We all know that one of the best parts about spending a semester in Europe is the ease for weekend travel. As Cooper from EuroTrip once said, “Europe is the size of the Eastwood Mall, we can walk to Berlin from London.” While it may not actually be that small, countless incredible cities are just a short train or flight away. However, in the winter months, a short fight could bring you to a completely different climate. From Madrid, in the center of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, a one-hour flight to Barcelona brings you to a mild Mediterranean climate where a leather jacket with a thick scarf would be sufficient. However, a two-hour flight to the rest of Western Europe could bring you to some pretty chilly weather. And so, the question remains, how do you pack for a weekend trip?
Dressing appropriately for the weather is the key to any great weekend. Here is a guide for Belgium during the winter. It is important because if you don’t plan well you may be too cold and will probably end up annoying your friends and they won’t share any of their yummy Belgium chocolate with you. Moral of the story… plan ahead.
1. The most important part of winter travel is the parka. The winter parka will keep you toasty, dry if it rains, and if you get a little too warm you can always just walk around with it unzipped. Even if you go to a warmer city for abroad, bring a parka for travel. I went for one with a fur-lined hood because you never know when you need to put it up if the elements turn out to be out to get you.
2. Hats, gloves & scarves will also be necessary to add to your most likely black/navy/olive parka. This hat is the Lund Beanie from Rag & Bone and the scarf is a long, thin wool one from Vince. Unfortunately, I left my gloves in Madrid and had to pick up a pair at the souvenir shop. My style choices were lavender or “I <3 Belgium” print.
3. Next: abroad shoes. “Abroad shoes” come in all shapes and sizes and is a term you will hear plenty if you go abroad. If it were in Urban Dictionary it would say something along the lines of “the cute, comfortable shoes that you can walk miles in, can handle any weather/hidden puddles and probably/most likely/definitely will not come home with you at the end of the semester.” Here I went for a vegan leather pair of unembellished ankle booties purchased when my mom made it clear that her leather ankle booties would not be leaving the country with me.
4. Add in a small, but spacious, cross-body (yes, unlike in NYC it should actually be worn cross-body #sorrypickpocketers) and you’re good to stay warm and enjoy the city!