you said, bring as few toiletries as possible. Use it as an excuse to buy something over there. Example, Boots (England) has nice stuff. I'm sure you can also easily buy a shirt over there if you really need it. Plus it's a souvenir.

Their blush is the bomb.  Highly recommend!

Five pairs of underwear isn't enough, I'd up it to 9.  That way you can do laundry once mid-trip and have enough.

Pack a pair in your carry-on along with a change of clothes.  I've always done this and it saved my life when I had a nearly 6 hour delay, missed a connection and didn't see my checked luggage for over 24 hours.

[wise_rita]

Also...I'm a pretty experienced light packer.

For 2 weeks I would not check in any luggage.

A decent sized roller suitcase to carry the bulk plus a backpack (that can hold stuff plus a small purse).

If you fly a low cost airline you'd have to check the roller, most likely, but for long haul life is so much easier with carry-on online!

[sillygoosegirl]

I follow the Rick Steves packing list, or take a little less.

- 4-5 shirts (vary the number of long vs short sleeve and casual vs fancy, depending on the trip)
- 1 pair of pants OR zipoff pants
- 1 skirt
- 5 pairs of underpants
- 2 bras
- 1 fleece OR nice wool sweater
- 1 windbreaker/rain jacket
- 3-4 pair of socks
- 1 pair of close-toed shoes (think Earth shoes or Hushpuppies: comfortable and grippy enough to wear any place, but not super casual)
- 1 pair of comfortable, durable, but nice-looking sandals (Teva Pretty Rugged Leather)

Make sure everything goes with everything else. I normally start with the skirt, choosing 4-5 tops and a sweater/fleece that work with it, then bras that works with those tops, then a neutral-ish pair of pants, then socks, then decided last whether my black or brown sandals go best with what I have picked out.

[pittpurple]

Just so you know the heat wave has ended in Scotland so particularly if you're going outside the city, you'll want some layers - it's chilly at the coast!

I'd skip the jeans unless you're definitely a jeans person, they take forever to dry over here so depending on how often you're moving around, you might not have time to wear and then wash them. I tend to travel with dresses and leggings - leggings off when it's warm, leggings on when it's cold.

I'd bring another layer option for sure - cardigan / fleece depending on style. try not to bring 2 things that cover the same need and work out how often you'll do laundry (remembering it will take 2 days for things to dry most likely).

Shoes are where I go wrong with packing, I always bring too many. I'd bring one closed toe and one open toe as you said.

Almost everywhere in the UK is fine with casual dressing, we aren't fancy!

[wildrice]

I am just surprised everyone suggests bringing only 1 pair of PJs. How often do y'all switch out your PJs?

I often get sweaty overnight and usually change them every 2 days at most or they stink. Am I more disgusting than a normal person? Haha.

Personally I am not into packing super light for international trips. I guess if there was laundry in unit I'd be more open to it, but I don't want to spend a couple of hours of one of my precious days of my trip at a laundromat. If I end up with extra time to sit around, I'd rather take a nap. I have a lightweight large suitcase and most international carriers allow you to check a bag for free so I don't really see the point of stressing about bringing a small bag.

[mbcdefg]

Aug 10, 2018 8:55:31 GMT -5 wildrice said:

I am just surprised everyone suggests bringing only 1 pair of PJs. How often do y'all switch out your PJs? 

I don't like wearing PJs (at least the pants) for more than a night or two. I usually bring at least two sets for anything more than a weekend trip.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

Bring a raincoat for Scotland. I just came back from there on Thursday. Get a packable one (Mack in a Sack). You can buy those when you get there (Primark has cute ones). Bring a sweater or buy one there, I also bought a pullover in Scotland because it was effing cold. I was there for 14 days and way, way overpacked even in my tiny suitcase. If you have a hotel with a towel warmer, that is where to do laundry (hang dry on the warmer and your stuff is dry in no time). Half of my clothes did not get worn, I was really not happy with my packing game this time around.

[dragon's breath]

I did five weeks with just a carry on (one each for my son and I), and I think your list looks pretty good. I'd keep the travel pants, especially if they dry fast. I love jeans, and wear them at home almost exclusively, but they are heavy and take forever to dry, so never travel with more than one pair.

I always have at least two pairs of shoes (the ones I'm wearing and a small, light-weight pair). I spent a few days with soaked shoes when it was pouring down rain, I only had one pair, and all the shops were closed.

I also bring a few bras (at least 3 or 4). Underwear is easy to replace, but I had a bra break on me when I did the five week trip, and had to spend the rest of the trip with just two pair. Being large-chested, that ended up not being something I could just replace while traveling.

I'd probably drop to one dress unless you are a fan of dresses. Also think about wearing something for chaffing (chub rub) if that is a concern at all.

[mbcdefg]

Aug 11, 2018 9:08:27 GMT -5 Miss Phryne Fisher said:

Bring a raincoat for Scotland. I just came back from there on Thursday. Get a packable one (Mack in a Sack). 

lolol I Googled to check this out (because I've been in the market for a packable raincoat) and I kept getting images of horses in rain jackets:

[mrsukyankee]

Aug 13, 2018 9:12:45 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Aug 11, 2018 9:08:27 GMT -5 Miss Phryne Fisher said:

Bring a raincoat for Scotland. I just came back from there on Thursday. Get a packable one (Mack in a Sack). 

lolol I Googled to check this out (because I've been in the market for a packable raincoat) and I kept getting images of horses in rain jackets:

<iframe width="9.139999999999986" height="9.139999999999986" style="position: absolute; width: 9.14px; height: 9.14px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 12px; top: 228px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_90591762" scrolling="no"></iframe>

<iframe width="9.139999999999986" height="9.139999999999986" style="position: absolute; width: 9.14px; height: 9.14px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 409px; top: 228px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_72209077" scrolling="no"></iframe>

<iframe width="9.139999999999986" height="9.139999999999986" style="position: absolute; width: 9.14px; height: 9.14px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 12px; top: 625px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_35480898" scrolling="no"></iframe>

<iframe width="9.139999999999986" height="9.139999999999986" style="position: absolute; width: 9.14px; height: 9.14px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 409px; top: 625px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_23650334" scrolling="no"></iframe>

LOL. Probably meant to be Mac in a Sack (aka Macintosh - the name of a rain jacket here).