Un-Pack With Me...Learn from my Mistakes (4 Months Backpacking Europe with a Carry-on)

So I'm back home and I'm not gonna lie it feels pretty weird. For anyone who's taking on the channel for the first time hi my name is Laura and I spent the last four months backpacking across Europe and I thought it'd be a fun idea for me to unpack my bag in front of you and explain some things that I love that I brought and some things I'm not too happy about and then some things I had to purchase while I was there. So welcome to learning from my mistakes and yeah let's unpack. So starting with the main star something that I couldn't have survived without and that is my trusty backpack. I use the Osprey 40 litre Fairview backpack. It is carry-on size and I love it. It is so sturdy like I've been pulling out of it for four months straight and not a budge on it. There's no rips, there's no tears, everything is perfect. The zips on it blow my mind. There were so many times where I was rushing to a train, I didn't have time to pack appropriately and I just shoved everything into my bag and ran and yeah it's literally perfect. So if you're in the market for a carry-on rucksack to bring backpacking this is the ideal one for you. So let's open her up okay. First of all let's talk about these straps. These are so handy because you can put things in between that you don't want to put inside your bag just say like a towel if it's still a little bit wet and you don't want to smell things up. I bought a tripod while I was away so you know that was perfect just to slide in there or my denim jacket. I didn't want to put it in the bag but I didn't know if I'd get chilly on the trains or anything so it was just perfect to click on the outside and easy access. They also work great for compression. For anyone who watched my packing video you might notice that the bag is slightly smaller than when I left and that's because I learned a thing or two. So let's open them up. On the top first I originally packed a tote bag for myself and then at one in the morning just before my flight I couldn't fit everything in the bag and that is what I left behind. Don't leave the tote bag behind it is so handy you can put it on your shoulder put anything you need if you're going out at night it's just so light and you know it just fits so much you can use it for grocery shopping put your washing in it and then you can just use it to carry around town. So tote bag they're so light I don't know why I decided that I needed to leave but great addition to your backpack. These guys my Tevas I am so happy I brought these. When I first got them I wasn't sure if they were 100% comfortable on me. They are the perfect shoe. The only downside to them is the horrible tan you get with them but it outweighs it because they are just so comfortable and I literally wear them all the time. I wore them over my runners or sneakers whatever you want to call them and and they're the best. I'm going to buy another pair so if you're in the market for sandals also recommend these. Next this is something that I have to buy along the way so if you are just starting to pack for your adventure a bum bag or a fanny pack. Seriously I'm so sad that I didn't have one of these to begin with they're just so handy so small this one actually fits my camera in it as well which is insane and and yeah I feel like I I didn't know what I was missing until I had one and now I can't imagine going traveling without one so yeah make sure you pack one of them. Next microfiber towels okay I would be lost without these they're so small that they just fit perfectly they dry so fast and yes I do think you need two so I was a little bit like unsure whether I should bring two when I was packing and I'm so glad I did because one I would use for like going to the beach or swimming in a lake or something like that and then the other one I would use for showers and then if one was dirty I just always knew I had a clean one and I just don't like to stump on my showers and you know cleaning myself with my showers so these guys they're great honestly. Okay here's a regret that I have so this is my makeup bag look how big it is actually my bag ripped over there and I had to buy this in tiger but it's way too big it's actually heavy as well and just unnecessary so I really regret bringing the amount of makeup I did like I brought loads of makeup brushes and like makeup palettes and everything with me that it's just it's unnecessary and not needed um so if I was to go backpacking again I would bring a makeup bag of this size that's all I personally need when you're going backpacking and you're going on a night out usually those night outs aren't planned you know you meet them in the social area or in your dorm and they're like hey we're going for a few drinks do you want to come you're like yeah okay and you just go the way you are and so yeah I don't know I never was like oh just let me go back and put some makeup on so yeah big regret this is also this is my bobbin bag or my hair bag and I've no regrets bringing this it's actually it's even smaller than it looks like and hair bands and clips and anything I might need to put my hair up because