If packing makes you want to set your
hair on fire, this video is for you because I'm gonna be sharing all my best
tips for packing to ensure that you have the most stress-free experience possible,
especially if you're gonna be traveling to Europe. So here's my promise to you - by
the end of this video you are going to be a total packing pro, and be sure to
stick around until the end because I'm also going to be sharing a bunch of
really cool travel hacks and I'm gonna be giving you a chance to win a postcard.
So without further ado please hit that cheesy intro! What's up, smarties? today we are tackling
a not so sexy topic but an important one which is packing so if you're near around
here, my name is Christina from HappyToWander.com and this channel is all
about how to travel Europe smarter, cheaper, and more off the beaten path. If
you're not subscribed already, be sure to subscribe, also if you want to win a
postcard from me, be sure to comment below with your favorite tip and I'll be
randomly drawing a winner and announcing them in next week's video... now let's get
to tip number 1, which is to always start with a packing list. Now I know this is a
total mom tip but there's a reason that moms are always right. I highly recommend
before you leave to print out a packing list. Don't worry, as your fairy
travel mother, I've already created some printable lists for you but it's really
important to have this to make sure you don't leave anything important behind. One thing I always do as well is I create a special hardcore essentials
travel list on my phone so that in the morning before my flight I can just
review it and make sure I have all the really important things like passport, my
hair straightener (sorry I'm kind of vain) any medication, etc. Tip number two is to
know your airline's baggage fee policy. Now I know this seems like common sense
but actually for a lot of first-timers to Europe they don't realize just how
inconsistent and random some of these European airlines can be, so really
baggage allowance depends on the airline that you're flying with so just to save
yourself the hassle, be sure to Google in advance how much
you're allowed to bring in terms of size and also in terms of weight. One really
good thing you can also invest in that's dirt cheap that you can just get off of
Amazon is also a handheld luggage scale. That way you can weigh your luggage in
advance so you don't have to pay any baggage fees at the airport or be
that person who's awkwardly reshuffling everything at the front of the line. Tip
number three is to bring the right bag of course this completely depends and
the perfect bag is really really subjective but what I mean by a
perfect bag is a bag that's well suited for your travel style. So for me
personally, my travel style is I've kind of outgrown my backpacking days so I do
a lot of city breaks, I typically travel carry-on only, and I like to stay in mid-range hotels and so for me the perfect bag is just a hardshell suitcase
carry-on size, something that I can carry easily by myself.
Of course, if you are backpacking, doing some kind of adventure travel or
maybe traveling with a family where you need more than
one bag, you're gonna have different needs and different bags that you bring
with you, but what's really important is that you just pick something that's
really comfortable, something that you've tested and something that you're able to
carry because a lot of the time you know some hotels will only have stairs (no
elevator) or elevators will be broken so whatever bag you bring make sure you can
actually physically pick it up and if you want to learn how to pack a little
bit lighter so that you are able to carry your bags, I have a full video on
that coming up next week so be sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss it.
Tip number four is to use packing cubes. I absolutely love packing cubes...
they are probably like my favourite travel product. I first started using
them five years ago on my first backpacking trip and I haven't looked
back. They're really great for keeping your suitcase organized and for kind of
compressing your different goods. I personally use a different packing cube
for different types of clothing so one for bottoms, one for tops, one for
underwear and socks, but some other people actually use little packing cubes
to organize individual outfits for each day which is quite clever as well so
there's a lot of versatility there. Packing cubes are the best. Tip number
five is to roll your clothes. Seriously if you're not rolling your clothes
already, do it, it is such a game-changer. Now the jury is still out about whether
it actually saves space or if it actually reduces wrinkles but what I
like about rolling is you can at a glance see the different items that you
have in your suitcase which is really convenient if you're looking for a
specific item or if you just want to kind of gaze lovingly at how organized
your suitcase looks. Now one particular rolling technique that is great if
you're feeling really crafty is something called the Ranger roll and
this is basically where you roll up your clothes and tuck them into little
burritos. That can actually help compress and save more space as well but
personally I'm a little bit lazy and I've always just kind of rolled it and
I've had no troubles so be sure to give rolling your clothes a try.
