Sorry to post a question on clothing, but I needed some advice on how to pack for our trip to Europe (France, Italy and Greece):

I am all set with packing light for the girls.. it is my son that I am having a hard time with. How do parents pack light for a 12 year old boy. With us girls I did the tan skirt, capri and shorts (in places it is ok to wear them of course) and some mix and match shirts. (scarfs) and two dresses for dinners. All fits in my carry on and I am happy.. my son.. well when it is hot, can't of course wear the skirt or capri pants... So I was thinking of light weight pants for dinner and convertible pants for church days (zip off the bottom once we are done the tours…) then what?? I am thinking as long as we are just touring around and shorts are not off limits.. and since it will be hot and he is only 12 can I just let him tour in his cargo tan shorts? (I do not wish to look like a local… I am a tourist and proud of it….) I just want us all to be respectful of our attire while we visit another country…. ( but comfortable also)


silly question I know, but I am trying to figure out how much he needs (of course he is growing like a weed and I need to buy him all new spring/summer stuff.) the girls were SO much easier to pack for.


To all the parents out there of pre teen boys.. what type of stuff did you pack and how much?? (we will be doing laundry through out the trip)


thank you so much for any advice.


Vivian

I have a 12-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl (and a wonderful husband, too!). We travelled to Italy 2 years ago in August for 10 days. The four of us travelled with 2 large duffel bags on wheels. For my son, I brought one pair of khaki pants, two pairs of convertible pants and about 5 pairs of nylon basketball shorts (navy and black). We probably packed about 6-7 Abercrombie-type tee shirts and 2 nice polo shirts. For shoes, he brought sneakers, Tevas, and flip-flops. We did not do laundry on the trip. A few things were repeated. My daughter was the one who brought more clothes than she actually needed. This summer we're going to Switzerland for 8 days, but we won't be needing as many pairs of shorts or hot weather clothing, since we'll be in the Berner Oberland for a lot of our trip. Good luck packing!

Not a parent of a teen boy (that still is a few years in the future , but still like to give you some advice.

12 year olds in Europe also wear shorts (basketball/cargo/soccer etc) and t-shirts in the summer! Polo shirts have been very 'hot'the latest years. A 'cool' brand over here is Lacoste.
Boys and young men (and also a lott of less young men) also do wear a lot of men capri pants (don't know if this is the correct word in English) over here. IMO they will also allow them to enter churches.

Jeans are also worn a lot here, preferably with some cool sneakers. Big brands at the moment are Lacoste, Le coq Sportif, Puma, Diesel. They sell the more 'shoe-like' sneakers.

So I would take a few shorts, a few t-shirts, some polo-shirts, a good jeans, a khaki-pant and a convertible pant. A pair of cool sneakers, a pair of flip-flops (Converse is big at the moment) and some sandals.

Plus; don't worry so much! You will experience that Europe isn't that different! Especially for 12 year olds!

Vivian, whatever your 12-year old wears at home is fine! Boys that age in summer all wear shorts, tshirts and sneakers or comfortable sandals. Even in church. For all except the smartest restaurants a 12-year old boy can wear shorts.

I don't know how old your girls are, but shorts and capris are fine. There's no way my teenage girls would wear a tan skirt though! They wear jeans (though that might be too hot in summer), shorts, summer dresses. For them I would pack a light cardigan in case they are wearing a sleeveless top or tank top; for when you want to go into a church. And for teenagers short shorts (above the knee) could be a problem in some churches. For the Vatican certainly cover shoulders and knees.
Abercrombie & Fitch is very popular here (I live in Belgium).

Thank you all for your help! I have made a great list of things to go and get (he has grown out of everything from last season!) I am not too worried (well just a little first time we are taking the kids with us to Europe and I am a MOM ~worry just happens , it is just that if I have to buy things.. I wanted it to be things he can use. I am glad that Abercrombie is popular.. that name seems to be on everything the kids own.. haha

oh and the tan skirt is not as boring as it sounds.. I think she got it at either American Eagle or Abercrombie... it is simple but can go with a lot...

we will have to do wash on the trip since we will be in Europe for a little over 6 weeks.

One last thing, TommieG you just made my son's day.. I wasn't going to let him bring his basketball shorts that he LIVES in until I read your post...

thank you all again!

Always glad to make someones day!

As said, a lot teenagers over here also live in their shorts (mostly soccer-shorts, but they look just like basketball-shorts, so no problems there), so he defenitely won't stand out! Italian kids his age will probably even think he looks cool!

3/4 trousers...
denim everywhere, too

Vivian, I'm sure they will look great. Abercrombie is popular just because you cannot buy it in Europe (except for London). There's a huge shop opening in Milan soon, in the most expensive shopping area there.
American teenagers dress pretty much the same as European ones!

Have a great time in Europe.

I just wanted to say thank you all for helping and for being kind.

I just questioned my teens. Big brands here in Europe are currently Qiksilver, Billabong, Ripcurl..

Of course, a 12-year-old can wear shorts in churches.