you have some crazy hair days when you're backpacking this bad boy you need it a rain jacket yes you might be going in the summer months but it will still rain and also it works as a great windbreaker I did bring a denim jacket with me and also if you watched the packing video I brought a white hoodie it lasted like I think 14 days but we'll talk about that later on the video um but yeah a rain jacket it's perfect as a windbreaker as to shelter you from rain and you can just carry it around in your little tote bag and perfect okay flip-flops this is really up to the individual person I remember having disputes with people in hostels whether they bring flip-flops to shower in I'm one of those people that I will not walk around a hostel with no shoes on because I don't know what other people have on their feet so flip-flops for me are a must now I will say where is where are they gone now I will say you absolutely can shower in your tiva so if you have something like a sandal you might necessarily need flip-flops I went swimming in these and everything but you know I like having the flip-flops as well they don't take up too much space in my bag if I was looking for a space saver I'd probably leave in my home but at the moment they fit my most used item in my backpack first aid kit um if you're anything like me and you like to go tumbling down mountains not voluntarily um you need one of these I fell multiple times on my trip and this saved me so yeah first aid kit you can get them on amazon pretty cheap like everything I mentioned here the links are going to be in the description down below so that you can buy them too so just plasters bandages antihistamines and paracetamol you know anything you can think of that you might need also if you have the tendency to have health conditions and you need medicine but it doesn't you don't always flare up it doesn't bring it for example I have eczema I have not had a flare-up in years and while I was away I did so that cost me a decent amount of money in the pharmacy um when I could have just brought my cream with me anyway so I wish I just brought it you need a first aid kit they're small they're cheap and they're handy okay to bring packing cubes or not to bring packing cubes I think that's kind of a debate that constantly goes on between the backpacking community I would 100% say that you need packing cubes if you're going to bring especially such a small rucksack it just keeps everything nice and neat tidy and you know it saves a lot of space especially these ones they're by gonex and the zips are so sturdy on them and they have compression so this is this one's actually compressed at the moment and then when you open it out you know even a lot more space in there if you need um I didn't originally use the compression on mine and I started using them halfway through my trip because as I said when you're running to a train station at seven in the morning and you don't have time to pack your bags well the compression comes in really well when you're trying to sit on your bag and push it closed so packing cubes I would definitely recommend and if you're looking for a particular one these ones are great again link in the description down below okay what kind of shoes do you need to bring with you backpacking I didn't bring enough in my opinion so I had these I had my flip-flops I had my t-belt and I had another pair of runner's sneakers and that didn't survive to the end of the trip they and so I did I got I got rid of them on my last day and I ended up having to buy these while I was over there I don't know if that's a me problem or like a general problem but I get blisters pretty bad when I'm walking around you know I do have a bad leg and I walk a little funny it's not noticeable to other people but you know it's noticeable to me and yeah I just needed another pair of shoes so that I could prevent myself from getting blisters if there's a bad blister in one and so yeah I'd recommend two pairs of shoes if you can fit them into your bag all my stuff fit into my bag which is great I did have a tendency to tie my my runners or my sneakers onto the outside pajamas and I really think you only need one pair of pajamas no matter how long you're going for odds are you're gonna pack for a week to 10 days and then just wash your clothes and your pajamas are gonna be one of them I do recommend bringing a pair of bicycle shorts and a t-shirt that you can wear on the days that these are being washed because you know some hostels can't get them done in one day they can wash them but they can't dry them in the one day or you might go to a laundry mat and the laundry mat might close at certain times so I was on a backup pair of clothes that you can wear as pajamas but one dedicated pair is all you really need I also did bring a drawstring kind of backpack and and I used that a lot it did break in my last week and I'm not surprised because I was shoving everything into it but I used that to store my shampoos and conditioners and soaps and it was so ideal because if I did have a leakage it just meant that you know it was contained within that bag instead of spilling onto all my clothes okay the things I was afraid