A few months into my first job, my boss approached me and asked how I felt about Rome. Confused and with no context, I replied “pretty good?” He responded with, “Great, make sure you have an up to date passport, you’re going at the end of the month.”
The next month was a whirlwind preparing my presentation for the conference I’d be presenting at. I basically spent all my waking hours working and researching my trip to Europe. I’d decided to take the opportunity from already being in Italy to visit my brother in Germany and my cousin in Paris. I had never travelled overseas completely alone before, but I was excited to have every decision point of the trip in my hands.
P L A N : I ended up making very loose plans for the trip. I knew I would be spending my first four days in Rome for work. After that I booked a flight to Lugano, Switzerland. I chose Lugano out of all the other lake towns in the region, because I liked the art museum (this is the beauty of traveling alone) and planned to travel by train down to Milan after to catch a flight to Frankfurt (it was the cheapest flight I could find). From there, I would let my older brother, Ben. navigate Germany for me. We had plans to go to Volksfest in Stuttgart and Oktoberfest in Munich, the rest we would figure out along the way. Finally, I planned to book a train ticket to Paris to visit my cousin, Jacob, for a few days, but I did not book in advance in case I decided to go to Belgium or the Netherlands on the way.
P A C K : With tight baggage restrictions on RyanAir and all the different modes of transportation I would be taking, I opted to pack just a backpack (Fjällräven, Friluft 45L). Going from a 4-day work conference to Oktoberfest to Paris with the potential for variable weather (end of September), made packing light slightly difficult. To maximize my outfit options, I opted for a completely black and white wardrobe–that way I would not be limited by color or pattern in pairing items (simplicity is key). For good measure, I threw in a few colorful scarfs–my absolute necessity for travel. For shoes, I packed a pair of heels (for work), a pair of booties, and a pair of flats, but ended buying slip-ons in Italy at Zara, because I underestimated the toll walking everywhere would take on my feet.
S A M P L E . P A C K I N G . L I S T
C L O T H I N G
- 1x Black Button Down (LS)
- 3x Black/White LS Tees
- 2x Black/White SS Tees
- 2x Black/White SS Blouses
- 1x Jeans
- 1x Black Leggings
- 1x Black Pencil Skirt (for work//but chose a versatile style)
- 1x Black Mini-Skirt
- 3x Black Tights
- 1x Black Trousers (for work//but chose a versatile style)
O U T E R W E A R
- 1x Black Blazer (for work//but chose a versatile style)
- 1x Black Cardigan
- 1x Black Moto Jacket
- 1x Black Warmer Jacket (I brought a longer North Face)
- 2x Scarfs Varied in color/weight
S H O E S
- 1x Black Booties
- 1x Black Flats
- 1x Black Pumps (for work, do not bring unless you are attending work/formal functions!)
- 1x Black Slip-ons/walking shoe
M I S C.
- 1x Sunglasses
- 1x Headlamp (never not useful)
- 1x Ear Buds (necessity for trains/long pedestrian commutes)
- 1x Journal & Pen
- 1x Medium Black Purse for day trips/work conference
- 1x Outlet Converter
- 1x Phone Charger
* F I N A L . T I P S*
+ Plan ahead to do a load of laundry. Mine was easy to do, because I had a day at my brother’s house, but several hotels/AirBnbs have machines.
+ If you don’t need it, leave it. I bought my dirndl (German dress) for Oktoberfest in Germany. I knew I was not going to need it again until maybe the next time I went to Oktoberfest. My brother let me leave it at his house and returned it when he moved back to the States.
+ Utilize airport bookstore’s “Read and Return” programs. I read “While You Were Breeding” on my way over and returned it before leaving the airport and “Uganda Be Kidding Me” on the way back.
+ Don’t lie to yourself and say you’re going to workout every day (unless you actually are). I cannot tell you how many trips I packed my running shoes, CrossFit shoes, and plethora of workout clothes to only use half of it.
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