Tip number six is to invest in protective wraps for your fragile goods.
So this is more of a tip if you travel with a lot of gear like I do like
cameras, gimbals, etc. but really if you have anything fragile that you tend to
travel with like perfume bottles or if you intend to travel and buy something
fragile like mugs (love a good mug) then be sure to invest in some of these
protective travel wraps which look like this. I actually have two - one from Domke which is a really well-regarded brand.
It's great but they also have a much cheaper Amazon brand version and it does
the exact same thing basically they're just these velcro wraps that are padded
so you can wrap them around different objects like cameras or like a gimbal
and turn any bag of yours into a camera bag which i think is really handy
because I can just like put my DSLR in there and then throw it in my
backpack and not worry about it. Theoretically you could use a fluffy
scarf to kind of achieve the same effect but I personally really like having
these because they look quite smart and they're very versatile and not that
expensive so be sure to check those out. By the way every item that I'm
mentioning or recommending you're gonna be able to find the link in the
description down below so be sure to check that out if you're curious about
any of these things that I'm talking about. Tip number seven is to plan your
outfits now. I know this is a little bit of extra work but if you plan your
outfits in advance then you can make sure you're only bringing things that
you're actually gonna wear. The last thing you want to do is bring things
just in case or just throw random items in your bag because when push comes to
shove and you're trying to dress yourself in the morning you probably
won't be able to find that many combinations that look good and you're
gonna hate that you brought like those weird patterned pants that you never
wear so you should plan all your outfits in advance to ensure you kind of
streamline your vacation wardrobe and just pack the essentials. Tip number
eight is to DIY your own travel-sized toiletries. So I know a lot of the time
when people travel abroad they like to buy those cute little travel-sized
toiletries from the supermarket. They're like 1 or 2 bucks a pop but for me
personally I mean you know it's not expensive but it's not really the best
use of money because you're kind of confined to just those specific products
and if you're anything like me you need like a special shampoo, special face
cleanser, all that stuff so what I would recommend actually if you travel quite
often is to just purchase these kind of reusable toiletry bottles that you
can fill with your own favourite products and that way you know you can make your
own travel sized things, you don't need to buy these little bottles anymore,
cutting down on the single-use plastic and all that so I highly recommend
getting some bottles like this because they're really really great. Onwards to
tip number eight which is to keep all your liquids in their own little
reusable plastic bag and to keep them apart from everything else so as I'm
sure a lot of you know when you're going through airports,
if you have liquids in your carry-on you tend to have to bring them out, separate
them so they can inspect them and a lot of the time what they want you to do is
they want you to use those like you know dinky little single-use Ziploc bags but
if you travel really often it's really worth it to make the jump to splurge on
a bag like this reusable plastic bag that you can chuck all your toiletries
in... something that's clear and TSA approved and that way you don't need to
use those plastic bags that come at the airport and this is also a lot sturdier
and you can just like whip it out of your bag and put it on the security belt
like a pro. I will say 95% of the time I've had no trouble with this exact bag
but there are some airports that can kind of weird about it and so in Paris
and London I've had instances where they insisted that I use their plastic bags
in those cases just do it, but it's really really good to have a bag like
this just to hold your toiletries and to reuse time and time again. Tip number
nine is to use some kind of special covering on your liquid bottles to
ensure that you are protected against leaks. Oftentimes this tip is given with
plastic wrap so people recommend that you put plastic wrap over top your
bottle and they screw the cap over top. You could do that but also if you're
like me and have like a million plastic bags just sitting under the sink I
recommend just cutting those up into little squares and then using those
instead that way you're just kind of upcycling that waste that would just be
sitting under your sink. Tip number ten is to always pack your absolute
essentials in your carry-on as well as an additional outfit because here's the
thing: bags can go missing... they don't go missing often but they can and so the
last thing you want is to have like your essential medication or like your
favorite foundation sitting in your suitcase when you really really need it,
so make sure you always have everything your absolute essentials, packed in your
carry-on as well as an additional outfit especially with extra underwear just in
case. On that note tip number 11 is if you
happen to be traveling with someone else be sure to store some of your clothes or
outfits in your travel buddy's suitcase and vice versa so that way if one person's
suitcase goes missing then at least you'll have additional clothes. So tip
number 12 is to be sure to bring some extra bags so like totes, Ziploc bags etc
because you never know when you'll need them and trust me on this one you
can never have too many bags. Totes come in really handy for stowing things like
dirty clothes or even just for shopping in markets when you're abroad so be sure
to bring some extra bags... you never know when you'll need them and they weigh
nothing so you might as well bring a few. Very related to this is tip number 13
which at the very least if you don't plan on bringing any extra totes or bags
or anything be sure to have a bag for dirty laundry because the last thing you
want is to be mixing all your clean clothes with all your icky sweaty
you know gross clothes. That's something that a lot of people forget so be sure
to bring an additional bag for dirty laundry.
