Packing For 16 Days Abroad in a Backpack

I used to be the person that would bring the biggest suitcase on a trip. Through the years I’ve realized that even when I brought a big suitcase I didn’t wear 3/4 of what I brought. I’ve been working on minimizing my wardrobe for the past few years and it’s made me realize how little I actually need. This concept transferred over to travel and I’ve been slowly bringing less and less on our trips and it feels so good.

We recently got back from traveling around Norway, Sweden, + Denmark for 16 days. It was a DREAM. I’ll write more on the specifics of the trip later, but here I wanted to share the answer to the question on got most after I shared that I was only bringing a backpack. The burning question many of you had was, “What did you pack?” Understandably, a lot of you were skeptical this would be enough for me to even make it through the whole trip, but once I started hearing the skepticism I wanted to take the challenge a bit further. I wanted to move the challenge from “Packing for 16 days abroad in a backpack” to “Packing for 16 days abroad in a backpack AND not repeating an outfit.” Here’s proof that I stepped up to the challenge. Please know I have nothing against outfit repeating at all (I am a frequent “offender’) this just felt like a really fun challenge to push myself to be resourceful.

The main reason for bringing just a backpack was because we were moving around constantly and it was so much easier to just carry one thing. Plus, Europe’s cobblestone streets are stunning, but really not fun to roll a suitcase on. Below I am sharing my thought process when packing and a list of everything I packed to make it possible. I also share some of the things I wish I would have brought and some things I wish I would have left at home.

Please know, I am not a fashionista. I’m just a practical lady that wanted to pull together some comfy outfits that made me feel good and let me focus on experiencing the culture and sights around me. I knew we were going to be very active (walking 25,000+ steps a day, hiking, biking, etc.) but also sitting on trains and planes and ferries. Comfort was my highest priority. After comfort I tried to focus on packing some solid basics that could be mixed and matched — neutral colors, dresses that could be layered over, etc. This allowed me to bring fewer items because everything went together. I could easily thow my chambray shirt over my linen dress or wear it over a cropped tank with shorts for bike riding. Layers was a really important component I considered when packing. I wanted to make sure I had a variety of options because the weather could fluctuate.

This was the longest we had traveled period and it was definitely the longest I had ever lived out of a backpack. I’d definitely do it again, but here are some things I would bring with me next time and some things I would leave at home. I hope this brings you some packing inspiration for your next adventure.

Things I wish I would have left home:

• The active dress I brought isn’t my favorite. I feel like it is a weird length (like it needs to either be a bit longer or shorter to make it flattering).

Things I wish I would have brought:

• A rain jacket (we got lucky and it didn't rain on us much at all during the trip, but the security of that additional layer would have been nice)

• Instead of the active dress I would have brought this active skirt instead. It would have been more versatile to swap out tops to create more variation.

• A pair of linen shorts. It ended up being pretty hot in Flam (80F+) and my only option was to wear my sweat shorts - which was fine, but another option would have been nice and wouldn’t have really taken up much room.

Day 1 + 2

The Packing List

• Bottoms

  • Madewell Jeans - Similar here

  • Linen pants - Similar here

  • Aerie sweat shorts - Similar here

• Tops

  • Cable knit Sweater - They’re out of the color I have, but color that is in stock is gorgeous. Hold out for a sale. They always have good discounts.

  • Chambray shirt - similar here

  • White tank 

  • Black tank 

  • Brown t-shirt

  • White t-shirt

  • Crop tank (I contemplated bringing the skort that goes with this too for more versatility and in hindsight it would have been a good addition.) 

• Dresses

  • White linen dress - Similar here and here and here

  • Black linen dress

  • Athletic dress - I cut mine to be shorter, but I want to get it hemmed to be even 3 inches shorter.

• Outer layer

  • Jean Jacket

• Shoes / Accessories

  • Swimsuit - Similar here

  • Baseball hat 

  • Earrings (x2) 

  • Sneakers

  • Sandals

  • Canvas tote

  • Crossbody bag  - Similar here

• Undergarments / Sleepwear

  • 1 Sports bra

  • 10 pairs of underwear (see note below)

  • 1 nude colored bra

  • Pajama set

Notes

• Packing cubes are game changes. They keep things organized into categories (I usually do: tops, bottoms, dresses, sleepwear + undergarments, etc.)

• Here’s the backpack I took. I like that there are pouches on the front that allowed me to put things I wanted to reach quickly. It also qualifies as a carry-on. I’d say the quality is on par with the price point. I got it about 6 years ago and it’s got some rips in it now, but for less than $60 and the amount that I’ve put it through, I think it’s fair.

• Day 1 + 2’s outfit are the same because we ended up having to stay in London overnight and my bag was checked to Copenhagen (Omaha made me check the bag because the flight was too full already) - I only almost cried which after not sleeping for 48 hours felt like a win.

• I knew we would have access to laundry halfway through our trip so I only packed enough underwear for that (plus a few extra). If your airbnb doesn’t have laundry there are usually laundromats that you can post up at for a couple hours (obviously this depends on where you are traveling, but a good option to look into).

