Dukey

Amazingly enough, a pair of my own size 12 shoes takes up a LOT more space than someone's size 6. yes, i KNOW you can wear them on the plane but the point is that clothes are not all the same size and some actually take up more room than others.

And then there's laundry...of course, we rarely hear about all the laundry that you might have to do during one of these 2-week trips with one itsy bitsy carry-on.

But you know..perhaps these people don't ever DO laundry and they come back with that wonderful FUNKY smell that helps them dream about their trip.

Guidebooks? Who needs one? You simply tear out the pages you need and carry those aboard stuffed into your pockets or underwear.

BTW, Julies...if your luggage actually got there along with you AND you appreciated having all the things you took with you...WHO CARES whether or not anyone else travels with less or more?

No, you are not inadequate...just totally honest.

Kristinelaine

We just returned from three weeks in Switzerland, Italy and Germany (mostly the first two). We managed to get our stuff in two carryons which met Lufthansa requirements of 8 kilograms (I think). I had to use a nylon bag rather than my usual roller bag to get under their weight limit. I also gave up my hairdryer this time, altho I think it could have gone in.

My husband happily does the "laundry". He says its only fair because I do all the planning and arrangements! Believe me, it is a trade I'm very willing to make!

We were going from mountains to seashore so that made it a little more difficult. We didn't take hiking shoes/boots -- we don't own any, so that kept the hiking to the easier paths (which was alsolutely OK with me!) and saved lots of space and weight. Once, however, I would have been glad to have them.

I don't understand the underwear thing, since (for females, anyway) they take up SO little room and are so easy to launder.

OP is right about the non-clothes stuff taking up so much space (and weight). I bought extra batteries for my digital camera so that I didn't need to take the charger which is much larger than the extra batteries and then I didn't have to worry about possible electricity problems either.

We didn't run in to the ONLY one carry-on rule (no purse, etc.) because we weren't in the UK, but if the EU comes thru with that rule, I'll have to leave enough room in my carryone for my purse, which I won't be able to pack very full.

Actually our carryons were only eyeballed by the various staff, but they would have met the requirements had they checked. I think that perhaps I worried too much about it.

As long as possible I won't be giving up the carryon only way of traveling. I have seen the difficulties people have when their suitcases don't arrive. In addition, we don't tend to use taxis, so one carryon is all I want to be carrying. Even as light as we go, I always think I could have left a couple things home, and wish I had. Next time, however, I seem to feel unable to reduce the amount further.

Idaho_jaane

I don't understand how they do it either? For our 2 weeks in Europe we are taking 12 changes of clothes each.
3 pairs of shoes each. a jacket. 14 undies each. 14 pairs of socks each. plus all the other things we'll need while there.camera, digital camera, our own bathroom supplies, guide books, cell phone and camera chargers etc. We don't wear the same clothes everyday or every other day at home and for sure never on vacation. I don't understand how they do it?

Kristinelaine

One word -- laundry!

Fodorite018

I agree...laundry.

We managed a 3 week trip in the winter with just a carry on each. We didn't do laundry ourselves, but just let the hotels do it. It was worth it to us in convenience.

rogerdodger

I get a kick reading about the stuff that people take on a trip. I also know what I pack is not normal for most but it does work for me, a retired mostly solo traveller. So I pack a small gym bag with clothes and stop packing when the total weight reaches 13 pounds. Outside of a zip lock bag for toiletries I don't take anything else. If I really need something while on the road I will buy it. Less is best for me.

Alice9

I'll reiterate what someone said about weight limits for carry on bags. I was shocked to discover that Virgin Air had a 6 kilo (about 13 pounds) limit for carry on bags. My little rolling bag weighs 9 pounds empty! So we had to check through almost everything, just carrying on meds, camera, travel docs etc.

PLEASE check the limits for your airline, it's not fun to be surprised at check-in.

Alice

Robespierre

I want you all to immediately <b>stop</b> carrying stuff from the U.S. (guide book pages, clothing, batteries) and discarding it in Europe.

You are shifting the earth's surface mass distribution, and the tectonic consequences can only be dire.

travelingmad

In the mid-90s, my wife and I spent one month in southeast asia and we left Canada with a shoulder pack each which contained medical necessities (immodium and such) and our personal hygiene stuff and basic clothing (2 undies, 1 shirt, 1 short).

