Travel Outfits for Europe: Pack Only in a Carry-On With These 9 Strategies

Why doesn't anyone talk undies? The truth about older women who need pad protection with their underwear? Here's my tip: because i wear a thin pad everyday for bladder leaks, i can get 2 days of wear per pair of underpants; for a 10 day trip i need 5 pair of panties. Also, pack nylon undies vs cotton because they can be compressed smaller. I also never hear anyone talk how many bras. Comfortable and clean undergarments are as important as outerwear.

LOL! I love your "this is not a beauty pagent... your not going to see those people again!" comment... made me laugh out loud!

Once you accept the fact that it's okay to wear things more than once (or twice), you can pack a lot lighter. Colors and pieces that coordinate & interchange, and that attitude of "we'll never see these people again", make for very light packing. We're traveling to Italy in the fall for 12 days and my plan is a carry on and personal bag. Thank you for all your travel tips!

I find scarves are super versatile for trips AND the thin ones take up almost zero space in your bag. I bring two, a thicker warm one on the plane and a thin chic one (usually printed silk) that dresses up my pima cotton tshirt for a fancy dinner. This worked brilliantly on my Alaska cruise last month, as both scarves were in the same color "family" and went with all my clothes. ❤

Hi Laurie. You mentioned you wouldn’t wear the navy and white turtleneck with black denim. Perhaps that’s just your preference but I wanted to add that navy and black is a very chic combination. It’s often attributed to Yves Saint Laurent and was a combo worn often by Jackie O and other stylish women. Love your videos!

I'm from Europe, to answer your question, the Breton (striped) top originated from France. Coco Chanel re-imagined the top as a chic piece of clothing.

I always take a large, good quality pashmina (all year) and/or blanket scarf (winter). It’s a formal evening top layer, a normal winter scarf, a modest covering for visits to religious sites, something to prevent thigh peel in hot weather (shorts), an eye mask/neck pillow on the plane, a hair accessory (Grace Kelly style/for wash day), a Dick Whittington bag, a poolside sarong/lounger towel in a pinch, an extra warm layer on the bed, …

My essentials for travel: slipper socks w/tread in separate ziplock bag (to avoid being bare feet in airplanes, on hotel carpet or slippery wood or bathroom floors), a washcloth (not a given in non—US hotels, airbnbs, etc) for bathing, spills, etc. w plastic bag, 2 inflatable clothes hangars for laundry(shirts) & 1/2 dozen clothespins, 1 or 2 small bungee cords, collapsible jewelry tray for collecting car keys, room keys, jewelry, etc to prevent loss, packing checklist esp. for a longer stay, an extension cord (even for international). I also believe in rolling tops & sweaters for cubes.

Hi Laurie! I love your content. My travel hack involves scarves for colder weather. Instead of a bulky wool or heavy knit scarf, I pack rectangular silk scarves. They take up no space and keep my neck just as warm. Plus, I can pack more than one so that I don't look the same in all my pictures. They fit in my purse and my jacket pocket.

Very interesting to hear your thought process through all of this. I will say for myself, a scarf is a definite travel essential. I tend to ping pong between feeling hot/cold numerous times (thanks menopausal hot flashes) and the scarf is the easiest thing to whip on and off according to my comfort zone. It can also double as a light blanket for napping. I usually either wear it as my travel outfit or roll it up tightly into my under seat bag.

Flying to England the day after Thanksgiving to see Christmas lights and markets. We always go carry on, pick a color combo where everything can be worn with everything. I could wear black and white stripes for days! Love it.

When we go to Europe it’s for a month, so 4 or 5 silk scarves are a must for me. Three merino wool tops and a different scarf easily gives me a weeklong wardrobe that I repeat four times! The silk scarves take almost no room in my bag and are warm yet not heavy.

I think stripes are great because they are classic! They also seem to not show stains or smudges as much as a solid top would. I don't usually take a scarf with me, but scarves are my favorite souvenir to buy. I'll buy one or two and wear them throughout the trip, and after I'm home when I wear them they remind me of my travels! Thanks for all your helpful, fun videos.

Tip 1: make sure in your capsule wardrobe you have one outfit/base layers that are good for warm weather and one outfit/layer that will make you warm. Even with checking the weather right before, things can change during your trip. Tip 2: Wear your lightest outfit/shoes on the plane to the destination and your heaviest & bulkiest outfit/shoes on the way home. This has a two-fold effect: it guarantees you have room for purchases on the way home and ensures you aren't packing too heavy to meet weight limits.

For trips to Europe I also pack single use rain ponchos. You can wear them several times and they are very small and hardly use any space in your luggage. But they won’t work for a event where you need to be dressed nice. But if it’s just for hiking and even touring a city, I think these single use plastic ponchos are great.

Laurie, this was WONDERFUL! Hubby and I are doing 5 weeks in Europe and what you have here is exactly what I am already planning! 10 days is the benchmark that can be stretched out for the longer vacays. I also bring a couple turtleneck dickies (from long ago!) so I don't need a scarf or shirts with turtlenecks. And about stripes? Mais oui! Very VERY French! Love it! As usual, wonderful advice and tips. You've had so much experience that your videos are the best "go to" from a seasoned traveler to any wanna be successful vacationer! Thank you!!

Hi Laurie, I found your channel in 2019 when I was planning a trip to Italy. I’ve since travelled to Hawaii and I’m now planning a two week trip through Southern France/Northern Italy and I continuously find myself drawn back to your channel…I finally subscribed 😜Your common sense advice and no nonsense attitude are so valuable and I appreciate you. You have helped me to make my trips the best they can be ❤ Thank you so, so much!! 😊😊

I actually love scarves and button up cardigans for multi-season trips. It helps me to work on fine tuning my temperature, so I don't freeze at one destination and boil at another, when I can just unwrap a scarf and open my cardigan when it gets warm. I went to Rome in March, and a thin silk-alpaca cardigan helped keep me warm en route to the airport in Finland (where it was least 10 degrees centigrade cooler than in Rome) and when I was about to overheat, I could undo the cardi and still keep comfortably warm.

black golf pants also work great as airport pants for men. - mine can be worn with or without a belt, so I can go through the airport without, and then add it if I want to wear a tucked in shirt. personally, I'm unfond of pullovers, I'll wear a T-shirt, but I've got stacks of sweatshirts I almost never wear because it's inconvenient putting them on and taking them off. addendum: and of course, my tip for men: wear a jacket with good pockets (especially if it has zippered pockets), and transfer everything from your pants pockets to your jacket pockets before security. then when you put the jacket in the bin, your pockets are clear. (And ladies, you should revolt against manufacturers who make clothing with useless pockets.)

I always bring a nice pashmina that coordinates with the clothes I am most likely to wear in the evening. They add glamour (worn around the neck) and warmth (worn around the shoulders) and are easy to pack.