How to Pack for a Eurotrip

Eurotrip 2012

Last summer I spent three and a bit weeks traveling around Europe with three of my closest friends, it was an unforgettable experience and I gained not only independence but also a few funny anecdotes that came in handy during fresher's week.
If you're a fellow fashion conscious person, packing a months worth of clothing into a back pack is not an easy task. When organizing your capsule wardrobe, the main challenges you face are finding clothes that are:

• practical for travelling
• suitable for any weather
• remain true to your personal style

As you can see from this blog, I believe every destination has a different style or vibe therefore an outfit I had planned for one place wouldn't necessarily be the same look I was going for in another. For example, I wouldn't wear the same renaissance-inspired romantic look in both Florence and Berlin because there's a much edgier fashion-forward vibe in Berlin. I understand that not everyone thinks like this haha but it worked for me and this thought process later became the inspiration for this blog!

Limoncello dress in Pisa

High-waisted shorts and blouse in Rome

Pac-a-mac in Berlin

Faded tee and denim shorts in Prague

One way I managed to get around this was by taking items of clothing that were versatile.  Having those staple items in your wardrobe such as a white blouse, Breton style top, tailored shorts or LBD is both economical and practical.  These items seem to survive from season to season only updated now and again to coincide with the latest trends.    

Towards the end of the trip I got so bored of wearing the same things all the time that I started to experiment a little!  With a lot of dresses (especially strapless or with small straps) it's possible to transform them into skirts simply by folding the bodice part down and tucking in to create a waist belt. 

Polka-dot dress in Nice
 (looking a lovely shade of lobster might I add)

Same dress used as a skirt in Florence

And then there were those days where it was so hot that I couldn't care less what I looked like as long as I didn't feel like I was melting.

EUROTRIP TIPS

• A pac-a-mac is your best friend. Stylish and convenient, no backpack is complete without one.

• Keep your back pack organized.  Having a travel laundry bag is a handy way to separate the dirty clothes from the clean (don't make the same mistake as I did and leave yours in a hostel in Rome).

• Take washing up tablets.  It's easier to hand wash your clothes than to look for a launderette.

• Four weeks of eating at cafes and restaurants can get expensive so take advantage of any student discounts.  Our hostel in Nice even had free champagne nights...no regrets!

• The local commuters generally see interrail travelers as a bit of a nuisance- make sure you reserve train seats in advance unless you like being kicked out of your seat every 10 minutes.

• A company called New Europe offers free walking tours in a lot of European cities, making their commission in tips.  The tour guides are always fun and they give a lot of interesting information.

• A shared dorm is not for everyone.  If you do decide to go down that route, be prepared to meet some characters.

• Have fun and don't stress out! Your trip is never going to pan out exactly the way you planned it but sometimes the spontaneous moments turn out to be the best ones.