Europe in Winter Packing

I am leaving first thing tomorrow to fly to Europe with my boyfriend of almost four years, Curtis! We will be traveling for 19 days in 5 (or 6) different cities. We are so excited! I have had a TON of packing anxiety over the past week and have been looking on Pinterest and YouTube for packing ideas. I found that there were not many long-term packing lists for winter in Europe. I did pin some of the ones that I found on my Oh the Places I'll Go Board. I decided for fellow packing anxiety sufferers I would show you what I packed! I also plan to make another blog post (that I will link here) about what I could have done without/what I wish I had brought.

Here is the suitcase that I am bringing.

It is carry-on sized and hard, which are two features that really attracted me. I think I paid only $60 for this suitcase at Target. I thought it was perfect and totally worth the money.

It has two sides and the front side zips up (so your stuff won't fall everywhere when you open it!).

We are going to Barcelona, Spain; Rome, Florence, and Venice, Italy; Pairs, France; and maybe London, England for a day. We will be in Barcelona, Rome, and Florence for three nights each. In Venice we are only staying for two nights and in Paris for six nights.

This is a Vera Bradley Weekender bag. I am borrowing it from Curtis's mom. I think it is the perfect carry-on! I'm glad I could borrow it.

I know a lot of people like to start packing by choosing what they want to wear on the plane (this is something I discovered while looking up packing lists). I, on the other hand, like to pick out my travel outfit last. Here's why: I don't want to wear something on the plane that I will never wear during the trip.

I started by making a list. I split my list up into several categories (This is my original draft, I ended up bringing a couple more items that you will see in the many pictures that are to come.):

Toiletries:

Shampoo

Conditioner

Makeup removing face wash

Face scrub

Toothbrush

Sensodyne toothpaste (this is a MUST for me)

Dry shampoo

Moisturizer

Eye cream

Razor

Nail clippers

Hair ties and bobby pins

Makeup:

Eyeliner (my FAVORITE makeup product)

Mascara

Primer

Concealer and brush

Face powder and brush

Two eye shadows

Bronzer and brush

Eyebrow pencil

Lipstick and liner

This category is totally optional. Usually I go minimal when packing makeup, but this time I wanted to look nice (plus all of this takes up very little room). This is the most makeup I EVER wear. Foundation never makes its way to my face, I can never seem to apply it without looking cakey. I could most certainly do just fine with just eyeliner, mascara, and an eye shadow, but I chose not to for this trip. I want to feel all fixed up.

Clothing:

2 pairs skinny jeans

Thermal tight pants (long underwear)

2 pairs leggings (to wear with skirts or under jeans if it is really cold)

2 skirts

Navy sweater

Navy cardigan

Grey long sleeved shirt

B&W long sleeved shirt

Loose red shirt

Loose green shirt

Tank tops (I wear these with everything, it covers up my rather large unmentionables...)

2 or three v-neck shirts

Pajamas (I only brought two shorts and a shirt. I can wear other shirts to sleep in)

Lots of underwear

2 bras

Lots of socks

UGG boots (Mine pack small and I've had them for a couple of years. Thanks Curtis!)

Brown waterproof boots

This is the section I worked on last. I stressed about how much I could bring and could actually fit more than I planned. I know my list looks longer than most peoples. Keep in mind: it is winter so it will be cold. Also, I listed all of my shirts and sweaters separately so that I would know which ones I wanted to pack when it came to laying out all of my clothes.

Extra:

Phone charger

Camera, charger, and extra batteries

iPad and charger (Curtis is bringing his laptop and mine is kind of crappy, so I am bringing my iPad)

Kindle and charger (I LOVE to read and plan to read more than one book while I'm there so I chose this rather than lugging a ton of books around)

Pocket translator (a Christmas gift that I'm hoping I'll get a lot of use out of)

Travel pillow and case (this is a compact pillow that fluffs up when you open it)

Extra memory card for camera

Beanie

Peacoat

Blanket scarf (I got this for Christmas and it is perfect for the plane!)

Purse (I am packing a small Vera Bradley one I thrifted in my carry on)

Extra ziplocks

Ibuprofen, Benadryl, and Dairy Digestive Supplement (I'm lactose intolerant and not happy about it!)

Melatonin (for sleeping on the planes/trains)

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS and copies (We booked our trip through a travel company. I'll tell you the name and about our experience after the trip)

I made this list of things I would like to bring. Here are the things I did end up packing:

A second face wash

Clearasil (for those little pimples)

Book

Another bra

Curling iron (This is such a waste, but I couldn't resist: I had room!)

