Europe on 7kg - am I crazy to try?!
In August I'm doing 3 weeks in Europe, mostly based in Edinburgh and Andalucía.
Because I'm travelling from regional Australia, if I want to do carry-on only, I'm limited to 7kg total (bag + personal item).
It'll be my first time OneBagging overseas, and my first trip where the temps vary so widely (forecasts for those weeks say down to 4° in Edinburgh and up to 35° in Seville), but I'm keen to try! I really like OneBagging on interstate trips, so I'm pretty motivated to make it work.
Strategies I'm trying to use:
- merino, silk, linen and layers
- packing with the thought "what's the worst that can happen if I don't have this?" rather than "what if I need this?"
- I'm open to the idea of buying some things once I get there - there's really no point me ordering things online from Uniqlo when there's one right near my hotel in Edinburgh I plan to buy toiletries, a merino jumper, and maybe a pair of leggings depending how my modal joggers + merino thermals hold up to Scotland weather.
- packing clothes that feel authentically me, so I can still feel presentable while being low-maintenance on hair, makeup etc.
Here's what's in the draft packing list so far (5.4kg):
Clothes pic
- linen blend dress (Cotton On)
- joggers (Target)
- convertible pants #embracethedaggy (Gondwana)
- linen shorts (Target)
- 3 x lightweight Underwear (Target active bikini - so comfy and they dry in seconds with a hairdryer!)
- linen button up shirt (thrifted)
- linen tee (Suzanne Grae)
- Capilene cool daily tee (Kathmandu)
- 2 x silk tees (thrifted)
- merino long sleeve base layer
- merino cami base layer
- merino legging base layer
- Uniqlo heat tech long sleeve tee (thrifted)
- Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket
Bits and bobs pic
- Hoka cloud 9s
- Reef Beachy Sandal
- trtl neck pillow
- a few period products, will buy more there if needed
- cooling towel
- clothes line
- stain treatment spray
- Usb fan
- basic first aid like eye drops, blister band aids, antihistamine, anti diarrhoeal, painkillers, PPI
- Flamingo Feet toe stretchers (so refreshing after a long day walking)
- eye mask
- Loop ear plugs
- gua sha
Plane outfit
- paire merino tee
- target joggers
- hoodie
- scarf
- compression socks
- Mongrel K9 boots (so much comfier than Blundstones! And made in Australia)
- sports bra and undies
Handbag
- shoulder bag (target)
- sketchbook
- watercolour kit
- wipes and tissues
- sunglasses
- lip balm
- wallet
- moisturiser
- toothbrush
- deo
- comb
A few things that didn't make it to the flatlay:
- makeup basics, same as I use every day: eyebrow pencil, tiny concealer wand, tinted lip balm, mascara
- two pairs long merino socks
- two pairs ankle socks (yes, my millennial is showing)
- wired bra
- silk pillowcase
- reusable shopping bag
- toothpaste - I do the hiker trick of drying some dots of toothpaste so its super light and doesn't count as a liquid There's some obvious ones like passport, contacts, charger/adaptor etc too.
Things I may take, although I'd prefer to keep space for souvenirs:
- rain jacket - may buy there instead
- a linen short jumpsuit - I love the look of it, but it's not useful for Scotland, and the thought of getting in and out of it when I need to pee on tapas crawls isn't a vibe
- Swimmers - we are going to some coastal towns in Spain. May sacrifice some space to take what I already own, because as a busty gal, I can't necessarily rely on finding something there.
- Drybag to make washing easier. I usually just do it in the sink/shower but I do like how much easier a drybag makes it.
- a spray bottle for alcohol for the clothes, save me searching to buy once I get there.
- a dedicated pyjama top, although I'll probably just sleep in one of the merino pieces as that's often what I do at home.
I'd love to hear from anyone else who's done a similar trip on <7kg! My travel partners are telling me I'm crazy and begging me to reconsider, but I'm sure there's lots of you out there who've done it and survived, right?