If packing makes you want to set your hair on fire, this video is for you
because I'm gonna be sharing all my best tips for packing to ensure that you have
the most stress-free experience possible, especially if you're gonna be traveling
to Europe. So here's my promise to you - by the end of this video you are going to
be a total packing pro, and be sure to stick around until the end because I'm
also going to be sharing a bunch of really cool travel hacks and I'm gonna
be giving you a chance to win a postcard. So without further ado please hit that
cheesy intro!
What's up, smarties? today we are tackling a not so sexy topic but an important one
which is packing so if you're near around here, my name is Christina from HappyToWander.com
and this channel is all about how to travel Europe smarter,
cheaper, and more off the beaten path. If you're not subscribed already, be sure to
subscribe, also if you want to win a postcard from me, be sure to comment below
with your favorite tip and I'll be randomly drawing a winner and announcing
them in next week's video... now let's get to tip number 1, which is to always start
with a packing list. Now I know this is a total mom tip but there's a reason that
moms are always right. I highly recommend before you leave to print out a
packing list. Don't worry, as your fairy travel mother, I've already created some
printable lists for you but it's really important to have this to make sure you
don't leave anything important behind. One thing I always do as well is I
create a special hardcore essentials travel list on my phone so that in the
morning before my flight I can just review it and make sure I have all the
really important things like passport, my hair straightener (sorry I'm kind of vain)
any medication, etc. Tip number two is to know your airline's baggage fee policy.
Now I know this seems like common sense but actually for a lot of first-timers
to Europe they don't realize just how inconsistent and random some of these
European airlines can be, so really baggage allowance depends on the airline
that you're flying with so just to save yourself the hassle,
be sure to Google in advance how much you're allowed to bring in terms of size
and also in terms of weight. One really good thing you can also invest in that's
dirt cheap that you can just get off of Amazon is also a handheld luggage scale.
That way you can weigh your luggage in advance so you don't have to pay any
baggage fees at the airport or be that person who's awkwardly reshuffling
everything at the front of the line. Tip number three is to bring the right bag
of course this completely depends and the perfect bag is really really
subjective but what I mean by a perfect bag is a bag that's well suited
for your travel style. So for me personally, my travel style is I've kind
of outgrown my backpacking days so I do a lot of city breaks, I typically travel
carry-on only, and I like to stay in mid-range hotels and so for me the
perfect bag is just a hardshell suitcase carry-on size, something that I can carry
easily by myself. Of course, if you are backpacking,
doing some kind of adventure travel or maybe traveling with a family where you
need more than one bag, you're gonna have different
needs and different bags that you bring with you, but what's really important is
that you just pick something that's really comfortable, something that you've
tested and something that you're able to carry because a lot of the time you know
some hotels will only have stairs (no elevator) or elevators will be broken so
whatever bag you bring make sure you can actually physically pick it up and if
you want to learn how to pack a little bit lighter so that you are able to
carry your bags, I have a full video on that coming up next week so be sure to
hit subscribe so you don't miss it. Tip number four is to use packing cubes.
I absolutely love packing cubes... they are probably like my favourite
travel product. I first started using them five years ago on my first
backpacking trip and I haven't looked back. They're really great for keeping
your suitcase organized and for kind of compressing your different goods. I
personally use a different packing cube for different types of clothing so
one for bottoms, one for tops, one for underwear and socks, but some other
people actually use little packing cubes to organize individual outfits for each
day which is quite clever as well so there's a lot of versatility there.
Packing cubes are the best. Tip number five is to roll your clothes. Seriously
if you're not rolling your clothes already, do it, it is such a game-changer.
