Empty through security, fill at the gate. In Rome, the public fountains run cold all day.
Graduated compression for long-haul flights, in colors that pass as regular socks.
For the flight, and for the hotel room above a piazza that stays lively until 1 a.m.
Molded eye cups block light without pressing on your eyes.
Over-ear noise cancelling for the overnight flight.
Connects wireless earbuds or headphones to the seatback screen.
in flight
For arrival cards and customs forms.
The window seat gets more sun than you'd think.
Refreshes makeup before landing.
For the morning after the overnight flight.
Venice in summer flattens hair by lunch. Buy the travel size, since a full can won't clear security.
Small, light, and easy to forget.
It counts as a liquid, so it rides in the clear bag with your other gels.
For the overnight flight, so you land feeling like yourself.
Many European restrooms run out of paper.
For the metro pole and the laminated menu.
Small, light, and easy to forget.
For the carbonara at lunch before the opera.
Solids don't count toward your liquids, which frees space in the bag.
Cabin air dries lips within an hour.
For the tray table and the armrest. Wipes aren't screened as liquids.
Leakproof silicone bottles sized under 100 ml.
Quart size with a flat bottom, and sturdier than a zip-top bag at security.
Toiletries
Holds your head upright instead of letting it drop forward, and clips to the outside of your bag.
Slim enough for the recessed outlets in older European hotels.
For journeys that combine London with the Continent, or anywhere beyond Europe.
Outlets in historic hotels are rarely next to the bed.
Phone, tablet, and laptop from one dual-voltage plug, so you pack one adapter instead of three.
About 37 Wh, well under the 100 Wh limit, and two full phone charges on a museum day.
One in every checked bag and one in the carry-on. You'll know where your bag is before the airline does.
tech & Power
An Italian-made alternative that keeps passports and boarding passes together.
Passport, boarding passes, cards, and a pen in one place you can reach without unpacking.
documents
Lighter, with a USB port and a garment section for one jacket.
Sized for European overhead bins, in a hardside shell with a vintage look.
the bag
Medications never go in a checked bag. If your carry-on is taken at the gate, pull them out along with the power bank.
The carry-on
01
Anything you can't replace in a day, or can't live without for a day. European carriers allow about the same dimensions as U.S. airlines, roughly 55 x 40 x 23 cm, but often less weight. Many carriers weigh them.
Compact, and it survives the wind on the Thames embankment and the Lisbon waterfront.
Weather
Cobblestones and 20,000-step days catch up with everyone by day three. You want it on day one.
Health kit
If your journey includes ferries, the Amalfi Coast road, or mountain passes.
Bandages, antiseptic, and tape in a waterproof pouch.
Cartridge and disposable razors are fine in a carry-on. Safety razor blades are not, so they ride here.
Pre-portioned and easy to stir into hotel coffee.
Small, light, and easy to forget.
For the morning after bistecca in Palermo.
Pack a spare in your carry-on for the morning you land.
Full size, since checked bags have no liquids limit.
With a case, so the bristles keep their shape.
Toiletries
Spray, smooth, and hang in a steamy bathroom while you shower.
A pocket-size washboard for a sink load on a two-week journey.
Laundry
Folds flat in your suitcase, then opens up for a market morning or what you bring home.
Keeps dress shirts and a blazer presentable for a dinner reservation the night you arrive.
One cube per category, so a hotel change takes ten minutes.
Weigh the bag in your hotel room in Florence, not at the check-in counter.
Packing system
Matches the carry-on, with room for what you bring home.
A medium bag keeps you under the 23 kg (about 50 lb) economy limit most European carriers set.
The bag
The checked bag
02
What you can replace in a day if it arrives late. Pack it so you can find anything in a hotel room without emptying it onto the bed.
For the name of the painting you loved, the wine at dinner, and the street you want to find again.
Pocket size for ceilings and glass: the Sistine Chapel, Sainte-Chapelle, the mosaics of Ravenna.
Focuses as close as about 20 inches, so you can study an altarpiece behind a rope, then a fresco three stories up.
The culture kit
Museums, churches, and performances
03
The hours you'll talk about afterward happen in front of a painting, under a painted ceiling, or in a concert hall. A small kit makes those hours better.
A U.S. flat iron on 230V will burn out in minutes. Confirm 100-240V on the label.
Dual voltage and folding. Most hotels I book provide one, so pack this only if you're particular.
Hangs on the back of the door when a historic hotel bathroom has little counter space.
One dress that goes from a morning at the Uffizi to dinner with a jacket.
Clean and polished enough for a gallery morning and a casual dinner.
Arch support in a loafer that works with pants or a dress.
Checked
Cabin air dries skin fast. You'll also find it in every French pharmacy.
Jewelry rides with you, never in a checked bag.
Gentler on skin and lashes than foam on an overnight flight.
Carry-on
My shoulder wrap. A blanket on the plane, coverage for churches like St. Peter's, and you'll blend in, since Europeans wear scarves all year.
Locking zippers and a slash-resistant strap for the Paris Metro, in a shape that still works at dinner.
What I carry. It's my personal item on the plane and my crossbody on the ground, with room for the day's essentials and whatever I find along the way.
For her
04
Two pairs of walking shoes, one scarf that covers your shoulders, and a crossbody bag that closes all the way. Those three decisions shape the rest of the suitcase.
