You Can't Take It With You: Packing

I promised a discussion on hotels, but I’m going to stow that away that for the moment. I want to circle back to packing. I played around a little more with the PackIt app; perfectly reasonable app, but it misses some key points. Here’s what you need to know about packing for Europe.

Start with the luggage. Naturally you want a good set, sturdy – some swear by hard-sided luggage, like Rimowa, but I’ve owned cars that cost less. Other bags have cool features like build-in seats and battery rechargers. If you fly every other month, sure. Otherwise, buy your luggage at TJ Maxx. You want a bag that rolls well with minimal effort; the handle should extend and retract easily. I like to have curb protectors at the bottom of the suitcase.

Most important: You really want to make sure you have a good size to weight ratio. Each bag is allowed to weight 50lbs, above that they start to charge (and they have gotten strict on this). You want a bag that has the most room with the least weight. Usually, you would be hard-pressed to fill a large bag and reach 50lbs. Clothes are not dense enough to get you there. Or, they were. We use individual packing cubes which help condense the clothes, and as a result, I’ve reached that 50lbs limit on my bag more than once.

You can get two smaller bags: on international flights you get two for free. But that does not necessarily carry over to a domestic connection, that second bag may cost you $75. Plus, you really don’t want to negotiate Europe – airports, town, hotel stairs – with two pieces of luggage. Take one plus a carry-on that you can shoulder-strap. So I shoot for a large bag under 9lbs, you can get that for under $100 easily.

Now, what to pack? Obviously that depends on where you’re going and what you’re doing. You’ll need to scout out the projected weather in advance; beware that northern Europe is quite variable, especially in summer. Count on rain if you’re spending June in England or Germany. Even Paris is tough to predict: We were there in mid-July, and one day the high was 60. If you’re north of the Alps, make sure you have at least one warm outfit, even in summer.

South of the Alps you’re more likely to get consistently warm weather once spring starts. Yes, March in Italy can be very rainy, so don’t think you’ll be on the beach: have indoor activities planned (luckily museums abound).

Anyway, you probably have all this figured out. So, where do I have anything to add? This: pack your bag to 50lbs total weight. Put in everything you think you need. Then take out 15lbs to get to the core of things you *really* need. OK, 10lbs if needed, but no less, and shoot for 15.

OK, so why are you going with empty space? Because you’ll be taking stuff back, of course! You knew that, but go ahead and plan for it. The usual suspect is wine, I always try to take two bottles back from wherever I’m going. You can’t take the wine/liquor back in the flight cabin with you, it has to be checked. And it weighs more than clothes. Ignore Duty Free; yes, you don’t have to pack Duty Free booze, it’s waiting for you when you get off the plane, but it counts to your import alcohol allotment, and the prices are fair at best, which is a shame: they used to be a great deal. I recall Bombay Sapphire 1.75L for $30 or so; no longer. Maybe they’re still good on cigarettes, but I wouldn’t know.

You also want to have room to purchase other bulky items on the way. Want to have a picnic in Paris? You’ll need a blanket, which will make a great souvenir. Sweaters, too, in case you have an unexpectedly chilly day. You can’t go to Italy without at least looking at shoes. And maybe a can of olive oil (you won’t be able to take many agro products back, like cheese or salami, but oils & vinegars are good to go).

You get a rebate on the Value Added Tax on purchases of manufactured goods, when you leave the country: have the retailer fill out a form and you can claim it at the airport. It’s 20% or so, and, coupled with the stronger dollar, makes several purchases in Europe quite affordable. Doesn’t work for wine, but quality wines are very affordable there anyway, so you won’t really care.

Lastly: you know enough to bring an electric converter, but remember to bring an extension cord. The converter you bring may have two outlets,tops, but you’ll want more. And the cord makes it more convenient. 6’ will do.