Now the jury is still out about whether it actually saves space or if it
actually reduces wrinkles but what I like about rolling is you can at a
glance see the different items that you have in your suitcase which is really
convenient if you're looking for a specific item or if you just want to
kind of gaze lovingly at how organized your suitcase looks. Now one particular
rolling technique that is great if you're feeling really crafty is
something called the Ranger roll and this is basically where you roll up your
clothes and tuck them into little burritos. That can actually help compress
and save more space as well but personally I'm a little bit lazy and
I've always just kind of rolled it and I've had no troubles so be sure to give
rolling your clothes a try. Tip number six is to invest in
protective wraps for your fragile goods. So this is more of a tip if you travel
with a lot of gear like I do like cameras, gimbals, etc. but really if you
have anything fragile that you tend to travel with like perfume bottles or if
you intend to travel and buy something fragile like mugs (love a good mug) then
be sure to invest in some of these protective travel wraps which look like
this. I actually have two - one from Domke
which is a really well-regarded brand. It's great but they also have a much
cheaper Amazon brand version and it does the exact same thing basically they're
just these velcro wraps that are padded so you can wrap them around different
objects like cameras or like a gimbal and turn any bag of yours into a camera
bag which i think is really handy because I can just like put my DSLR in
there and then throw it in my backpack and not worry about it.
Theoretically you could use a fluffy scarf to kind of achieve the same effect
but I personally really like having these because they look quite smart and
they're very versatile and not that expensive so be sure to check those out.
By the way every item that I'm mentioning or recommending you're gonna
be able to find the link in the description down below so be sure to
check that out if you're curious about any of these things that I'm talking
about. Tip number seven is to plan your outfits now. I know this is a little bit
of extra work but if you plan your outfits in advance then you can make
sure you're only bringing things that you're actually gonna wear. The last
thing you want to do is bring things just in case or just throw random items
in your bag because when push comes to shove and you're trying to dress
yourself in the morning you probably won't be able to find that many
combinations that look good and you're gonna hate that you brought like those
weird patterned pants that you never wear so you should plan all your outfits
in advance to ensure you kind of streamline your vacation wardrobe and
just pack the essentials. Tip number eight is to DIY your own travel-sized
toiletries. So I know a lot of the time when people travel abroad they like to
buy those cute little travel-sized toiletries from the supermarket. They're
like 1 or 2 bucks a pop but for me personally I mean you know it's not
expensive but it's not really the best use of money because you're kind of
confined to just those specific products and if you're anything like me you need
like a special shampoo, special face cleanser, all that stuff so what I would
recommend actually if you travel quite often is to just purchase these kind of
reusable toiletry bottles that you can fill with your own favourite products
and that way you know you can make your own travel sized things, you don't need
to buy these little bottles anymore, cutting down on the single-use plastic
and all that so I highly recommend getting some bottles like this because
they're really really great. Onwards to tip number eight which is to keep all
your liquids in their own little reusable plastic bag and to keep them
apart from everything else so as I'm sure a lot of you know when you're going
through airports, if you have liquids in your carry-on you
tend to have to bring them out, separate them so they can inspect them and a lot
of the time what they want you to do is they want you to use those like you know
dinky little single-use Ziploc bags but if you travel really often it's really
worth it to make the jump to splurge on a bag like this reusable plastic bag
that you can chuck all your toiletries in... something that's clear and TSA
approved and that way you don't need to use those plastic bags that come at the
airport and this is also a lot sturdier and you can just like whip it out of
your bag and put it on the security belt like a pro. I will say 95% of the time
I've had no trouble with this exact bag but there are some airports that can
kind of weird about it and so in Paris and London I've had instances where they
insisted that I use their plastic bags in those cases just do it, but it's
really really good to have a bag like this just to hold your toiletries and to
reuse time and time again. Tip number nine is to use some kind of special
covering on your liquid bottles to ensure that you are protected against
leaks. Oftentimes this tip is given with plastic wrap so people recommend that
you put plastic wrap over top your bottle and they screw the cap over top.
You could do that but also if you're like me and have like a million plastic
bags just sitting under the sink I recommend just cutting those up into
little squares and then using those instead that way you're just kind of
upcycling that waste that would just be sitting under your sink. Tip number ten
is to always pack your absolute essentials in your carry-on as well as
an additional outfit because here's the thing: bags can go missing... they don't go
missing often but they can and so the last thing you want is to have like your
essential medication or like your favorite foundation sitting in your
suitcase when you really really need it, so make sure you always have everything
your absolute essentials, packed in your carry-on as well as an additional outfit
especially with extra underwear just in case.
