Traveling light

I'm only taking the 2 bags above for my 2-week trip to Europe: a laptop bag and a small carry-on. If it weren't for my summer internship at BCG, during which I learned the joys of traveling light, I probably would be checking in a bag full of stuff I don't need.

I've traveled with just these bags before, but it has never been for anything longer than 4 days or so. This trip is going to be a nice way to hammer out any issues before I do the same on my 3-week trip to China. Fortunately, a ton of people have traveled with much less for much longer and shared their experiences online and in person (thanks Vanessa!), so I've been able to draw on their accounts to get ready.

For example, I'm only bringing dark clothes that all match with each other and can be layered. Most of the clothes is light and dries quickly. I've packed a small bottle of dishwashing liquid so that I can wash clothes in my hotel sink every few days and plastic bags of various sizes in case I need to travel with wet clothes. And I know that if I can't find a hotel for some reason, I can always resort to sleeping in airports.

I'm sure that what I've learned so far is just the tip of the iceberg. I can't wait to try it out and learn even more.