Packing for a European Rail Vacation
Traveling to Europe involves thinking carefully about your packing lists. Especially if you are going to travel using Europe’s excellent train system you need to pack light. European rail stations no long have porters so you must be able to load your luggage on and off the train with you. European trains normally don’t have separate luggage carriages, instead luggage is stored either on an overhead tack - for smaller items or on racks at the end of the carriage. Either way you need to manipulate your luggage in a compact area and off and onto the platform Its much easier to have one small case each rather than one large case between a couple. Luggage wheels is popular - but the wheels add weight and pulling a bag up and down stairs and along cobblestoned streets is bad for your back - consider a well-fitting smal backpack instead.
Take only the minimum that you need - you need to have clothes that layer - to deal with Europe’s variable climate you need to take multiple lighter weight layers - and wear them over each other rather than takeing heavier clothes that you will only wear rarely
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Efficient Packing for a Camping Trip
Packing for a camping trip does have its pitfalls but here a few tricks that work for me.
The key is to have the right contains: a mixture of rigid and soft containers work for me. Clothing and bedding go into soft sided bags which then cushion and pack around the main rigid sided. Obviously you heavy items need to go low down and over the axels of ether your 4WD or trailer.
I start with packing spare water in the middle bacK: I always carry about four containers of water and they go in first. We have 3 large plastic boxes which hold items such as kitchen gear; books and first aid items. These stack on top of each other and also go toward the centre
Food I pack in a variety of containers. Cans and unopened packets go into those green shopping bags I finally found a use for: they are really tough too and cheap. Items which need to have the dust kept off them go into sealed plastic boxes. Vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and apples store well if wrapped in paper and kept in a dark cardboard box or bag.
Clothing and bedding go into soft bag: one bag for each person and an extra bag per a tent if required. Those large strippy plastic bags you buy at the $2 shop last well if the zip doesn’t break in the first couple of weeks.
Finally on top I put ground sheets and the tents: after all the sheets can be used to protect the load and you want those out first: the tent needs to be treated a bit carefully so shouldn’t be buried too deaply. On the very top the camp chairs and stretchers go.
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Vacation Packing Tips
Vacation packing tips: looking for vacation packing tips on the Internet is, lets face it a great way to delay: well actually packing for vacation! So here is my number one vacation packing tip: avoid leaving packing for vacation until the very last minute! Let’s face it we all love to go on vacation: and being on vacation is actually great. Its just the transition from being at work to being on vacation which can be less than stellar. Lets face it no-one actually enjoys packing: in fact there is one thing worse than packing for vacation and that’s unpacking at the end but that’s another post! So how to deal with the vacation packing nightmare. Well I’d suggest you chill out. That’s right step back from that empty suitcase and instead pour yourself a large glass of wine, or grab a large piece of chocolate cake or whatever works to unwind you. Now don’t start with the luggage start with the essentials that you actually need for your vacation: not what you might need, what you will need. You will need underwear, you don’t necessarily need a sewing kit. If you are off to the beach you will need a couple of swim suits, you will probably NOT need a formal outfit. If you off to the south of France in summer you probably don’t need a sweater or a raincoat. So every thing you MIGHT need becomes a probably won’t need and goes back in the wardrobe. Now you have the what you will need pile: now pack it – no. Now take the pile you have and halve it: take half of what you think you NEED and you will have a great vacation. And you know if you really do miss something that you didn’t bring: most of the world has shops!
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Vacation Packing: What’s Important to Pack
In fact very little. That’s my top vacation packing tip. Almost certainly none of the things you consider important: the silk nightdress? No. The natty little travel cosmetics kit Great-Aunt Mary gave you? No. Comfortable walking shoes? Not even these: none of these items should be on your vacation packing list. The only things that are absolutely essential to take with you and shouldn’t even be packed but should be on your person at all times. The absolutely essential list is very short. If you are traveling overseas you need a passport: and if travelling to some countries you will need an International Health Card to prove your inoculations for Yellow Fever, If you intend to drive you will need your drivers license and possibly an international drivers license. You will need cash/travelers checks, or more commonly these days plastic cards: credit and/or debit. If you are dependent on prescription medicines you will need to take a supply and copy of your prescription. That is all you need to take. That’s it – it really is: every thing else is optional. Everything else is a choice. The one thing that people who have travelled on after having their luggage stolen say is: it was so much easier: once I got over the trauma of loosing everything I thought I needed to have with me I felt an amazing freedom: I bought a small bag and continued on – I needed so little I couldn’t believe it!
