4 countries. 1 purse
Greece Italy France England
Well, where do I start! I guess it all begins, as being a young female traveler, wanting to see the world. I had always dreamed of going to Europe, but at the time, before my meeting my husband of course, I had never had anyone willing to go with me. But after some thought, I had never let anything come between me and my goals before, and I had had a lot of experience travelling anyway, so I figured, why not just go solo!? I was super excited, and slightly nervous…but in a good way. Heading to a continent I’ve never been before, countries and cities I’ve never seen in real life, not knowing anyone who lived there… all by myself in my early 20’s.
Now, I knew I really didn’t want to be toting around a huge bag half of the summer, so I came to the logical solution, to pack VERY minimally, and to only bring what would fit inside my purse. Now, I know what you’re thinking, what about hair, makeup and wardrobe changes in the fashion capitals of the world? Well, at the time, that didn’t cross my mind. I was focused on the experience rather than the look of it. I hardly took any photos of myself the entire time. I simply just enjoyed being there in the moment and surrounding myself in the culture.
What did I bring you ask?
Well, the fire that actually started this trip, was that I was invited to a co-workers wedding that summer in Santorini, Greece, and I definitely couldn’t turn that down. It was meant to be! It was time! So, I knew I had to pack at least one nice dress, some undies and a toothbrush. The other good thing about travelling in the summertime was that I could get away with packing super light summer clothes – no heavy jackets… or pack any at all actually! So lets bring it back, what did I pack:
- One nice dress *for the wedding of course*
- A handful of super small g-strings *that I washed in between*
- A couple pairs of socks *as I wore sandals most of the time*
- 1 pair of sandals and 1 pair of sneakers *alternating between wearing and packing*
- 1 brow pencil *the only makeup I brought*
- 1 outfit that I wore pretty much the entire time which was, jeans, a linen button up top and a sweater in case it got chilly at night *which I always recommend bringing at least one sweater because I ended up using it quiet a lot of the time!*
- 1 toothbrush + toothpaste
- 1 hair brush
- 1 swim suite
- 1 sun hat
- travel sized shampoo, conditioner and soap
- 1 nighty
- Oh yeah and the important things of course, like my Phone charger, headphones, wallet and passport.
- I also brought one cute little jumper and a light weight tank because they rolled up super small *mostly for Greece because it got really, really hot there, especially at the top in Oia.*you know the picture perfect all white and blue town over looking to ocean? yeah that one!* It really was exactly as you would expect. Absolutely stunning! Picture perfect!
Did I do any shopping?
Well, I did end up buying a vegan leather jacket and scarf in Milan, Italy… because who could go to Italy and not buy at least one thing, right? I also brought back shot glasses from all four countries to bring home to my brother for his collection and matching rings from Greece for my mom and I! So I did end coming home with a little shopping bag, but other than that! It was just me, my purse and I, travelling through some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen! I highly doubt that I could ever pull off packing this light ever again, but let me tell you, it was a trip of a lifetime! Not having to worry about what to wear or what you look like, or getting the perfect photo was extremely liberating and I’ll never forget it.
So know you know the story of the girl who traveled solo through Europe with just herself and her purse!
Here is the little purse that got me through it at The Savoy in London, England.
CADIE PIECUCH 