What to Pack for Your Trip to Germany

Helpful Packing Advice for German Travel

Knowing what you should and should not pack for your trip to Germany is an issue that is often overlooked on travel and vacation sites. While there is plenty of information about Visas, passports, and transportation, packing information is limited, even though packing the wrong things can make your trip to Germany significantly less enjoyable learned the hard way about what I should and should not have packed for my trip to Germany a few years ago. After arriving at my destination, I discovered than many of things I thought would be useful and packed I didn't even need and ended up spending a lot of extra money on basic items that I could have brought with me if I had planned ahead and knew what to pack. Before my second trip, I used what I learned and had a much better experience, all because I knew exactly what to pack.


So, let's get down to business and make a short list of what to pack for your trip to Germany so you can feel better prepared and won't have to spend a fortune buying common items at local stores. After all, you have better ways to spend your money during your trip to Germany, right?



Clothing Crisis?

Deciding what clothes to bring, especially for the fashion-conscious, is always an ordeal. While you want to look good, you also have other concerns, such as how to fit all those pairs of jeans and shoes into a couple of large bags. While this may seem a bit obvious, take as few clothes with you as possible. Choose easy to mix-and-match items like jeans and a few shirts and sweaters so you can wear something that at least looks different each day. If you are staying for more than a week or two, finding laundry facilities is never a problem and most hostels and larger hotels have services or in-house machines you can use. My single biggest mistake the first time I went to Germany was packing too many clothes and believe me, after getting on and off a long series of trains and taxis, you will feel every ounce of what you pack. The second time I went to Germany I instead decided to pack two pairs of jeans in different colors, one skirt, and a few tops. Over-packing is easy to do and be sure you don't fall into that trap.