What I Packed for a 1-Week Fall Trip to Europe and the Balkan Peninsula

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We loved our recent 1 week fall trip to Europe and exploring the Balkan Peninsula. The whole trip was 10 days including travel, and we packed with only backpacks so wanted to keep things very minimal.

Everything I took easily fit in this backpacking pack – it’s technically for kids, but it fits my short torso perfectly and is lightweight and durable. I kept all my clothing in one of these expandable packing cubes and had plenty of room to spare for baby things and food. We also packed enough undergarments for about half the trip and did laundry halfway through in our Airbnb.

Here’s my packing for a fall Europe trip, including tops, bottoms, shoes, and outerwear. I was able to mix and match each item and felt like I had plenty of clothing for the trip!

Best Tops for a Fall Europe Trip

Athleta short-sleeved breathable tee (mostly sold out in white, but Athleta has several other white tees)
V-neck button top (old from Anthropologie; similar chambray, similar)
Short-sleeved striped shirt
V-neck long-sleeved waffle henley (similar here)

Pullover Sweaters For Travel

I rotated pretty frequently between these two pullovers and was glad I had them for layering. When traveling, I look for a few things with sweaters. I prefer natural materials, especially wool, whenever possible – it doesn’t need to be washed frequently and can easily be reworn. I also like pieces that work with a variety of bottoms and can be worn tucked or untucked for variety.

Yellow jumper – out of stock but this one is similar
Gray v-neck cashmere sweater – I found mine at a charity shop but this one is very similar and a terrific price

Best Bottoms for A Trip to Europe in Fall

Best Travel Pants for Women – these are my new favorite travel pants. So comfortable with a stretchy waistband, easy to dress up or down, a tiny footprint for packing, and dry in a flash. More about why I love them here.
Olive cropped pants
Straight jeans
Easy travel skirt (this is the one I have in black; here’s a different olive skirt that looks good, or here’s another black one)

Outerwear for Fall Travel

I knew it would be reasonably warm through most of our trip with highs in the 60s (Fahrenheit), so I chose not to take any warm outerwear and instead figured I could layer clothing under. We knew it would be fairly rainy for at least a few days, though, so we opted to bring rain jackets and also rain pants, and I was so grateful we did. We wore them on a couple hikes, as well as walking through an old city one day.

While it might be fine to get a little damp on bottom at home, it’s absolutely miserable when walking around all day. Plus, I hate traveling with damp, musty clothes that didn’t quite dry out before packing up. Rain pants take up almost no space or weight but are so helpful.

I traveled with this rain jacket and these rain pants, and both are super lightweight and pack up small.

Best Shoes for A Fall Trip

White sneakers – the best & most versatile shoes in all the land. I was worried about them in the rain, but we didn’t hang out outside in pouring rain, and they held up just fine when it was drizzling and my socks didn’t even get wet.
Best no-show socks – I packed several pairs of these.
Wool crew socks – I also packed a couple pairs of my favorite wool crew socks. These were warm and comfortable for hikes and could be reworn easily after airing out.

Travel Belt Bag for Moms

I love this belt bag both when traveling and at home. It’s relatively small and cute but is SO spacious. It easily fits diapers and snacks in the main pocket, has a fold out changing pad (that can be detached if you don’t need it anymore), a wet wipes pocket, space for credit cards, and more. (The code PASSPORTFAM10 gets 10% off your order.)