How much luggage for 19 day trip for 2 people?
 

My husband and I will be spending 19 days in Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence) and Paris in a few days. We will be taking trains between cities, and flying EasyJet from Venice to Paris. I believe we had to prepay for luggage on our flight and paid for 2 checked bags.

What do you recommend as far as luggage? We've never been on a trip this long. Should we plan on doing laundry while away? (is this hard to do?) My husband was thinking 2 large checked suitcases and a backpack/tote without any checked (smaller) suitcases.

We've done carryon only for a 7 night cruise but I did end up wishing I brought a little more clothing with me.

On a related note, any other packing suggestions? TYIA

I usually go with a larger (usually 25") suitcase and a large-ish tote for a longer trip. I find little difference between lugging a 25" and a 21" piece of baggage. Others do it only with a carry-on, but I don't see the point and find it more hassle than it is worth.

You still might need to do laundry - do you have 19 pairs of underwear? It can be easy or a hassle. Easy if you stay in a hotel and are willing to pay them to do it. A hassle if you are staying in a 2-star without laundry service and without a laundromat nearby.

Think one small convertible suitcase or rolling case per person, and one carry-on day bag (with the electronics, any medicines and a change of underwear) per person. I've traveled for 10 months with just that. You don't need any more for 19 days than you do for 9, other than perhaps more toiletries and pharmaceuticals, but you can always go shopping for toothpaste and shampoo.

In Europe you will find launderettes, but I prefer to hand wash - that way I don't have to worry about things getting washed in too-hot water. Decant Woolite into a small plastic bottle (or take/buy sachets of powder or even use shampoo), buy a universal sink plug (www.outdoorgb.com/p/universal_sink_plug), and possibly a twisted clothesline (tinyurl.com/ms4lpt). I usually find the towel rails and clothes hangers adequate.

For my packing list see www.wilhelmswords.com/faq

Summer08, May I suggest that you put some of your clothes and some of your husband's in each suitcase, just in case a piece of luggage is lost. You never know...

latedaytraveler's suggestion is a good one. I always mean to do it, but rarely do.

I suggest that you rethink the "two large suitcases"

You have to haul this stuff everywhere. You have to load it on trains etc...

I have downsized my mother to a 24" and me to a 21" (I can't get her any smaller) and it's really too much luggage! Especially that horrid 24"!

lateday and travel -- we usually do that just for space purposes (my clothes and shoes take up a lot less space so we can fit more if we mix and match) but we will be sure to spread things out just to be safe.

OK..the PRACTICALITIES:

WHO is going to be schlepping this luggage on and off the trains?

Do those two suitcases weigh in at LESS than or equal to the 20 Kilos EasyJet allows for BOTH bags combined or are you ready to fork over extra money for that portion?

How many DIFFERENT outfits do you really need? You will be seeing different people on each new day and none of them will have seen you or your clothes before so the clothing will all seem new to them.

Laundry? Are you prepared to do it in the hotel room/pay to have it done by the hotel, etc.?

NOBODY and I mean NOBODY here packs any HEAVIER than I do/did...and I would observe that first set of packing rules..
A. lay it ALL out and then put half of it back in the closet
B. pack it and then CARRY IT..YOURSELF up and down at least TWO flights of stairs and a bit further.

ok, I get the point -- pack light :)

for practical purposes would it be better for us to have one large suitcase or 2 small?

Think about how you're going to get between train stations and hotels; between airports and hotels.

If you think you'll be taking taxis for all these trips, then by all means bring large suitcases with you (not sure what "large" means for you). As long as your husband is capable of lugging these large suitcases up/down trains, and possibly up/down a flight of stairs, you'll be okay.

However, if you want to take public transport with large suitcases, I can assure you that it will be a pain.

I am a healthy female in my 30s and I do a lot of solo trips. But since I use public transport only (buses, trains, trams, walk etc), I downsized from a 21" to a 19" last year and I haven't looked back since. Since I'm short, the 19" is much easier to manage than the 21".

When I travel with my husband, we usually just take a 21" and a 19". I never expect him or anyone else to carry my luggage for me. I need to be able to handle my suitcase myself.

For 19 days, if you want to go with smaller suitcases, you definitely need to do laundry at least once, if not twice.

For packing tips, do a search for "Therese" - she has started many packing threads here.