I consider that over-packers fall into 2 groups. There are those who carry too many clothes. There are also those who carry too many cosmetics, medical items and toiletries. There is truly dreadful group off over-packers who do both. The essential things to pack in your medical kit: panadol – 1 pack – enough to see through you the first part of the trip. Because once you get off the plane guess what: the rest of the world has panadol too, and sticking plasters and dehydration mixture and bandages and every other unlikely item you think you should take with you.
What to you need as far as clothes are concerned: this is even easier: a spare top, a spare bottom, 2 spare pairs of panties, 1 spare bra (for the girls), 1 warmer layer (depending on the weather) swimming gear (depending on the weather). Yes that’s it! You don’t nee a cocktail dress or a reverseable jacket or a sun hat just in case. If you do in fact need a sun hat: you can buy one there! Yes the whole world has shops – very handy that!
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Family Vacation Packing List
Top tips for Vacation Packing for Families: Families are notorious for over-packing but when traveling with a family you should have one master packing list. you only need1 set of toiletries: shampoo, deodorant can all be shared and cut back on the overall bag count enormously. Older kids should be responsible for their own bags: make sure they carry them too: teach them that packing light is good from an early age. What a great opportunity to explain to your teenager that ½ dozen hair products aren’t necessary for a beach holiday, neither are 10 different outfits and a hair dryer. Give them one small bag and let them take the final decisions on what should be on their packing list. This will make it easier at airports :I am amazed when mom and dad running around in circles trying to get all the luggage together while the bored teens stand around texting their mates; lets have a little contribution and cooperation on the vacation please. Which does however that the parents have to cede some control: if #1 son only wants to bring jeans to a hot climate: let him: he’ll never do it again! What’s more you will probably have more pleasant children to be around too. Travelling with smaller kids can be a delight too: forget about the home standards of hygiene: if they get dirty don’t worry about changing cloths too often; vacations are for fun anyway aren’t they? Bring just a few outfits each and make sure they are all easy care and can be washed in the sink and drip-dried over the bath. Make sure that you have some kid-size luggage so that they really can carry it and be responsible for it: that’s a great learning exercise on a vacation. And why would you want to be worried about packing 4 or 5 bags when you can delegate that task and teach some kid responsibility at the same time.
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What To Pack for an Overseas Vacation
Whether packing for a vacation overseas or closer to home: what to pack for vacation doesn’t change that much. Packing for an overseas vacation is not really that different from packing for a vacation a lot closer to home. Your overseas vacation packing list really doesn’t have to be a whole lot different and really should be based on the same principals as we have already discussed on for what to pack for vacation. The main thing is not to forget of course is your passport! Also make sure you have the details on your travel insurance policy. Check out the weather you should expect at your destination. This can get a bit tricky if you are actually travelling through varying different types of climate and back again: or experiences a variety of climates on vacation. Packing for a climate which ranges from the beach to the cool mountains can be a bit more of a challenge than just packing for a beach vacation. You might have to add a few items to your beach vacation packing list but don’t over do it! If you need warmer clothes at the start of the trip either take stuff you are prepared to leave behind or mail home to yourself. If the colder weather is at the end of the trip its a bit harder :consider buying what you need when you arrive at that part of the trip.
Remember too that different parts of the world have different dress codes ; those from Europe should remember that Californian beaches tend to not only require bottoms but also tops for the girls! Cathedrals in southern Europe will refuse to allow women wearing short shorts and bare shoulders to enter -take a scarf or shirt to cover up. Basically use your common sense and look at what others are wearing around you.
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Beach Vacation Packing List
This is a real easy one: a beach vacation packing list really is a no-brainer. You are off to the sunny beach where even the dress-up occasions will be casual. Quite frankly the best resorts are those that require you not to wear shoes for the week anyway! So what should you pack for such a pleasant vacation. Being fair-skinned I normally start with suntan lotion, lots of it. You can buy it at the beach, but particularly at a beach resort you are going to pay mega-$ so stock up on some SPF30+ sun tan lotion before leaving home. A good pair of sunglasses are a must for most people too. While we are on sun protection a large brimmed hat: NOT a baseball cap – is essential too. If you don’t have one: or don’t have a packable one don’t worry – sun hats are always available at the beach! Basically you can pack for a beach vacation with a carry-on: all you need is a couple of swimsuits: a sarong or other cover up and a couple of light dresses for other times. A pair of beach shoes and something more dressy. Lets face it if you are spending most of the day alternating between the pool and the beach how often are you going to wear clothes anyway: on the days you arrive and leave really! Plus something for the odd snooty restaurant which insists on shoes and no swim-wear. If you are big into snorkeling or diving you may want to bring your own gear but compare the costs of shipping versus hiring before you go down that route. Oh and decent book or two – useful to keep the sun out of your eyes when dozing on he lounger – oh and you can read it too if you insist!
