I’d like to think that I’m generally pretty organized when it comes to packing and preparing for a trip. I try to do as much research ahead of time as I can for activities and must-see places. I also try to plan out my wardrobe and needs for anything that might pop up while I’m away from my closet and medicine cabinet. Rainy day? No prob - I’ve packed a raincoat, umbrella, and the only pair of waterproof shoes that I own. Upset stomach? I’ve got it covered! Lost a button while loading your suitcase into the overhead bin. Tranquilooooo, I have a sewing kit that comes with 5 extra buttons and 5 different sized needles.

This method of packing was always comforting to me. I felt that I could basically handle anything that was thrown at me while traveling. The part of the “method” that was not comforting was that I was always dragging an extra large suitcase around with me when I most certainly didn’t need to be. Huffing and puffing my way up and down cobblestone streets and in and out of trains and planes and cars seemingly made sense when I thought about how prepared I was for the unknown. But in reality, I was manifesting that unknown into a 60 pound suitcase.

That 60 pound suitcase not only represented a “prepared” version of myself, but it also represented what I was really trying to prepare for: an unknown experience.

I’ve always had some anxiety over travel. And don’t get me wrong, I love to travel! But that loss of routine, walking into an unknown space with nothing but yourself and a bag, and the physical effect of travel on your mind and body is something that I’ve always struggled with. I practiced what I thought was necessary to protect myself from something scary, something different, happening to me by stuffing bags full of useless things that I thought I needed to feel safe. It never quite worked out for me and I always came home thinking “I really didn’t need to pack that extra pair of shoes or that dress I’ve never worn OR that old Super 8 camera that maybe doesn’t even work but would maybe be cool to experiment with?”

I came to realize that I was a bad packer and I wanted to change that. So, I challenged myself this time around to use one small suitcase to carry all of my clothes and toiletries for my entire trip (disclaimer: I pretty much succeeded, but I did buy more things than I expected while I was traveling… more on that later). I wanted to see how it would feel to go somewhere foreign without my usual artillery. I also wanted to leave behind that sense of uncertainty and open myself up to whatever came my way. And yes, for me that stemmed from packing a lighter bag.

Just for some background, I was in Spain from late September through early October, which is a different climate than say winter or summer in Spain. All in all, there were still a lot of warm weather days and sunshine (typically 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the region), which seemed like summer to me.

I decided to buy a new suitcase and went with a bag from the Amazon Basics line. A Hardside, 21-inch bag that was within my price range and had reasonable reviews (see photo with suitcase and suitcase model for scale).

Before I pack, I like to write out a list that covers what I generally think I need and then I re-work it as I start to pack. Here’s my final draft for this trip:

Clothes

jeans (2 pairs)
sweaters (2)
plain t-shirt (1 or 2)
tank tops (2)
blouse (1)
scarf
pajamas (2 pairs)
exercise clothes (2 shirts, 2 pairs yoga pants)
underwear (7 pairs)
bras (2-3 regular, 2 sport)
tennis shoes/walking shoes
boots/heels
sandals
socks (7 pairs)
accessories
- earrings (3 pairs)
- rings (2-3)
- sunglasses (1 pair)
dress (1)
jacket (1)
outfit for flying/traveling (this ended up being a sweatshirt and joggers for me)

Toiletries

toothbrush & toothpaste
hair brush
face wash
moisturizer
deodorant
floss
shampoo & conditioner (I bought a shampoo bar from Lush for this trip. I prefer it over a travel-sized shampoo bottle. I did buy a travel-sized conditioner bottle though.)
bar of soap
everyday makeup
makeup remover wipes
hair ties/clips/bobby pins
curling iron
dry shampoo
chap stick
hand lotion
tampons/pads
vitamins/travel-sized medicine (I couldn’t kick my old habit on this one… I packed benedryl, a few cold medicine tablets, gas-x, anti-acid tablets, advil, and neosporin)

Electronics

outlet/voltage adapter
phone charger
headphones (I have a pair of noise cancelling headphones that make traveling 10000% better. Do yourself a favor and buy some now)

Miscellaneous

travel guidebook (I bought Lonely Planet’s Spain travel guide for this venture. It was incredibly thorough and easy to navigate.)
book to read while traveling (Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential)
ATM card
Euros (I left with about 250 euros and did alright. From my own experience and what I heard from others it’s better to use a credit card - you get better conversion rates and for the most part, everywhere takes card now.)
chewing gum
reusable cutlery and water bottle
passport
Eurail passbook

Everything on this list ended up fitting in my suitcase and in one cloth shoulder bag that I used as my personal item to carry-on. I worked hard to fit in every piece securely and to do that I rolled my clothes so they could squeeze into small spaces. I also used a few packing cubes so that the majority of my things were compartmentalized.

Now, here’s the thing - there were still quite a few things that I really did not need to bring along.

Here is the list of things that I did not need to pack even though I really though that I did:

a blouse - I could very easily dress up any of the six (6!!) shirts that I brought with me, so why would I pack a blouse that was instantly wrinkled when I packed it up?
exercise clothes - It was a fine idea, but I only ended up exercising two or three times on this trip and could have easily just dressed in a t-shirt and the pair of joggers that I packed for travel. The sports bras were good for any day, so I could have made any outfit into a work-outfit.
heels - I don’t even need to explain this one. Wishful thinking I guess. I wore them once and regretted it. Dumb.
shampoo/conditioner/bar of soap* - this is kind of 50/50 for me. I ran out of conditioner a few days into the trip an just bought some at one of the Farmacia’s along the way. I could have bought my hair and body soaps once I was in Spain, but I think it’s more of a personal preference thing.
ATM card - my bank thought I was making fraudulent withdraws in Spain so they froze my account (lol). But seriously, using a credit card was the better option throughout the entire trip. I would recommend having some Euros to pay for drinks quickly, to get souvenirs from smaller vendors, or to cover any unforeseen circumstances (cleaning fees, laundry, etc).
A miniature medicine cabinet - Medicine also exists in Europe and in every part of the world. I only used my daily vitamins, advil (there were a few dehydrated mornings), and one anti-acid after a particularly filling day. Buy it if you need it, otherwise you’ll survive.

Even though I over packed (again!), there were still a few things that I wished I had brought along. Here is a list of a few things that I should have brought with me:

another dress (or two) - sundresses are famously lightweight and small. I really could have used a few more options on the hotter days, and a some additional sundresses would have been nice to choose from.
shorts - it was still hot during the day in late September/early October. Shorts would have been nice for some of the sweatier times when I was trying to pretend that I wasn’t d y i n g in my black jeans (wtf).
my DSLR camera - I have an iPhone 7 that works perfectly well, but I am really lacking the high quality photos that I wanted to take while sightseeing. If you’re choosing between looking like a tourist with a big camera and trying to blend into Spanish society - go with the camera. You already look like a tourist, so don’t even try to pretend.

Hopefully this long-form list that I threw together helps you avoid some of the mistakes that I made along the way! There’s no better feeling than being able to lift all of your belongings over your head and into the over head bin. Just kidding, there are definitely some better feelings, but this one ranks pretty high in my opinion. Happy traveling!