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When packing for a trip to Europe you need to consider the weather, as well as the activities you are planning to participate in.

One important thing to keep in mind for all air travel (not only to Europe) is not to over-pack. Most carriers allow only 20 kilo or 45 lb if you’re traveling economy. Furthermore you want to travel as light as possible in case you have to drag your luggage around with you.

I travel for business and private reasons at least 30 times a year and here are my most important recommendations:

1. Don’t pack last minute.

This will give you the chance to buy some things you need before your departure.

2. Start with the things you need for every vacation
Toiletries, underwear, socks, medicine. Always take sunscreen: As a working person you probably spend most of your time indoors and aren’t used to the sun.

3. Chose your main colors
In order to be able to combine all the pieces, try to stick to three main colors. Black and white are always two of my main colors, because they go wit everything. Add your favorite color like red, pink, green or blue.

4. Chose the basic everyday outfits
For short journeys (up to one week) pack one complete outfit for every day. For longer journeys, take one complete outfit for every day of the first week. Afterwards you’ll have to repeat clothes or go to a laundry.

You’ll probably spend most of your time outdoors and walking around, visiting the different sights. Therefore your basic outfit could consist in jeans and T-shirt. Don’t forget to pack a set of underwear and socks for each day.

5. Pack to evening outfits
If you plan to go to a fancy restaurant, the opera or a discotheque, you’ll need an evening outfit. Don’t take more than two or three of them and make them simple yet stunning: black pants/skirts and a glamorous top.

6. Don’t forget bad weather gear
Always take at least two sweaters, if the weather gets cold. An umbrella or rain jacket will be suitable as well.

7. What about sports?
Never go anywhere without a bathing suit! It’s so tiny and you never know when you can use it. Maybe the weather is really hot and you want to go to the beach (at a lake) or the weather is really bad and you want to enjoy tropical feeling in an indoors swimming pool.

8. Chose three pairs of shoes
Take one or two comfortable shoes or sneakers for the everyday activities and one nice pair for the evening and maybe some really glitzy high heels for the occasional night life event.

9. Take as little jewelry as possible
Carrying your fine jewelry all across the world and taking it in and out the hotel safe might make yourself a target for theft. Don’t ruin your vacation! Chose some basic pieces of jewelry and travel with those.

10. Spread out all clothes to consider onto your bed
Once everything is spread out on your bed, start packing your suitcase. Count the number of pieces and ask yourself:

Do I really need 20 T-shirts for a 2 week vacation? Then start putting half of the pieces back into the closet. This way you make sure you pack only what is necessary.

Marion Kummerow is the author of http://www.inside-munich.com and an experienced traveler to destinations all over the world.

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Your how to pack a suitcase guide

Travel packing tips: How to pack light and still stay in style I’ll admit it, when it comes to packing I’ll empty my entire closet out and try and stuff it all in one large suitcase. Most of it comes back unworn and wrinkled. After years of travel, I’ve come to appreciate the fine art of packing and I am slowly learning how to pack a suitcase and how to pack lightly. Here are a few travel packing tips to assist in the task of packing.

Picking the right suitcase The first step to great packing is to purchase a great bag. Sure, you can stop by K-mart and buy a $30 suitcase, but it’s not going to last. Luggage is something worth investing in. A good suitcase can last years, if not decades. Plus, cheap suitcases don’t protect the contents as well as an expensive one will. Last, a bag with wheels is much easier on your shoulder and much easier to transport than a duffel bag.

To carry on or not to carry on? I won’t lie, I get a small pleasure from exiting the plane and walking right out the door, while everyone else has to wait and shoulder there way to their bags on the conveyor belt. I always recommend carrying your luggage on. It saves time and you don’t have to wait for your bags or worry about losing them. It also requires you to pack less. It’s important to keep in mind airline restrictions on carry-on items though. There are size limits, usually no more than 40 pounds and it has to fit in the overhead compartments or under your seat. If you are traveling with children or carrying on your luggage is not an option, make sure to label your luggage correctly and take off any unnecessary tags to ensure that your luggage gets to you safely. Also, if I have to check my luggage I always pack my toothbrush and a clean pair of underwear in my carry-on just in case my luggage gets delayed.

Pick, choose and lose I’m sure that new summer dress is very thinning, but you’re going to be hiking in the mountains. The first packing tip is to bring only what you need. I always go through my closet and pull out everything I want to bring and then place the items in stacks. Then I put at least half of it back into the closet, picking out only the items I need. Keep the weather, what kind of activities you will be partaking in and the location in mind. I recommend packing solid colors and basic clothing items that can be easily pieced together and will match the other clothing items you pack. Instead of packing a sweater, try packing a light jacket. It will look nicer and probably will match more items. Remember to pack at least one dressy outfit as well. Women, don’t feel obligated to pack items like skirts if you don’t plan on wearing them. A nice pair of slacks will suffice. Shoes are items that take up a lot of space when packing. Wear one pair of comfortable shoes on the plane that match all your outfits, and then pack one pair of sandals and one pair of dressy shoes in your luggage.

The other stuff Clothes are not the only things that are packed. Toiletries can easily start to add up and take up lots of space. Nowadays everything can be bought in travel size and they take up a lot less space then a jumbo bottle of shampoo. Items like blow-dryers are not necessary considering most hotels come with one. Keep the toiletries minimal and only bring what’s necessary, plus if something comes up, you can always purchase things once you’ve reached your destination.

How to pack a suitcase and make it all fit One common packing mishap is wrinkly clothes. Hopefully, by lightening your load and only packing the necessities, you will have room in your suitcase for everything to fit and it won’t get wrinkled. Plus, the fun part of vacationing is buying things and by packing lightly you’ll have extra room in your suitcase for the things you pick up along the way. Second, rolling your clothing like pants and t-shirts saves lots of room and they can easily be stacked. Other items like sweaters or button-up shirts need to be folded neatly in a square and the wrinkles should be smoothed out. Placing items like socks inside your shoes conserves space and is a great packing tip.

I had a friend travel to Spain and once she arrived she found her bottle of perfume had broken and leaked over all her clothes. Needless to say she smelled good the entire trip. Toiletries, especially items like perfume and shampoo, should be placed in sealed plastic bags and away from your clothes, so in case they leak they will not get over everything else.

The most important packing tip for vacations is to plan ahead. Check the weather forecast before packing so you will be prepared clothing wise. Also, don’t wait until the last minute to pack, because you will definitly end up over packing. Just follow these few, simple travel packing tips and you’ll learn how to pack a suitcase lightly. So, here’s to a wrinkle-free, fun-filled vacation.

Jillian Scheeler makes it easy to provide 5 essential ways for how to pack your suitcase.To recieve free part minicourse visit the suitcase guidewebsite.

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