This summer, I went on a trip with my friend Olga to celebrate my college graduation.

Packing was hard because we visited places that had cooler climates, like England, Scotland and Ireland, which required sweaters and pants.

Then we traveled to some warmer countries, including France and Italy, where it was predicted to be sweltering. I had to pack clothes for both colder and warmer weather, and sweaters and pants take up a lot of room.

I used a fanny pack/crossbody bag to keep on me at all times with all of my important documents, my phone and wallet, and then I used a backpack and a carry-on suitcase for my main items.

MY PACKING TIPS

• Pack basics in neutral colors so you can mix and match tops and bottoms.
• You don’t really need more than two pairs of shoes, maybe three.
  • I brought sneakers and flip flops
• Use packing cubes.
• Leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs.
• You can buy most things in case of emergency once you are at your destination, so make sure you bring the items you can’t buy wherever you’re going.
  • Like medications.
• Don’t bring anything illegal: pepper spray is illegal in many European cities.
• Bring snacks for when you are on planes and trains.
• Bring the local currency.
• Bring a credit card that doesn’t have international fees (like Capital One cards). 

Now here’s my detailed packing list of everything I brought with me, including brands.

BOTTOMS

• Long white flowy skirt (Hollister) 
• Jean shorts (American Eagle) 
• Black shorts (Old Navy)
• White shorts (Old Navy) 
• Blue and white striped shorts (Old Navy) 
• Jeans (Abercrombie) 
• Striped pants (Brandy Melville) 
• Black flare leggings (Aerie) 

TOPS

• Cream tank (Brandy Melville) 
• Gray T shirt (Brandy Melville) 
• Black bodysuit (Zara)
• White tee (Hollister) 
• Black tee (Hollister) 
• Blue tee (Hollister) 
• White square neck tee (Old Navy)
• Green tee (Old Navy)
• Red white and blue tank (Brandy Melville) 
• Red t-shirt (Nordstrom) 
• White tank (Brandy Melville) 
• Lemon tank (Abercrombie) 
• Black sweater (American Eagle) 
• Blue and white button down (J.Crew)
• Green sweatshirt (Aerie) 
• Green long sleeve shirt (Urban Outfitters) 
• Black sweater (Free People) 
• Black sweatshirt (Abercrombie) 

SOCKS/BRAS/UNDERWEAR

• Bras (4)
• Underwear (18)
• Socks (10)

DRESSES

• Black romper (Hollister) 
• Black and white long dress (Marshall’s)
• White sundress (Aritzia) 
• Floral sundress (Free People) 
• Clubbing dress (Pull&Bear)

BATHING SUITS

• Tan bikini set (Shein)
• Strapless bikini set (Shein) 
• Cover up (Shein) 

PJs

• Sweatshorts (Brandy Melville) 
• 2 comfy T-shirts

SHOES

• Flip Flops (American Eagle) 
• Sneakers (Reebok) 

TOILETRIES

• Toiletry bag 
• Toothbrush 
• Toothpaste
• Makeup/makeup bag
• Glasses/case
• Sunscreen 
• Contact lens
• Advil
• Daily medication 
• Tweezer/nail clipper kit 
• Shampoo 
• Conditioner 
• Body wash 
• Face wash 
• Face lotion 
• Feminine products 

EXTRA

• Backpack 
• Passport
• Small combination lock for hostels 
• Sunglasses 
• Wallet 
• Euros 
• Hat
• Adapters – 1 for the UK, 1 for the rest of Europe 
• Phone charger (2 – one for on-the-go, one for the room)
• Battery pack with USB
• Battery charger 
• AirPods 
• Plastic bags (to separate dirty clothes)
• Rain jacket (didn’t end up using)
• Umbrella (didn’t end up using)
• Crossbody bag (like this, mine might be a tad bigger)
• Beach bag 
• Packing cubes 
• Hand sanitizer 

And on top of this crazy list, I also bought a few clothes in Madrid, one of my absolute favorite places to shop. The prices are great in Madrid, and the Zara there (the one on Calle de la Princesa) literally never disappoints. Oh, and I found a cutie Brandy Melville in Florence and HAD to get a blue skirt and strawberry printed tank top.

WASHING CLOTHES

We stopped at a Laundromat in Madrid a little over a week into our trip. We packed our clothes in some plastic Tesco bags, bought some detergent from a local convenience store, and then did a big load of laundry. The laundromat was nice because we could dry our clothes in a dryer instead of waiting for them to dry on a clothes line, like most places in Europe.

The next time we did laundry was the week after – we had a washer in our AirBnb in Nice, so we did another load there. We definitely could have made 1 more laundry stop – I was down to one outfit when it was time to get on the plane home.

BRINGING BACK SOUVENIRS

Souvenirs aren’t usually a big deal for me to bring back because my favorite things to buy as keepsakes are postcards. (The more vintage looking, the better).

The hardest thing to bring back was the Polish pottery I bought in Warsaw. I bought three mugs, a tiny pitcher, a tiny pottery owl. I ended up wrapping it in all of my clothes which worked, but this only worked because Warsaw was my final stop before heading home, so the organization of my suitcase didn’t really matter at that point.

As someone who prioritizes being prepared AND fashion, I guarantee that you can still pack light and have everything you need and show off some amazing outfits for your 30 day trip to Europe.