Capsule wardrobe for teen on 9 day European Trip?

[Anonymous]

Jeans do not need to be washed for a 1 week trip.

[Anonymous]

Plan it out ahead of time and take pics so she knows what the options are. Dark colors as much as possible to avoid minor spill issues. And get a big backpack (Target has one that is $50 that my son and I use) that counts as a carryon but is a good size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done a lot of one bag travel and my best piece of advice is to only pack things she has tried and tested at home. Do not send her with new clothes, new shoes, or a brand new bag.

You don't want to find out on day two of the trip that the new sneakers cause blisters or squeak embarrassingly on slick museum floors. Ditto for packing only one dress and finding out it shows terrible sweat stains.

Agree with this. Saw a recent post that said to pack for the person you are . No new shoes for sure!

[Anonymous]

We went to Spain for a week during spring break with teens and best items are waterproof shoes a rain jacket and dark pants like navy and black. It rains a lot so you need warm layers and fleece tops and bottoms for chilly days.

[Anonymous]

One pair of jeans for 9 days? Gross.

[Anonymous]

I feel like some of these posters do not have teen girls. They are going with a HS group. They are not going to blend in. Have them wear stuff they like. She will want to wear stuff she really likes because all the girls will be taking and posting pictures.

I would say
— pair or two of jeans
- pair of two of sweats, wear one on flight
- pair or two of black flares
— sneakers
— second pair of sneakers
— hoodie
— one or two dresses or skirts. Whatever she likes
— a sweater, ideally one she can wear with the dress
— a light jacket (if highs are in 60/ mornings and evenings will be cold). The ideal jacket would layer over her hoodie and also be wearable with a dress.
— a cross body purse so she doesn’t lose her phone and other stuff
— 2/3 sets of PJs
— lots of t shirts and bras
For a small girl, you can easily fit all this in one rolling carry on. I also really recommend one of those nylon shopping bags that folds jp into a tiny square — it’s great to put into the purse so if she is wearing a jacket in the morning and gets hot, she can throw it into the bag. Also lots of European places don’t really give bags so if she is shopping a bag will come in handy.
A backup phone battery charger is also hugely helpful.

[Anonymous]

Just have her bring what she normally wears in one week. I am sure they will go shopping.

It's probably:

1-2 pairs of jeans/joggers. Have her wear the third pair on the plane.

5 tops. She can learn how to air them out, wash in the shower, or just buy more.

3 bras is plenty.

10 pairs underwear. They are small. I wouldn't expect a teen to launder them on this trip.

10 pairs socks same reason.

Skip the dress and sweater unless she actually will wear them. If so, omit a top or two.

One pair of shoes to wear and one to pack...maybe. My children are picky about shoes and really just stick to the pair they like the most...even on days where we average 20k steps.

A zippered warm fleece jumper (LLBean/Uniqlo have options.

Maybe a puffer jacket if it is going to be really cold, but teens seem jacket averse so whatever. This could be filed under buy it if you need it.

Baggu crescent bag or similar to tote wallet/passport/phone/whatever else.

Toiletries: Deodorant. Find out if the hotel has shampoo/condish/soap unless your girl is particular. If so decant some into squeeze pouches. Neutrogena face wipes that you just add water.

On trips like these, I never expect to see any of these items again, so go in with that expectation as well

[Anonymous]

There is a lady on Instagram who does packing soduku https://www.instagram.com/thenatalieway.travel?igsh=dDF2cjRzY2NzNGJr
On March 5 she posted a springtime in Europe edition. It’s fancier than a teen but graphically shows good ideas for mixing and matching. Sometimes my teen just thinks “outfit” not mix and match.

[Anonymous]

I just posted - packing soduku. I think the PP before me had good ideas and I will just say my teen girl has done a few similar trips in the past three years and has only done carry on and backpack. She has now learned to roll her items neatly and leaves 1/3-1/2 suitcase empty for things she buys. Bc she likes to shop. On an organized tour there might not be as much shopping time, but leave some space.

[Anonymous]

Definitely bring a second pair of sneakers, or if she insists uggs or something. I’ve had my teens get their shoes soaking wet on vacation and then you are just up a creek with blisters and foot fungus. Yuck.
I think the light jacket should ideally be a rain jacket that can be worn over other outfits. But I think my teen would opt for a cute puffer instead.