On that note tip number 11 is if you happen to be traveling with someone else
be sure to store some of your clothes or outfits in your travel buddy's suitcase
and vice versa so that way if one person's suitcase goes missing then at least
you'll have additional clothes. So tip number 12 is to be sure to bring some
extra bags so like totes, Ziploc bags etc because you never know when you'll need
them and trust me on this one you can never have too many bags. Totes come
in really handy for stowing things like dirty clothes or even just for shopping
in markets when you're abroad so be sure to bring some extra bags... you never know
when you'll need them and they weigh nothing so you might as well bring a few.
Very related to this is tip number 13 which at the very least if you don't
plan on bringing any extra totes or bags or anything be sure to have a bag for
dirty laundry because the last thing you want is to be mixing all your clean
clothes with all your icky sweaty you know gross clothes. That's something
that a lot of people forget so be sure to bring an additional bag for dirty
laundry. Tip number 14 is to make sure you have a
unique luggage tag or identifier on your suitcase. Of course this is especially
true if you could be checking in your bag because trust me people can and they
do take the wrong bag all the time. What my parents used to do actually is
they used to wrap their luggage in this obnoxious rainbow ribbon and obviously
it doesn't look that smart but people will not take it because they know that
thing isn't theirs, so make sure your luggage is unique to
avoid anybody accidentally taking it at the airport. Tip 15 is to make sure
you're always packing your heaviest stuff at the bottom of your suitcase so
kind of where the wheels are because the last thing you want is a top heavy bag
especially if it's a backpack because that'll really like make you feel
imbalanced and also you don't want your suitcase to be toppling over at the
airport either so be sure to pack the heaviest things at the very bottom. Tip
16 is to remember to pack layers for warmth so this is the thing about Europe
and I think I can generalize this across the continent, the weather is completely
whack. Like it might be sunny and then all of a sudden a storm cloud will just
roll in and soak you completely wet... looking at you England. So remember
remember to always bring different layers so that you can have a lot of
different items that are sort of multi-purpose and you're not just you
know carrying around one bulky sweater that's only good for one type of weather.
This is definitely one of my top tips for packing light and again if you're
interested in that topic be sure to subscribe because next week's video is
all about that. Tip number 17 - make sure you bring a reusable water bottle! So the
good thing about reusable water bottles is when you're traveling around Europe
most major cities will have free fountains in the streets where you get
tap water for free which is great because it
is better for the environment and also it saves you quite a bit of money. In
addition to that a lot of major airlines now will just pour any water that you
want on the flight directly into your bottle which is great
because less plastic cups and for the last tip before we move on to the cool
packing hacks that I've got for you... be sure to leave a little extra space in
your suitcase because I mean we're human, you can expect that you're gonna find
something abroad that you're gonna really want to buy and so instead of
just agonizing over what of your things you should throw away, be sure to leave a
little extra space on the way there or alternatively consider bringing like a
duffel bag or a tote bag that folds up really small and bringing that with you
so that you have an additional bag on the way home. An advanced mega Asian
parent technique that I learned from my parents is also to just nest your
suitcases so you can consider taking a small suitcase, putting all your stuff in
it and then packing it within a slightly larger suitcase and that way on the way
back you only have to pay luggage fees one way and then you have two suitcases
to fill with glorious crap. Now let's move on to some cool travel hacks so
these are like little ingenious tricks that you can use to make packing a
little bit more fun and a little bit easier so hack number one, actually let's
say tip number 19 for consistency, is to bring a pillowcase. So pillowcases are a
really good thing to bring with you because they they weigh nothing and
they're really multifunctional so you could for example stuff a pillowcase
with clothes or like a soft jacket in order to create a DIY travel pillow, it's
also more hygienic if you're staying in hostels or like an apartment where you
feel like that cleanliness isn't really there, and it's also just really nice and
comfortable to have something from home. Worst comes to worst if you pack a
pillowcase and you don't feel like you're using it for any of those
aforementioned purposes you can always just use it as a dirty laundry bag. Next
hack - tip number 20 , be sure to bring a clothes pin or a money clip or binder
clip because you can actually use it to create a DIY toothbrush stand so that
way you can make sure your toothbrush is never touching the counter or anything gross.