When we landed in Bangkok, we went buying what we needed (addtional clothing) plus a suitcase. We did our traveling and when we left Cambodia to return home, we gave our luggage, clothing and umbrellas to a hospital/ homeless service centre. We arrived home with the backpacks we left with.

Nowadays, we leave with minimal stuff, use Ziploc bags to get the air out of clothing. Toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo for both hair and body, pins and small whatever for her hair and voil&agrave;! No one needs picnic plates, facewash and many guidebooks. And if you need insect repellant, its because you are in an area where you should not need skirts and nice shoes!!!

And if you need to carry your whole wardrobe to reassure yourself, then I pitty you! No one (NO ONE!) cares if you use the same shirt twice in a week. Only YOU do...

Idaho_jaane

You're right We do care. That's why we shop for clothes. We don't want to have to wear the same shirt twice in one week or twice in 2 months for that matter especially on vacation. If it costs a little more to bring the things you like on vacation with you.. do it.
American airlines lets us take two checked 50lb bags each which is plenty.
Maybe 75 euro more for our bags when we fly Air berlin. We will use sky caps , porters, bellmen, and taxi drivers to handle our bags for us. Maybe another 75 euro in tips. It's worth it to us.

julies

Guess I started an interesting post with lots of different perspectives.

After one of you asking me what size suitcases we do take, I had to measure them. They're 24 x 16 x 10 with a small detachabe daypack, as compared to the typical 22 x 14 x 9 size carry-on, so probably have about 1/2 to 1/3 more capacity. Depending on the trip we use a combo of planes, buses, metro, trains and rental car. At this point in our lives we are able to manage lifting and moving the suitcases and using public transportation, and we more typically just have a few bases rather than moving around all the time, so I guess I do not feel we need to absolutely pare it down so much so that we can just use a carry-on.

I don't want to offend any of you carry-on diehards, but after seeing the size of the pieces of carry-on luggage people were trying to wheel down the aisles, find room for and cram into the overhead bins on our last trip, many of the other passengers would appreciate it if you would instead check your luggage so the rest of us could get on and off the plane faster. And, yes, we have had our luggage lost several times. Thank god it has always been on the flight home though.

I guess I should also mention that since we're from the US and our flying time is usually long (and always with a connecting flight)I have appreciated the small down pillow many times. (Actually I bought them after reading a tip from someone on this forum a year or so ago).

SAnParis

Clothes &amp; shoes go in the suitcase proper. Mine has a zippered, plastic part on top - all 'spillables' &amp; toiletries go in there - so if something breaks, it doesn't get all over my clothes. Room for another pair of shoes (usually flip flops for showers &amp; such) inside the top. All books, glasses, contact stuff, etc. go in the outside pockets. Cameras get packed in w/the clothes for protection or are in my wifes diaper/kid bag/purse. You take a lot of 'stuff' that I don't, as well.

SAnParis

Also, if traveling by car (we do go to the Mts. a lot) - my car has a lot of that stuff in there all the time. First aid kit, flashlight, roadside kit, hiking shoes, blankets &amp; cold weather gear (in season).

travelingmad

And let me guess, Idaho Jane, you have not yet have your luggage lost.

Sincerely, I hope you will not have to experience this situation - you would have a lot of shopping to do during your first few days fo vacation.

If, or whatever reason, you do experience having to leave the airport of a foreign country without your luggage, and trust me on this one, you will for the rest of your life, find a way to travel light.

missypie

We are a famiy of 5. The kids are teens/tweens, so no more packing &quot;tiny clothes&quot; for them. Where we have laundry facilites, we can pack for a week with 5 22' bags. But one of those bags does end up filled with &quot;stuff.&quot; And believe me, we use all or almost all of it. I admit that I bring a few things along for creature comforts...I hate to live out of a suitcase, so I bring a toobrush holder and some small plastic baskets to organize cosmetics and toiletries. When we stay in apartments, I bring things like extra hangers and leave them behind, because there never seem to be enough.

