Europe for Xmas 2023

[Neodymium]

i am planning our Uk/Europe Xmas holiday (from Australia). We are going to spend 5 weeks (Uk, Finland, Germany, Austria, Italy). We want to travel nice and light and just take the essentials. Have got a packing list.

anyway for shoes I was going to get a good pair of comfortable waterproof hiking boots each. I realise maybe not suited to Finland but we are just going to Santa’s village there and will hire proper snow gear there if needed.

anyway, getting insulated waterproof hiking boots isn’t something we can easily get in Australia. I have got Merrell Moab gtx hiking boots today for me and Dd which are just waterproof. The guy in the shop said that with a pair of good warm socks they will be warm enough. They are Gortex lined and are ankle height so completely waterproof.

www.anacondastores.com/footwear/womens-footwear/womens-mid-hiking-boots/merrell-womens-moab-3-gore-tex-mid-hiking-boots/90191903?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw5dqgBhBNEiwA7PryaIRm1gK0DGf91JRZN5vDuFT8qwTpyM0vChB7N34vGECa9I_M-VoXFhoCZiIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

will these be ok for Europe winter?

Where are you going in the UK?
I’ve never owned or needed anything like this to west on my feet - I just wear normal shoes. Unless you are actually going hiking?

More for Germany and Austria. If there is snow and stuff on the ground. We are going to do lots of walking round. Plus doesn’t it rain a lot in the Uk? We won’t be taking gumboots or anything. We want to just take 1 pair of shoes to do everything.

in normal shoes our feet would be freezing in winter. Plus if they get wet we only have 1. When we visit the snow in Australia we wear either snow boots or Ugg boots. Not taking snow boots as they are too heavy.

I often wear my hiking boots in winter when I am out for longer, in the rain and snow.

I think DD had a similar Merrel pair and while they are good and with decent hiking socks warm, they are not so waterproof that they survive long exposure in the wet, after a particular muddy camp it took ages for them to dry out.

I would take at least a pair of trainers or similar shoes as well as a back up.

Don't forget also that Germany and Austria are not 100% snow secure in December unless you plan to go up really high. You may have some snow but that will be cleared of pavements quickly.

London had a very cold (some snow that hung around for a week) dry December but it doesn’t rain as much as you’d imagine. I’m from NZ but live in London and it rains more where I’m from in NZ!

Yes we will prob also take a pair of sketchers or some other light sneakers as a backup. We are planning to just take backpacks so we are taking minimal stuff. I get lots of weird looks when I say that. But honestly travelling with heaps of suitcases and stuff gives me so much anxiety with the kids. I have bought really good winter coats for us from macpac. They are goose down, super warm and are also proper waterproof. We are just going to take good quality thermals and few pairs of long pants and long shirts, gloves and a beanie. I have got one of those washing bag things to wash undies and stuff in each night. That’s why I thought hiking boots would work as we should be able to get away with wearing them the whole time. Plus we will be going lots of walking round too.

@Neodymium I do understand to a certain extent but where are you staying and how to do you plan washing?

For example laundrettes do not exist in Germany, dry cleaners yes, but not laundrettes. Or do you plan hostels/self-catering who often have a washing machine/dryer available?

A collegue travelled just with a backpack but that was to hot countries where you need less big stuff and things dry quickly.

A goose down super warm coat may be too warm for the UK and Italy in particular. Think you need more layers that you adapt as necessary. But you could just wing it a bit and buy stuff if you need it?
To be honest it could be 2 degrees or could be 15 degrees. Could rain lots or not at all.

Prob more apartments and such. Family of 5 it’s hard to go in one standard hotel room.

that’d good to know about Germany not having laundry’s. I have bought this hand washing bag thing a scrubber bag thing. To hand wash undies and stuff - will be taking all quick drying stuff.

That's nonsense. Germany has laundrettes!

Germany and Austria do have laundrettes, but these are few and hard to find. But many (most?) holiday apartments will either have a washing machine, or access to a communal washing machine somewhere in the complex (usually in the cellar). You can check this out on the various booking websites.

As for boots, the Merrell boots will be fine in most situations. Maybe a bit over the top for the UK, but definitely OK for anywhere where there might be snow. Better to be well-protected than risk walking around in soggy, wet footwear. Once you're in the colder countries, you'll find plenty of shops selling suitable footwear at reasonable prices should the need arise.

It actually rains more in Sydney than it does in London. I’m from Aus but have lived in the UK for a long time & I don’t wear my hiking boots apart from when I go skiing or if we actually go hiking. I walk a lot every day & just wear either trainers or boots, even in winter. You need layers, it’s hot on public transport & inside shops/museums. A lot hotter than you probably realise as places are built to be warm & have heating. Unless you’re going to a ski resort in Germany or Austria I don’t think you’ll need thermals either tbh.

Sorry, yes there are but I find them a lot less popular than in the UK.

I found you can't rely on them to be everywhere.

We are planning to spent more time outside, we want to go to Cornwall and see the village dhs family came from, and visit all the old castles and stuff in the country. We want to walk round London and see all the buildings ect - we aren’t really going for to spend time in museums and stuff. We are going to hire a car and drive from London to Cornwall and stop along the way. We want to stay in b&bs in little villages, that kind of thing. We aren’t really hotel people. If the weather was better we would hire a motor home and drive round in that.

we will definitely have lots of layers. Thermals and then tshirts and jumpers and a winter jacket.

You really should try and see some museums in London especially- some are amazing (and I'm not a huge museum person myself). They are also (mainly) free.
Cornwall is likely to be fairly mild so definitely bring thinner coats as well.

We will probably go to a couple. We want to go to Harry Potter world. Maybe the natural history museum. We don’t like big crowds and touristy stuff.

i don’t think that we will find Cornwall mild 😂. Our winter is usually about 10degrees overnight and we have our fire going nearly every night. I wear a jumper anytime the temperature drops below about 24 deg. I consider 21 to be quite chilly. During heatwaves like what we are currently in, I typically have a jumper to wear in my office as I find the air con to be too cold.

Yes those type of boots should be fine in winter. I live in one of those countries and where timberland boots most the winter, only wearing snow boots in actual thick snow or higher up most the time.
Snow boots are rubbish to drive in, hence I wear timberland or hiking boots (scarpa brand)

Its been really Mild this year. Last March we still had snow at house ( we live around 800m high), right now it’s 20 degrees and I was outside painting in tshirt this morning.

Lots of apartments to rent have laundry options. We rent one out and we provide washing machine, dryer, drying racks and all laundry detergent etc.

If you plan Harry Potter, tickets are sold out often months in advance. You can't just turn up.

If you have a plan for London check the website and see what's available. You can take a train from Euston and then a shuttle bus.

Thanks I’ll do that. I’ve just booked flights so I will start booking stuff.

Hopefully it’s nice and cold so we get lots of snow! That’s what we really want, the white Xmas experience.

now if anyone has any recommendations for stuff to do in Germany and Austria please let me know!

Most cable cars and ski resorts in Austria are closed between beginning October and mid December btw