Packing for Spain: Reflection

I packed for a five-day trip to Spain using only a backpack and my mini-purse.  Everything worked out okay, but I do have some reflections about what I packed.

Things I packed and used:

• Underwear and socks (I think I used all but one but these are things you want a backup for!)
• Every shirt/sweater packed (mix and match was a great philosophy)
• Scarf (used as a blanket, shawl, and scarf throughout the trip)
• Pants and shoes (worn on plane)
• Camera, iPhone, laptop, Kindle (and camera cord, iPhone and laptop chargers)
• Toothbrush and deodorant
• Water bottle
• Umbrella
• Snacks

Things I packed and did not use:

• Journal/notebook
• International phone (I just used wifi on my airplane-mode iPhone the whole time)

Things I did not pack but wish I had:

• Baking soda for hair washing and tooth-brushing (so expensive in Spain – 4.75 euros ~$8ish)
• Extra pants. One pair would have been fine for leisurely stuff, but running around airports and then walking several miles a day means a backup pair would have been nice. My “I wear the same pair all week for work” argument didn’t hold when I thought about my mostly-sedentary life at work compared to walky walky walky of Spain.  I could have washed them in the tub, but I didn’t want to risk them not being dry when it came time to wear them again.  Next time: backup pants.
• A different suitcase/bag.  The backpack was convenient but pretty heavy, and I had to pack everything just right to not stab myself awkwardly in the back with stuff.  A backpack with different dimensions for easier packing, or perhaps a rolling carry-on suitcase, would have been a better choice.
• MORE SNACKS because American Airlines missed the memo when I said “Vegetarian/non-dairy” so my meals on both flights consisted of a small salad and crackers because I couldn’t eat the cheese ravioli, pasta with cream sauce, or cheese pizza (though I did try to remove all the cheese of the pizza, which clearly didn’t work because I had a massive lactose stomachache the rest of the flight).

Things I didn’t pack and didn’t miss:

• A separate outfit for every day
• Pajamas (Hey, tee shirt and underwear work just fine)
• Towel (hotel provided adequate towelage)
• Liquids (no hassle with security over my shower gel being a secret bomb)

I’ve had a request for talking about how it was eating vegan in Spain.  I will be totally honest and tell you that I allowed my veganism to take a little hiatus in Spain.  There was one restaurant that touted vegetarian and vegan dishes, but unfortunately we didn’t make it to try it out.  I wish we had made a special trip there.  There are not a lot of vegan options in Spain, outside eating fruit  or salad, and I really don’t care for salads and I didn’t want to eat food I didn’t enjoy.  So I was a little lax in my dining decisions.

There was a bit of a language barrier too.  I do speak Spanish, but I’m not entirely fluent, so at best I just asked if something had milk or cheese and if no, I ate it.  I told them I had a milk allergy.  I did eat some chocolate items, which probably had milk.  I definitely had eggs (potato tortilla/omelet is delicious).  I had vegetable paella which, while without meat in the rice, may have been made with a non-vegetarian base (chicken stock, for example).  I am not 100% sure.  I tried Iberian ham (a bite from my mom’s plate, and I didn’t care for it, but I wanted to give the cultural delicacy a try).  I may catch some flack for my indiscretions about my eating choices, which is understandable given my moral opposition to the dairy, egg, and meat industries.  I don’t really have a good excuse other than that it was hard for me to communicate all of my eating preferences in my second language and I didn’t want my vacation to be overly frustrating trying to find the few options that meshed with my preferences.  I’m really happy to be back to the U.S. where I can read all my ingredients and ask all my nitpicky questions in my first language to see if something has a hidden animal ingredient.