What to Pack for your European Festive Experience

Travelling in Europe over Christmas and New Year will mean, yes, the weather can get rather cold - but not that cold. There is no reason why you should ever be uncomfortable as your first class coach is fitted with heaters and double glazed windows and your hotels will be warm and comfortable. Just remember a few simple points and all will be well:

• You will want to keep some winter clothes at hand for when you first arrive.
• Wear a woollen ‘beanie’or hat. (A body loses the majority of its heat through the top of the head).
• More layers are better than thicker layers. Base your clothing around a simple set of thermal underclothes, spencers etc. Add normal clothing, a woollen jumper and then a good overcoat jacket. If you arrive and feel the need to add to your clothes the shops are brimming with perfect winter clothes.
• Buy some gloves. If you love taking photos with your smartphone, make sure you buy gloves that have textured finger pads so you can still tap away at your phone!
• If you are especially concerned about cold fingers get mittens as they are warmer.
• Your Christmas hotel should be very warm, so make sure you have a couple of items of light clothing.
• Sunglasses and block-out sunscreen – snow can be very ‘glary’. Ensure you pack sunglasses, especially for an on snow trip where 100% block out is essential.
• Kid’s stuff” – a special note for families with children who wish to play in the snow. If you don’t have any special snow/ski clothes you can make do with easy to buy waterproof leggings that go over your trousers or tracksuit pants.

Health, safety and wellbeing

We recommend that all guests bring a sufficient supply of rapid antigen tests for the duration of their trip to Europe for their own peace of mind. We also recommend that all guests bring their own hand sanitiser and masks for their own protection and comfort.

Face Masks Standard Requirements

In continental Europe few people wear cloth masks as protection against COVID-19 and instead are utilising surgical masks of a specific standard. Increasingly FFP2 masks are the required standard of use.  In Australia we know these masks as KN95 or by N95 standard.

• FFP stands for “filtering face piece”. It is a European standard for mask efficiency, ranging from one, the lowest grade, to three, the highest. FFP2 masks filter at least 94% of all aerosols, including airborne viruses such as COVID-19.
• Please ensure that you have an adequate quantity of these masks to use while on your journey.  These may be purchased before you leave Australia or locally once you have arrived in country.

Ski Clothes & Hire

Throughout Europe you can generally hire ski gear including skis, boots, goggles etc (except clothing such as jackets and pants) from the local ski shops in the area. Please note not all ski shops will have all services available to hire.
If you decide to bring your own ski jacket and/or pants, invest in travel compression storage bags to help you reduce the space of these bulky items, just roll and squeeze the air out. They also help to keep your travel essentials safe and organised.

Comfortable Shoes are a must!

Comfy, sturdy ‘day to day’ shoes with grip are a must. You should aim to keep your feet warm and dry. When sightseeing you may be spending some time on your feet so please make sure you bring comfortable shoes. As indicated in the brochure, in Europe, especially in Italy, we visit a variety of medieval hilltop towns which may have some steep, uneven cobbled stone streets or castles with various levels accessible only by long or steep stairwells. Additionally some larger cities only provide coach passenger drop off points 15 minutes or so walk from the old town centres. Please ensure you bring appropriate footwear.

Visiting Churches & Basilicas

Many churches and religious sights require conservative clothing to be worn when visiting. In European countries, ladies and gentleman are both required to wear modest skirts or shorts covering your knees and tops to cover your shoulders down to the elbows. Short skirts, tighter shorts, singlets or bare mid-riffs are not permissible. We suggest you carry a scarf during the day to wrap around your shoulders or legs if needed.

Dressing for Dinner

‘Smart but casual’ is probably the easiest formula. We do not expect anyone to particularly ‘dress for dinner' however perhaps bring along at least one dinner outfit, for the special dinners and events. Can we ask the gentlemen to wear long pants to dinner. Please make sure you also pack acceptable footwear as thongs and sneakers are not acceptable footwear for inside hotel and local restaurants in the evenings. Thank you.

Bathing clothes and towels

Depending on your tour, some hotels you will be staying in may have leisure facilities including swimming pools, whirlpool/spas and sauna. We suggest you consider packing your bathing suites and a light travel towel to use at hotel pools and beaches. If you plan to use the hotel towels, please check with the hotel as to their policy re: pool/beach towels as many provide towels for use at pools or beaches, and bathroom towels are not to be used.  Please be mindful of the rules and regulations of the places that you will be visiting. Some towns and villages do not allow you to walk on the street in your bathing attire, if in doubt please ask your Tour Manager.

Tour Specific Information

Please also refer to the Tour Suitability page for your tour's specific information or pre-departure documentation.

Northern Lights, Ice Hotels & Huskies Tour

• Due to the climate at this time of year in Scandinavia, arctic clothing will be provided for the activities on Day 3 and 5. Adult sizes ranging from Small to XXXX Large are available.
• This tour has a baggage restriction of 23kg per person on the internal flights that form part of this tour.
• Any excess baggage is to be paid locally per flight by the traveller directly and is subject to the carriage conditions of the airline. Albatross Tours is not liable for any additional luggage costs incurred while travelling.

Contact Us

If you have any further questions, please contact us, your European Tour Specialists for any questions or return back to the Pre-departure Information page for more details.