Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Make Traveling a Blast with a Power Pack List

When I made my first trip to Europe, I didn't realise that the weather would be so cold - after all, I've only been to the coldest place being 14 degrees celsius max.

Upon reaching Vienna, the wanderlusties were freezing until our noses were drippy. 
It was a cooling day with sunshine, with temperatures hovering around 7 degrees celsius.
However, when night fell (and we were making our way out), the winds came along, and I literally felt the temperatures fall about another 2-3 degrees.




Silly us were totally unprepared for the coldness - with just a light down jacket, a parka and some wool scarfs. 
The bones around my ankle area were "chilling out" cos clever me, just packed ankle socks, and I was wearing my puma sneakers.
We thought the temperature at night was the torturous one - until the following, it snowed.
I thought snowing was fine, just as long as the winds don't howl.
But I was soooooo wrong cos snow would mean wet grounds and wet grounds would mean getting my sneakers soaked.
Sighs, I trotted around cautiously for the entire day, but the tip of my shoes would still be wet, and my "chilling" ankles will just get colder til my feet could feel themselves no more.
Snowing in Vienna was beautiful, and I almost fell in love over again.
Then we had to take the train to our next destination - Budapest.
Budapest was no warmer than Vienna, and the snowfall was growing thicker.
The temperatures in the day hovered around 5 degrees celsius, while the nights were about 2 degrees celsius.
I got kinda worried about the weather at our next destination - Zagreb.
And soon enough, we were on board the train headed there.
As the train ride was approximately 6 hours, we felt a little warm during the day but well, as night fell, i felt the chill creeping into the cabin.
As if the darkness outside didn't look terrifying enough, I started to panic when I could see nothing except a HUGGGGGEEEE bare land covered in super thick blanket of snow.
Luckily our stay for the night was just right outside the train station, so upon our check in, I checked the temperature for the night - -3 degrees celsius.




O.M.G.
The wanderlusties were just walking around in a layer of heat tech, parka and the down jacket.
I personally, didn't have any mood for walking, just wanna hide in the hotel and chill.
So we "chilled" the night away.
Then came morning where we were supposed to head to the famous Plitvice Lakes.
The bus journey there was all warm and comforting but when we arrived there, it was -6 degrees celsius.




Ok, that was it, no more cold places for me from now on.
We trotted cautiously around, just in case we stepped on frozen lakes, but the place was just awesome in white.
Moving on we headed to warmers places - Dubrovnik, Rome, Athens, Santorini, Istanbul, Cappadocia and Dubai.

So for you future wanderers, I've posted this very useful guide (many thanks to Cold Wear) of what to pack for your trips, cold or not.


BELOW 6




LAYER ONE
Wool/polyester thermal set
Brushed polyester leggings

LAYER TWO
Nylon ski pants (water-repellent)
Corduroy pants (wind-proof lining)

LAYER THREE
Wool sweaters
Wool cardigans

LAYER FOUR
Down-feather jackets
Wool coat

ACCESORIES
Woolen/acrylic scarf
Woolen/acrylic hat
Woolen/leather gloves
Wool socks
Ear mufffs – if below 0°C
Chemical warmers – Placed in pockets
Chemical warmers – Stick to socks

7°C to 12°C



LAYER ONE
Cotton/polyester thermal set

LAYER TWO
Long sleeve tees with Nylon ski pants (water-repellent)
Corduroy pants (wind-proof lining)
Corduroy windproof pants (wind-polyfill)

LAYER THREE
Wool/acrylic sweaters
Wool/acrylic cardigans
Polyester padded jackets
3-in-1 jackets
Polar fleece cardigans

ACCESSORIES
Woolen/acrylic scarf
Woolen/acrylic hat
Woolen/acrylic scarf/ leather gloves
Wool socks


13°C to 18°C



LAYER ONE
Long sleeve/short sleeve tees with Corduroy pants
(wind-proof lining)

LAYER TWO
Wind breaker
3-in-1 jackets
Cotton lined lightweight jackets
Polyester lined lightweight jackets
Fleece jackets

ACCESORIES
Wool mix/cotton/polyester mix socks


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