How much luggage?????

Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:29 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
How much luggage?????

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy for 14 days. We are having a dilema on how much luggage to take. In doing research most of everything says pack light. I am not sure I can pack 14 days in one carry on bag. Some friends have told me to take a carry on and a checked bag. What do most people take?
ConfusedCalifornian is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:36 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A carry on ( 21"/22" ) is all you need. A carry on plus checked bag for 14 days is way too much.
historytraveler is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:37 AM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Should add per person.
historytraveler is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:39 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
For 2 weeks we always take a checked bag - but NOT a 30" body bag - a 24: or 25" wheelie -plus a soft, expandable carry-on. the key is to be sure you have one change of clothes in your carry=on in case your luggage is delayed. I much prefer this to hauling everything I own with me at all times.

We have never had luggage lost or delayed - but for the best chance of this do NOT check in very late and double check the label they put on your luggage to be sure it is the correct airport.

Caveat: Do not take more luggage than you can personally pull or carry for at least 2 blocks. And lift over your head for racks on trains.
nytraveler is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:39 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,212
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I take a 19" bag that I check and a small soft-sided duffel that I carry on.

There are laundries in Europe and you can rinse small garments in the sink.

You can take whatever you want but you have to manage it.
adrienne is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:43 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,633
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
You will get responses all over the board. But in general . . . Pack as light as you personally can. For some that is a 19 inch or 21 inch roll aboard - for others a 24 inch checked bag. The lighter you pack the easier your trip will be - especially if you are using trains and/or other public transportation.

There is no 'right answer' - but I will say -- don't think "OMG, I need 14 outfits/days of clothing and 6 pair of shoes! I need huge suitcase." Pack for 4 or 5 days and re-wear things and do some laundry either washing things out in the bathroom sink or taking stuff to a wash and fold launderette.

Downsize all your toiletries to the amount you'd actually need (and no reason really to take shampoos since most places provide it)

Shoes - the # depends on what sort of trip it is. You need a good pair od broken in/comfortable walking shoes, maybe something dressier but still walkable for evenings, and then maybe one other pair of sandals or boots or whatever depending on time of year.
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:43 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,589
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You will be glad if you take a roller board on the plane with you and a smaller bag that you can out under the seat in front of you. You CAN make it in Europe for 2 weeks with one easy to manage suitcase! Pack smart, wear layers that you can mix and match. Pinterest is loaded with charts of what to take to mix/match and give you plenty to wear. If you will be carrying luggage on a train to move from place to place, you will regret bringing a big suitcase. I roll most of my clothes and use dry cleaning plastic between layers to prevent wrinkles...Pinterest also has tons of posts on packing well. Remember, that no one there will care if you wear something more than once. I love shoes but they take up a lot of room and you can't go too "stiletto" on the cobble stones in Europe. Don't take too many...if you are going in cooler weather, wear your boots on the plane.

Packing cubes can also help you get organized and get more in your suitcase.

I can't stress it enough...do not take a big suitcase! If you can't carry it up a flight of stairs on your own, don't take it.
denisea is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:45 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,633
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
Wow - hot topic. All posting at the same time and on a US Holiday weekend at that!
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 09:47 AM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 4,589
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I know....LOL!
denisea is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:06 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 12,820
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
No matter how long my trip, I take a 21 inch suitcase, which I check in because I don't want to haul it around while wandering through the airport, and a small carry-on for essentials. In the future I will be sure to have a change of undies in the carry-on, since on my last trip, my luggage was delayed for a couple of days.

I use black as my basic color, and I coordinate tops to match. I wear walking shoes and pack one pair of dressy shoes.

I've been abroad for as long as 9 weeks with just this carry-on size suitcase.
Pegontheroad is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:10 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 9,171
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I found that in Italy there were many little devices to hang up your clothes if you hand washed them in the sink. My favorite was a clothesline out my window in one village. Seven women on this trip and we all hand washed our clothes and hung on the terrace drying racks or on the line out the window. We did ok with carry on. We were staying in one place for most of the trip so that help or we would have found a Laundromat. It was so much easier on trains with lighter luggage.
flpab is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:17 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,840
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I always check a bag for a trip to Europe, there isn't any way I can pack for 2 weeks in a 21" roller bag (and some airlines really restrict the width of those much more than they used to, both of mine are too wide, even though only 21-22" tall). I especially like a variety of shoes as they affect your comfort so much, and I generally am not going to places all with the same climate, and I always need a jacket at the times I go, etc. I won't wear the kind of stuff I wear to tromp around all day sightseeing out to dinner or the evening (especially shoes). Some people do, they talk about taking two pair of shoes, and wearing one.

It doesn't bother me in particular to check a bag, and I travel alone. Sometimes I admit it would be nicer to have a much smaller bag when I'm navigating the train or public transporation alone. But I do manage, I know what I can handle. I have a 24" lightweight roller bag I use for those trips. I also have a smaller totebag that I use a a carryon.