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Vacation Packing Tips: Take One Bag
Here’s a vacation packing tip: take just one small piece of luggage on your next vacation. I carry-on is what I used to called it but with current restrictions on liquids, dangerous weapons such as pocket knives and weight limits you probably won’t be allowed to carry on a single piece of luggage at least on most airlines. However this shouldn’t stop you being able to travel pretty much indefinitely with one 30litre day pack or shoulder bag if you prefer. When I challenge people to this they either say “impossible” or “why”? Well it’s not impossible: I traveled for over 6 months across most of South America carrying a single bag. My jacket had to be worn either by me or on the outside of my pack as did my walking shoes: but that was the only compromise I made. I wasn’t equipped for camping but I survived “summer” in Tierra del Fuego which was about 10C all the way to the tropics of Ecuador. Not all of my clothes survived the trip: traveling light is tough on clothing. But it was a delight to never have to check my bag on a bus and to be able to accept a lift in a small car already full of 3 adults without having the bag being a problem. .
The why of taking as few items on your vacation packing list is easy too. Next time just watch someone struggling with too much luggage getting onto the bus or even just transferring to the taxi: they have to tip the porter and the taxi driver to deal with it all. It slows you down, excess luggage makes you a target for opportunistic theft and means you spend too much time worrying about the logistics of travel instead of just enjoying the experience. The most common taxis in Vietnam are scooters: you hop on the back and they put your bag between the driver’s legs in front: if your bag is too big to fit on a Vietnamese taxi: prune your vacation packing list: a lot!
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Vacation Packing; Psychology
Watching people packing for their vacation tells you a lot about their attitude to the vacation and their level with comfort with it. Often in travel forums people about to take off on their dream of a lifetime backpacking trip post about their fear of what they have undertaken, the next day they are back asking if their 5 page packing list is feasible and whether they should buy a bigger backpack to fit the whole monstrous list of must haves in. I think we use “things” as emotional crutches. The newly rich seem to need to surround themselves with large houses, expensive TVs and fancy cars. The nervous traveller somehow convinces themselves that it will all be OK so long as they take enough stuff with them. Of course this is self-defeating: the worst way to travel is with too much stuff: its emotionally and physically exhausting! You spend your whole time worrying about your luggage and its contents rather than chilling out and enjoying the scenery.
The best way to learn how to travel light is to just do it. Find a 30l bag which is comfortable for you: fill it for your next vacation. That’s it: no more than what will fit in that little bag! Think of it de-cluttering your vacation packing list: same as de-cluttering your apartment or house really. Don’t take anything with you which can’t do double duty. Don’t take PJ’ and an evening outfit: take a silk shirt which will do for both. Few travel gadgets are worth the money but the tiny, super absorbent travel towels are well-worth while.
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The Art of Vacation Packing
Working out what to pack for a vacation isn’t that difficult and everyone’s packing list is different, what to pack for vacation also varies depending on what type of holiday I’m taking. There are some essentials you have to take every time though: though not as many as most people believe. In fact I would estimate threat 99% of people over-pack when packing for their vacation. Why is over-packing bad? It costs you time, money and stress. It takes time to get all that stuff in those bags, and over-packed bags are always a pain to re-pack at the end of the vacation. Money: how does over packing cost you money? Well if you over pack you end up with too much to carry – so instead of walking you take the bus or train: or worse you can’t manage public transport so you end up hiring a cab or limousine service: how much is that going to cost you? Of course these day airlines are becoming more and more conscious of the fuel costs of carrying heavy bags and are getting more and more restrictive. Some low-cost carriers will charge you to even check a bag :and weight limits on cabin luggage are strictly enforced these days, much more so than even a few years ago.
So taking too much luggage will cost you time and money which will no doubt add to your holiday stress as well. So why do so many people over pack for their family vacation or dream overseas holiday? My theory is that it’s insecurity, though sometimes its just pure ignorance. Whatever your favourite type of cosmetic or shampoo is you will probably be able to get it at your destination: sometimes it may be cheaper to bring from home: but probably not if you have to pay for over-weight luggage or a taxi when the train was too hard. to manipulate that extra piece of luggage aboard.
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