One can pack lighter if one is going to be in only one &quot;type&quot; of location...e.g. just city, just beach, just mountains. If, however, you combine city + beach + mountain hiking, that = three types of shoes and other accessories.

easytraveler

About a third to a fourth of what I carry constitute &quot;other&quot; things than clothes.

My toiletry bag is very small - 2&quot; wide, 3 1/2&quot; tall, and 7&quot; lengthwise. In it goes: toothbrush, small packet toothpaste, Glide floss, showercap, Q-tips, toothpicks, bandaids and antiseptic cream, a folding brush-comb, nailclipper, small sewing kit, earplugs, couple of hair rollers, and the biggest item: deodorant, which takes up 1/2 of the space! Everything is individually packed in small sandwich baggies.

My backpack is a Rick Steves nylon pack which is ultra lightweight. In it goes a miner's light, which also doubles as a flashlight; chargers; a Canon Powershot camera in a small leather bag which i found somewhere for $1; a pair of lightweight slippers; pen and small pad; basic medication like Tylenol in their own plastic containers; dark glasses; any documents; and one change of clothing. On very short trips in the US, this is all I carry - with extra changes of clothes, of course!

For overseas, in my 18-20&quot; carryon go all the rest of the clothes, one additional lightweight bag for any extras; converter; and that's about it.

My jacket has a hood, so no need for umbrellas. I wear the jacket and the heaviest pair of shoes on to the plane.

One more item for overseas trips: a U-shaped neck pillow which has a loop with a snap, I just snap the pillow onto my backpack. No one has ever considered it an extra piece of luggage.

Everything else can be purchased at the other end.

janeth

I don't travel light. I can't imagine anything worse than being stuck somewhere without something to read! And Englich books in non- English countries are expensive. And our itineraries do change, usually we end up doing less but sometimes we change because we hear about something form someone. So I have at least one intact guidebook. And we do hike AND go to 3 star restaurants. I need at least 2 pairs of shoes besides what I'm wearing. I do wash a few things but resent the time. After begging up to the last second for partner's jacket to come back from pressing to get to VERY coveted reservations I'll never trust them again. I have had lost luggage, so I do have sandals, underwear, tee and sweater in my carry-on so I can shower and change right away! As long as I can roll the bag it's light enough for me.

And I hate people who delay the plane trying to get their &quot;so called&quot; carry on into the overhead!

Barbara_in_CT

Left PDA at home

Never used my umbrella although it rained.

&quot;Wear&quot; my rainjacket and polartec on plane.

Wash regularly and use towel rack to dry. Laundramats are good places to meet locals.

No phone.

Use two plastic coffee can lids for plates. Plastic utensils. Swiss Army Knife.

Use polartec for pillow.

Only one guidebook (if absolutely necessary) + notes (discarded along the way)

Brush and shampoo for hair.

Makeup is lip liner and moisturizer.

First aid consists of ibuprofen, benadryl and cortizone cream plus a few bandaids. Your should fit your likely uses.

Addresses on one sheet of address labels.

Journal with other notes and where I keep track of purchases.

CPAP machine. ADA does not apply outside of the USA and there is no way it is going in the luggage hold.

My suitcase is the Rick Steves' rollaboard. I usually can't go with just a carry-on due to the CPAP but I can handle my own luggage which is important.

Good topic with lots of good ideas.

kerouac

I do not hesitate to rip guidebooks to pieces and just take the pages that I need, throwing them away as I go. There is nothing more useless than an outdated guidebook anyway -- I buy some guidebooks over and over again every year if necessary, if I need the hotel &amp; restaurant information.

Most of the items on the primary list I would not dream of taking if they are sold at my destination. Just as an example, believe me, a set of mosquito coils sold in Indonesia is much more effective for Indonesian mosquitoes than any wimpy insect repellant that you might find in the U.S. for wimpy American mosquitoes, even if they are both made by Bayer. Not to mention the fact that the item costs 80% less and needn't even be bought if not needed.

Ackislander

janisj asks:
&quot;Do you have a CPAP carry case that holds all the other bits? If so - a CPAP does not affect your carry-on allowances. It is medical equipment and is not usually weighed.&quot;

True in the US, not necessarily everywhere else.