Life In Limbo

What to Pack to Backpack Through Europe

June 20, 2013

The Trip: I’m backpacking through Europe for 3 months, spanning the summer and early fall. I’m travelling with a carry-on bag only, and you can read more about why I came to that decision (and find a link to the bag if you’re interested) here. My travels are mainly focused on the more balmy mediterranean countries, but I’ll still be there as it starts to get chilly, so I’ve packed enough layers to see me through different temperatures.

Great Resources: My list of what to pack when backpacking through Europe is inspired by a lot of wonderful lists I found online. OneBag is the mother of all packing lists, with great recommendations and detailed explanations for each item – definitely start there. While I didn’t pack everything he has on his list, Rick Steves knows what he’s talking about when it comes to packing for Europe. I really liked Peanut Butter Fingers’ post for inspiration about what clothes to pack – she’s more my age than some of the other blogs, so it’s a bit more of an accessible post. Her Packing List has a huge resource page for a plethora of different packing lists for all over the world in all seasons. Finally, Never Ending Voyage has a great packing list for carry-on travel.

The List:

Clothes

Three cardigans (two long-sleeved, one 3/4-sleeves)
Two plain t-shirts (one navy blue, one black)
Three shirts (all short sleeves)
Five tank tops + 1 sleep shirt (not pictured)
Bras, underwear, socks, black tights
One long sleeved striped shirt (not pictured)

*Two Eagle Creek packing cubes

Two skirts
Black leggings
Five dresses (one not pictured)
Two pairs of pants (one pair of jeans, one pair of khakis) and a belt

Knee-length running shorts
Long-sleeved running top
Bikini top
One-piece swimsuit
Two bikini bottoms

Jacket: light weight and water-resistant
Sunglasses
Purse with shoulder strap

Toms
New Balance Minimus running shoes
Crocs flats: these are completely washable and quick-drying, so I’m planning to use them as shower shoes, water shoes, or flats

*The reason some things aren’t pictured is because I added them at the last minute, post photoshoot!

Toiletries

Top Row: Headband, bandaids, Advil, earplugs, hair elastics, floss, razor blade, matches, soap flakes

Second Row: L.L. Bean Toiletries Case, headlamp, whistle, USB drive, eye mask, Light My Fire spork, comb, toothbrush, Diva Cup, padlock

Third Row: Dr. Bronner’s Lavender All-Purpose Soap, 2 bottles Clear Care contact solution, sunscreen, Polysporin, toothpaste, Tide-to-Go pen, conditioner, Lafe’s deodorant, contact lens case, Q-tips, razor.

*Not pictured, because I forgot: concealer, blush, and mascara

Technology

Chargers for my camera, iPad and phone
Earphones
MicroSD to iPad connector (to upload photos)
European adaptor
Camera remote
ONA Roma Bag: a camera bag insert that fits into my purse and protects my camera
iPad Mini (a graduation gift from my Dad)
Unlocked iPhone 4
Not pictured (because I was using it!): Nikon D90 + 35mm f.18 lens

Miscellaneous

Waterproof bag: for carrying phone, keys, wallet while swimming if I’m at the beach on the solo part of my trip
Sea to Summit Silk sleep sack: lightweight travel sheets (doubles as a blanket on trains)
Travel towel
Passport
Travel wallet and change purse
Moneybelt
Pens, washi tape (for anchoring memorabilia into my notebook), and a notebook.
A small beach towel (not pictured)

I am going to be wearing one pair of shoes and packing the third. I’m also going to be wearing my jacket when travelling between cities (or at least carrying it) but if it’s too hot, it fits, folded into the front pocket of the bag. My shirts + running clothes all roll up nicely and fit into my large packing cube. All my other clothes get rolled up and packed in the bottom of the suitcase along with my travel towel and sleep sack. In my purse I’ll carry my camera and other electronics, unless their are flight restrictions in which case I’ll pack everything inside the bag.

It closes like a charm! For most airlines, you’re permitted a carry-on plus a purse or camera bag. I’ve heard that some European budget airlines (Ryanair/Easyjet) are strict about allowing only one piece of luggage. In the event of that happening, I will still have enough space in my bag to pack my purse inside. The water bottle is a Vapur bottle I can also stow away if I have to.

And there you have it: my home for the next three months! I love how compact it is, and how everything has its proper place inside.

For this trip, I’ve omitted a few things that most long-term travel blogs recommend: a rubber doorstop (I’m staying in multi-person dorms, so it wouldn’t make sense), a travel clothesline, a well-stocked first aid kit, etc.

What are your travel necessities? What have you packed and then later decided was unnecessary? Have you travelled with only carry-on luggage before? Any tips about how to make my trip go more smoothly?

Let me know in the comments below!

Everyday Beauty

June 17, 2013

Even though it feels like I’ve barely used my camera over the last few weeks, (I’ve been relying heavily on my trusty iPhone camera) I’ve still gotten some summery shots that I love a lot. One of the things I’m most excited for about my trip is the chances I’ll get to practice my photography in some of the most beautiful places in the world. That, and the amazing food I’ll get to eat. Mmm.

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Lately | June

June 16, 2013

The past several weeks have been a giant blur. Can I use that as an excuse for why I haven’t been blogging, like, at all? It’s because it’s all felt like only a couple of days. It’s also because of my crazy brain and my apartment chaos and because I’ve been having a whole boatload of teary goodbyes.

But now, I can breathe a little bit. When I decided to come home for a couple weeks before I leave for my big trip, it was mainly because my best friend needed to be in the city this weekend, and I had no real other obligations, so I decided why not? Now that I’m here, though, I am so grateful that I have this little pocket of time at home, to calm down a little and prep for the next big thing.

So how have I been filling my time? Photo essay time!

Okay, so as soon as school ended, I began packing up my apartment and selling or throwing out as much as possible. At the worst, it looked something like this:

Dear me. That was bad. But day in and day out (anytime I wasn’t working, or doing the requisite amount of socializing with my friends in the beautiful city) I purged and sorted and packed and it was great! By the time my family came up for my convocation ceremony, I had a pile of stuff for them to take and not *too* much left to deal with. Check out a highly accurate photo of how I was feeling about graduation/moving out of my apartment:

Note the happy/sad, bemused/terrified, bittersweet facial expression I have going on up in there. Complexity, bam.

I enjoyed my ceremony. It wasn’t overly long, I didn’t trip on anything, and as usual at things like this I teared up a little during some of the speeches. My whole life is opening up in front of me, and such! Afterwards, I took some photos with my beautiful family and rounded up some buddypals to participate. It was fun.

My baby sister isn’t so little anymore..

The fam drove home, and left me to my own devices for a couple weeks more. I spent it selling furniture, packing, attending Beer Fest, hanging out on my friend’s balcony watching a thunderstorm, relaxing in parks, and generally just saying goodbye to my beautiful neighbourhood.

I had my last shift at my job of two years. I hugged my coworkers goodbye and cried. I had my last happy hour at my favourite bar. I packed all my stuff. I sold my bed. I cleaned my apartment very thoroughly. In the end, there I was:

It was kind of a strange time. I spent my last night in Montreal (for now) sleeplessly, on my best friends’ couch, doing not so much sleeping and a lot of staring (blindly, sans glasses) out at the sparkly city (they have an incredible view). In the morning, we picked up the rental car, packed it up, and I handed in my keys to my apartment of 2 years and drove out of the city.

It was pretty fun to roadtrip together, in our rental car named Brys.

And with that, I am home. In two weeks, I have my flight out to Croatia. In case you’re wondering, I am still super nervous for my trip. But one of the things I’ve been doing since I’ve been home is sorting through all my old junk I’ve had stored in my childhood room. And today I found a note I wrote myself about my decision to go to McGill: at the time, it was a big, scary decision for me. In it I wrote that I needed to “have courage, my love” and that “I am doing this because I want to scare myself”. And that’s exactly why I’m taking this trip too. If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough, right?

I’m gearing up for my Great Safe Adventure. But I’m also trying to relax and spend time with my family and enjoy my summer days here in my hometown. Hope you’re all having lovely summers so far! xo.

Travel Jitters

May 30, 2013

Lately, my days feel pretty similar. There's an underlying feeling of stress, a current of urgency running through me as I wake up, make myself food, and try to curb panic by planning and selling and booking and researching. I feel like I do nothing all day, but it's my brain that's doing all the work, problem solving constantly, looking for answers to the questions I only just came up with a few minutes before. It would be impossible to break it down and explain all the little successes and solutions I've discovered after a half hour of Google searches, or to outline all the times I've searched for an hour and still didn't find any easy answer (donating books in Montreal, I mean honestly.) I know this is coming out sounding more dramatic than I want it to, but it's actually the opposite of dramatic. I'm surprised to discover that this time in my life, one of the most crazy periods of change that I've experienced thus far – it's a lot more like a slow boil, a quiet, solitary time.

My apartment is getting sparser, day by day. My plans are getting more solid, my travel itinerary is coming together. Last night, I had a small attack of doubt, when I began questioning my decision to stay in one city longer than another, and whether I had chosen the right places in the first place, and feeling down about how somewhat arbitrary my plans suddenly felt. But I just breathed, and decided that none of that mattered because really, life is sort of arbitrary, isn't it? The courses I chose for my degree were arbitrary, to some extent, but I still graduated. Life is a process of arbitrary trial and error, I decided, then went to sleep. I feel slightly better this morning.

Since none of this traveling has begun yet, and since I don't have that much experience with travelling, let alone by myself, I think part of the problem is that I have no real idea what it's going to be like for me. I have to just go on the accounts of friends and bloggers and my imagination and faith that its going to be, like everyone says, the best experience of my life. Since it still feels so surreal and far-off and unimaginable, I occasionally get bogged down by all the researching and decisions and forget that these are real places I'm going to experience, these are real ocean-side towns and real tapas and real cliffs for jumping off of. But even if I still struggle to actually picture myself doing any of the things I'm planning, do them I will, in just 30-odd days. I know in my heart what an incredible time I'm going to have, and how lucky I am, and how beautiful and life-changing it will be, and I'm trying to hold those feelings tighter than I hold the feelings of uncertainty. But to say I wasn't feeling a little uncertain or scared would be to lie to you. I just gotta keep it real!

I also want to put out the call: I'm taking with me one backpack and all the advice and recommendations I can get. So if you have any general travel tips, specifically European travel tips, recommendations for hostels/restaurants/attractions in Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, the south of France, or anywhere in Italy (I'm planning on visiting most of the major cities) – let me know! I would love to hear your travel stories and advice.

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