I packed for 18 days in Portugal in just a carry on bag and personal item. I like to pack carry on because I find that unless you have a direct flight or maybe only one layover, your luggage can get lost much easier. For this trip we were flying from the west coast of the US to the east coast to Spain with a quick layover and then on to Lisbon in Portugal.
I have detailed posts about how to pack for longer trips, here, here, and here. We like to utilize our hotel or rental to do laundry and on this trip we were able to find a laundromat just a short walk from our downtown Lisbon hotel. The wash cycle took about 40 minutes and drying took another 20. Granted the loads you do are much smaller than the typical washer and dryer in America can handle.
In short though, you will want to pack clothes that can be mixed and matched. Try to stick with a color scheme, I went with neutrals (creams, whites, blue and black). Merino wool socks and t-shirts help because they don’t get stinky easily and are temperature regulating.
Skin Care:
–Ampules of skin care serum:
Very small and light but allow you to bring skincare with you. I don’t bring my whole skincare routine on vacation, your skin will be fine for a week or two without your 10 step skin potion (as my husband calls it) routine. -Single packet face masks can be worn on the plane to help moisturize your face during long flights that dry out your skin. You can also use these a couple of times throughout your trip for a boost of moisture, since you won’t be bringing your full skincare routine along on vacation
–Korean Sunscreen– This is lightweight and doubles as a moisturizer in the mornings under my makeup. Asian sunscreen is typically higher in SPF and offers more protection than US versions. I also love that it doesn’t sting my eyes and it sits nicely under makeup. The best way to take care of your skin is always using sunscreen.
–Dual Voltage Curling Iron: I was able to find a small curling iron that is dual voltage. They also make voltage converters, if you would like to pack your normal hair styling tool (mine is a little too bulky to pack in a carry on)
–Skin tint– not a foundation. I didn’t want to bring my big bulkier bottle of foundation and in Europe the makeup tends to look more natural anyway. I found that my Lisa Eldridge skin tint was the perfect amount of coverage and lightweight skin like feel. It lasted all day and still looked great but I didn’t look too made up.
–Concealer– I brought my favorite Estee Lauder concealer to add a bit of extra coverage to my undereyes. This stays all day, doesn’t cake or settle into lines.
–Blush– I brought my favorite blush from Rituel De Fille in the shade “Moth” it is a lovely berry color and lasts all day. A little goes a long way and the packaging is small and lightweight
–Mascara- Tarte tubing mascara in the color brown. Brown mascara looks less harsh than black but still defines your eyes in a beautiful way. The travel/trial size is the perfect amount to take on vacation and doesn’t take up much room. I like tubing mascara because it doesn’t run or streak on your face and is easy to wash off at the end of the day.
Small Eyeshadow Palette: Neutral colors, this will work for all kinds of makeup looks from day to night. I like soft browns, and Bonus….the darker shades can double as eyeliner.
Clothing:
- Layers– I freeze on airplanes so I always dress in layers on travel days, and it’s always good to have a jacket or something warmer for cool mornings and evenings.
- Pack a color scheme so that you can mix and match all your tops to all your bottoms. Do laundry once or twice on your trip so you can pack less clothing, and re-wear items more than once. I like to pack a base of neutrals, I packed brown linen, and leggings, black linen and jacket, white tee shirts, and blue sweaters and accessories.
- Linen pants– i packed a pair of tan linen pants and used the hotel iron to get out wrinkles. You could also hang your linen in the bathroom while showering so the steam relaxes the wrinkles out of your clothing.
- Leggings for layers and to wear as PJ’s. These also came in handy for our hiking days. Leggings can be versatile and pack up small and light.
- Zip up athletic jacket- good to throw on for extra warmth at night, wear hiking or out sightseeing and can be used on the plane for an extra layer if the air conditioning in the plane gets to chilly
- White jeans- I like these for spring, summer and fall trips. They are neutral so they pair well with most tops and they look more dressed up than a pair of blue jeans
- A white flowy dress with short sleeves (not sleeveless) so that you are appropriately covered and modest to enter churches and other buildings that have a dress code. Any knee length or longer dress that covers your shoulders should be fine. You can pack a scarf or cardigan to throw on if needed.
- Comfy but cute walking sandals. Can double as hiking sandals but in a light color, nude cream or white, for wearing out in the evenings as a dressier shoe option. I wore this pair and walked miles in them with no discomfort
- Good walking shoes– Make sure that you bring some good tennis shoes. I like to make sure that mine are broken in enough that they won’t rub blisters on my heels ( I also bring a few blister patches just in case). For Portugal, I brought my Born tennis shoes in a tan suede (scotch-guarded) because the tread was good for both the hilly and cobblestoned terrain of Lisbon and the hiking trails of Madrid
- Cardigans– I packed 2 in neutral colors that would match with my tops and bottoms.
- Merino wool socks– great for warmth, they are super comfy and they are odor resistant.
- Swimsuit– I have learned to always pack a swimsuit where ever I go. I would rather have one and not need it. We did get enough sun for a day at the beach in Madeira. It was however a bit chillier than usual, I was told by our super sweet Madeiran rental owner.
- I only brought 2 bras with me, a regular wireless bra for everyday and a sports bra for our hiking days. I also packed no show undies in nude colors. I like these slightly compressive ones as well as these softer, lighter ones.
Medications: I don’t take my prescription bottles, just enough medication to last the trip plus a few extra days just in case. You can find all kinds of travel pill containers, and if you don’t want to buy a special container you can use snack sized Ziploc bags to separate out and hold your medications. If you have something that needs to stay cold, I did see that they are making special devices to hold and chill your meds during travel. These are easy to find with a quick internet search.
Electronics– Charger cords, Outlet adapters (for European voltage), Earbuds or Headphones and a portable power bank for charging phones on the go.
My Camera: I have a Canon E0S 6 mirrorless camera that I like to bring with me. I also will pack a small backpack that folds flat and a small “purse” type bag for evenings out. During the day I will take my backpack, camera, water and wallet sightseeing with me and at night I leave the camera back at the hotel and use my small purse to hold my phone and wallet. I like crossbody purses for Europe that pack flat so they don’t take up extra room in my suitcase. I packed a neutral color of purse and backpack( both cream colored) so that it would still look cute with my outfits but match with everything.
Re-useable bag– I like to bring a re-useable grocery type bag with me. These come in handy for buying groceries, snacks or drinks while out. In a lot of places around the world you have to pay extra for grocery bags. These are virtually weightless, pack so small and can be shoved into your day bag easily. Bonus you can use them to carry souvenirs that you pick up throughout the day.
I start packing a couple of weeks before my trip. This helps me to sort, organize and decide what I actually want to bring.
Try making a list of what you will need to bring. Consider the weather, the location vibe (beach resort, active/outdoorsy, city sightseeing, etc). Pack a color scheme. Try on outfits before packing so you can see what they look like before you commit.
I also like to edit down my suitcase right before leaving. I tend to try to shove too much stuff in my bag and find that taking out a top or two before I go leaves more room for me to bring back souveniers.
Hopefully this helps
Happy Travels
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