For fall and winter, and polished enough for dinner with dark jeans.
A leather sneaker that walks all day and looks right with chinos.
Merino resists odor, so three shirts cover a week.
Travel fabric that looks like a pressed trouser.
Packs flat, sheds wrinkles, and covers the dinner reservation that calls for a jacket.
Checked
Rechargeable, dual voltage, and no shaving cream in the liquids bag.
Carry-on
Opens flat and stands on a narrow sink ledge.
Slim enough for a front pocket. Pickpockets in Rome and Barcelona work the back pockets.
Holds a camera, water bottle, and guidebook, and swings to the front in a crowd.
For him
05
One packable blazer, merino layers you can wear twice, and a wallet that lives in a front pocket.
Protects the seat if you check it.
Forward-facing, under 10 lb, FAA approved. For transfers I request a certified seat for each child.
Checked
Most hotels provide a crib if I request one. Bring this for villas and apartments.
Sunset in Paris comes close to 10 p.m. in June. This makes bedtime possible.
Familiar sound in an unfamiliar room helps naps happen on schedule.
Mess-free and reusable for the whole flight.
Fewer crackers on the cabin floor.
For ages 3 to 6. A seat during long airport walks and their own bag for snacks and toys.
Carry-on
Folds to the size of a large handbag, for families who expect to carry it more than push it.
Folds to carry-on size and handles uneven pavement better than most compact strollers.
Hill towns, metro stairs, and medieval staircases are no place for a stroller.
Volume limited to 85 dB to protect young ears.
Changing tables are scarce in older European buildings.
Infants and toddlers
06
Plan for stairs, cobblestones, and a time change that hits small children hardest. A carrier and a compact stroller cover almost every European street.
Formula, breast milk, and baby food are exempt from the liquids limit in reasonable amounts. Declare them at the start of screening.
Checked
Closed toes for cobblestones, and they can get wet at a beach or a fountain.
Packs into its own pocket for London, Paris, and anywhere in spring.
Read it on the flight so they arrive knowing what they want to see.
Pencil only. Ink and markers usually aren't permitted in the galleries.
Many major European museums allow sketching in pencil.
Carry-on
Download a stack of books at home. No Wi-Fi needed in the air.
Volume limited to 85 dB, and they fold flat.
Their bag, their things, carried by them.
Peace of mind in the Vatican Museums or a Christmas market crowd.
One small tin for trains, cafés, and the wait for dinner.
Children
07
Give children their own bag and something to do with their hands in a museum. A child who sketches a painting remembers it.
A journal they'll want in twenty years.
Load a novel set where you're going before you leave.
A printed photo from the Pont Neuf ends up on a bedroom wall. A phone photo ends up in the camera roll.
Carry-on
Phones left on café tables in Paris and Barcelona disappear. This keeps it on them.
Snaps to the back of an iPhone..
Noise cancelling for the flight, and they pair with the AirFly for the seatback screen.
Teens
08
Teens carry their own tech, so give them their own power and a way to keep their phone attached to them. Then something to record the journey that isn't a phone.
Set up an eSIM or an international plan on every phone before departure, and turn on location sharing within the family.
Light enough to lift onto a train luggage rack.
Checked
Historic hotel rooms often have a step down into the bathroom. These light the path at 3 a.m.
Orthotic support in a classic leather walking shoe.
Deep cushioning for long days on stone floors and cobblestones.
Candlelit dining rooms and small print on historic site maps.
A pair in every bag for menus, museum labels, and train boards.
Carry-on
A seat in the line for the Vatican Museums and in galleries with few benches.
Stands on its own and folds into a tote.
For daily use once you arrive. Keep the original labeled bottles and a list of generic names too.
Travelers 65 and over
09
The right shoes, a place to sit, and medications organized for a new time zone. Tell me about mobility needs early so I can plan rooms, transfers, and walking distances around them.
The compression socks on the carry-on list matter even more here.
Thin enough to wear under regular clothes into a heated museum.
Older train stations and palazzo museums without air conditioning stay warm in July.
Allowed in checked or carry-on bags. One in each pocket for an evening at the market.
Water resistant, easy on and off, and fine at dinner.
Compresses into a small stuff sack and covers a cold evening on the Danube.
For evenings, the beach, and the hotel room after a long walking day.
winter
summer
Wet it at a fountain and drape it over your neck.
A travel size for the carry-on. Buy more at any pharmacy.
Packable, and it holds its shape after a day in a suitcase.
spring
Warm over a shirt at dinner, light in the day bag.
The same packable shell, cut for him.
Packs into its own pocket for showers that arrive without warning.
By season in Europe
09
The lists above work year-round. Add these based on when you travel. In fall, bring the rain jacket and merino sweater from spring.
Covers more than sunscreen on a reef or beach day.
Shop →
The Type C adapters from Europe won't fit here.
One pair per person, so no one waits while the leopard moves off.
Soft-sided, durable, and sized for bush flight limits..
Camps go dark after dinner.
Keeps dust out on dirt tracks and warms your neck at dawn.
Australia & NZ
african safari
southeast asia
Shops charge for bags, and it holds your wrappers until you find a bin.
Japan & East Asia
Yen coins add up fast.
Your socks are on display every time your shoes come off.
On and off a dozen times a day without untying anything.
Beyond Europe
09