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I traveled with just a backpack on a 5-day trip to Europe. Here are 4 things I'm glad I did, and 1 mistake I made.

I traveled with just a backpack on a 5-day trip to Europe. Here are 4 things I'm glad I did, and 1 mistake I made.

Sama Ansari Pour

The author at the airport gate in London with her backpack.Sama Ansari Pour

Earlier this month I traveled on a Ryanair flight from London to Riga, Latvia, for a five-day trip.
I didn't want to pay extra for luggage so I decided to bring a backpack, which was more than enough.

I recently flew with Ryanair from London to Riga, Latvia, an Eastern European country bordering Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and Estonia.

I traveled with Ryanair (L) to Latvia, where I only brought a backpack that I filled halfway (R). Sama Ansari Pour.

Ryanair, a budget airline that flies to cities across Europe, charges passengers up to £60, or around $75, if they travel with a checked-in suitcase. Since I was only going to Latvia for five days, I thought it was unnecessary.

So I settled on bringing just a backpack — but barely filled half of it. I brought a few clothes, my phone charger, a battery pack, and limited toiletries.

I brought two dresses, one pair of jeans, a skirt, and a sweater. The two dresses made separate outfits, and I made two more outfits by pairing the sweater with either a skirt or a pair of jeans.

I folded one black dress, a skirt, and one gold dress into my backpack. I wore my jeans and sweater while traveling. Sama Ansari Pour.

The weather app said the average temperature would be 59°F during my visit in early April, so I focused on packing spring clothes which also took up less space in my bag.

Since I packed my clothes strategically, I was able to combine them into several different looks during my trip.

My four outfits. I wore jeans and a sweater when traveling back to London Sama Ansari Pour.

I kept accessorizing simple by only bringing one pair of small gold hoop earrings, which would suit every outfit.

I brought one pair of pajamas, but they barely took up any room. And since I stayed at a hotel, I didn't have to pack a towel which was helpful.

I wore my bulkiest outfit on my travel day.

My travel-day outfit. Sama Ansari Pour

My big white sweater takes up a lot of space, so I wore it while I was traveling. It wasn't the comfiest experience as I was super warm, but I'm glad I did it to make room in my backpack nonetheless.

I only brought one pair of shoes, which I wore the whole time. I'm also glad I didn't go in the summer, as packing an extra pair of sandals would've taken up more room.

I kept toiletries and liquids to a minimum.

I brought moisturizer, makeup remover, blush, concealer, deodorant, mascara, eyebrow products, eyeliner, highlighter, and contact lenses. Sama Ansari Pour

I washed my hair the morning of my travel day to avoid taking shampoo on my trip.

As a makeup lover, I found packing a little tough and had to make sacrifices. I opted for more powder products since liquids are limited with a carry-on, and had to leave my favorite setting spray at home as it was too big.

I still brought a few liquid products, but chose older products that I wouldn't be upset about throwing away in case I overpacked and had to leave some behind.

One mistake I made was relying on everything going exactly as planned and not packing for hypothetical scenarios.

My bag just about fitted under the seat on my Ryanair flight. Sama Ansari Pour.

If I had spilled coffee on my jeans or my skirt ripped, I would have had nothing else to wear. I'm lucky that the trip went well, but I would've been in a sticky situation if something like that happened.

It was also a little inconvenient wearing my sweater for three days. Even though I recycled my outfits, I walked over 20,000 steps a day in warm weather so in hindsight, I wish I'd brought an extra top.

Overall, I think I packed well for my five-day trip even though I traveled light, but next time I'll bring some extras.

The author outside Riga Central Market in Latvia. Sama Ansari Pour.

Pre-planning my outfits, wearing my bulkiest item while traveling, and limiting my toiletries meant I didn't even fill up my backpack.

But in the future, I'll always make sure I bring a spare outfit, just in case.

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