DO NOT Make These Europe Packing Mistakes | What Not To Pack & Tips

backing for a trip to Europe can be unexpectedly tricky there are several key mistakes you want to be sure to avoid in this video I'll cover some of the most common packing mistakes I see people make when traveling to Europe [Music] hey guys Nick here from away together my wife Ali and I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and I'll be honest with you I have seen and made my fair share of packing mistakes if you're confused or overwhelmed about what to pack or how to pack I made this video just for you we're going to cover things like what bag not to bring What Not to Wear what not to buy and what not to forget okay so diving right in mistake number one is bringing the wrong bag and the wrong bag is a giant roller bag AKA a huge checked suitcase There is almost no reason to bring a giant suitcase with you on your trip to Europe most people when they travel to Europe are planning to visit multiple cities and typically you do that VIA Rail or by taking a bus or even inexpensive short haul flights the right bag for your European Adventure is going to be one that makes it easy for you to do those things the right bag is going to be lightweight portable and one that's easy for you to manage picture walking a mile with that bag if you had to that's not uncommon picture the bag that is going to make it easy for you to step up onto a trained platform and that you are physically capable of managing when it comes to flights there's not one international standard when it comes to carry-on bag sizes however 22 inches by 14 inches by nine inches is pretty common so you should be safe if you're under that one difference you'll see in Europe though that is not as common in the USA is weight restrictions for your carry-on bag in general that's going to be somewhere between 7 to 10 kilograms which is between 15 and 22 pounds this varies highly by Airline so please do your research ahead of time if you are the kind of person that's used to just throwing your stuff in a bag and thinking hey as long as it's under 50 pounds I'm good and now you're freaking out deep breath I'm gonna share two Europe luggage strategies and one of my favorite travel hacks I recommend you choose one of these two Europe luggage strategies and then the travel hack is something I recommend everyone do strategy number one is the one bag traveler if you can pare down your belongings to fit into one bag which trust me you can my top recommendation is always going to be backpack a big benefit of using a backpack is that you can go hands-free and in Europe in particular much of where you will be walking especially if you're in Old Town is going to be cobblestones and uneven terrain that sometimes can be tricky with wheels when you hear Europe and backpack in the same sentence I'm not sure what comes to mind but I know for me initially what came to mind was one of those giant top loader backpacks that looks like an entire campsite could fit in there that is not what we're talking about what I recommend is a sensible lightweight bag that comfortably fits what you need for a trip to Europe and and it easily meets the carry-on requirements there are a lot of great options out there so many good brands in this space Tortuga makes a great one Peak design has a great one that I almost bought my all-time personal favorite that I've used several different times on various trips to Europe is the Osprey Porter 46. by the way this is not sponsored in any way but there are links to several of the items that I'll mention in this video below what I love about this Osprey bag is that it's roomy has a dedicated area for your laptop another tech Works beautifully with packing cubes and has this awesome quick access stuff pocket which is perfect for emptying your pockets into when you go through security it also has these compression straps that help cinch things down tight now one thing to watch out for with this bag in particular and trust me I've learned from personal experience is don't over stuff it if you do you may struggle with the overhead bins on very small planes but if you don't over stuff it trust me you'll know when you've overstuffed it it's not a problem at all ultimately if you're going the backpack route choose a bag that is durable offers some level of water resistance gives you options for compartmentalization or organization and very very key fits your body comfortably okay the next strategy is the two bag traveler I've done this one as well this is where you would bring a carry-on size roller bag and a personal item sized backpack Ali and I actually used this exact setup for six months of full-time travel so for roller bags on that trip we both used the monos carry-on plus lately we've been testing out some bags from Level 8 cases I'm actually considering making a comparison video breaking down the differences between several of the major carry-on roller bags out there if you would be interested in seeing that comment clamshell below for our personal item backpacks I used the peak design 20 liter everyday backpack to haul all our camera here around in and Ali used the transit backpack from everlane some key things to look out for in a personal item bag are that they fit under the airplane seat there's a pocket for a water bottle they offer some level of water resistance and there's a trolley sleeve AKA a handle pass through so that they can sit on top of your roller bag here's a quick travel hack whether you're a one bag or a two bag traveler packable day pack a packable day pack is a small lightweight and usually inexpensive backpack that packs down really small usually into an inner pocket and can be stored in your main bag until you need it then when you're in the middle of your trip you can leave your big bag in the room and take this little one out with you for the day and you can store things in there that you would need you know like your sunglasses your rain jacket water bottle Etc I've had this Osprey one for years it's really inexpensive and it packs down smaller than the palm of your hand okay the next mistakes revolve are round clothing and the biggest clothing related mistake is simply bringing too much clothing and the best way to avoid bringing too much clothing is by making a plan I remember explaining for the first time to my sister how to pack for a 10-day European trip and just how daunted she was by the premise of having to be so intentional and methodical about exactly what to bring but she did it and she did great and so here's a few quick tips for you focus on clothing that is versatile and could be used in a variety of scenarios try to create a mini capsule wardrobe for your trip so that your tops and your bottoms could kind of mix and match and work in a number of different