What I Always Pack for Europe: Travel Essentials From a Life Between Texas and Ireland

Travel has always been a big part of my life, but Europe has never really felt like just a destination. I’m from Ireland and have only been living in the U.S. for about ten years, so with all of my family still on the other side of the pond, I’m back and forth across the Atlantic a lot. Add in close friends across Europe and years of memories tied to places I return to again and again, and travel has become less about taking a trip and more about moving between different parts of my life. After enough long-haul flights, train journeys, hotel stays and overstuffed suitcases, I’ve become pretty particular about what is actually worth packing and what has genuinely earned a permanent place in my bag.

I’ve also learned a few lessons the hard way. The trendy suitcase is a lot less appealing when it appears on the baggage belt with a wheel missing, a handle hanging off, or looking like it has been through a minor international incident. I now always keep at least two days’ worth of clothes and essentials in my carry-on, because occasionally my checked luggage decides it would prefer to spend an extra night in Philadelphia, Frankfurt, or wherever else it fancies. After enough of those little travel surprises, you quickly work out which things are worth spending money on and which ones are mostly just good at looking nice in an airport.

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The Luggage I Keep Coming Back To

With the amount of time I spend traveling, I’ve figured out pretty quickly what I actually need from luggage. For Europe, I tend to travel with a larger checked case, a carry-on and a backpack, which gives me enough room for longer trips without feeling like I’m moving house every time I cross the Atlantic.

I’ve been using BÉIS luggage because it hits that balance I want between looking good and actually being practical. The Large Check-In Roller is the one I reach for when I’m heading over for a longer stay, while the Carry-On Roller has become especially important for the things I really don’t want separated from me. And then there’s the Travel Backpack, which is usually where the passport, laptop, chargers, headphones and all the other things I somehow need access to every twenty minutes end up.

One lesson I no longer ignore is keeping at least a couple of days’ worth of clothes and essentials in my carry-on. Checked luggage occasionally decides it has its own itinerary, and arriving in Europe without so much as a clean T-shirt is an experience I’m perfectly happy not repeating.

What I Actually Wear to Travel

I’ve always liked to look put together when I travel. Even on a long-haul flight, I still want to feel like myself, just with a lot more emphasis on comfort. Over the years, I’ve figured out that the best travel clothes are the ones that look polished enough for the airport but are comfortable enough to settle into for eight or nine hours in the air.

For overnight flights, I’m a big fan of Cozy Earth and will often change into something from them once I’m on board. Their pieces are incredibly soft and comfortable but still feel polished, which makes them perfect for actually getting some sleep without changing into something I wouldn’t necessarily want to be seen walking through the cabin in. They layer well too, which is useful when airplane temperatures seem to move from sauna to refrigerator without warning.

Rhone is more likely to be what I wear through the airport, during a layover or on a daytime flight. I like that their pieces have the comfort and stretch of performance wear while still looking smart and considered. Vuori fits naturally into that same part of my travel wardrobe, especially for comfortable trousers, tees and layers that work just as well for a flight as they do for walking around once I arrive.

I also tend to keep my travel wardrobe fairly neutral and interchangeable. If something is taking up valuable suitcase space, I want to be able to wear it again during the trip rather than having an entire outfit that only exists for the airport.

Carry-On Essentials for Long-Haul Flights

My carry-on is less about fitting in as much as possible and more about making sure I have the things I’ll actually want during the flight, along with enough to get me through a day or two if my checked luggage decides to take a different route. A change of clothes, underwear, medications, chargers and the basics are always there, but on a long-haul flight, skincare has become just as important.

Cabin air can leave my skin feeling noticeably dry, so I keep a few products within easy reach rather than buried in my checked bag. Aesop’s Fabulous Face Cleanser is one I like to travel with, particularly when I want to wash off the feeling of an airport and a long day before settling in for an overnight flight. I’ll usually follow that with a toner and Aesop’s Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Hydrator, which gives me enough moisture without feeling like I have layered half the bathroom onto my face.

If I’m traveling during fall or winter, or my skin is simply feeling drier than usual, I’ll reach for Aesop’s Camellia Nut Facial Hydrating Cream instead. I find I need that little bit more when you combine colder weather with hours of very dry cabin air.

And yes, water absolutely counts as one of my travel essentials. I’m certainly not turning down the champagne or a cocktail on the way to Europe, but I try to make a point of drinking plenty of water in between. My skin, and usually the version of me arriving at baggage claim the following morning, is much happier for it.

Another product that nearly always comes with me is my Dr Sebagh Facial Sculpting Tool. I particularly like using it after a long flight for its lymphatic drainage and de-puffing benefits, especially when my face has that slightly puffy, I have been sitting upright at 35,000 feet for nine hours look. It takes up virtually no room, so it’s an easy addition to my toiletry bag and one of those little things that can make me feel much more refreshed when I land.

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Why I Pack Differently Now

The biggest change over the years is that I pack with the journey in mind, not just the destination. I think about what I’ll need if a flight is delayed, if luggage goes missing, if I have to change terminals quickly, or if I end up going straight from the airport to lunch, a meeting or a hotel.

I also buy far fewer travel products just because they are labeled as travel products. The things I keep using are usually the ones that make a genuinely annoying part of travel easier, whether that is luggage that rolls properly, clothes I can sit in for hours, or a bag that means I’m not hunting for my passport every five minutes.

And because I’m back and forth so often, packing has become almost automatic. There are things that live permanently in my travel bag now, which probably says as much about how much time I spend in airports as anything else.

Travel for me is tied to much more than seeing somewhere new. Ireland is family. Europe holds friendships, memories and places that have been part of my life for years, while Texas is home too. That means there is something slightly strange and very familiar about crossing the Atlantic so often.

When I leave Texas for Ireland, it feels like I’m going home. And when I leave Ireland to come back to Texas, that feels like going home too.

Maybe that is why I care so much about the little things that make travel easier. When you do it often enough, the right suitcase, the right clothes and the right things in your carry-on stop feeling like extras and simply become part of the routine.