The Ultimate European Packing List

It may come as a surprise to some, but last week was the final week of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games. And although I’m more of a Summer Games fan myself, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride for the American athletes representing our country, a feeling usually followed by utter disdain for the oligarchy currently running it. When I was a kid, I remember how the Olympic medal count was reported daily on the local morning news. It was always so exciting when the U.S. was in the lead. Now, I just google “Olympic medal count” on my phone and share this information with the zero interested parties in my household.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve brought up the topic of the Olympic Games in various settings and conversations with friends, at work, or just to make small talk. When I asked if anyone was watching the Olympics, I was usually met with the vague acknowledgment that this major worldwide sporting event was indeed taking place this year. Not even my own family seemed particularly interested in the prospect of watching athletes in skin-tight clothes ski downhill, launch themselves through the air like flying squirrels, and somehow land on both feet.

Alas, I suppose a general disinterest in the Olympics is inevitable when you live in a country whose collective consciousness and lack of national pride are still greatly influenced by historical events such as both world wars and whose national pastime is complaining. And, if Germans do happen to be interested in the Olympics, in my experience, they usually watch biathlon, which is the only sport that I consider even more boring than curling.

An exception should be made for bobsledding, as Germany did a complete sweep in the two-man bobsled event, winning gold, silver, and bronze for the second time in a row, following their similar success at the Beijing Olympics. Leave it to gold medal winner Johannes Lochner to share the most German sentiment with the world,“There’s nothing better than when a plan works out.”1 It should also be mentioned that this is the same mentality my husband applies to planning our family vacations.

I watched the bobsledding event live through the slits of my fingers, especially when the U.S. team pulled into the lead, only to be pushed into fourth place by the next three German teams. However, I couldn’t help but notice that the secret to the Germans’ victory was that their sleds looked eerily similar to DHL trucks, Germany’s fastest package delivery service.

In comparison, far more of my recent conversations have revolved around Karneval festivities, such as parades, Kinderfasching, and taking off from work on Rosenmontag, because, just like on Brückentage, my children’s Kindergarten was closed.

Despite the recent events that took place this month, including the tough decision to watch either the Olympics or the Kölner Rosenmontagsumzug on WDR (the parade won), there was one particular headline that caught my eye. Vice President of the United States and wannabe eye makeup model J.D. Vance showed up to the Winter Games in Milan with an entourage that Bild.de described as “longer than any Karneval parade.”2 And that, my friends, coming from Germans, is quite the statement.

According to the article, J.D. flew to Milan with fourteen airplanes and rolled in with a motorcade of one hundred cars. Of those fourteen airplanes, eleven were used to transport his delegation, one was packed with grocery items, and two transported armored vehicles.

Upon reading this information, I did a quick internet search to find out if J.D. Vance had ever traveled to Italy before, and allegedly, he has. Even if he hadn’t, I assumed it was common knowledge that if the Italians are good at anything, then they are definitely good at making food and cars. Olympic gold medals, on the other hand, not so much.3

Furthermore, although it may be standard procedure for U.S. government officials to travel with armored vehicles,4 I couldn’t help but be surprised by the sheer amount of stuff that was needed for this particular Olympic trip. I mean, has no one in J.D.’s delegation ever flown Ryanair before?

J.D. Vance’s superfluous packing list got me thinking that perhaps there are other Americans who might think that they, too, need to bring their own cars and groceries with them when traveling to Europe. And as usual, I am here to help. As the savvy American traveler that I am, someone who moved to Germany with two suitcases and has been to Italy a grand total of four times, I took it upon myself to share the ultimate packing list for a trip to Europe.

Things to Pack

1. Clothes

If you are traveling to Europe, it is a good idea to pack some clothes. As a general rule of thumb, you should pack the amount of clothes that will comfortably fit in your suitcase. If it is warm at your destination, then you should pack clothes for warm weather. If your destination is cold, then you should pack clothes for cold weather. Unless, of course, you are participating in Freikörperkultur (FKK) in Germany, or just visiting some random lakes in Berlin or Brandenburg, then you can leave your clothes behind.

Every once in a while, I see articles on my Substack feed about what people packed for their latest European summer vacation in, say, Copenhagen, such as flip flops, jeans, and white t-shirts. Riveting. Anyway, if you really must blend in with the locals, then you will have to sell your soul to the colorless gods and pretend as though primary colors never existed. Your wardrobe now consists of black, brown, navy, white, and beige. Colors? What colors? Now you’ve got it.

Things to Leave at Home

1. Food

I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but the quality of food in Europe is significantly better than that in the United States. Specifically, fresh food, like vegetables, fruits, and meat, is not only better, but cheaper, too. Those who read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair in their respective high school or college English classes know that the unsanitary meat packing conditions in Chicago led to the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. Moreover, these laws eventually resulted in the creation of the federal agency known today as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).5

Historically speaking, food regulation in the EU is typically stricter than in the United States. For example, the EU has restricted U.S. beef imports since 1989 because of the use of growth hormones and does not import chlorinated chicken, presumably because the very idea of it sounds disgusting.6 Case in point, I will not eat McDonald’s in the U.S., but I find it perfectly fine to do so in Germany.

Italy, on the other hand, arguably has the best food in Europe. Or at least according to Germans, as the country has an overabundance of pizza and pasta restaurants and most people have a Stammitaliener, an Italian restaurant that they frequent regularly. My last Stammitaliener was back in 2012, a pizza place in Berlin that had a weekly special on Tuesdays, when all pizzas cost €2.90. Even though pizza may be a tad bit more expensive now, you can still leave your food at home.

2. Cars

Sometimes when I’m cruising along the Autobahn, I’ll notice a yellow license plate that isn’t from the Netherlands. As if the license plate wasn’t clear enough, there is often a GB sticker, not for Green Bay, but for Great Britain. I often wonder if it is really cheaper or more convenient to drive your car from somewhere that doesn’t share a land border with Germany, than to just rent a car when you get here. The thought alone of driving my right-hand traffic car in a left-hand traffic country is more stressful to me than my constant uncertainty of Rechts for Links.

Although, if you are traveling to Europe from the United States, it is certainly more convenient just to rent a car here. The route via the Atlantic Ocean is a bit longer than across the Channel from good old England.

And, while I drive a Beemer in Germany, there is definitely no shortage of cool Italian cars to choose from. In my neighborhood alone I regularly spot a few Fiat 500s, as well as the occasional Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, and Lamborghini. Compared to German cars like VW and Audi, Italian cars may seem a little impractical, but at least here their owners can take advantage of the lack of a speed limit.

I hope this packing list is helpful to new and seasoned travelers alike. If there is one thing I dislike more than overpacking, it is how I inevitably end up doing it anyway, especially with two young children. At least I still manage to somehow leave most of my food and even my car at home.