Traveling TnT

 

The countdown is officially down to two hands! Soon I will be on the plane to Greece but before then is the fun part of packing!

I already talked about what electronics I’m brining, but lets dig deeper into my planned packing list. I will return after the trip and update with what I did or didn’t use as well. Then everyone can learn from my mistakes!

First: Luggage!!

When we were planning for our trip to Europe, we knew we wanted to try the concept of “one bagging”. I did hours of research and reading and we settled on the the Osprey Porter 46. My husband and I both got the same bags when we came across good deals on EBags.com. We LOVE the bag.

We prefer backpacks over rolling bags because most of Europe has their cobblestone. I would hate to break a wheel, mid vacation. I would rather just pack lite and carry it with me, and keep it on the plane.

What to pack?

Clothes:

So I’ve done some research. Now that the dates of our trip is on Weather.com, I can get a good feeling of how the tempature is going to feel. Right now in May it’s esitmating between 70-80º during the day and 60-70º in the evening. This means lots of sun dresses and a couple cardigans for me. This is my planned packing list for traveling over 12 days.

• 4 dresses
• 2 shorts
• 6 shirts/Tanks
• 1 pj pants/t-shirt
• 2 cardigans – I get cold easily, 60º at night is enough for a cardigan
• 2 skirts
• 12 pairs of underware – no need to wash when I can just fit all that I need
• 2 bras
• 3 swimsuits 
• 2 pairs of socks – again, the cold thing

Accessories:

• 2 pairs of shoes – I  keep reading I do not need to pack sneakers or converse, so I’ll go with 1 pair of flats and 1 pair of sandels
• 1 small purse – since we are staying in only 3 towns, we will be able to leave our stuff at our hotels and I will just need a small purse to walk around
• Sunglasses
• Travel towel – since we plan to visit some beaches, I’m not sure what the towel situation will look like at the hotels, so we will just bring a small travel version
• Plastic bags – We will be at the beach. Beach = sand. Sand = sad. Sand is not fun to get stuck in your luggage, so we plan to use these Ziplock oversized bags that we purchased for Europe to keep our swimwear separate while traveling

Miscellaneous/Handy Items:

These items I plan to have close to me while traveling. These are items I would be touching before/in/after flights or ferries and less likely to touch while at the city.

• Travel Pillow – I’m still trying to understand my life. I have the idea of a perfect pillow and haven’t found it yet. I hope to find it this week on Amazon…
• Water bottle – We have some collapsible water bottles, but we may just bring something in our luggage.
• Gum – lots of planes
• Pens – I love taking notes.
• Notebook – To go along with pens, I will have a small notebook with me. I try to keep all notes and thoughts in it and will keep it with all my paper tickets and such after the trip
• Guide Books – Pretty self explanatory. They always say rip out what pages you need, but we walked around with the book for Paris and had no issues. It was extremely convenient when we added several extra stops one day.

Travel documents and Money:

• Credit Cards – You need a card with no FTF, or Foreign Transaction Fees. We personally love the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Also make sure it’s good for Chip and Signature. Bonus points for Chip and Pin, like the Barclaycard Arrival Plus.
• Debit Card – There are a lot of countries that run better on cash. We use a Charles Schwab High Yield investor Checking Account. We aren’t actually investors, but it’s the most popular card that has no ATM fees worldwide.
• Passport – Pretty necessary when leaving the country. But do make sure it is not expired and has at least 6 months remaining! A friend of mine ended up at the airport, checking into the flight when the attendant sadly informed them that the passport was expired. They had to travel to Atlanta to get a same day passport before traveling.
• Travel insurance – I luck out. I have options through my employer for traveling, and our credit cards used for purchasing our flights and hotels offer travel insurance.
• International Driving Permit/Car Rental Insurance: The driving permits can be picked up at your local AAA office or mailed in. The car rental insurance could also be a part of your purchase if you have a credit card that has primary insurance. Most Visa Signature cards do, like our trusty Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• Travel Confirmations & Tickets – I recommend a printed copy of every confirmation number you have. Hotel, flights, and ferries specifically. It also helps to include addresses and directions from the airport or port to your hotel.

toiletries: 

This is always the longest list but smallest bag!

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash
• Face wash
• Moisturizer
• Sunscreen
• Lotion
• Shaving cream – These are great options for small areas of shaving. And don’t have to go in the TSA Bag!
• Razors
• deodorant
• Nail clipper
• Hair band/bobby pins
• Hair brush
• Chapstick
• Glasses/Contacts/Saline Solution
• Moleskin
• Blister relief
• Cotton swabs
• Floss
• Pain medication
• Stomach medication
• Makeup
• Makeup remover
• Feminine products
• Sea sickness medication or bands
• Wrinkle releaser 
• Laundry detergent – We love these travel sheets. No need to be in the TSA bag!

Apps to Download Before:

Last but not least, go here for a list of useful apps to download before you travel!!

 

So there you go! My packing list for Greece 2017. I’m curious on if there are any items I won’t use. Of course I’m a planner, so I tend to over pack a little, but I try to keep those items small.