No, you do NOT need to be able to lift your main bag over your head, sorry but you don't. There are places on the floor you can put it. Lots of people do take trains with 24" suitcases and never once lift them over their heads. In fact, even when I have a 21-22", I don't lift it over my head in a train (some trains do not have the overhead space even for that size suitcase, such as some TGVs in France).

Bottom line is the people who ask this question have not traveled very much or you would just know what you like and what you can handle. That's the bottom line, you just have to be able to manage your luggage somehow. If you are just flying into one city, taking a taxi to one hotel and staying there for 10 days, it really doesn't matter much at all. But don't go overboard, of course, I would never take one over 25" for a vacation. I do see some people with those super huge suitcases that are 28-30" and I don't know why they need those, unless moving house, of course. For example, some people who go visit relatives in another country for 3 months might do that. I don't even own a bag over 25".
Christina is online now  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:17 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,633
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
>>I've been abroad for as long as 9 weeks with just this carry-on size suitcase.
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:21 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,994
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My technique.
I hate messing with multiple pieces of luggage on trains or pulling multiple pieces from station to hotel or around an airport.
I take one piece of wheeled luggage that will hold absolutely everything I want and pack it. Then I take out one outfit of clothes, medicine and anything else I would need if checked luggage is lost or delayed, and put that stuff in a soft, ultra light weight, zippered tote. The tote goes with me. The luggage gets checked.

When I arrive and pick up the luggage, I put the tote inside the luggage.

I do some hand laundry on a trip, but do go to a laundry once in a great while.

The travel part, being on a plane, sitting in an airport, etc. seems so dirty to me, I use one pair of pants for that and put them in a plastic bag so they do not touch my other stuff. If I get a chance, I wash those right away so I can wear them again.
Sassafrass is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:22 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I always check my bag for the same reason as Peg does. Be aware that a large bag may seem easy to handle when rolling it around your house, but it'll become surprisingly heavier after lifting it on/ off trains or in/ out of a car, up/ down stairs when there is no lift. The more stuff you take, the more stuff you have to unpack/ repack and reorganize. There's also the problem of keeping track of your stuff. In the old days before I started to pack sensibly, I frequently found myself wondering if I had packed something ( couldn't remember doing so, or if I had left it in room. Worried about it until I reached next destination and could unpack.

A good note on toiletries. On my last trip ( UK in August) I finally realized that all the hotels/ B&B's I stayed in had very nice bath gels, shampoos, conditioners and body lotion. Next trip I'm leaving all of those at home.
historytraveler is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:26 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,633
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
Christina -- one may not have to lift their bag over their head . . . BUT one certainly must be able to lift it to shoulder height (or at least MY shoulder height. I am short so it might be waist height if one is very tall). There is not alway room on the floor for large bags w/o being in the way of other travelers. The luggage racks at the end of the cars get piled high and unless you get on first and get the bottom spot, you DO have to heft your bags. (Same on airport shuttles BTW)
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 10:34 AM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I always travel light.. especially if I am actually travelling around at destination.. taking trains etc.. I find travelling with too much stuff is very stressful.. Europe is filled with stairs and ledges..

I manage with a 22 inch bag for 3 weeks.. but this last trip was 4 weeks so did take one 24 inch bag ( which hubby handled) and I handled his 21 inch bag.. and my small lightweight over the shoulder carry on.. I can even fit my purse in that bag so I am not carrying too much stuff.

If you are flying to one destination.. say Rome.. and just staying there, then just take what you want.. take a taxi to hotel and that's it.. but for travelling from place to place.. pack lighter.
justineparis is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 11:12 AM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 24,834
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
I agree with janisj about luggage on trains, and I'd add that the hardest thing for me is hauling the luggage up the 3-4 steep, somewhat narrow stairs from the station platform to the floor of the train carriage. Even with two people working together, this can be tough if the luggage is large and/or heavy.

FWIW, I use a 22-inch roller bag plus a small valise. Whether I check the larger bag depends on what class of service I'm flying in. Since we "graduated" to premium economy, it's been much easier to do all carry-on.

One area of packing to re-evaluate is toiletries/makeup. I like to take my own stuff, but it's surprising how little I need for 2-3 weeks. I take 3 oz. bottles of shampoo and conditioner (and don't use all of either), and everything else is in one ounce leak-proof plastic bottles and jars (and I don't use all of anything). I used to take things "just in case," but it's almost always easier to just buy these things if/when needed. The Container Store has a great range of travel bottles/containers:

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/t...dication?N=253
Jean is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 11:18 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 72,633
Likes: 0
Received 50 Likes on 7 Posts
For things one only needs a teensy bit of -- like eye creams . . . I find contact lens cases are perfect. very inexpensive and more than enough volume.

Anything you do decant into smaller bottles -- be sure to label or you might have a disaster
janisj is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2014, 11:35 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,534
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ConfusedCalifornian

Where are you going in Italy and which 2 weeks of the year are you traveling (dates?)
sandralist is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -