🧳 The One Thing Everyone Forgets to Pack for Euro Summer

You’ve booked the flights, made your Pinterest board, and planned the outfits. Your Euro summer is officially happening — and you’re so ready for Aperols in Italy, beach clubs in Croatia, and sunset dinners in Greece.

But there’s one thing I can almost guarantee most people forget to pack: a travel towel.

I get it. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. You think, “Surely the hotel/hostel/airbnb will have one?” Or you plan to just “grab one over there.” But hear me out — this tiny detail can make or break your beach days, hostel stays, and overall vibe. And yes, I learned the hard way.

🧼 Towels Abroad Are Not What You Think

Let’s start with a reality check. Not all accommodations in Europe provide towels, especially if you’re staying in:

• Hostels
  
  

• Budget Airbnbs
  
  

• Sleeper trains or ferries
  
  

• Beach cabins or campsites
  
  

And if they do? You’ll often be charged a fee, or worse — you’ll get a thin, scratchy towel that never dries properly. Some places don’t even mention it in the listing, so you only realise you’re towel-less when you’re standing there in your swimmers.

☀️ Beach Days = Towel Drama

Spontaneous swim? You’ll need a towel.
Laying out on a pebbly beach in Nice or a sun-baked rock in Split? Yep, you’ll need one then too.
Want to save €10 on a beach lounger? You’ll definitely want a towel.

Beach towels in touristy areas are usually overpriced, bulky, and made from fabric that holds onto every single grain of sand. They take up half your bag and dry… eventually. Maybe.

That’s why experienced travellers (and let’s be honest, people who’ve been burned once) never go without a quick dry towel — preferably one that’s light, compact, and doesn’t bring the whole beach back to your apartment.

🌬️ Windy? Wet? Hostel Shower Queue? Your Towel Becomes Essential

There’s something humbling about trying to dry off in a shared bathroom using a paper-thin cloth that was definitely not meant for full-body use.

And if you do manage to hang your towel somewhere to dry? Watch it blow away in a gust of coastal wind. That’s why my beach towel with pocket has little loops and pegs — sounds small, but it’s the kind of detail you really notice when you need it.

🧵 Why I Created My Own Travel Towel (After One Too Many Travel Fails)

After years of trial and error (and towel-related regrets), I finally decided to make my own — the Nomadique beach towel with pocket. Here’s why it’s been a total game-changer:

• Quick dry towel that’s dry in hours (even in humid beach towns)
  
  

• Sand free beach towel — just shake it out and pack it up
  
  

• Hidden zip pocket for your phone, cash, or hotel key (no more hiding them in your shoe!)
  
  

• Comes with loops and pegs so it doesn’t flap away or drag in the sand
  
  

• Rolls up smaller than a t-shirt — perfect for backpacking, carry-on, or beach bag
  
  

I honestly don’t travel without it anymore. It’s come with me through 30+ European cities, from hostel bunk beds to island beaches to that one night sleeping on the floor of a ferry (don’t ask).

✈️ What Happens When You Do Forget a Towel

You’ll end up:

• Paying €15–€30 for a souvenir towel that weighs a kilo
  
  

• “Air-drying” in your hostel dorm (awkward for everyone)
  
  

• Laying directly on the rocks or sand
  
  

• Regretting it on day 2
  
  

Honestly, it’s not a big thing until it’s a big thing. You don’t realise how much you use a towel until you don’t have one.

 

✅ The Euro Summer Packing List Add-On You Won’t Regret

Let’s make sure you don’t forget the MVP.
Here’s the checklist addition you’ll thank me for later:

• ✅ Lightweight travel towel
  
  

• ✅ Ideally a quick dry towel that doesn’t stink
  
  

• ✅ Bonus: a sand free beach towel so you don’t end up shaking it out in your hostel hallway
  
  

• ✅ Best of all: a beach towel with pocket for that hands-free beach day ease
  

TL;DR: Don’t Be That Person

Everyone forgets something. But if you forget a towel during Euro summer, you’ll feel it every time you’re wet, sandy, sweaty, or sunburnt and have nothing to dry off with.

Skip the drama. Pack the towel.

If you’re still looking for the perfect one — you already know where to find it 😉