ways I recommend tending towards lightweight clothing items and packing as if you'll dress in layers you could also seek out items that have moisture wicking properties in case you're traveling during summer you should also consider how many wears you can get out of a given piece of clothing for example you probably only need one maybe two pairs of pants for a week-long trip maybe that's not such a foreign concept but what about things like your socks and your shirts right you probably don't need a different pair of socks for every single day of your trip as you begin thinking about items that could be reworn and reused I highly suggest Merino wool Merino wool has antimicrobial properties which will help your clothing resist odor finally consider wrinkle resistance if you're folding or rolling your clothes chances of wrinkles go way up so consider maybe not bringing those things that get wrinkled really easily and a pro tip is using Downy Wrinkle release spray or something similar we always have a travel size bottle of this with us and it works it is super clutch the best way not to overcome checklist and we may one for you you can get it for free at the link below and hey while you're at it if you're getting value out of this video please give it a thumbs up so YouTube will know to suggest it to other Travelers like you a big mistake when traveling to Europe is bringing the wrong kind of clothing unless you're going to some very fancy places you don't need to bring anything super duper nice now I'm not saying ladies don't bring a dress or guys don't bring a nice button-up shirt don't get me wrong we love going out to a nice dinner and you know I'll bring something like this or usually with sleeves leave the evening gown and the suit jacket at home on the complete opposite end don't dress like a slob Europeans are in general pretty stylish and look I'm not trying to say you gotta blend in but there are certain things you wear that will identify you as a tourist AKA a target for scams pickpockets Etc these are some things you may want to consider avoiding and look I'm no fashion expert I mean look at me come on but I've seen this a lot university apparel you know those big university sweatshirts sandals with socks uh I mean come on these look kind of silly anywhere and those dorky zip off pants you know the ones that are like they're pants no they're shorts and just a note certain sites like churches may have modesty requirements now I've been to several that are honestly pretty lacks about this but some of them are kind of weird about guys wearing shorts or ladies having their shoulders exposed before you go just do your research ahead of time you would hate to not be able to visit a site that you really want to because of what you're wearing okay while we're on this topic here's a couple of comments about shoes when it comes to shoes less is better ideally one pair of shoes man I know this is tough this was really really tough for Ali but in the end you need one good pair of versatile comfortable walking shoes that could work in in a variety of situations ones that look fine as you're out and about walking around for the day or ones that would look good with whatever you're gonna wear to dinner I recommend you wear your biggest pair on the plane and you pack your smaller pair of shoes leave items like heels and other things that are just in general single use at home the next big mistake is buying things you don't really need my first trip to Europe I went all out on the walking and Hiking aesthetic if you're not planning on doing a lot of hiking or outdoor stuff there's just no need to invest in all those fancy technical Fabrics like Gore-Tex and all that stuff I'm not saying don't get a rain jacket or whatever but man you probably don't need the shoes and the hiking poles and the technical shirt and the vest like you just don't I invested in these heavy hiking shoes and didn't go for a single hike I mean we walked a lot but a hundred percent of our trip was in cities I have no idea what I was thinking there was just no reason for that level of technical armor on my feet they were bulky and heavy and I could have gotten away with something a lot smaller simpler and cheaper okay this is a hot take but I would not invest in one of those travel neck pillows they can be comfortable for sure don't get me wrong most flights are going to offer you a pillow and a blanket on your long flight just remember you've got to carry what you bring with you everywhere I would not spend money on expensive camera equipment use what you have most smartphones today are amazing especially if you're new to photography or filming video just use what you have and I wouldn't over invest in guidebooks find one maybe two trusted guides that you like for Europe Rick Steves is pretty hard to beat he's the expert he's been doing it for a long time and then fill in the rest with travel blogs YouTube channels to supplement your knowledge a huge mistake when traveling Europe is forgetting something important that you need so here's a few crucial things you want to be sure not to forget first and foremost don't forget your passport you probably expect me to say that but you know you're not going to get far without it I always recommend making photocopies of your important documents like your passport your driver's license maybe uh your travel insurance your itinerary just certain things like that and keeping a copy buried deep somewhere in your bag a huge thing you don't want to forget when you travel to Europe is the right travel adapter there's a ton of options out there but my all-time favorite is the universal adapter by Epica I've reviewed it before and it works on a number of continents and countries it definitely works in Europe and it's got enough ports to charge six devices it's incredibly highly reviewed on Amazon and it's right around 20 USD another thing you definitely don't want to forget is to download The Right apps apps before your trip and in this video I gave a comprehensive review of eight must-have travel apps you need to download before your next international trip thanks so much for watching see ya [Music]

Channel: Away Together w/ Nik and Allie

Views: 2,117,514

Keywords: travel tips, pack a carry-on suitcase, packing tips, packing mistakes, packing mistakes to avoid, travel packing mistakes, travel mistakes, packing hacks, travel packing, what not to pack, how to pack, carry on packing, how to pack a suitcase, europe packing, europe packing tips, packing for europe, europe packing list, what to pack for europe, europe packing guide, how to pack for europe, pack for europe, europe backpacking packing, europe packing trip, europe 2023

Id: RoS8MeaeifI

Length: 13min 46sec (826 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 16 2023