It’s never too early to start planning for your summer vacation! Take a cue from our travel blogger, Kelly, and go on a backpacking adventure! Here, she’ll tell you how to pack like a pro:
Ladies, let me introduce myself. I am your travel guru, and beyond that I can be your packing guru! I travelled all through Europe for about 14 months before and during my first year of university. My first 4-week stint through Europe was camping and bussing across 13 countries.
Paris is always a good idea, even in the pouring rain!
My biggest regret is that I over-packed. I grossly overestimated how many clothes I would need, and all the cool stuff I would collect while I was away!
This small daypack from MEC (pictured above) should have been my secondary bag. It held water, snacks, a rain jacket, notebook and camera; that was all I needed during the day. My primary backpack should have only been twice the size. All you need is a perfect backpacker’s bag and to know how to pack it.
Here’s a perfect backpack for your adventures!
Here are five tips for packing light and packing right!
1. Light and bright clothes! Depending on what time of year you’re travelling, you’re going to want to pack for the season. And seriously, do your research! Find out if their seasons are like ours and what the weather has been like so far this year. Don’t dress for an east coast summer only to end up in an arctic winter!
2. Roll your clothes. On that note, backpacking is not the time to bring that silk pantsuit by YSL or that stunning satin party dress by Betsey Johnson. It creases, it crinkles and it’s just a bad time.
3. Speaking of of YSL and Betsey, don’t bring your favorite clothes. They’ll get stained, they’ll get ruined, and you might, like me, end up throwing out your favorite baby blue peasant blouse.
4. Don’t overburden your footwear choices! Bring one pair of walking shoes, one pair of sandals (for beaches and bathrooms) and one pair of (walkable) night shoes. Finally on shoes, don’t bring a pair of Jimmy Choos, but don’t buy your walking shoes at Walmart either. You need to invest in a good, solid pair of trainers. Remember if you’re planning on getting the most out of your travels, you’ll be on your feet from sunup to sundown (maybe even longer).
5. Bring layers! Stock up on tank tops, tees and sweaters. Leggings are your friends, jeans are not – they get wet if it rains and they’re uncomfortable. Pick up some khakis or cotton cargos, in pant length, capri and shorts – just keep the material light. Because you won’t always have the ability to do laundry, rinsing out with a little soap and hanging to dry is easier with lighter materials.
Well ladies, I hope you’ve learned a bit about backpacking! If you have any tips or tricks that you use when you travel, comment below! I’d love to hear your suggestions!
This post, of course, will not answer the questions of those of our readers who travel to resorts, stay in five star hotels or travel on cruises. But, I haven’t forgotten about you! My next Travel Blog post will be on the perfect travelling purse and what to put in it!
Daypacks like the one featured in the second photo can be found here. The blue and red backpack can be found here.