Like thursdayd we pack the same whether it's 1 week or 3; doing laundry is inevitable. We take either 21" or 25", both of which have an expandable feature, and a tote or carryon.

Also use the Woolite technique and take a large (2 gal) baggie which we turn into a mini-washer so we won't take up use of the sink. It also serves as a way to keep anything damp that doesn't get dry until our next stop.

If we're going to be somewhere 3 or so days, we wash that first night and find everything dries by the time we leave, and sometimes by the next day depending on the material.

Besides the good idea of packing some of each other's clothes in the other's suitcase, we also make sure we have a change of clothes in the carryons in case both bags get delayed/lost.

<<NOBODY and I mean NOBODY here packs any HEAVIER than I do/did>>

Oh dear. I'm afraid I might, lol.

We prefer taking one suitcase each (we purchased new lightweight suitcases) and one carryon. I can't wheel two suitcases at the same time and then carry them on/off trains and steps.

Laundry is easy to do in all these locations. The options include having your hotel do it (most expensive), taking it to a laundromat where they do it for you (next most expensive but not very expensive and you save a lot of time), laundromat where you do it yourself (takes time but is cheaper than drop off but you can usually put it in, go get a coffee or run another errand, or such) or hand laundry in your hotel sink (works great for underwear, socks, small tops and is essentially free). There are lots of resources about how to pack light. I like http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm. If you went on a 7 day cruise with only carry on you know how to do it. In a 19 day trip would think you can get by with doing full laundry a couple of times and handwashing other times.

take a 22" rollaboard each, you take a larger tote/purse and the other person takes a backapack that has a convertible day pack attached. you'll have to do laundry no matter what. Just expect that you may have to limit your purchases a bit or have them shipped back.

When I went to Europe for 21 days I checked a 21 inch suitcase and carried on a small bag that I also put my small purse in. I did get very tired of my clothes. I laundered clothes, in my room, during the trip using shampoo, a travel clothesline and a plastic pants hanger. I found that inflated balloons work great for drying underwear faster. I also bought fast drying socks and underwear. Since that trip, I have taken a size bigger on long trips and find it easier packing wise. More than two total bags per person will be hard to haul around, especially on the trains. Have a great trip!

I take as little as I can get away with and that means wearing the same shirts & pants over and over - washing them only when necessary which could mean wearing a pair of slacks three times before laundering them in the hotel wash basin.
I can get away with wearing a blouse at least twice and usually hang it up to 'air' while I wear something else.
I don't believe people who say they wear something once and it has to be washed! OK, definitely clean underwear everyday and somethimes I change that twice in a day, but not clothing.
Everything I take is 'wash 'n wear' - no ironing involved at all.

I have always operated under the assumption that I have to deal with my own luggage all by myself (no porters, no hulking partner to schlep for me), and pack accordingly, which means at the most a 21" rollaboard and a tote bag (inside of which at the beginning of my travels is a smaller purse that I will use for daily excursions). I pack the same amount of stuff whether I'm going for a weekend or 3 months.

Take out everything you want to take with you. Then put half of it back. Now pack the bag(s). Leave your house and roam around a few blocks, dragging the luggage. Walk up and down a few flights of steps with it. Pick it up and put it on a high shelf a few times. That's what traveling with that luggage will be like. See how you like it.

I go to Paris for 6 weeks and I take one 24" to check and I also have my laptop case..on wheels..that has all my papers, camera and other small electronics and whatever else room for. This is my carry on. My purse has cell phones, medications etc.

If I take a coat, I wear it. Take it off on plane and fold it up.

My clothing consists of jeans to something for starred restaurants. I always have excess clothing. I do stay in apartments and have washer/dryer.

Take about 1/2 of what you start out with..or less!!

Joan

I also have to carry my own luggage. So I take 2 smalls bags, one rolling computer bag and another hand-carry computer bag.

I returned the last of June from a 20 day trip using those 2 bags. In addition to the clothes I was wearing, I packed:

1 pair jeans
1 black pants
6 tops
2 pairs of short pajamas
underwear
1 pair of Pumas
toiletries
make up
extra cardigan
laptop
vitamins
2 paperback books
junk food for the plane

Yes, I had to do laundry, but this makes getting on and off the train much easier. And all those STEPS at the metro-I have no problem.

Almost forgot, I had to also cram my purse into one of the bags for the flights.

One 19" each. NOTHING else!