that I would forget about I put in here um my regrets so I brought these Beats headphones um because I was worried that the trains were going to be like the plane and I find it really hard to edit or listen to things on the plane with earphones I feel like I can't actually hear them and I have them on full volume and so I brought these but that wasn't the case on the trains and I really regret bringing these because they just took up space I didn't use them and there was really no need for them so they won't be coming on the next trip with me another regret for you so this is you know my sunglasses obviously but I regret not bringing a spare pair um because basically you know I lost my sunglasses all the time and that's why in some of my videos I have some groovy pairs I remember having a pink pair that didn't look great on and then a white pair and that was basically because I had to buy them in places that didn't have like regular shops like when I was in Lake Bled the only option was a tourist shop to buy sunglasses and I was really sensitive eyes so I needed to get them so I wish I just brought like a pair or two that I knew I liked on my face but anyway that's just a tip okay locks let's talk about locks you obviously need a lock when you are going backpacking or just if you're going to be traveling for a long period of time in general even if you're staying in hotels just be able to lock your bag on trains or on planes on buses um and I originally bought these and they're like cable tie locks and I regretted it the minute I got there because they actually don't work in a lot of lockers and I got two of them originally and one of them just locked and never reopened so that wasn't fun so then I ended up having to go on a shopping spree the minute I got to Dubrovnik which was my first stop to buy a new good old-fashioned lock and and that was the first activity I did on my backpacking trip because I couldn't lock my locker and and yeah this was like 70 cents so can't go wrong with the old-fashioned ones sometimes and that's all you need something you might not think of earplugs you know if you're going to be staying in hostels you're going to have to deal with snores and the best way to do that is block the noise out and these ones are actually swimming earplugs I cannot get my ears wet which is a whole other story so I have to wear these when I'm swimming and and this is all I had and it worked to an extent but if I was to go again I would get the ones that mold into your ear so you can fully block out the noise and some hostels do give free earplugs but they're not great but anyway they're an option if you don't have anything else okay so this is actually a toothbrush cover and they are lifesavers because it just means that you can always pop it over your toothbrush and it keeps it nice clean hygienic and yeah they're perfect just make sure you dry your toothbrush beforehand otherwise yeah you have a problem and a battery saver an emergency charger if you will these guys literally saved my life the whole time I'm away because it just means that my phone is constantly charged so I feel a lot safer when I have my phone and you need it you need to get around you need to use your trains you need to use your buses you need it for your booking confirmation so yeah emergency charger this one is Anker and I swear by it and I did buy another one over there because some hostels do not have plugs besides the bed and that was a pain and I like to have my phone on me when I sleep so yeah it just it was handy to have two next I want to talk about this one of my favorite purchases on Amazon ever and this is a plug that obviously I could just put my adapter so I have the adapter down the end pop that in and then bam it works in the European walls and Ireland has different plug pockets to mainland Europe so this is the Irish one you'd always have to buy one that's suited to your country and but it is perfect it charges up to five devices at a time and I've been shoving it in and out of my bag for four months and it still works perfectly I've been using it at home since I got back and it's great so yeah if you're looking for an extension lead I recommend this one so good these guys this these guys this believe it or not is a lunchbox and basically it opens out like this lift off the lid and then voila this is the smaller one I did end up leaving my ones behind because you know I had used them continuously and they were a little bit grubby um but nonetheless I do not regret bringing them because they just compact so small and it really helps with budget because it means that you can bulk make your meals if you don't mind eating the same dinner three days in a row then you just pop in the leftovers in here and heat it up the next day so very cost-effective way to go backpacking okay next let's go with my biggest regret of my whole packing um and a big valuable lesson that I learned I did not pack practically for this trip I decided to pack cute dresses you know things that I would look good in and photos and pictures and I didn't pack things that I'd actually need and thing is I didn't even like the clothes that I packed in I was like I don't like