Tip 21 is to use a tic-tac case to hold your bobby pins. That's right - after
you eat all these Tic Tacs you can actually use the empty box to store
those bobby pins that can get misplaced or you know just lost really
really easily. I hate bobby pins they are the bane of
my existence but if you use them this is a great storage container for them.
Tip 22 in a similar way if you travel with a lot of different hair ties you can
actually use a little carabiner to store your hair ties and keep them all
organized on one clip that way you don't have to like have a million on your
wrist like I always do. Tip number 23 is to keep your pill
bottles because they're actually really handy for storing q-tips. Gotta have those
clean ears. Tip 24 is to string your necklaces through a straw to ensure that
they don't get tangled. I personally don't have a huge problem with my
necklaces getting tangled I tend to just carry them in a pouch but if you have
little fragile necklaces that get tangled very often stringing them
through a straw will solve that problem. Tip 25 - use a shower cap to store your
dirty shoes. Now remember this is not a shower cap that you are going to be
using on your trip, this is just an old shower cap that you have lying around or
one that you're never going to use because I personally don't really use
shower caps but remember shoes can get really muddy, really dirty so the last
thing you want is to be throwing your dirty shoes on top of all your clothes.
Alternatively if you have any of those plastic bags that bed sheets come in
those would also work really well for this. Tip 26 - to maximize space consider
stuffing little small items in your shoes so things like socks or underwear...
Just remember to put those things in a protective bag first so that your
underwear is not directly in your shoe which I think is kind of gross and
sounds like infection city. Tip 27 is to invest in a universal adapter - yes they
do exist and they're really really handy especially the ones that you can buy now
that have multiple USB cord slots and that will allow you to charge multiple
devices without bringing a bulky power bar. So a universal adapter is really
good to have even for Europe because even though most countries use the same
two prong plugs there are certain exceptions like the UK Ireland and Malta
that use a different one so it's really good to just have a universal one just
in case, plus once should buy a good one that last then you can just literally
use it for every trip that you have from that point forward so it's a really good
investment. Tip 28 is to bring an oven mitt. I know
that seems a little bit weird but this is actually really handy if you travel
with any heat appliances like curling irons or flat irons like I do. It always
drives my boyfriend insane because I literally just like throw a hot
straightener into my suitcase and it really scares him because nobody likes
fire so if you want a heat proof way to carry those things around, bring an oven
mitt and then you can just insert it and then wrap the cord around and you're set.
Tip 29 - bring a few dryer sheets with you to avoid weird clothes smell so if
you're traveling for quite a long time it might be worth your while to bring
just a few dryer sheets so that your clothes stay fresh if you've traveled
for an extended period of time I'm sure you are familiar with that weird mildewy
clothing smell that clothes tend to get if they've been in a suitcase very long
time so dryer sheets are a really good way of keeping that at bay. So tip number
30 is to bring a frozen water bottle or a frozen sponge to keep your snacks cold.
So as I'm sure you know security is pretty strict on bringing any liquids
over 100 milliliters through security but one way to bypass this is to just
bring a frozen water bottle if you don't want to bring a reusable one or to
freeze a sponge and use it kind of like an ice pack so that you can keep any
snacks that you bring cool. Last but not least my bonus tip for you is to always
bring a pen I know that this is not necessarily a travel hack but it's just
something that everybody forgets to do so make sure you have a pen in at least
every bag you're bringing so like your suitcase, your backpack, your purse
whatever because sometimes you'll need a pen and trust me, when you need it the
most it will not be there so make sure you bring a pen, it's really important if
you need to fill out any customs declarations or really just for daily
use. Alright Smarties I hope you enjoyed this video. If you did please give me a
big thumbs up and be sure to subscribe for more Europe videos just like this
one and if you want to win that free postcard I was talking about just
comment below with your favorite tip from this video and be sure to check out
the description for my free packing list and for all the items that I mentioned
thanks for watching... I will see you guys next week. BYEEEEE!!!