Tip number 14 is to make sure you have a unique luggage tag or identifier on your
suitcase. Of course this is especially true if you could be checking in your
bag because trust me people can and they do take the wrong bag all the time.
What my parents used to do actually is they used to wrap their luggage in this
obnoxious rainbow ribbon and obviously it doesn't look that smart but people
will not take it because they know that thing isn't theirs,
so make sure your luggage is unique to avoid anybody accidentally taking it at
the airport. Tip 15 is to make sure you're always packing your heaviest
stuff at the bottom of your suitcase so kind of where the wheels are because the
last thing you want is a top heavy bag especially if it's a backpack because
that'll really like make you feel imbalanced and also you don't want your
suitcase to be toppling over at the airport either so be sure to pack the
heaviest things at the very bottom. Tip 16 is to remember to pack layers for
warmth so this is the thing about Europe and I think I can generalize this across
the continent, the weather is completely whack. Like it might be sunny and then
all of a sudden a storm cloud will just roll in and soak you completely wet...
looking at you England. So remember remember to always bring different
layers so that you can have a lot of different items that are sort of
multi-purpose and you're not just you know carrying around one bulky sweater
that's only good for one type of weather. This is definitely one of my top tips
for packing light and again if you're interested in that topic be sure to
subscribe because next week's video is all about that. Tip number 17 - make sure
you bring a reusable water bottle! So the good thing about reusable water bottles
is when you're traveling around Europe most major cities will have free
fountains in the streets where you get tap water for free which is great
because it is better for the environment and also
it saves you quite a bit of money. In addition to that a lot of major airlines
now will just pour any water that you want on the flight directly into your bottle which is great because less plastic cups and for the
last tip before we move on to the cool packing hacks that I've got for you... be
sure to leave a little extra space in your suitcase because I mean we're human,
you can expect that you're gonna find something abroad that you're gonna
really want to buy and so instead of just agonizing over what of your things
you should throw away, be sure to leave a little extra space on the way there or
alternatively consider bringing like a duffel bag or a tote bag that folds up
really small and bringing that with you so that you have an additional bag on
the way home. An advanced mega Asian parent technique that I learned from my
parents is also to just nest your suitcases so you can consider taking a
small suitcase, putting all your stuff in it and then packing it within a slightly
larger suitcase and that way on the way back you only have to pay luggage fees
one way and then you have two suitcases to fill with glorious crap. Now let's
move on to some cool travel hacks so these are like little ingenious tricks
that you can use to make packing a little bit more fun and a little bit
easier so hack number one, actually let's say tip number 19 for consistency, is to
bring a pillowcase. So pillowcases are a really good thing to bring with you
because they they weigh nothing and they're really multifunctional so you
could for example stuff a pillowcase with clothes or like a soft jacket in
order to create a DIY travel pillow, it's also more hygienic if you're staying in
hostels or like an apartment where you feel like that cleanliness isn't really
there, and it's also just really nice and comfortable to have something from home.
