The Era’s Tour: European Packing List
If it’s your first visit, or your 100th visit to Europe, you may want to consider these 13 special packing tips and tricks for your trip to see Taylor Swift in Europe this summer. Taylor Swift will soon to be in Paris, Stockholm, Munich and many more European cities. Be sure you’re ready for wherever you plan to see her this season!
Taylor Swift Era’s Tour Packing Checklist
If you wear bracelets, or have some to exchange, avoid wearing them on the plane unless they’re entirely made of plastic and natural fibres, like string. If you wear a lot of bracelets or plan to for this trip, friendship bracelets or otherwise, taking them off at security may be a hassle you don’t want. Safely pack your bracelets in your carry on. On that note, if you plan to pack several to trade and share, do not pack them all in one place, they can look like a jumble of wires on a bag scanner and you don’t want your bag to be flagged for additional screening. Try a few small Stasher or other reusable bags to keep maybe a handful in a bundle in one place in your bag.
Wearing a themed costume or outfit for the Taylor Swift concert? Fabulous. Don’t risk packing this in your checked luggage. Ensure your essential clothing and gear for the big show are in your carry on luggage, safely packed and organized so you’re ready to celebrate when the concert date hits. You can always replace other clothing and toiletries in the country you’re visiting if you had to. However, something handmade or that you’ve taken a long time to compose, may be irreplaceable. Take time to design your outfit or costume as something that can be easily kept in your carry on and hand luggage.
If you haven’t bought your flights yet, do now, like yesterday. Need help? Reach out travel@princeadventures.com for support with this, especially if you have connecting flights. A good standard of practice is to arrive at least two nights prior to the concert, so that in the event of any delay, you can still have a back up plan to get to the city on time. Good airports to connect through as a hub can be London, United Kingdom (I know, don’t hate, it’s still a useful city to connect through) and Frankfurt, Germany.
Download your music, including all the Taylor Swift albums onto your device to ensure you can listen even when you don’t have internet access. Double check that they are fully saved on your device, not just in your music library. This way you can conveniently listen to them offline when flying or when you’re not roaming with your cell phone abroad. Practice this by switching your phone to Airplane Mode at home, and seeing if you can play each album. You want to avoid feeling forced to buy potentially expensive internet access on the plane or in the airport. Especially since it can be unreliable and you may still not be able to stream your favourite tracks.
Charge your wireless headphones, you’ll want to listen to The Tortured Poets Department on the flight to Europe. Pack your charging cable and cases. Bring a back up pair of corded headphones in case your wireless ones run out of battery on the trip, this way you will always be able to listen to your favourite tracks. On the note of charging, be sure you have a travel adapter if needed, as European outlets can be different than the North American plugs you may be used to at home. Not all hotels are equipped with USB or USC charging ports.
If you have not yet booked your hotel accommodations, ensure you have at least one night booked after the concert. With some venues holding 80,000+ fans, it may take some time to exit the venue and get back to where you are staying. It may turn into a very late night. If at all possible, avoid leaving to fly home the day after the concert.
Many European cities are closer together than you think, even between countries. If you plan to fly into or home from a different city than where you see the concert, consider train travel between cities to move around the continent. It can be faster in many circumstances and more affordable. It is also a sustainable choice to take a train if a flight is less than two hours in duration, so keep that in consideration when planning your route.
Especially if you come from a small town, know that many large European cities may have more than one international airport. Double and triple check that the airport you are taking your transportation to return home to is the one you have a ticket booked for. It may seem obvious, but you’d hate to arrive at Heathrow, only to realize your flying out of Gatwick and you can’t say so long, London as soon as you thought.
Remember to pack your patience. Traveling to Europe in the summer is always busy, and will be especially busy when Taylor and her Swifties are in town. If you find yourself feeling like you’d ‘rather burn my whole life down than listen to one more second of all your bitching and moaning” about unruly or irritating passengers nearby, take a deep breath, remember that it is worth it, and pop back in your headphones, you won’t be down bad for long. Likewise, remember not everyone on your plane may be going to the show, so try to keep music playing in your headphones, not blasting from your device or on a speaker in public spaces. Be courteous to everyone at the airport and in transportation, and keep your music to yourself.
European cities can have uneven or cobblestone streets and walkways, which can make walking more difficult or challenging. When planning what you’ll wear as footwear to the concert, consider something platform and comfortable if you’re thinking of high heels. Stiletto or other high heels may be extra challenging and uncomfortable if the ground is not as smooth as you may be used to at home.
Taylor Swift fans come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. That’s wonderful. In TTPD, she swears a lot more than in previously albums, and I’m here for it. However, the littlest fans (and their parents or wine moms) may be listening to clean versions of the tracks. They may not love your new custom outfits if they display a lot of profanity, so consider lyrics with an * or $ if you are including them on your gear. I’m just mentioning it as a courtesy, for you to consider when designing what you plan to wear for the concert.
We all know what happened in South America. So be sure to drink lots of water on the plane and once you land on the day(s) leading up to the show. Flying itself can be dehydrating, and with all the excitement, you don’t want to forget to try to drink as much water as you can so you can enjoy the show(s) to the fullest.
Fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to. Planning to call friends and family while in Europe? In this case, look up your cell phone plan or contact your provider before leaving home. I know you’ll want to share the amazing experience you’ve had. Data and cell roaming charges can be expensive and you won’t want a surprise cell phone overage charge on your bill that you didn’t expect.
I hope this has been helpful when packing for the Eras Tour. If you use any of our tips or tricks this season, be sure to tag us @princeadventures #princeadventures on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.
As always, safe travels. We hope you love every minute of it, this trip will be an experience of a lifetime!
Jakki Prince is a luxury travel advisor having traveled to over 72 countries personally and leads a travel agency of five talented advisors. She is trusted by hundreds of households in Canada and the United States for their annual travel plans. You can reach Jakki by emailing travel@princeadventures.com. Sadly, she is not attending the Eras Tour in Europe, but if you’ve got an extra ticket she can buy, let her know, she may just be able to make the date work into her personal travel schedule. Jakki is a long time TSwift fan and first saw Taylor as an opening act for Keith Urban (believe it or not!), in Michigan in the summer of 2009, what a throwback!
Have more packing ideas or suggestions? Comment below. Thanks in advance for helping others!