July 2021
Packing in a Carry On: Croatia
Our first international trip since January 2020 – we were nervous and excited! And while I had plenty of practice with domestic travel packing, packing for an international trip suddenly felt different and unfamiliar. I had to once again be concerned with a weight limit on the carry on bags, something I did not miss worrying about. It took overhearing a Youtube video to recall I needed outlet converters! I had to go back and refresh myself with some of the other packing posts and other than the international component, I was hopeful that the Hawaii packing post would be a good place to start.
Most of the new gear for this trip was from the Hawaii trip. Mostly, we found ourselves needed to grab another piece of clothing or two to elevate our wardrobe a bit. With Hawaii, we wore bathing suits and coverups a large majority of the time. All our European trips have been in the fall and winter so our “nice” looking summer gear needed some help. I picked up a dress and skirt, Kevin bought a few new shirts, and we hoped for the best. I would say it worked out very nicely!
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Full Packing List
The bag: EBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible
Packing cubes size small, medium and large
Small Packing Cube: Toiletry Bag
- Medications (Ibupofen, Meclizine – for my sea sickness, Tums)
- Deodorant
- Bar of solid soap
- Contacts
- Solid sunscreen
- Lush solid shampoo
- Toothbrush with sanitizer pod / floss
- Hair Brush
- Razor /Spare razor head
- Band-Aids/first-aid and Q-tips
- Hair accessory bag (headband, hair ties, hair clips)
- A thermometer and pulse oximeter
- Lip balm
Quart Bag for 3 Ounce Liquids
- Tooth paste
- Travel size body lotion
- Travel size conditioner
- Travel size face wash
- Face moisturizer in repurposed container
- Steroids/Aquaphor (for my terribly dry skin)
- Insect repellent (going with a lotion is easier than a spray!)
- Not shown: Hand sanitizer (2 oz and packed an additional 8 oz bottle in a separate bag)
Medium Packing Cube: Small Clothing Items
- Adventure Bands
- Two bathing suits – new favorite!
- Tank tops
- PJS
- Comfy bras / underwear / socks
Large Packing Cube: Clothes
- Two shorts – active and denim
- One pair of joggers (Albion FitJetsetters)
- Two skirts (one of which wrinkled so bad I could not even iron it to wear it – do not pack those types of clothes!)
- Two dresses
- Three t-shirts
Front Compartment
- Northface rain jacket
- Microfiber towel
- Sunglasses and glasses case
- Gum
- Charges for various devices
- Small packing cube
- Travel detergent
- Travel day bag backpack
- Camera / tech bag
Since we traveled in the middle of summer, it was very hot and our clothes suffered because of it. It is not uncommon for us to do laundry since we travel light and that is what we had to do half way through the trip. In Europe, it is not guaranteed that you will have dryer access, so do as the European’s do – just check the weather forecast ahead of time!
Side pocket: Rain cover for backpack
Camera and Tech Bag
- Phone power bank charger
- Car phone chargers
- Outlet converter
- External hard drive
- Phone waterproof case
- Tripod
- Small carabiner clips
- Small key chain flash light
Large Compartment
- Medium and large packing cubes
- Snorkel gear
- Dry bag
- Beach blanket
- Black flip flops, sandals and Xero trail sandals (yes, I broke my two shoe rule – wear one, pack one – but a benefit of summer travel is that the shoes are so compact!)
Back Compartment
- Chromebook
- Folder with travel documents and itinerary
Documents
- Travel documents – itinerary, confirmations, flight information
- Arrival paperwork
- COVID vaccine documentation
- COVID test results
- Passports
- International driver’s license
Sling Bag
Canvas Bag – Personal Item
- Canvas bag
- Disinfecting wipes
- KN95 masks
- Surgical masks
- Cloth masks
- Hand wipes
- Snacks
What I wore on plane
- Long sleeve with UPF protection
- Active legging pants
- Tank top
- Sneakers
- Cardigan
- Jacket
I also threw in … Quarry Quarrel!
We were able to play this compact game on the flight, our early evenings (let’s be honest, every night is an early evening for me… especially with the time zone difference!), and on rainy days. This was such a fun addition to our travel bag that is definitely a keeper.
The biggest difference between domestic and international travel is the weigh in for international travel. There is a carry on weight limit that is permitted and while it does not happen all the time, it is the airline’s right to weight your bags and force a change if you are over the weight limit. After flying so much domestically, I definitely did not miss this part of the packing process. For this journey, we were permitted 26 pounds for a carry on item.
And I still got it! Everything packed snug and ready to go.
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