The 10 Things I Actually Used on My Euro Trip
Consider this your carry-on companion: a list of the ten things that truly earned their spot in my suitcase this European summer. I’m talking hardworking pieces that delivered style, sanity, and suitcase space (shoutout to the hero Antler case that swallowed a kilo of Swiss chocolate and still had room). Whether you’re beach-clubbing in the Med or sipping wine in the Tuscan hills, these are the things that made my holiday smoother, prettier, and just a little bit smugger.
Antler Suitcase
I left Sydney with a pretty full suitcase and then bought some clothes, a pair of shoes, ten pieces of ceramics including bowls and trays, a whole shelf of German skincare, new Lego sets for my daughter and about a kilo of Swiss chocolates and this magical case just kept fitting it all in. Super light yet able to handle all the knocks from a baggage handler it was unbeatable. It’s also easy to steer one handedly and in lots of colours you can go for something more interesting than black. I also bought the luggage tag in a contrasting colour to make spotting it on the carousel that bit easier.
Dark Denim Mini
The most worn item of my entire trip was this unassuming dark denim A-line mini. Worn with sandals and a lace top for dinner, a singlet and trainers for sightseeing, over my swimsuit for a beach club and with a crochet shirt for wine tasting. Best $99 spent.
Interesting Trainers
I think you can wear trainers with anything and even have a Pinterest board dedicated to this phenomenon. I wore these Adidas leopard print pair on rotation. They are incredibly comfortable so perfect for covering long distances when sightseeing yet cool enough to give you that edge.
Hunza G Swimsuit
The incredible thick stretchy supportive fabric of Hunza G is the original crinkly fabric designed in 1984. I wear the black strapless swimsuit as it prevents any tan lines and is both timeless and modern. It is also incredibly supportive and stretchy for my ever expanding waistline after weeks of eating pasta and bread.
All in one Palette
This palette was all the make-up I needed aside from a foundation and mascara. Containing a bronzer, blush, highlighter and nine eyeshadows it had everything to create a daytime and nighttime look. I find on holiday I don’t bother so much with make-up so I didn’t want to take anything that would take up valuable space in my suitcase (so I could buy more ceramics!)
Laundry Sheets
We started to use these laundry sheets at home and so it was easy to pop ten of them into a ziplock bag for my trip. They take zero room and are handy for Airbnb’s when you need to do a load of washing or when you need to handwash your smalls in the sink and dry them on the balcony.
Kindle
Pre-loading my Kindle is part of my holiday ritual and one I dare not miss. With patchy wi-fi I devour books and instead leave social media scrolling and Netfix for when I get home. This holiday I read The Names by Florence Knapp, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Consider yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley and have started The Thursday Murder club series by Richard Osman.
Splitwise App
We holidayed with friends this year in Mallorca and Tuscany and it gets very confusing very fast when it comes to splitting restaurant bills and supermarket shops. The Spiltwise app was invaluable. You just enter the amount you paid for and who was included in the bill and at the end of the holiday it magically works it all out and you only get paid or pay one other person. With thirteen of us eating and drinking our way through Palma we couldn’t have done without it
Electrolytes
I feel I am slightly addicted to LMNT Mango and Chili Electrolytes. They are so salty and zesty and pack a big punch. There’s so many opportunities to be dehydrated on holiday – flights, too many Aperol Spritzes, heat, forgetting your water bottle when you go to bed. One tiny sachet of this brings me back to life. Also a huge plus to disguising tap water in the morning when you know you should glug back a litre.
Universal Plug
Very boring to end this list on a dull electronic item but my Mom gave me one of these before I left and I popped it into my backpack without any real thought. But boy was I happy when I got to my hotel room in Mallorca and needed to charge all my devices and toothbrush. Get one that comes in a nice case so at least there is something zooshy about it.
