Support TFG by using the links in our articles to shop. We receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) so we can continue to create helpful free content. We earn from qualifying purchases made to the featured retailers. Thank you, we appreciate your support!

In this Europe Packing List, I’ve shared my first experiences traveling with way too much luggage and it turns out I wasn’t the only one to make these mistakes. This scenario is all too familiar for many of us. Keep reading to learn about another traveler’s overpacking confessions and the lessons that transformed her.

Overpacking Mistakes and Solutions

Written By: Adrianne Di Carlo

Mistake #1: Packing without Planning

Imagine this – two girls, two backpacks, three suitcases (yes, three), one metro cart and a sea of glaring Parisian eyes. This unfortunate scene came to be about two years ago, when I went to Europe for the very first time to meet my cousin in Paris after her semester abroad. I was beyond excited and spent the months leading up to the trip pouring over city guides, top ten lists and reading hostel reviews.

Unfortunately, I had not yet been privy to the wisdom of TFG.

Solution: Read Travel Fashion Girl before each trip! Start here.

Mistake #2: Heavy Luggage

My cousin advised me to bring a travel backpack instead of a regular suitcase, but only having ever traveled with my parents who always handled the luggage, I didn’t really grasp how the size and weight of your luggage can seriously impact the ease or difficulty of your travel experience.

With no insight into the idea of packing light or packing for staying in hostels I began to fill up a full sized suitcase, a small backpack, and a purse…and I filled each and every one of them.

Solution: Pack light on every trip! Learn how.

Mistake #3: Packing Too Much of the Wrong Things

Now you would think that after having packed a full 50 pound suitcase that I would be completely prepared, but that was very far from the truth. The type of trip I had envisioned was not one suited to two young twenty-one year olds who spent hours a day exploring the cities who went in and out of pubs and cafes in the same clothes they had worn to visit the Tate Modern and the Eiffel Tower.

Solution: be prepared to wear the same outfit all day and night unless you have specific evening plans. Download your free travel outfit planner.

Mistake #4: Planning a Fantasy Vacation Wardrobe

My initial thought when I started to think about packing was that I had to dress up and look fancy if I was to be sitting in some chic sidewalk cafe in Paris. I did my pre-vacation shopping accordingly and bought lace blazers, sheer tops, and boots I couldn’t walk in for more than two hours without blisters.

Solution: Choose clothing based on your planned activities. Follow the steps in this packing guide!

Mistake #5: Not Following the Number One Rule of Packing

After the first day roaming around Paris I knew that I was in trouble when we weren’t heading back to my cousins dorm to change for some fancy dinner. I rummaged around my suitcase for casual clothes and realized in a panic that after including all of the newly purchased fancy things I had barely included any of the items  I actually wore at home on a daily basis.

Solution: Pack what you love! This is golden packing rule.

Chambray Shirt

Thankfully some good sense had me pack my trusty chambray shirt, cozy warm grey sweater and jeans. I wore them, day after day, because everything else I had brought felt out of character and silly on me.

On our second to last day in Paris I stocked up on some cute casual clothes at H&M that I would be found wearing at  home and it was in those clothes that I experienced some of the beauty of France and England.

All of the pretty things stayed in the suitcase for occasions that didn’t happen, but I happily roamed around the South of France and London in comfort realizing that if I didn’t wear the things at home I certainly wouldn’t wear them abroad.

Black Dress

How I’ve Learned from My Packing Mistakes

After that trip I realized how senseless my packing had been and promised that I would never bring a full sized suitcase anywhere if I could avoid it.

Since that trip I have been to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Italy. My most recent trip was a ten day girls trip to Las Vegas and the Southern California coast and I took a small carry on sized suitcase weighing in at twenty pounds.

There were so many differences between that very first trip to Europe and my most recent one but I think the most important thing that changed has to do with knowing what kind of trip you are taking and the general types of things you will be doing.

For Vegas I knew that we would be going out almost every night we were there but I knew that when we got to California we would be doing more beachy things and some sightseeing.

It seemed impractical to bring four complete club outfits so I compromised and brought a nice black dress that could be worn with two different sets of accessories and then brought a skirt which could be mixed with a dressy top for a Vegas club or a casual one for anytime.

V-Neck Tee

My Packing Strategy Now

• When I pack now for any trip I start with the basics and then add my favorite pieces that I love to wear, that look good and that I am comfortable in.
• Once I have chosen the clothes I want to take I do a trial run with the piece of luggage that I am taking and place everything in the bag to see how it fits, what it weighs, and if there is room left for shopping. I try to keep roughly one third of the bag free so that I can buy things away if I want too.
• If the bag is too full I look at every piece and make sure all of the individual clothing items go with each other and if there is one top that doesn’t go with at least half of the bottom options I take it out and vice versa.

Packing light is all about maximizing your options with the clothes you have so everything has to be multipurpose. The ease of not having to check a bag, knowing exactly what you have brought and mix and matching the clothes you have with you makes your travels about the adventure and the place and the people, instead of being about the stresses that come with poor packing.

Do you have anything to add? Please share and comment below!

For more tips on packing light, please read:

• Learn the Secret to Packing Light in 60 Minutes
• Packing Light: 5 Reasons to Travel with Carry-on Bags Only
• 10 Step Guide to Packing in One Bag for Any Trip
• 10 Step Packing Guide to Stop Overpacking

LIKE THIS POST? PIN THIS PIC TO SAVE IT!

Hope you liked this post on overpacking mistakes and solutions. Please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Thanks for reading!