Packing for 2 Weeks in Italy
How I packed for my recent trip to Italy, my carry on essentials, and what I’ve learned for next time…
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Here’s the thing…In my heart of hearts, I wish I was more like
over at Window Seat who packs like a michelin star chef preps food or who takes her time and luxuriates in the process of packing. I am not these women. I packed the night before we departed, in a shared suitcase with my husband, trying to squeeze everything I needed for a week hiking in the mountains and a week with family in the south all while trying to stay under weight and have enough room to bring back food. It sounds like a simple task, but with trekking poles, hiking boots, and all of our camera equipment…it was tight.
The luggage situation…
For some (most?) women, sharing a suitcase with their husband sounds like a nightmare. I’m not going to pretend it’s not, but we have managed to make it work for us. For this trip we had a week hiking the Dolomites, 3 days in Milan, 2 days in Naples and then finished with 4 days in the South with Marco’s family for his cousin’s wedding. Long story short…we combine our luggage for the sake of efficiency and being able to move around more easily.
1 checked bag - This is mostly filled with our clothes, trekking poles, my hiking boots + shoes we might need for our trip. I have had the same Tumi suitcase for nearly 12 years and, though a little worse for wear, she’s still going strong. This suitcase went through 4 years of weekly travel and being shipped to various states across the country. The time to replace this bag is inching closer and closer and I have had my eye on the Calpak Ambeur. When the time comes I will most likely invest in their 2 piece set.
1 Carry on - this is typically filled with our camera equipment and any of Marco’s clothes and things that didn’t make the cut for the checked bag.
2 backpacks - Most of our hiking gear goes in Marco’s backpack and our toiletries stay in mine
Pro Tip! I never buy the largest option for checked bags. I find a bigger back leads to overweight luggage and doesn’t actually gain you much usable space.
Our Basic Packing Strategy…
Pretty much everything gets a cube or a pouch. We try to avoid any “loose pieces” since we are constantly driving and changing locations.. I have separate cubes for hiking clothes, regular clothes and intimates (jackets or bulky items don’t get a cube). I gravitate towards rolling my hiking stuff and folding my regular clothes.
What is always in my carry on…
I actually use this Dagne Dover diaper bag as my carry on. I don’t have a kid, but I find this backpack to be much more conducive to travel with all its little pockets and accessories. It’s packed with my kindle (with 2 back up books downloaded), Laneige lip mask, Mzoo sleep mask, Wander + neck pillow, an issue of AD (I subscribe, and if I know I’m going somewhere I always save an issue or two to bring with me on the plane as a little treat).
Toiletry Essentials…
I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to getting ready on vacation. The most important thing is keeping up my skin routine so I don’t go anywhere without my Linne Renew face serum and Repair face oil. Other than that I pack my Merit 5 minute face, Laneige lip mask, and LMNT electrolyte packs. Everything gets packed in my Dagne Dover Hunter Toiletry Bag.
The Hiking Bits…
We didn’t do any backcountry camping during this trip which makes packing INFINITELY easier because we didn’t need to bring our tent or sleeping pads etc. Here’s a list of everything we packed for the hiking portion of our trip
Gear
Marco’s hyperlite backpack
Small camelback daypack
Vivo barefoot hiking boots (ours are discontinued, but I linked a similar pair)
Headlamps
Trekking Poles
Sunglasses
Clothes
I found a BNWT Patagonia fleece at a garage sale the day before we left for $10 and Marco basically bullied me into buying it. Thank goodness he did. This may have been my single greatest purchase of 2024. The name of the game this trip was LAYERS! Every day I had a base layer, plus my new favorite fleece or vest and always had my rain jacket on hand. The weather in the north was unpredictable and this made it so we were always comfortable.
Rain Jacket
Fleece
Down vest
Leggings
Hiking shorts
Long sleeve shirts (X3)
Tank tops/t shirts
Plenty of hiking socks
Plenty of panties
Electronics
Cameras (film + digital)
Extra film
External charger
Charging cables/adapter
Extra camera battery
Headphones
Tripod
Kindle
Toiletries
Ibuprofen
Toothpaste/brush
Face wash
Face oil
Tweezers
honeypot wipes
LMNT electrolytes
Laneige lip mask (my friend Jenna got me hooked on this. I wear it all day)
The Shoe Situation…
Hiking boots, nice pair of sandals that can go from day to night, sneakers, and one pair of heels I brought all the way from America for the wedding only to discover the strap was broken…
Take aways…
Because the weather ended up being so unpredictable, I feel like I overpacked a bit. Next time I’m going to try and take some tips from guests I’ve had on my ‘unpacked’ series and spend a little more time packing by specific outfits. I also have a friend who always packs in a color palette, which I find both inspiring and overwhelming…I think I’m going to give it a go for my next getaway. As always, let me know if you have any specific questions about this trip to Italy/The Dolomites. I’ll be sharing a lot over the next few months, just waiting on that film to get developed! For now I leave you with this clip of me living my best life on this alpine meadow. - Xo, Alex
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