The Packing Post

If you are planning a trip of any sort, you've probably encountered a mountain of advice about packing, solicited or not. If you're reading this, hopefully you're doing what I did: researching in excited anticipation of your trip! Unlike most bloggers, I do not currently have any sponsors or affiliates. All items here are provided simply because I purchased them myself.

1) Dry shampoo. I had heard about the wonders of dry shampoo but didn't purchase any until my last haircut before the trip. My stylist taught me how to use it and I bought a travel-sized spray can. I loved having it in my bag! I don't style or even blow-dry my hair. Still, when traveling there were days that I had to let my hair go unwashed a little longer than I would've liked, or had dinner reservations at the end of a day of cycling in the hot sun. Dry shampoo was an easy, no-hassle way to spruce up fast.

2) Cycling shorts. This is an item I didn't pack but should have. This trip was structured around cycling, after all, but I imagined leisurely rides with lots of stops. Honestly, that is mostly what we did, but several consecutive days of leisurely rides adds up to a sore rear that really could've used some cushion.

Reeuwijkse plassen, South Holland, Netherlands

3) Crocs. Perhaps I am biased as a Coloradan, but these shoes were objectively great for the trip. They added color to monochrome outfits, were classy enough for restaurants, passed for slippers at Spa Gouda, and functioned like flip flops at the beach and in locker room showers. I ended up using them far more than the ankle boots I packed for cooler weather and hiking.

Can't wait to get back!

4) Collapsible water bottles. It took us the entirety of our trip to figure out how to get free tap water at restaurants and other establishments in the Netherlands. We never figured out a way to access free potable water on trains. So these Platypus soft water bottles served us well. When empty, they cram easily into even overstuffed bags; great for airport security.

Overkill? Probably. But we lost two of them during the trip.

5) Compression socks or leggings. Jet lag wasn't too bad for me after our arrival, and I give partial credit to my compression leggings. If you plan to take long rides, they'll be useful for muscle recovery, too. They are light, take up very little space, and can be paired with a dress for versatility.

6) Travel towel. I doubted whether we would use this, and almost left it at home. About halfway through our trip, we moved it into our small packet of items to take everywhere, no matter the circumstances. It turns out The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy was right, one should always know where one's towel is. We used it as a blanket for a tired kid, a giant handkerchief for a nosebleed, a wipe to treat road rash, a shawl in unexpected cold, a picnic blanket and—yes—a towel. That said, one travel towel was plenty for our family of four; there is no need to pack one per person.

7) That's it. Seriously! It is nearly impossible to pack too little for a trip to any first-world country, especially during a warm season. As a friend assured me before my trip, almost every problem can be solved with a passport and debit/credit card. Here is a list of things I'd take again that you'll find on any packing list, but even these could've been purchased at our destination(s) without much hassle.

• Zip-off pants
• Rain jacket
• Swimsuit
• Sun hat
• Minimum quantity of clothing in quick-drying material. Try to pack only two tops, one bottom in addition to the cycling shorts and zip-off pants, and a dress for us gals. 4-5 pairs of underwear. Your compression socks are probably the only socks you need unless you never wear sandals.

We were able to pack one backpack per person, plus a packable bag for the whole family to use for overflow, laundry or shopping. I bought most of our backpacks at Arc Thrift, but splurged on this awesome convertible backpack pannier for my spouse. We averaged about 15 lbs. per person and in retrospect, I would've packed even lighter!

I over-packed.