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Lemony Cucumber + Feta Pasta Salad

According to the calendar summer hasn’t even started yet, but we have already had our fair share of 95 degrees days. It’s days like these that a salad for dinner feels like the best option — for both your sweaty body and your vegetable-craving soul.

When we aren’t making this Italian Chopped Salad this summer, we will be making this cucumber and feta pasta salad. It’s light, refreshing, and really hits the spot on those hot summer nights. Pair it with some grilled chicken and string lights and you’ve got yourself a summer night’s dream.

Lemony Cucumber + Feta Pasta Salad

Makes 6 servings as a side dish

• 8 ounces of bowtie pasta, prepared according to package directions

• 1 large cucumber, diced

• 4 ounce block of feta, diced

For the Lemon Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 small garlic clove, grated

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon maple syrup

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Optional Additions:

• fresh herbs for topping (mint, cilantro, parsley)

• Hazelnuts for topping

• chickpeas

Making The Vinaigrette: Meanwhile, In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, and honey, if using.Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking and continue to whisk until the dressing is emulsified.

Making the Pasta: Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain (do not rinse) and then while the pasta is still hot drizzle the lemon vinaigrette over the pasta and then toss together in a bowl. This will allow the noodles to soak up as much flavor from the vinaigrette as possible.

Bringing it all Together: Allow the pasta to come to room temperature on the counter and then add in the cucumbers and feta. If you’re adding chickpeas this would be a good time to add in as well. Allow the pasta salad to chill for at least an hour before serving. Serve the pasta salad up in individual bowls and then top with the herbs and hazelnuts. Enjoy!

Will keep in the fridge for 3 days. If the pasta is seeming a bit dry after it has been in the fridge overnight just drizzle it with a little extra olive oil and toss it together.

Italian Chopped Salad AKA The Salad of The Summer

This is like the salad for when you’re on the fence of whether or not you even want a salad or not. It’s jam packed with so much goodness that it will make all other salads seems boring — in fact, other salads ARE boring in comparison.

This salad was inspired by one we had at Pizzeria Ruby during our trip to Bentonville, Arkansas. After we had biked 18 miles in the heat of the day to get to this little pizza shop, all I wanted was their refreshing chopped salad. Don’t worry, we also got a pizza (and some gelato), but I might risk saying that the salad was the star of the show. It was full of olives, pepperonchinis, pickled onions, provolone, and salami (I’ve opted for pepperoni here, but to each their own). It was the perfect salad to fuel the remaining 18 miles of our journey and inspire a summers worth of lunches and dinner.

If you’re still skeptical that a salad can actually be that delicious, I challenge you to give this one a try. I can guarantee you’re gonna make it once and then have it on repeat all summer long.

Italian Chopped Salad

Makes 6 servings

For the Italian dressing:

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoons honey or maple syrup

• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning

• ½ teaspoon salt

  For the salad:

• 1 large head of romaine lettuce, chopped

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 6 oz thinly sliced pepperoni, chopped

• 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• ½ cup pitted sliced kalamata olives

• ¼ cup sliced pepperoncinis

• 4 ounces pickled red onions

• ½ cup cubed provolone cheese

• ¼ cup shredded parmesan

  Make the dressing: in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar/honey, garlic, dijon, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

  Chop and prep all your other ingredients.

  Assemble the salad: Next add in the chickpeas, pepperoni, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, red onion, provolone cheese, + parmesan. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately. To make this ahead of time keep the dressing separate until ready to serve.

Our Favorite Coffee, Food, + Sights in Northwest Arkansas

Bentonville, Arkansas has been on our radar for a while now because of the famous coffee roastery, Onyx. We finally made it down to explore this area for a long weekend and found ourselves impressed with the emphasis on both nature and art. We spent most of our time in Bentonville, but ventured down to Eureka Springs and had a great time exploring what is likely one of the hippiest towns in North America. If you’re looking for a unique long-weekend experience I think that Northwestern Arkansas is definitely worth exploring. Here’s a round up of our favorite coffee, food, and sights we discovered during our time there.

Where we stayed

This is the Airbnb we stayed at. It was about a 7 minute drive from downtown Bentonville and provided easy access to everything we wanted to go and do. If we return to Bentonville I will probably try to stay closer to downtown so that we can bike more easily around.

Coffee

Onyx Coffee Lab - This coffee shop was our main draw to Bentonville. They’ve made a worldwide reputation for themselves as serving some of the best coffee and we knew we had to experience one of their shops for ourselves.

We visited both the downtown Bentonville location as well as the HQ location in Rogers. Both locations had a small pour over menu that consisted of a rotating selection of coffees. We tried a natural kenyan as a pour over as well as a shot of espresso. It was fun to see how different the profile was using the same beans, but different methods of brewing. During our next visit we both opted for a straight forward drip coffee made using their Southern weather blend and honestly prefered the flavor of this over the pour over and espresso that we had. Overall our experience at both shops was great.

