It's been about a week since my trip to Europe which means that it's about to be 3 weeks since I graduated from college. It's crazy to think how fast time is going by. Right after i graduated i jetted off to London packed and ready to go! My close to two weeks there was absolutely amazing. I got to do and see some amazing buildings and sites and I learned a lot about the history of Europe which will come in handy if I'm ever trying to win trivia about Europe. This is not my first time going to London and so you would think that I would be pretty good at packing and I am. I had enough clothes and shoes and undergarments that lasted the entire trip but one thing I failed to think about was the amount of shopping that I would do and how I was going to get all those things back with me in one suitcase. Since being back I have reflected and figured out what I could've have done differently to pack smarter so I didn't need to pack for an extra bag back to the States.
I'm sure that if you had the opportunity to travel abroad or even travel to a place for a long period of time you read blogs about what exactly you should bring especially if you don't know the weather there and what the people are wearing. (the worst thing you want to do is look like a tourist)
So I will add my two sense to what you need when traveling abroad when you intend to go shopping.
1 | A light weight Suitcase.
Many people don't think to hard when it comes to suitcases because they are merely that contraption that stores all your belongings and won't have much of an effect with the weight limit for checked in baggage... WRONG! The weight of a suitcase is a part of the weight limit when they weight your bag and if you have a heavy bag that means that you'll be carrying less of your purchased items.
2| Comfortable Shoes
London is all about public transportation and walking. i mean they really give your legs a workout in London. So I suggest that you pack a pair of highly comfortable tennis shoes because you're going to be walking A LOT! It's not rare to see business men and women suited up with a pair of tennis shoes on because they already know they are going to have some sore feet if they don't wear comfortable shoes.
3| Bring a Back Pack
I was tempted at first to bring a crossbody but I knew that after a while of having the weight on one side my shoulders would eventually get sore and I would be irritated with having it around me. Back packs are a lot more convenient because they are on your back they are out of the way, the weight is distributed evenly on both shoulders and you're able to store a lot more of your personal items in it than crossbody.
4| Mix &Match
I HIGHLY suggest creating outfits for your trip that you can mix and match bottoms and tops because it creates a lot more space in your luggage so you can bring back the new clothes. Don't bring all 500 pairs of shoes with you because I guarantee that you won't wear all of them. If you're like me you'll the same tennis shoes for 5 days in a row because you'll understand the struggle of a full day of walking. Since you'll be shopping you'll be wearing your new clothes out and about.
Here are a few pictures of the things that I saw and did while I was in Europe. If you have the opportunity to travel to Europe I highly recommend going!! I loved every second of it, there was a ton of walking but it was a good excuses to be out and about and really experience the environment. We didn't do any of the tours but we got suggestions from family and friends on where to go. London has so much history in the buildings and and the landscape that it would take forever to really explore the whole city. A day into the trip we got to take the train to Liverpool which was 2 hours away and I absolutely fell in love. It's smaller than London but it was beautiful. The amount of trees and parks that could be seen was my ideal place. It was so peaceful there since it is less populated than London. I glad I was able to travel with my mom but I think next time I go I'll go with friends just so I can experience the night life of the young people.
