Recently the husband and I took a 15 day trip through Europe. We each carried one backpacking-sized backpack, and at times I had one regular size purse/shoulder bag. That was the entirety of our luggage. Here are some tips and how-tos to realize your own minimalist packing dreams.

But Why, Though?

Packing this light offered several benefits for the trip. Having one backpack means you only have one thing you might lose. It is easy to keep track of. Our trip included five flights (a few were connecting legs of our overseas flight) and on only one occasion did we have to check our backpacks. Not having to check our bags means less chance for the airline to lose them.  Our two bags fit nicely in every train storage situation we encountered. Also, having only one thing to carry and carrying it on your back, means cracks in sidewalks, stairs and running for gates is less of a problem than it would be if we were trying to drag along roller carry-on bags. Not having to pay fees to check bags means we could reallocate our funds for our experiences. That bit of money likely covered one of our more expensive meals and may have even gone a long way toward off setting our Disney Paris admission fees.

Mindset is the First Step

It is always important to me to look appropriate, but I am inherently not a vain person. I wear the same pieces of jewelry almost every single day. I rarely wear a full face of make up. Essentially, I am telling you it is easier to pack everything you need if you can decide that you just really do not care [that much about] how you look. I did not bring hair styling appliances beyond one brush. My hair was almost perpetually frizzy. (It rained often in Paris). And my pictures are still satisfactory. I was not the best dressed person in most of the rooms I entered, but I was comfortable, and I was too busy looking at art, architecture, and the Swiss countryside to notice how I looked.

Part of not caring how I looked meant I took two pairs of shoes. I had a pair of Adidas trail runners that I wore hiking and on particularly rainy days. I took a pair of leather Bobs for all other occasions. I would have preferred to have a few more shoes, and maybe a dressy pair for nice evenings out. However, I made the mental shift before leaving that I had to accept that I was a tourist. I thought, but ‘people will know I am an American if I wear sneakers!’ Turns out people knew I was American by the way I spoke and the fact that I had come to visit a tourist attraction. My shoes weren’t the give-aways I thought they would be. I was a tourist, and I had to be okay with that, and then decided it was okay if I looked a little bit like one.

Another part of not caring how I looked meant deciding on a color scheme so that each and every one of the items I packed was interchangeable with the others. This actually was not very hard for me at all. I packed an array of grey, black and navy items, which also happened to be the palette of which my wardrobe primarily consisted. Even my scarf was white, black and grey. I packed a black pair of tights and a black cardigan. I also had a grey long sleeve technical shirt that could serve as a base layer or a top layer in place of my sweater.

Carefully selecting garments is also helpful. I chose items that were light when I could, including thin cotton skirts, and casual tops, as well as technical items that resisted wrinkles. I packed two dresses as they seemed to serve two purposes for less space in the bag (a top and bottom).  I also chose items that were easily washed and had properties such as wicking or odor resistance so I could wear them more than once before washing. You can check out my review of one of the most important elements of this selection here (Hint: it covers my butt). This was the first time I took a trip and packed fewer pairs of underwear and fewer socks than there were planned days of the trip.

Traveling with one backpack meant we had to be judicial about souvenirs. I knew that we had limited room, so we made careful and thoughtful choices about what to bring back to the US with us. when it was all said and done we brought two chocolate bars, three magnets, a t-shirt and a tin of chocolate, several bus and subways passes and many brochures.

Finally, figuring out how to manage your straps is a necessity. When checking a backpack, the straps and

fasteners are liabilities — they could rip off, damage your bag, or cause any number of other problems. My husband became a pro at hiding these away and even in converting the straps to condense the luggage. One of our bags was specifically designed for this sort of travel: the Osprey Farpoint 55 (Check the link for our review). But the other was an REI climbing bag, and required more inventiveness to wrangle each of the straps.

A Little Bit of Luck

The weather was definitely on our side. The temperatures were in the upper 50s to low 70s most of the trip. This meant we weren’t sweating through our clothes most days, and with only a couple of layers we were comfortable. We did not require bulkier items such as thick sweaters or insulated pants.

Also, our preferred experiences did not often require specific attire. We packed one bathing suit each, but did not require climbing gear, cycling specific gear, five-star dinning, or formal apparel.

What’s in the BAG?!?

Here is a list of what I packed. I’m sure I have left something out, as I am writing this after I unpacked, but I believe this is fairly representative.
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• Packing cubes – These helped us to stay organized. I had one for special items, pajamas and bathing suits, one for underwear and socks, and one for all other clothes.
• Zip Lock bag with our toiletries:
• Hand sanitizer
• Face wash
• Shampoo
• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (for laundry and body)
• Burts bees chapstick
• Sunscreen
• Bobs black leather shoes
• Adidas trail running shoes
• Three pairs of socks
• Three pair underwear 2x ExOfficio (Link to our review)
• ExOfficio Pants
• One pair of soft shell warmer pants for hiking in the mountains
• One pair of lighter nylon material for travel days and warmer cities
• Four t-shirts/ casual tops
• Two classic black t-shirts
• One nicer grey cotton top
• One blue v-neck t-shirt
• Bathing suit
• Sports bra
• Pair running shorts
• Long sleeve tech shirt
• Semi-tech t-shirt
• Two dresses
• Three skirts (Navy striped, Light gray, Black)

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• Footless tights
• Button up cardigan sweater
• Packable coat
• Rain coat
• Shorts for cycling – no chamois
• Hair ties
• Hairbrush
• Razor
• Book
• Book light
• Tiny moleskin notebook – I used this to write down the most needed phrases in each language, and also did a bit of planning for work
• Pen
• French-english dictionary
• Snacks – I have a tendency to get hangry, so a stash of larabars was necessary. In fact, they were particularly handy in Disneyland Paris.
• Ginger chews – these are very helpful for nausea
• Sunglasses
• Purse (x 2) – I carried a very thin shoulder bag with three zippers. I could wear this comfortably under my sweater or coat, it’s very small but accommodated my wallet, phone, and sunglasses. If stretched, I could add a snack.
I also carried a larger Overland Equipment Donner Bag. This is one of my favorite bags, and stores all the essentials. It housed my books, notebooks, and pillow on travel days.
• First aid
• Neck pillow
• Pack cover (rain protection)
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What I Could Have Left Home

Turns out I the French dictionary was less helpful than the google translate app on my phone. I also did not read the book I carried with me, largely because I used my local library’s multimedia app to download audiobooks – listening to my books on a gently rocking train is much less likely to inspire motion sickness. I could have also left one of the dresses and my non-chamois cycling shorts. I had brought them as a layer of modesty should we rent bikes in one of the cities. We did not end up renting bikes as a means of transportation (traffic patterns were somewhat scary in a few of the cities we visited), and I ended up not wearing these shorts. Also, despite visiting the beach in Anzio, Italy I could have left my bathing suit at home. The water was too cold for me to venture in past my knees.

We could have gone even more minimalist if we really wanted to but found we used just about every item. What are your thoughts? Anything you would add or remove from the list?