Dress

Necklace (I'm not much for accessories, but I'll wear this and the studs I always keep in my various ear piercings

Here are some things I ended up not bringing:

Blush

Jacket (My sweaters should do just fine.)

Scarf (I know I will buy one while I'm there anyway!)

Watch (Curtis is bringing his.)

Crochet hook and yarn (This pains me, but I think I can live without it.. No.. Yes, yes I can!)

My original sweaters and long sleeved tops. I could do just fine with these, but I did add a couple more once I saw that I had room in my suitcase.

I shoved as much underwear in that bag as I possibly could (this means I have to wash clothes less often). I packed my two bras with my pajamas in the TOMS bag (one I am wearing with me on the plane). As you will see in my next picture, I swapped the grey v-neck shirt for a purple one because I am more comfortable in it. Oh and I made that hat!

After I saw just how much I could stuff into this tiny little suitcase, I added a flannel, two more long sleeved shirts, a Muse concert tshirt and that purple crewneck shirt I mentioned. I also added a woolen black cardigan that takes up a bit too much space, but it keeps me incredibly warm. I think it is worth it. I can still fit a whole other layer on this half of the suitcase and shove some things down the sides.

Here is a photo of how I packed the bottom. My curling iron is under the bra/pajama bag. There is room to add another layer of stuff in this side of the suitcase, too. I can bring home lots of souvenirs!

Now for the carry on:

The curling wand is in my suitcase (you can find it here). I got mine for $99 and as a Christmas gift.

These are the DVDs that I put in my Mario case (for the plane ride). I know we won't watch all of these, but I figured I could put as many that would fit and it wouldn't make a size difference. After this picture was taken, I added Snow White and the Huntsman and If I Stay.

The camera Curtis and I share. We bought the strap for the trip (yes, I picked it out!). It is a Samsung NX300. We got ours from Best Buy for $400 (it was an open box, so they had it discounted!).

This is the Vera Bradley purse I thrifted several years ago. Not my usual style, but perfect for the trip! I put a couple of lip balms, tissues, hand wipes, and pills in it.

Band-aids, makeup (all listed above), q-tips, extra dairy pills, lint roller, deodorant, toothbrush, another pack of tissues, razor, and tweezers (I also added my nail clippers to this bag).

All of my liquids for the trip. This bag scares me.

Clearasil, two mascara samples, primer, concealer, two moisturizer samples, eye cream, moisturizer, face scrub, hand lotion, face wash, conditioner, shampoo, another face scrub, makeup removing face wash, dry shampoo, hand sanitizer, and my toothpaste are all able to fit! I put my body wash in Curtis's travel bag, but I originally planned to bring bar soap.

Here it is all packed away in my carry on! I also brought a neck pillow for the planes/trains. I added fuzzy socks and an extra notebook.

These are the shoes I'm bringing. I'm wearing the brown boots on the plane (they would probably take up half of the suitcase).

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I put my travel outfit together last. These are my largest items! My coat is from Lands End and I bought it at the beginning of winter (I had REALLY outgrown my old one). My blanket scarf works great and should make me (and Curtis) nice and cozy on the plane. If I fold it along the diagonal, roll it up, and tie the ends, I can make it into a circle scarf! This is the best way to wear it. The beanie was a Christmas gift from my mom.

Here it is all packed up! I'm ready ready ready! I'll be back late January!

Do you have any packing tips? Think I did lots of things wrong? Let me know! I'd love some tips!

with love,

Courtney

Potato Corn Chowder

We just made this chowder for dinner and it was just delicious!

Without further ado here is what you need for the recipe:

For the rue:

6 cups chicken stock (can use vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian!)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste (we used a LOT of pepper, which we love)

For the ingredients:

2 lb new potatoes (washed and cut into bite-sized pieces)

1 can corn (can use thawed frozen or fresh)

1 can sliced carrots (can also use thawed frozen or fresh)

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix all rue ingredients together and heat on high until boiling. Add in potatoes, corn, and carrots. Cook on medium until potatoes are completely done (mine took about forty five minutes) and make sure to stir. When the potatoes are done, turn the heat to low and add butter and cream. Serve.

I really do hope you guys enjoy this recipe! I know that my family thought it was absolutely delicious.

with love,

Courtney