Hi MomDDTravel,

Just a quick note about visiting the castles from Munich. When my husband and I were there we did a 1-day coach tour to the castles. It was after a long week of me touring Munich on my own (husband in a conference) and I just wanted an easy day. It was absolutely brilliant and we always self-plan trips so this was out of our comfort zone.

The buses were really comfortable and the guide gave a great history of the sites, etc. It really did increase my appreciation. We stopped at Linderhof and Neuschwanstein with a quick stop at some little town for souvenir shopping (it was actually really cute and covered with murals - probably incredibly touristy but I loved it). Anyway, I'm sure it was affordable as we are incredibly budget-conscious travellers so it's just a thought in case you don't want to deal with the trains, etc.

Have a great trip! I'm so jealous you get to spend this time with your daughter, I would have loved that at her age!

<<The extent of "packing light" is directly proportional to the amount you are moving around.>>

True, and cramming 50 lbs into a 22" carryon is not "packing light" it's packing tight.

I think you'll be fine and are wise to limit your luggage weight when traveling by bus and train. I did all right on the train in Italy with a 24" rollaboard and a lightweight (Le Sportsac) shoulder bag. I was able to manage getting the suitcase up the stairs and onto the rack above the seat.

Hope you'll write when you return.

I am a last minute "shove it in" type of packer. I really stink at packing - it causes me a lot of stress. I'm good at packing for the kids; it's my clothing that I'm bad at.

I'm to the point that I have several "Europe outfits" or "Europe shoes" that I have found are comfortable and pack well.

MomDD - I want to hear about camp! I found that a small personal fan was great for my older son (cabins had no A/c). Also, I saw one of his bunkmates' moms packed a small throw rug for under the bunk bed - I was glad I had that for my cabin. I just felt I could keep my stuff (and feet) a bit cleaner). We also went and bought Purell and a bathmat for group shower in our cabin.