Draft Europe Packing List
Ah, yes, the first draft of what might wind up on my back for four months. You know, being a writer and editor, this is the fun part: time to break out the traveller equivalent of the red pen and scissors, and go to town. What should I add? Axe? *cracking my knuckles*
This is deliberately too long. That is what a first draft is for. You cannot edit what is not there.
Clothes
- hiking boots
- sandals
- rain jacket
- lightweight overcoat
- fleece
- sweater
- 5 pair socks
- 5 pair underwear
- 3 pair trousers (2 convertible, 1 not)
- 2 t-shirts, 1-2 long-sleeve t-shirts
- black button-down shirt
- silver and black tie
- swim trunks
- 1 thermal undershirt
- pyjama pants
- BootsnAll cap, sunglasses
Gear
- backpack with daypack
- money belt
- ball of string (clothesline) and clothes pegs
- universal sink plug
- squeeze bottle of liquid soap for washing clothes
- Dreamsack (sleep sheet)
- quick-dry towel
- water bottle
- LED headlamp
- Swiss Army knife, and a folding knife (check the knife laws, seriously)
- corkscrew, because I got my Swiss Army knife when I was 12 and didn't know the direction my life would take ;-)
- sewing kit, safety pins, duct tape
- earplugs and an eye mask
- padlock for hostel lockers
- baggies and plastic bags
Tech
This is the section that has changed beyond recognition. My original list had an AlphaSmart 3000 word processor, a Palm m125, a digital camera, a mini CD player, a case of discs and an alarm clock. That is five devices and about four kilos, and a phone now does all of it.
- phone, and the charger
- power bank
- a plug adapter, and note that Britain, Switzerland and Italy are not the standard two-pin
- a short multi-way charger, so one socket in a dorm serves everything
- headphones
- eSIM or a local data plan sorted before you land
- hardbound journal and pens, which I am not giving up
Money and documents
- passport, and a photo of it stored somewhere you can reach without your phone
- debit card, and a credit card kept somewhere separate
- some cash, and a little of the local stuff for the first day
- rail pass, which now lives in the Rail Planner app rather than your pocket
- travel insurance details
- bank phone numbers for when a card gets swallowed
On the train and in the hostel
- flip-flops for the shower
- deck of cards
- fruit, bread, wine, cheese
Toiletries and first aid
- bar soap in a box, which doubles for laundry and does not count as a liquid
- toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, nail clippers, razor
- a few plasters, painkillers, and the anti-shite drugs
- any prescription you take, in its labelled box
Two notes I did not need to make in 2003. Liquids in your carry-on are capped at 100ml per container in a single clear bag, so buy shampoo when you land rather than hauling it. And the folding knife has to go in the hold or it gets taken off you, which is a slow way to donate a good knife to an airport.
Right. That is the dump. Now somebody please tell me what to throw out.
The packing list saga: 1. First draft · 2. Feedback and thoughts · 3. Second draft
Posted 03 July 2003 by Ant in Eurail Planning, Packing · updated by Chris