A Preliminary Packing List for Europe

I'm working on my packing list for my upcoming European trip this summer. I'll be gone for a total of six weeks, two weeks spent with students and four weeks on my own afterwards. As I've changed out my closets for the spring/summer season, I've been keeping an eye on the things I might want to take with me on vacation. Rather than wearing them all spring and summer before the trip, I think I'll keep them out of rotation for now. That way, they'll feel fresh and "new" to me even if they're items that I've had for a long time.

The first two weeks, I won't have an opportunity to do laundry AT ALL. We aren't even staying in hotels long enough to be able to wash out items by hand and hang them to dry. For that reason, I will be packing a minimum of 14 different outfits. That may seem like a lot to some people, but I'm going to try to choose items that pack easily and that are both breathable and flattering. One of the mistakes I made last year in Paris was packing too many synthetic fabrics. During the crazy heat wave they had, the synthetic fabrics made me miserable. Lesson learned! I'm also going to try to have my daughter photograph me wearing all of the outfits I had planned. I want to avoid the dreaded, "I thought I looked cute until the photo proved me wrong" phenomenon that seems to happen to me more frequently than the average bear. That's actually on the agenda for sometime in the next couple of weeks.

I'm planning on taking a personal item, a soft-sided carry-on bag, and one checked bag. I have to be careful about the sizes of these items because the flight I'm taking from Rome to Madrid alone is with an airline that has very strict baggage requirements. My goal is to not have to worry about over-limit bag fees this trip AND to be able to manage all of my luggage easily on my own. I just about ended up down in my back after wrestling a giant suitcase in Paris last year. I'll be putting two of these outfits in my carry-on bag, probably dresses since they're light and easily transportable. Everything else will need to go in my checked bag. I'd really like to take my carry-on size rolling bag as my checked bag, but that's probably not a reasonable alternative. Hopefully, the fella will allow me to take his monster rolling bag again instead; I just promise not to overstuff it this time around...really.

This is a work in progress, of course, so I do reserve the right to change my mind as actual packing gets closer. Also, I haven't pulled everything just yet; these are just to get me started.

Remember, I had a lot of luggage with me last year.

And here's a look at each category of item I'm planning to take.

Tops
1. Black v-neck tshirt
2. Black, long, asymmetrical hem tank top
3. Cream lacework top with cream tank top
4. White lacework tshirt
5. Navy and white check linen top
6. Navy and cream print top with lace detail in the back
7. Peach rosette tank top
8. Black, long, babydoll top (?)

Bottoms
1. Black pencil skirt
2. Denim pencil skirt
3. Blue foldover knit skirt
4. White lace shorts
5. Khaki or black stretch capris
6. Skinny jeans (?)

Dresses
1. Black, flounced hem, tank dress
2. Navy, striped, babydoll dress
3. Teal, ikat print, maxi-dress
4. Sky blue and white striped, tank maxi-dress
5. Gray, sleeveless, A-line dress
6. Red, linen, shift dress
7. Black, striped, shift dress

Other
2 nightgowns
2 bras (black and nude)
14 panties
Swimsuit
3 scarves
Black leggings
Tank tops - gray, white, black
Short sleeved black cardigan
Pink striped raincoat with hood

Shoes
Black Camper Mary Janes
Black sport sandals
Khaki Skecher sport shoes


**These items do not include what I plan to wear on the plane.