Worst comes to worst if you pack a pillowcase and you don't feel like
you're using it for any of those aforementioned purposes you can always
just use it as a dirty laundry bag. Next hack - tip number 20 , be sure to bring a
clothes pin or a money clip or binder clip because you can actually use it to
create a DIY toothbrush stand so that way you can make sure your toothbrush is
never touching the counter or anything gross. Tip 21 is to use a tic-tac case to
hold your bobby pins. That's right - after you eat all these Tic Tacs you can
actually use the empty box to store those bobby pins that can get
misplaced or you know just lost really really easily.
I hate bobby pins they are the bane of my existence but if you use them this is
a great storage container for them. Tip 22 in a similar way if you travel with a
lot of different hair ties you can actually use a little carabiner to store
your hair ties and keep them all organized on one clip that way you don't
have to like have a million on your wrist like I always do.
Tip number 23 is to keep your pill bottles because they're actually really
handy for storing q-tips. Gotta have those clean ears. Tip 24 is to string your
necklaces through a straw to ensure that they don't get tangled. I personally
don't have a huge problem with my necklaces getting tangled I tend to just
carry them in a pouch but if you have little fragile necklaces that get
tangled very often stringing them through a straw will solve that problem.
Tip 25 - use a shower cap to store your dirty shoes. Now remember this is not a
shower cap that you are going to be using on your trip, this is just an old
shower cap that you have lying around or one that you're never going to use
because I personally don't really use shower caps but remember shoes can get
really muddy, really dirty so the last thing you want is to be throwing your
dirty shoes on top of all your clothes. Alternatively if you have any of those
plastic bags that bed sheets come in those would also work really well for
this. Tip 26 - to maximize space consider stuffing little small items in your
shoes so things like socks or underwear... Just remember to put those things in a
protective bag first so that your underwear is not directly in your shoe
which I think is kind of gross and sounds like infection city. Tip 27 is to
invest in a universal adapter - yes they do exist and they're really really handy
especially the ones that you can buy now that have multiple USB cord slots and
that will allow you to charge multiple devices without bringing a bulky power
bar. So a universal adapter is really good to have even for Europe because
even though most countries use the same two prong plugs there are certain
exceptions like the UK Ireland and Malta that use a different one so it's really
good to just have a universal one just in case, plus once should buy a good one
that last then you can just literally use it for every trip that you have from
that point forward so it's a really good investment.
Tip 28 is to bring an oven mitt. I know that seems a little bit weird but this
is actually really handy if you travel with any heat appliances like curling
irons or flat irons like I do. It always drives my boyfriend insane because I
literally just like throw a hot straightener into my suitcase and it
really scares him because nobody likes fire so if you want a heat proof way to
carry those things around, bring an oven mitt and then you can just insert it and
then wrap the cord around and you're set. Tip 29 - bring a few dryer sheets with you
to avoid weird clothes smell so if you're traveling for quite a long time
it might be worth your while to bring just a few dryer sheets so that your
clothes stay fresh if you've traveled for an extended period of time I'm sure
you are familiar with that weird mildewy clothing smell that clothes tend to get
if they've been in a suitcase very long time so dryer sheets are a really good
way of keeping that at bay. So tip number 30 is to bring a frozen water bottle or
a frozen sponge to keep your snacks cold. So as I'm sure you know security is
pretty strict on bringing any liquids over 100 milliliters through security
but one way to bypass this is to just bring a frozen water bottle if you don't
want to bring a reusable one or to freeze a sponge and use it kind of like
an ice pack so that you can keep any snacks that you bring cool. Last but not
least my bonus tip for you is to always bring a pen I know that this is not
necessarily a travel hack but it's just something that everybody forgets to do
so make sure you have a pen in at least every bag you're bringing so like your
suitcase, your backpack, your purse whatever because sometimes you'll need a
pen and trust me, when you need it the most it will not be there so make sure
you bring a pen, it's really important if you need to fill out any customs
declarations or really just for daily use. Alright Smarties I hope you enjoyed
this video. If you did please give me a big thumbs up and be sure to subscribe
for more Europe videos just like this one and if you want to win that free
postcard I was talking about just comment below with your favorite tip
from this video and be sure to check out the description for my free packing list
and for all the items that I mentioned thanks for watching... I will see you guys
next week. BYEEEEE!!!
