Fashion show in exotic locations, or hassle-free travels?

If Instagram has taught us anything, it’s that having the perfect outfit for the already enviable locations that you’re visiting, is an added perk to traveling abroad.

However, those six pairs of shoes won't get themselves up the four flights of stairs in your beautiful, but historical, walk-up Airbnb rental in Italy. So, difficult decisions will need to made, and pairing down your ensemble is only half the struggle.

I’m a big advocate for using the metro/rail systems when traveling in Europe, which while often underground, requires climbing a lot of stairs to navigate to the appropriate platforms. In addition to the metro challenges, there are also the aforementioned stairs in your Airbnb.

The beautiful apartment buildings that we Americans all drool over in photos, typically don’t have elevators or have elevators too small to put your luggage in. Again, this results in hauling your luggage up a LOT of stairs. Even the smallest roller bag, can be cumbersome to carry when gripping a railing and ascending a mountain of stairs.

So, before you pack your bag, let's talk about what kind of trip you’re taking, and how much you’ll be changing locations.

My husband and I travel a decent amount, but I often joke with him that we’ve yet to take a true vacation in the seven years we’ve been together because our trips are marathons of activity. We typically spend no more than three days in a given location and typically travel between twelve and sixteen days, which results in a lot of jumping around, and therefore more stairs than I can shake a stick at. Therefore, I prioritize ease of travel, over Instagram ready wardrobe changes.

Luggage is a tool, and there’s an appropriate tool for every job.

As I mentioned above, I happily pack minimally, in favor of keeping my hands free when traveling. What this translates to, is using a backpack. No, not the backpack you carried in college, and no, not the backpack you’d carry into the wilderness, but an honest to goodness travel backpack. Usually in the category of luggage or travel bags, rather than as a “backpack,” these bags are sized for travelers that want to carry their bags onto their flights. Appropriately sized for most overhead bins, it’s yet another way to ease travel day stresses.

I’ve been carrying a bag from Osprey, since 2015, called the Porter. This bag has been upgraded a little since I purchased mine, but the basics of the bag are all still the same, and it’s still available on the Osprey website, HERE.

How do you pack enough for two weeks into a backpack?

Even when I’m not traveling, and have access to my entire wardrobe, I still do laundry at least once per week, so that I can wear my favorite pieces again and again. The HUGE advantage of staying in Airbnbs, in addition to the cost savings, is the access to a washing machine. Pack less, rewash, and your little backpack will become your best friend.

So serious is my belief in the above packing philosophy, that when my husband and I opted for a destination wedding, I chose a wedding dress that I could easily roll and pack into that backpack, and I have no regrets to this day.