Any suggestions in maximizing outfits for a 3 country trip. Budapest/river cruise for 1 week on the Blue Danube/Prague ending with 4 days in Paris.What would be the best way to group oufits for walking and a casual eve. wear.I can only take 44lbs. and a carryon. This is probably only a concern for us female travelers.The trip begins Oct. 30 and ends Nov. 19 Help me create a practical grouping of clothes so that they will fit into one piece of luggage. I know there must be creative and experienced packers out there.Thank you

We just did four weeks in Europe with a ten day cruise in the middle with less than half the luggage you are proposing. Contact off line and I will send Marcia's packing list.

I usually pack enough for a week, and do laundry along the way. That means 7 outfits.

I leave the jeans at home, unless i wear them on the flight (uncomfortable for the overnight flight, though), as they are very bulky and take a long time to dry. I use mix and match, mostly black and dark slacks of a wrinkle-free material. I bring along several matching tops, all in those dark colors, and a couple scarves to brighten it up for evening wear. I bring one pair of dressy (comfortable!) sandals, and a pair of walking shoes. Wearing the walking shoes on the plane means they are not in the luggage.

Toiletries - if you can buy it at your destination, why bring it along, and mess with baggies and 3.4 oz limits?

I usually have my electronics, glasses/contacts, and medicines in my carryon, plus a book. One change of clothing. Everything else gets checked in a medium-sized piece of luggage.

Green..., that is still more than we pack. For normal travel we wear one and pack two changes of clothes. With a cruise we add one addition change which is the more formal requirement.

Wow, I am totally blown away by how li ttle one can pack. What about outer wear as I believe it may be cold during these dates(sept.30-oct.19)?

You wear your outerwear... it never is packed in the suitcase. Same for your bulkiest shoes or boots.

My advice is to look in your own closet. Then take some favorite pieces appropriate to the weather you will be going to, that mix and match in color, and fabrics that pack well. From that create your your "practical groupings". Get out your suitcase, start with the things you need most and like best, pack until loosely full. Weigh on the bathroom scale to make sure it is under 44 lbs.
Voila

Hi,
For our 2 week trip to Italy, I think I wore one pair of pants and packed 2 pair. Pick a color scheme so that all tops go with all pants. Black/white/ red for example. Comfortable shoes are a must- wear the heaviest on the plane. Layer for warmth- a light jacket that can be worn over a cashmere sweater for example.Sometimes just changing shoes and purse or adding a jacket can make an outfit go from casual to a bit more dressed up for dinner or a concert.
Put your makeup,etc in even smaller bottles than the 3oz allowed- that is much more than you will use on the trip. I put makeup and moisterizer in contact lens cases. Hair gel, shampoo, etc goes in those very small travel size bottles of hand sanitizer- I just wash the hand sanitizer out. My best advice is not to worry so much about your clothes- you will see everything imaginable.
Have a great trip.

For cold weather travel, I would like to share some of my strategies, since I am not going anywhere this winter because my husband is having surgery instead. I can live vicariously through travlx2's packing.

I pack thin but 3-4 warm cashmere or merino sweaters. I roll them carefully to avoid wrinkles, then place the rolls side by side in a big ziplock.

I usually take a combo of 2 turtlenecks and 1-2 cardigans that I can wear as twin sets if it is really chilly. I take a handfull of gorgeous scarves to drape around the turtlenecks for a dressier evening look, and pair a cardigan with a t-shirt for warmer days or a more casual look.

I take thin three-quarter sleeve tees in a poly blend fabric (warmer than cotton and doesn't stay wet-feeling if you sweat a little). I wear these every day as the base under my sweater to keep the sweaters fresh. These can be washed in the sink and dried over night. If it warms up, they serve as my top. They go in one ziplock.

I take stretch wool pants with a nice cut in black or another dark color. Usually three pairs. I have actually bought three of the same exact same pair of pants because they looked so good and were so comfortable, and never wrinkled (WilliSmith brand). Again, I roll them and put them in a big ziplock. Dressy enough for evening with my flowing scarves and some costume jewelry, but comfortable for daytime walking. And... warmer than jeans or cotton pants.

I take one thick and toasty sweater that looks great and can go over all the other sweaters if it is freezing. Look for "bouncy" fiber/knit, like boucle, that can be squished but won't crease. I have a fabulous tunic-length black boucle sweater with a low cowl neck and bell sleeves from Tweeds. It looks great with one of my colored turtlenecks peaking out, or by itself. If I know I will want to be a bit more dressy, I pair it with a knee-length black skirt (Chicos style fabric) and hose.

Don't forget your wool scarf or pashmina to wrap around your neck for warmth and that stylish Parisian look. I buy cheap pashiminas on eBay that are certainly fake or low in cashmere (but for under 10 bucks, who cares?) and take a few in gorgeous colors to use as scarves and wraps at night. Yep, I roll them and put them in yet another ziplock.