how my back looks in photos so then I had three open back dresses and I couldn't wear any of them so anyway moral of the story think practical not pretty um so I'm just gonna talk you through the clothes that I did bring because I think it is a big learning curve for me and I think hopefully it can help other people and so I ended up buying these guys the trousers that scream I am a backpacker and I love them they're so light and breezy I could wear them on the trains I could fit whatever way I wanted without worrying if I looked like a lady or not um and I wore these every single travel day I got them in Zagreb so a month into my trip and such such good pair of trousers so if you're looking for like something to wear on the trains and stuff I recommend like a light pair like this I then got this top to go with them and then I always wore my Tevas and that was my travel outfit I even came home in these clothes which are not very Ireland like but I don't mind they're great um these are just a pair of gym leggings can never go wrong with them I definitely recommend bringing at least one pair okay gym shorts so I had one pair of black just like cotton ones one pair of black sports shorts and then two lighter pairs that I could wear underneath dresses to stop chafing um they are literally perfect and you can also wear these are the trousers that I wore as pajama bottoms when my pajamas were not so I recommend bringing at least two pairs of these this is the piece of clothing that made me realize that I had packed all wrong I ended up living in this for the first month because it was a romper or a play suit whatever you want to call them so it's a pair of shorts but kind of feels like a dress and I use this one mostly for going to the beach or you know going to a lake swimming like I don't feel overly fashionable in it but it's ideal it covers my shoulders and it is perfect and then a sports top a little tank top and a t-shirt you can never go wrong with a t-shirt again if you need to cover your shoulders and then if you're just having a lazy day these guys are great to wear so they're kind of my casual clothes that I have and then I did originally have a system with my packing cubes but believe me it didn't stay that way I think it stayed like that for like a week and a half and once I've done like two loads of washing they just end up going into anything now this one is basically a whole new wardrobe that I ended up buying over there because I was not practical about my clothes choices I learned very quickly that for me rompers play suits are the best way to go because it if they feel like dresses but they have the shorts so you don't get chafing in them and you know I can climb a mountain with this on and not feel silly and because it is a pair of shorts so I end up buying this is a backless dress I end up keeping this one and I just used it for any night days that I went on and you know but it's not very practical during the day but it did the trick for at night and another romper and this one I actually brought with me I love this one I'm wearing it in a lot of my videos so nice so cute nice and gurgly and have shorts um and then this one so this is basically my whole wardrobe um again nice really light and shorts and then I recommend you definitely get something black the reason I say this this is again you guessed it a romper um but it is completely black which meant that on days that I couldn't do my washing and you know my clothes weren't clean and I needed to clean them in the sink it's much easier to clean something that's dark or black than something that is light and white or cream which we will again talk about in a few minutes um and I did originally bring washing powder with me and I ran out of it throughout my trip and I didn't want to buy big boxes to take a small amount so I ended up just using my shampoo to wash my clothes and my underwear no shame here you gotta do what you gotta do when you're backpacking and on to my final regret is bringing white clothing I brought white t-shirts white tank tops a white jumper and I regret it I they end up lasting like two weeks the reality is when you are backpacking for a long period of time you're not washing your clothes the way you do at home and you're just throwing them all in together hoping for the best and the machines just do not get stains out like you can get them out at home so yeah I just I don't know like it's just a big regret that I have so more of the story don't bring anything white that's just my opinion especially with sun cream it makes them yellow and it's just not worth the hassle so this is actually the end of the video I hope it was helpful I hope you've learned from my mistakes or got a few tips for packing for long-term travel and I know I am a little bit mixed up with the timelines I'm still trying to edit the vlogs from my trip but I thought these were nice fun videos to put out now as well so it's going to be a little bit of a mix of my backpacking vlog tips for backpacking and then Irish travel as well mixed in there um but yeah thank you so much for liking I really appreciate the support I got on this channel and yeah I'll see you in the next one bye