Hello again, friends! I feel like it has been forever since I’ve sat down to write a blog post. While my three week journey through Europe was absolutely amazing, I must admit, it is always good to be home again!
In the upcoming weeks, I plan to write a detailed post outlining our itinerary and details of our trip. For now, though, I’m simply sharing what I packed for three weeks in Europe and different climates! Our trip began in Portugal, where we visited Alex’s dad for a week. Obviously Portugal has a much milder climate than countries in western Europe, so I packed some warm weather clothes in my carry-on and kept my heavier items in my checked bag.
Packing for three weeks in foreign countries definitely requires some strategic thinking. I packed one checked bag and one carry-on, which may seem like plenty of room, but when you start adding bulkier items like coats, space runs out quickly! In all honesty, I had to pack and re-pack quite a few times before I finally settled on a lot of basics that could be mixed and matched easily. I packed a lot of neutrals that could easily be paired with a blazer or trench coat, making it easy to create a lot of outfits out of a few pieces!
Below are the pieces that made it into my suitcase for the trip! Everything is linked by clicking on the photos.
I shared these shoes on Instagram before, but want to make a quick note of them again here! I knew that we would be walking miles and miles a day, so I wanted to make sure that all of the shoes I packed were comfortable options. Both pairs of white sneakers have memory foam bottoms and were perfect for walking 10+ miles a day! If you are in search of a comfortable white sneaker, I highly recommend both of those. The loafers are also incredibly comfortable, and I was easily able to walk over 5 miles in these as well.
As far as tops go, you can see that I stuck with neutral basics! These could all easily be layered and paired with different bottoms (jeans, trousers, black pants, etc.).
I am missing one dress from this photo, a denim dress, that I wore in Portugal! I packed dresses mostly for Portugal as they’re easy and the weather was warm enough for it. Besides that, I wore the long sweater dress in Paris and layered the sweater vest dress with a black turtleneck for Vienna!
In terms of pants, I stuck with basics once again in an effort to mix and match to create a lot of outfits! I packed two pairs of blue jeans, one pair of black jeans, my Spanx faux leather leggings, a pair of trousers, and a pair of leggings and sweatpants for lounging and traveling! I honestly felt like this was the perfect amount as I truly was able to mix and match a lot.
Last but not least, coats! I found myself wearing the trench coat almost everyday because it was unfortunately quite rainy while we were there! I would say I wore my leather jacket quite a bit as well, and layered basic looks with my blazers. Again, I feel like this was the perfect amount and a great combination of options. I highly recommend packing some sort of rain jacket for Europe! Most of our days were spent sight-seeing and being outside, so the rain jacket definitely came in handy.
My only regret is that I did not pack more sweaters, as I did not truly know what the weather would be and I felt that layering would simply be enough to keep me warm. Unfortunately, it was unseasonably cold while we were touring eastern Europe, which I would not have known since we went to Portugal first and I could not see the weather for our time in the other countries. Besides that, I truly do feel like I had everything I needed and was able to create different outfits for every day!
If planning a long trip, I recommend starting with your basics that you can mix and match to make various looks. From there, if you have room in your suitcase, then I would recommend adding in some “trendier” pieces that you want to wear!