What to pack for Prague in January

Lows around 28°F. Goes under the shell when the wind picks up.

Wear one, dry one. Cotton stays wet all week here.

Lows drop to minus 2 degrees Celsius, so a hat stops heat loss from your head.

Wind gusts to 20 kilometers per hour and freezing temperatures make exposed hands painful.

Snow covers the ground and ice forms on sidewalks by mid-morning.

Sunlight reflects off snow and ice, creating glare that strains your eyes.

Check ankles and, if there's a dog, paws and ears every night.

Cold air causes chapped lips and minor cuts that sting in the wind.

This country runs on Type C or E. Get one with USB-C so you're not fighting over the single outlet.

Eight and a half hours of daylight means your phone dies before sunset.

Set it up before you land. Signal drops for long stretches outside cities.

Dark by 5:25pm. Every campsite chore after that is a two-hands job.

Overhead bins fit everything you need for a week without checking a bag.

Walking tours through old town require carrying a map, gloves, and water.

Fits the overhead on every airline that matters. Skip the checked-bag line entirely.

For the passport, the chargers, and the one dry pair of socks.

Wet gloves freeze stiff and waterproof ones keep your hands dry and warm.

For the mornings and the nights.

Breath freezes in the cold air, and a neck gaiter warms it before you inhale.

Wet snow melts into socks and then freezes when you stand still outside.

Tap water is safe and carrying a bottle beats standing in the cold.

One brick charges the laptop, phone, and camera.

Hotel and cafe wifi is shared with everyone else in the building. A VPN keeps your banking and email to yourself.

Crowded Christmas markets and busy streets make it easy to lose track of bags.

Checked luggage holds boots and bulky coats that take up carry-on space.

Heavy winter clothes compress into cubes so you fit everything in one bag.

Rolling luggage moves easier than carrying bags across cobblestone streets.

Eighty-one percent humidity and heating indoors make clothes damp and musty fast.

Lows around 28°F. One blanket that packs small covers the car, the campsite and the beach at sunset.

Long train journeys and flights are quieter with noise cancelling.

Melting snow runs down into boot tops and soaks your feet on the walk back.

Surfaces are icy and crowded with tourists; germs spread fast indoors.

One outlet per hotel room charges multiple devices slowly in short daylight hours.

A few phrases go a long way. Ten minutes a day before you leave is plenty.

International travel requires your passport at museums and some hotels.

Airport security handles luggage roughly; locks prevent zippers from splitting open.

Thermal layers and winter coats pack down to half their size.

Hanging bags keep toiletries accessible in small hotel bathrooms.

Train rides to nearby cities last four to six hours and sleep comes hard.

Pockets in winter jackets are too small for hands in minus 2 degree cold.