Don't forget really good wool-blend socks (NOT cotton) in dark colors. Smartwool is expensive but worth it, and Timberland has great ones, too. Your feet will be warm and coddled, not wet, cold, and blistery.

I swear by Clark's walking shoes, but everyone's feet are different. I take a more rugged pair for day and a pair from the Clarks Artisan line for night. They are slightly dressier, but I can still walk for miles in them in case pair number one gets wet.

I top it all with a long wool dress coat that keeps me warm to the knees. I recommend that all women find a fabulous hat to keep the heat in and make you look glamorous in your photos.

I take a set of microfleece PJs or long johns(Old Navy usually has deals on them in the winter) for lounging in the room. If you hit arctic temps, they can serve as an underlayer to make it bearable to go out (this happened to me once in Paris in February, and though I looked sort of chubby with all those layers, I was warm and comfy.)

Have a wonderful trip. Your itinerary sounds great!

dur- that should be 3-4 thin but warm sweaters, not thin but 3-4.

It's easy to pack "light". All you have to do is get in the right frame of mind - remember you are travelling and no one will notice you've worn the same outfit a couple of times during your trip.

Here's a hint - a few days before your trip put out all the clothes you think you'll need on a spare bed. Admire them several times over the course of the next day or two and congratulate yourself on your fine sense of fashion. Now that you are feeling good about yourself put at least half back in the closet and pack the rest.

The ting is people tend to overpack. You won't need as much clothes as you think and there's nothing wrong with having your laundry done once or twice during your trip (most hotels have same or next day service and while there s a cost associated with having laundry done when you put it in contex with the cost of your trip it's rather insignificant.

THINK LIGHT!!!!!!

Whats the use of buying nice clothes, jackets, etc, if you can't wear them on a nice trip.
My idea of travelling to Europe, is not on a dufflebag's worth of clothes, maybe in my college days (been there-done that).
Especially at nicer Hotels, some of these ideas will just not fly. I can tell you about the time my friends weren't allowed in the Ritz, to visit our friend staying there, because of his dress.

Since I have begun nagging, I forgot my Pet Peeve: Carry-on luggage.

There would probably be much less delayed flights, if everyone checked their luggage, this new fad of cramming everything into the overhead bin is ridiculous, now theres not any room to put in a jacket or sweater, what they were meant for in the first place.
Ask the person below and opposite one overhead bin, when during extreme turbulance, the bin opens, about how he feels about heavy luggage being up there.

Well, intex, we all have our own travel style. I am glad you check your luggage because it give me more room. You friend being denied access to a hotel has nothing to do with pack light and everything to do with his choice of clothing. We pack light and dress well at the same time. I have seen bums carrying 50 lb of luggage.

Getting into the Ritz has never been something I had to worry about!

Intex

Regarding carryon luggage, there is NO WAY I am checking luggage with medicine I need, my $600 digital camera, my camcorder, or my laptop. Those go in carryon, period. They are not covered if lost, would likely get stolen, broken, etc. if checked. I bring one change of clothes because I've had luggage delivered three days late before at my destination. These days you MUST bring things you will need right away, because checked luggage arrives on hope, not guarantee.

I do take a full week's of clothes because often we are staying places that don't have convenient laundry, like self-catering or out of the way B&Bs. I don't want to spend a whole day searching for a laundrette when I could be sight-seeing

Thanks to everyones reponses. I need to do some shopping for lighter weight layering pieces and more packable pants. And to BlueSwimmer, my best regards for your husbands speedy recovery. Thank you again!!!!

Oops, so concerned about packing I posted the wrong travel dates..should be Oct.03-Nov,19. All of the suggestions were most helpful. I'm still leary of the 2 pair of pants senario though. I'm sure we will experience some cold and perhaps wet weather so an all purpose jacket should be needed????

Greendragon,
I agree with the carryon for meds and cameras, I just don't personally believe in bringing all your luggage on board. I guess its a pilot "thing".

As far as cameras, I totally agree, went to Athens 2 years ago, to find both camera and video cam missing from suitcase. I guess thats why they xray the suitcases. Spent one full day with taxi, driving all over Athens to find replacements before a cruise (It happened to be one the most holy days in Greece).

No, travix2, I don't there is such a thing as all purpose jacket. Winter or summer we also carry a high quality rain/wind jacket. For winter travel we add a fleece vest, medium wool sweater, stocking cap, gloves, and scarf plus a set of long underwear (bottoms). Marcia will add a synthetic turtleneck, I do not since I don't like all that fabric around the neck. Between all of those layers you can find a combination to handle any temperature.

BlueSwimmer,
Your packing suggestions are excellent! Could you please tell me the name or style of Clark's walking shoes that you like? I tried the Symphony and they didn't work so well for me. Thanks!