Disappointing photos show what backpacking across Europe is really like

While packing for my trip, I realized that my biggest backpack could only fit half of the clothes I wanted to bring.

I picked my largest bag — a 32-liter backpack — for my trip to Europe.

I wasn't sure how well this bag would work for a two-week trip, so I practiced packing as lightly as possible to ensure I could fit everything.

I started with my work stuff: a laptop, cameras, lenses, and a notebook. Then, I packed chargers, toiletries, and snacks before realizing my work gear and other essentialswere takingpriority over clothes.

Although I hoped to bring two packing cubes full of clothing, I could only fit one, cutting my proposed wardrobe in half.

I brought two polos, one T-shirt, one long-sleeve T-shirt, three pairs of pants, a sweater, a blazer, a dress, and two light jackets.

Although I impressed myself by packing lighter than ever for the longest trip I'd ever taken, I was still disappointed by my limited outfit choices.

With a limited wardrobe, I had to do laundry at nearly every place I stayed.

I've never seen a backpacking social-media post about doing laundry, but I found myself washing my clothes at nearly every Airbnb I stayed in.

I stayed in each accommodation for just one or two nights, so to ensure my clothes would be dry before checking out, I had to prioritize my laundry as soon as I checked in.

This was a bummer since I often arrived at each accommodation feeling exhausted from travel, and washing my clothes was the last thing I felt like doing.

I brought my own soap and used the sinks and bathtubs to wash each garment before hanging them up to dry.

Coming home to tiny Airbnbs with wet clothes everywhere stressed me out after a day of exploring.

From a converted wine barrel outside Zurich to an Airstream trailer in Vienna, most of my Airbnbs were tiny homes with less than 100 square feet of space. So, the slightest bit of clutter made them look like a total mess. Having my clothes hanging to dry made the spaces feel even more chaotic.

Each time I returned to my accommodations, I was greeted with a disheveled space that made me feel stressed. I found it hard to relax in these rooms after tiring days of exploring.

I booked two overnight trains to free up daylight hours for exploring. But I didn't know how challenging it would be to get a good night's rest in a small, shared space.

To get from Vienna to Venice, I booked a bunk in a shared cabin for six on a train operated by Nightjet, which has overnight routes between Austria, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.

I expected to feel slightly cramped in the crowded room, but I still thought I'd have some space to move around.

However, the 74-square-foot cabin didn't feel like enough space for everyone, especially with luggage. Our cabin had only four people, and I thought it would have been even more uncomfortable if it had been fully booked with six.

There was space for bags above the beds, but not enough for everyone. I couldn't do much more than sit in my bunk, and I quickly became disappointed with my decision to travel this way.

I was also surprised by the lack of privacy inside the shared bunk cabin on the train.

Before my trip, I imagined each bunk in the shared cabin on the sleeper train would have a curtain for privacy. However,the beds were completely exposed, so I had to go to the bathroom to change into my pajamas privately.

I also had to wake another travelerusing the top bunk in the middle of the night to use the bathroom since the room's lock was only accessible from their bunk.

After this experience, I don't think I'll bunk with strangers on an overnight train again, especially since some Nightjet routes have private cabins.

"Offering our passengers a high level of travel comfort is an important concern for us," a representative for OBB Nightjet told Business Insider. "We are constantly working on improvements to our product and also take into account the requirements of our customers."

My experience was even worse on the other overnight train I took, where I booked a regular seat and didn't sleep at all.

On my other overnight train from Berlin to Vienna, I had even more trouble sleeping. I sat in a seating carriage room with six seats facing each other, which is Nightjet's version of standard coach seating.

During my leg of the journey, three travelers were already there when I boarded, and two others arrived within the first few hours. I thought the room was cramped and lacked enough legroom for each traveler.

The seat appeared slightly wider than a typical train coach seat. It also reclined, though not fully. I reclined mine as far as possible, but the gap between the seat back and the bottom cushions made it tough to get comfortable.

I found it impossible to sleep with the constant bumps on the ride and so many people around. I ended up staying up until the morning and regretted traveling overnight.

"The quality of travel depends not only on the carriages but also on the route," OBB Nightjet wrote in a statement to Business Insider. "We recommend the sleeper or couchette car for night travel. There is enough space to stretch out. Seated carriages are recommended for shorter journeys."

While some influencers might like this type of travel, I'll stick to daytime routes next time if I can't sleep flat on a bed in a private room.

I often arrived in each country feeling exhausted from lack of sleep, which made it harder to enjoy my time there.

Because I had so much trouble sleeping on both overnight train rides, I often arrived in a new city feeling depleted instead of excited and ready to start exploring.

When I got to Vienna at 7 a.m. after a sleepless night in the seating carriage, I was so exhausted that I looked for any hotel that would take me in so early in the morning. I thought this made the overnight ride ultimately not worth the time saved, since I didn't do anything when I arrived other than sleep.

When I got off the train in Venice, I had enough energy to explore after some sleep in the bunk, but I still felt fatigued, which took away from how much I could enjoy that first day.

As a result, my first day in both cities felt disappointing, and my plan to save time and energy backfired. I couldn't help thinking I wasted two days that could have been spent feeling more appreciative of the city surrounding me had I gotten enough rest.

In fact, a lot of my trip was more physically draining than I anticipated because my backpack made my body sore.

On travel days, I had to carry my backpack for long periods. I wore it on the go to catch my train. When I arrived in a new city, I had to keep it on my back until I could check into my accommodation. And then, I'd repeat the entire process when I checked out before catching a train to my next destination.

Each day, after wearing my backpack for extended periods while walking, my muscles felt incredibly sore.

In these moments, I was surprised to find myself questioning whether a backpack is really more convenient than a carry-on suitcase. Sure, a carry-on suitcase is larger and often needs to be wheeled around, but after lugging my backpack all day, I felt it would have been easier on my body. Plus, I'd be able to pack more.

Large crowds made having a backpack even harder. I thought traveling in October — the end of shoulder season — would help me avoid this, but I was wrong.

In most backpacker posts I see on Instagram, it looks like they're completely alone in a dramatic scene, whether it's ascenic landscape or a major tourist attraction.

However, even though I visited during the shoulder season, this was not the case. From Rome to Zurich, I trudged through places that were overrun with tourists.

Throughout my trip, I stood on tiptoes to see popular historic sites above rows of heads, obscuring my view. Even getting just one photo of myself at tourist hot spots, like theColosseum in Rome, felt nearly impossible. And since I'm 5-foot-3, I found it hard to see over the heads and smartphones of the people around me.

I also wasn't used to the weight and size of my backpack, which made it challenging to get around. In crowded spaces, I kept forgetting that the backpack made me about a third larger than I typically am. I bumped into people with my pack in busy streets and train stations before realizing I needed to reconsider how I was taking up space.

Next time I plan a trip to Europe, I'll visit during the offseason for fewer crowds.

While it wasn't a picture-perfect adventure, backpacking through Europe made me realize that you can't plan out every second, and maybe that's a good thing.

While there were a handful of hardships, backpacking in Europe was also full of good surprises.

For example, I initially thought seeing so many new places in a short time would make them blend together in my mind, but each city felt genuinely unique and left me with distinct memories. And without my backpack, I probably wouldn't have been able to travel to as many places in one trip.

I'll never forget how alive Berlin felt with its lush pockets of greenery, dramatic murals, and street performers, or how Vienna's garden mazes and fairy-tale architecture made me feel like royalty — even with a turtle shell on my back.

Ultimately, I thought the good surprises outweighed the bad, so I would definitely backpack in Europe again. But next time, I'll avoid shared accommodations, overnight rides, and the busy season.