Thank you sandralist , dweislaw,Jean, socaltraveler, WillTravel, mariha2912, kleeblatt, sparkchaser, happytourist, indyhiker - your suggestions and comments are much appreciated!

Learning a lot through this thread! Our game plan is still just bring carry on, do not check in any bags. :) The input on detergents and purex are awesome! And also the tiip on hanging clothes! All good!

Thanks flpab - yes we will be relying heavily on public transpo so we don't want to haul too many things all the time. I mean we don't want to spend too much on cabs.

Quick note. La Canadienne makes the very best waterproof shoes and boots I have ever owned. A couple of pair of mine are at least 10 years ok and still look great. incredibly comfortable as well. Expensive but not when you figure out cost per use.

Don't know how you landed w/ that apartment . . . Your travel agent again?

I am very familiar w/ that neighborhood and I've never heard of it.

You are only in London a few nights, so may book a traditional hotel - that place looks like a dump. I don't live/die by trip advisor reviews but if I see one where there are NO excellent and more terrible than good rankings . . . I'd run. Hopefully you didn't book a prepaid non refundable stay.

@janisj - Yeah,it is cancellable. Some of their pictures aren't that bad but yeah, some say it's a horrible place to be in but for $166 a day for a studio it will be a lot bigger than a traditional with double bed.

Do you have a few hotels that you can suggest?

BTW, thanks ceezee for the tip!

I travel for pleasure almost exclusive in the late fall or early spring because I dislike hot weather and the summer vacation crowd, and have traveled with a 19-inch rucksack for 10+ days of trips, plus an empty daypack that I use as a "purse" and also as extra storage if I want to bring back souvenir. In addition to what I wear onto the plane, I pack 5 days of underwear (including thin thermal t-shirts that I wear as baselayer and sleepwear and change everyday) and socks, 2 button-down shirts, a pair of pants, and a pair of flip-flops or flats (not both). I don't handwash but go to the laundromat every 5 days. I don't mind using the laundromat and enjoy people-watching or go on Facebook while waiting.
Regarding the Purex sheets, the alternative I am using are the laundry detergent pods, however not the liquid ones, but ones filled with powder. I get the Ajax brand from my local store but I'm sure there are others.

If you mean CAN$166 -- that is only about £90 which is low for London.

Your best bet is likely Travelodge. There are MANY all over central London and there are often deals from £35-ish to £75 or so (some locations like Covent Garden seldom have rates under £100 but sometimes)

Plug London and your dates in here and see what you can find rate-wise. Then ask here before booking - since there are so many London properties, not all are in the best locations but some are in really terrific areas.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk

While on a limited budget a few years ago I spent about 2 weeks in London end of January/start of February, choosing Victoria area for convenience and affordable accommodation.

Luna&Simone was a decent functional B&B in walking distance from Victoria station and a bus heading to Trafalgar Square direction stopped exactly in front of the hotel. I think I e-mailed hotel and asked a deal for long stay and they offered maybe ~5GBP less per night than the usual rate, but I paid only about 60 GBP/night traveling alone. A double might be within your budget(or not, as I think they have made a renovation since then. Still it doesn't heart to e-mail and ask an early booking deal or something).

The cheapest waterproof boot is US$295.

...and the Canadian dollar prices are the same.

Travelodge Waterloo - good location, cheaper than the other London Travelodges and huge rooms.

@mariha2912 - Luna and Simone's price per night is $50 higher than the deal we got now. $166 per night at Victoria Apartments.

@ceezee thank you for the tip on boots! We're a little worried with our shoe situation too! Can we use winter boots in Athens in Feb? Isn't it warm there and in Rome too- around that time?

The weather can turn "warm" any place in February but Rome will not be warm. It's about the same latitude as Newark, NJ which can see some warmish days in February but that's relative. I've seen women wear winter coats in April in Rome.

February is still winter, and it's still the rainy season, and it can be damp which means it will feel cold. I'd take the boots.

Where do you live?

My last comment about the boots, promise! Zappos carries them so if you can't find them locally to try on, you could order s couple of sizes and just keep the ones that fit.

I second the vote for La Canadeinne boots. Not only are they weather proof, but they have styles that are comfortable without being ugly. Another great brand is Aquatalia, but they are more expensive.

A lot of Italians wear winter coats by the calendar, not by the thermometer. You can't compare the climate here to that in New Jersey. It's entirely different. In Rome, the temperature doesn't often go below freezing, and almost never all day long. Snow is very rare. I wouldn't think you'd ever need a winter coat there. I seem to remember that your trip is in February, and in Rome it could sometimes be full spring by then.

When I go to Rome in the winter, I wear a spring-or-autumn weight jacket and take a wool sweater to wear under it if necessary. In fact, that's what I'd use for the entire trip if I were you. With your many destinations, you don't want to have to take two coats. The outer jacket can be layered up with sweaters; and a warm hat, scarf, and gloves will make it work everywhere.

I also wouldn't want boots for a trip like this, but I find boots, even light-weight ones, too heavy and hot indoors; they might be all right for a walk around the city but if I went into a museum wearing them, I'd be dying in half an hour. A good pair of walking shoes with and wool socks would be more versatile, in my opinion.

Honestly - All this about washing in the sink or tub. You can afford to go to Europe, pay $1000 a piece for flights as well as $200+ a night for the hotel. You can afford to have your laundry done. Who wants wet laundry hanging about or spending the time and effort to wash it?

Please, avail yourself of the concierge or front desk clerk, who keeps a discreet list of local women who will pick up, wash your clothes and return them the next day, folded and pressed. We have never paid more than $30 to have this done.

You are on vacation, for Pete's sake! Unclench.

Early on in my travelling life I picked up a tip of taking an inflatable coat hanger. I've done this ever since. It really does assist things to dry quickly overnight, and deflates to almost nothing.

Continental_Drifter, I applaud you for putting things into perspective.

<i>internetbrofist</i>

Warm is a relative term. I didn't think Rome was warm in April. I thought the weather was pleasant for me but not warm. That's why I asked where the OP lives. Warm to me is bordering on hot - about 70 degrees F.