I just returned from a 2.5 week trip to Italy. My light-packing adventure was a success, so I thought I'd post it online to help others who want to travel light but keep some comfort. The total weight of all items listed below, minus the clothes I'd be wearing on any given day is 12 pounds. I used a Hurley International travel backpack and it was the best thing I could have used! Here's my packing list with notes:
Clothing
- Ex Officio Capris x 2 (could have brought just one, but wanted variety)
- Black leggings
- Polyester knee-length, black skirt
- Polyester scoop-neck tunics x 4
- Dressy sleeveless shirt
- Short-sleeved button down shirt
- Shelf-bra camisoles x 2
- Undies x 4
- Bra
- Fashion scarves x 2
- Black cardigan
- Sun hat (did not use)
- Pair of flats
- Pair of Vibram KSO
- Rain jacket (REI EVent: Excellent and came in handy)
- Bikini (did not use)
Toiletries
- Bar of Brommer's Soap
- Disposable Razor
- Exfoliating puff
- Exfoliating glove
- 3 oz. shampoo+conditioner
- 1.5 oz face wash
- 3 oz face toner (did not really use)
- 3 oz toothpaste
- toothbrush (decided against bringing sonicare - good idea)
- 3 oz sunscreen
- 2 oz hair gel
- 2.5 oz contact solution bottles x 2
- 2 oz antibacterial gel (could have brough 1 oz)
- travel perfume (like sample size)
- 3 oz deoderant spray
- 2 pairs of spare contact lenses
- Lens case
- 10 tums tablets (I get heart-burn)
- 20 cotton swabs and 8 cotton balls
- eyeliner
- a travel brush
- feminine products, as needed (they are expensive in Italy, don't take up too much room and are really light)
- Travel toilet paper (just in case, never used but good idea)
Other
- Lonely Planet Guidebook to Italy
- Sunglasses
- Eyeglasses+case
- Ear plugs
- Migraine meds (good idea so you don't have to buy a whole pack)
- Nail clippers with file
- Watch (which busted on the plane over to Italy - ha ha!)
- Journal + Pens
- Combination lock with flexible loop (skinny loop to go through zipper pulls and hostel lockers.)
- camera + battery charger
- iPhone + headphones
- Small day pack
- Small purse
- Hand towel (used as main towel - worked fine)
- Rain Poncho (never used but it's so light and doesn't take up space.)
- Platypus .5L water bladder with squeeze top (better than twist top)
Intangibles: (printed out and kept in a plastic bag in pack)
- travel insurance - AMEX Global Shield Deluxe was only about $70 pp for the most coverage
- Copy of passport
Things purchased on the road:
- Travel buddy forgot contact lens case, so we purchased a big bottle of solution just for the case (in Venice). It cost us about 8E and we used the big bottle throughout the trip. If we hadn't bought this, we would most likely have run out of the amount we brought. I thought it was a good idea we bought some and it wasn't too big to carry around (for me). My travel buddy's pack was so tightly packed he didn't have any room.
- Spray Deodorant: For some reason, I couldn't get over some of the funky smells and the tobacco smoke smell, so I bought some deoderant spray to spray on my scarf. I ended up using it as a deodorant and to help me smell fresh when we were traveling all day. It was the BEST thing I bought! (btw, the scent was called "Passion" and smelled great!)
Overall, I was usually comfortable all the time. I would have brought some other flats with more padding, but I think anyone's feet would have hurt with the amount of walking/standing we were doing. Maybe next time I'll experiment with some insoles or something. I LOVED traveling from place to place with a small pack that didn't hurt my back. We could zip through crowds and going up/down stairs was a cinch. Also, traveling on trains was a breeze. If you don't need a ton of products and can make-do with a limited wardrobe, I recommend this light-travel method.
The KSOs actually hurt my feet. I'm not sure if they are too small for my feet, or what, but I just didn't want to wear them around as much...
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
