what’s in my suitcase

In the months that I have been preparing for my trip to Spain, I have read every European travel blog and scrounged through countless Pinterest boards to find some sort of packing list to help narrow down what I should bring.  Most of the lists I found were great... if you were traveling in Europe during the spring or winter when the temperatures are moderate.  I’ll be in Seville where the summer temperatures are consistently in the 90’s.

I had been told that Spain, and Europe in general, is much more formal than the US (shocker), so I could get away with wearing shorts, but I’d probably look like an American tourist.  

I was dreading packing because I really didn’t know where to begin, but last night I got on a roll and am now basically finished.  I decided I should document what I’m packing because maybe someone will find this on Pinterest, find it useful, and I’ll become famous and can make a living off of blogging.

I started with shoes because my mom told me to.  I don’t really know why but it helped me get started I guess.  I've packed 2 pairs of gladiator sandals- brown and black.  I will be biking and walking a lot just to get to class, so I figured these will stay on my feet, be cool, and are pretty comfortable... and they don’t look as American tourist as Old Navy flip flops.  I have a pair of brown wedges for when I need to be a little fancier than just sandals.  I also have a pair of “dressy” flip flops, my Sperry’s (that have been around the world with me already, so I couldn’t bear to part), and black Toms.  I hate Toms, but they’re cool and comfortable and weigh essentially nothing so they’re coming with.  I also am bringing a couple of pairs of plain flip flops.  I’m going to wear my tennis shoes to travel in because they’re comfortable and also take up a lot of space that I’d rather use for something else.

I ended up packing 5 pairs of shorts: 1 denim, 1 khaki, 1 white, 1 black, and 1 orange.  I am bringing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a pair of black jeans.  

Choosing cardigans is always the most stressful part of packing, especially if you know how many cardigans there are in our house.  I ended up packing tan/brown, gray, navy, and black cardigans.   I made sure to have a variation of weights and styles, so a couple are lighter than others or have 3/4 length sleeves. I’m also bringing a denim jacket.  I’m going to travel in my lightweight TNF rain jacket.  

I’m bringing about 10 nice tank tops.  They’re taking up about 3 square inches in my suitcase, so I might even end up packing more if I have room.  I just made sure that they all have several bottoms (skirt, shorts, something) that they go with so I can wear them frequently but they’ll look different each time.  I have a handful of solid color t-shirts to wear that are, again, varying colors and styles, but all versatile enough to wear as often as I need them.  I’m brining a denim button up that I can wear as a shirt or as a layer, but I’m not bringing any long sleeves beyond that.    

Everyone says that the Spaniards wear dresses all the time, so I’m committing to that... there are 5 knit/casual sundresses, 2 nice dresses, and a maxi dress in my suitcase right now.  I also have 3 maxi skirts: 1 coral, 1 black and white, and 1 black.  I’m bringing 2 shorter skirts too.

I’m bringing a lot of jewelry that will help switch things up, and I have 2 scarves (bufandas- one of my fave Spanish words) as well.  I got a sun hat at Target that I’d probably never wear in the US but I am planning on wearing it in Europe.  

I’m using my great big suitcase for my checked bag (and praying it stays under the weight limit), and I’m bringing my rolling carry-on size too.  I’m going to use my backpack for my other carry-on.  I’m also packing my Vera Bradley duffel for smaller trips, a drawstring backpack just in case, my Longchamp (still pumped that I even own one of those), and another brown purse to have.  

I have a feeling this blog is going to be a great procrastination tool this summer... it’s already proving to do so because I just wrote an itemized essay of what I am packing.