5 Essential Packing Tips for Your Trip Abroad
There are a lot of packing tips out there on the internet. Here are some of the essential packing tips that in hindsight would have helped me out enormously.
1. Balance your casual and business wardrobe.
On the IBS Summer Europe Seminar, you will be participating in a lot of business seminars, but you’ll also have a ton of free time. When I went to Europe, I definitely overpacked on the business casual/professional side. I think you should find 2-3 business casual outfits, and only 1-2 business professional suits. It’s a great idea to find clothing that can be worn in a business meeting, as well as exploring the streets of Europe.
I would have benefitted from bringing more casual clothing on my trip. While I did indulge in some shopping anyway, it would have been nice to be fully prepared for the weather. Visiting Germany and Austria was colder weather than I expected. Make sure to pack a couple of pairs of jeans, clothes you can layer, and even a light jacket.
2. Invest in packing cubes.
Buying a set of packing cubes helped me to stay super organized on this trip. Because we were seeing six countries in three weeks, we had to pack up and move around a lot. Packing cubes helped me keep my clothes together in one place, and made it easy to get in and out of our hotels. They were also great at keeping my dirty clothes separate from the clean ones.
I found a set of six on Amazon, that cost less than $20. Having a variety of sizes and colors helped me keep everything together.
3. Pack for one week, not three.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t fit three weeks’ worth of clothing into one suitcase. I found it really helpful to think about packing for a one-week trip, and bringing lots of clothing items that were easy to mix and match. This really helped me to keep my luggage underweight, and even save room so I could bring home some souvenirs.
I certainly brought too much clothing with me and did not wear half of the things I packed. Make sure to bring the items you feel most comfortable wearing. It also helps to plan potential outfits you would wear, and take a photo of them. That way when you are stressing about what to wear in the morning, you can just look back at your photo album and pick out a great outfit.
4. Bring laundry detergent.
Like I said before, you won’t be able to bring 20+ new outfits on your trip. You also won’t want to waste a free day at a laundromat or pay the high bill for hotel laundry services. What I found super easy, was washing some clothes in the hotel sink, and leaving them to dry the next day. This saved me a lot of time and money that I was able to spend doing fun things throughout Europe.
Another crucial item I packed was a Tide stain stick. I carried this in my purse, and it helped countless people keep their clothes clean when we were out and about.
5. Pack your walking shoes.
I cannot tell you how many times I had 10+ mile walking day when we were exploring Europe. It was critical for me to have a good pair of shoes to walk around in. I brought with me a pair of running shoes, casual slip-on shoes, and comfortable sandals. This gave me a variety of options to wear throughout my trip.
Also, remember to bring your business shoes. To stay comfortable while walking during our business seminars, I brought a pair of low heels, and a set of flats to trade out when the heels became too much.
