Momo: I just arrived in Madrid… when do you plan on getting here?
Terri: Great! Ahh.. I’m buying my ticket now, see you day after tomorrow- your time!
Momo: Yes!! See you in Europe!
Dream trip come true! Ah, Terri, you need to pack fast! Now it’s the time to scramble… with thoughtful elegance, of course. What to wear? What to bring? I have to look like a local when I’m traveling in foreign territories. What should I bring? I know! Yes… that tote… and that leopard print duffel!
Here is the go-to guide for some useful tips to pack light!
Inside the Duffel
Roll your clothes, including the smallest item.
The art of packing light, comes with the foundation of packing properly. You can fit much more, when you roll your clothes and pack them in starting with the corners of your case. Put your clothes in the Duffel, not in the Tote.
Place travel size toiletries in the zipper compartments
In the outside zipper of your tote, place your necessities like toothbrush, toothpaste etc, in ziplock bag. Bring an additional zip lock, just in case. On the inside zipper place perfume.
Clothing Checklist
2 Bathing Suits
3 Party Dresses
5 Day to Night Dresses
3 Light weight pants or shorts (not jeans)
3 Fashion Tops
3 Pairs of Shoes: 1 pair of neutral colored High heels, 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair of flip flops
As much light undergarments you think you need for your trip
Silky Sleepwear
Your traveling outfit
Preferably a cotton maxi dress. It keeps you warm and comfortable on the flight, and doesn’t wrinkle when you get off the plane. Don’t forget to bring your shades!
Inside the Tote
Power stick and international charger (in ziplock )
Tablet & Smartphone
Passport and documents
Small messenger purse
Headphones
Makeup bag
Accessories (in ziplock)
And now I’m off!
Terri: Momo, I’m here, where we going to next?
Momo: We are going to Barcelona!
Terri: Woohoo!
Train rides across Europe can take up to 9 hours, so make sure that you dress comfortably the entire time. When we arrived in Barcelona, we hardly stood out as tourists with our light packing, and took the public transit to easily reach our destination. From Barcelona off we went to explore Paris, Monaco, Nice, and Rome!
Make sure you stay where they do your laundry
If your trip is beyond 1 week, make sure that you stay where they have laundry service for guests.
Gathering Souvenirs
Once you have enough room in your tote, you can absolutely have room to buy small souvenirs for your friends that weren’t able to join you on your voyage! There was a cute vintage market in Nice, which had all sorts of vintage jewelry, clothing and classic pieces. Grab an extra tote (like a light canvas tote) to help you with your shopping. I couldn’t help but to buy several hand-sized ceramic Roman soldier helmets for as souvenirs!
Traveling Back Home
Packing lightly allows you to have no need to throw or give anything away. I took all that I needed, and even shopped to my heart’s desire! I bought a lovely chiffon Roman caftan dress, that I just love!
The most difficult part traveling back home to the hustle and bustle of New York, was rolling away my leopard print duffle, filled with the nostalgic phrase, ‘Arrivederci,’ towards the beautiful Italian countryside.
-Terri Liselle
Author: Terri Liselle is the author of the book “The Millennial Woman: How to Achieve Success for the New Woman Within,” available on Amazon. She is a Millennial Expert and enjoys discussing the benefits of entrepreneurship and the importance of living out one’s dream life. She is a previous Chapter President of the Collegiate Entrepreneur’s Organization and obtained her B.S.B.A in Entrepreneurship at the University of Central Florida. Her experience and education has lead her into consulting individuals on developing their career goals as well as consulting start-up companies from Finance to Fashion. Terri Liselle lives in New York City.