Considering the fact that we drove almost 6 hours to get here I was expecting the coffee to blow my mind in a way that it didn’t. Did I enjoy the experience? 100%! Will I come back if we’re driving through? For sure! Do I think it’s a really great option if you’re in the Bentonville area? Without a doubt! Will I drive 6 hours agaun just to go to the shop? Probably not.

Airship Coffee - As far provdiding an experience, this coffee shop knows what it is doing. We visited two different locations and got two very different, but both equally fantastic experiences.

The Coler location is nestled in the woods and only accessible via biking or walking. The hidden nature of this coffee shop captured our attention and we knew we had to visit. Admittedly the coffee itself wasn’t our favorite (a bit too roasty for our taste buds) BUT the experience was still superb and I would 100% go back again. Here are three parking lots where you can get to the shop from. All parking lots are under a mile from the coffee shop.

• Coler Mountain Bike Preserve South Gateway (NW 3rd Street)

• Coler Grove Parking Lot (Just up the road from the South Gateway on the right)

• Coler North Trail Head Parking Lot (Peach Orchard Rd)

The Pumphouse Location gets 5 stars for the midcentury-science-lab vibes. We sat and worked on our computers here for over two hours and it was perfect — bright light, lots of outlets, and very spacious. We tried two pour overs and they were a bit better than the drip coffee we had had at the Coler location, but still not necessarily our chosen flavor profile. That said, this shop is still a place I would 100% come again and again if I lived in Bentonville — even if the coffee wasn’t my favorite. The vibes really got me.

Food

Crepes Paulette - This food truck turned brick-and-mortar is serving up some innovative crepe combos. All the savory crepes are made using a buckwheat flour based batter which lends a nice nuttiness to the crepes. We tried the thai, rubenesque, and strawberry with chocolate ganache. Be warned that the wait can be LONG. I was anticipating it would be a place we could pop in and out of quickly and head out of town, but it ended up being over an hour from the time we walked in to the time we actually had crepes in front of us. It was definitley worth the wait, but just temper your time expectations.

Yeyo’s Mexican Street Food - A modern take on Mexican cuisine that emphasizes the use of freshly grown ingredients. We split the taco plate which consisted of a variety of 8 different tacos and each and every one was to die for. Everything felt super fresh and flavorful! We didn’t get any cocktails, but their drink menu looked really interesting.

Pizzeria Ruby - This east coast style neighborhood pizza place was everything we hoped it would be and more. The pizza was phenomenal, but the salads were equally delicious. We literally ate here twice and would have gone back for a third if we had another day. Between our two visits we got the vodka pizza, mushroom pizza, house salad, and chopped salad and continually raved about all of the above. The cherry gelato was also amazing — served with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. I really can’t recommend this place enough.

Markm and Fitz - A bean to bar chocolatier that is creating true masterpieces. I think my jaw genuinely dropped as we looked around at all the different chocolate bars. Timing never worked for us to go back and get some, but the smells we got to experience and the rave reviews I have seen have me convinced it is nothing short of magical.

Sights

Eureka Springs - I’m calling it a sight because we kind of treated Bentonville as our home base and so driving an hour to visit Eureka Springs and walk the shops makes it feel like a site. Eureka Springs might quite literally be the hippiest place I have ever been. The hilly streets of the quant town are lined with crystal shops, local artist, and knick-knack stores. It was totally worth the drive just to take in this little town!

Inspiration Point Overlook - Definitely worth a quick stop on your way to Eureka Springs if you’re coming from Bentonville.

Crystal Bridges - This incredible art museum was FREE and captured our art-loving hearts. We didn’t get back from Eureka Springs until there was only 2 hours left to closing, but I would say you could budget closer to 3-4 hours to spend at the museum if you really enjoy reading about art and taking your time walking around. This is a MUST if you are in Bentonville. Don’t miss out on walking through the Frank Lloyd Wright home. Tickets are free, but timed so make sure you get your tickets before you walk out to the house (like we did).

Compton Gardens and Arboretum - Another free place that I highly recommend checking out! There are lots of beautfiul walking trails that will inspire you.

Walking to the top of the ledger building - There’s a ramp that zig zags along the front of the building that is available to the public. It’s super fun to walk up the ramp and look inside the building and when you get to the top you’re rewarded with a really nice view of the city. Bonus: plan it at sunset for an even more spectatcular view.

Farmer’s Market in downtown - Located in the Bentonville Square, a dreamy park with a fountain in the middle, the Farmer’s market takes place on Saturdays from 7:30am-1pm and there are lots of vendors. Definitely worth a stop even if you don’t plan to buy anything.

Biking Trails - Whether you are looking for mountain biking trails or just regular paved biking trails, Bentonville is the place to be. There are lots of trails to choose from and they are maintained really well. We don’t have mountain bikes and truthfully paved biking is more of my jam, so we checked out the Razorback Trail and the Applegate Trail. Both of those trails are paved and were so fun to ride on. There are lots of bridges over streams that make the trails engaging and enjoyable. Next time we go to Bentonville, this is probably what we will spend most of our time doing! They were seriously some of the best trails I have every been on.