For annieladd, YES a 19" plus a 26" is WAY too much luggage for two weeks! No way you need that many clothes!!

Try for a single 22-24" max. and plan to check it on the plane. Besides that I carry only one good size tote/pocketbook onto the plane with me. Your plan of 2 rolling suitcases would be very hard for one person to handle, especially should you have to lift them both (like up hotel stairs, or out to catch a train or taxi).

Back to your original question - I can do two weeks in my 22" with only washing out undies and maybe a top or two in the sink (use hotel shampoo no need to carry laundry detergent).

One really good packing trick is to severely downsize all your cosmetics and toiletries. I take lots of different stuff but just barely enough to last thru the trip.

Real savvy and experienced travelers will think I'm crazy, Since you're going to be in two, distinct different areas, I have an idea. If the home near Avignon is with friends, perhaps they'd let you "ship" some things...(light weight things) then ship them home to yourself when you leave Provence...and pack for Paris in your suitcase.

I always travel light and have managed to get by for weeks on end. I wear the same clothing items over again (like the Europeans do) so I save on space in my suitcase. I limit myself to one small carry-on with rollers. That works for 2 of us. I bring a plastic Ikea bag that opens up very large and can be held under the arm like a huge tote. I use that to put the souvenirs and excess things I have purchased on my trip for the return flight home. It saves lugging a 2nd suitcase all around (up and down Metros, on busses/trains enroute to airport, etc)!

SuzieC, that actually can work great! I've used it in reverse. I was going colder climate first, then onto a warmer one. When I reached my second stop, I simply took a stack of cool weather clothes to the post office, purchased a box, and shipped them home.

Yeah, we noticed that many Europeans seem to wear the same clothes over and over again. But you get used to the odor after a while.

I bring along or ask for some detergent to soak my clothes in. The hotels have offered to even wash my items, or if they are pairs of socks, etc I put in my bathroom sink. It is no trouble to anyone and there is no odor. I would rather save on space and having to carry too much luggage over there - been there, done that! I have learned my lesson and only travel light now. (I'm the tourist with the happy smile on my face pulling my small carry-on behind me, vs the struggling, grunting, sweating tourist trying to pull 2 or 3 large suitcases up the cobblestone streets of Rome!) :-)

One person taking 2 or 3 large suitcases would be a bit excessive, unless they could afford cabs and such.

Ship stuff from Avignon? If they actually are friends, far better to just take a lot fewer clothes and do laundry there!

One thing to keep in mind about packing light is that you are afraid that you will need something that you did not pack. To put your mind at ease remember that you can buy it over there if you really need it.

If I was staying in a friend's house for one week and another location for one week, I would take enough clothes for a week and do laundry before leaving the friends house. In this case, I would probably have 5 or six shirts in my checked luggage along with a couple of paints/shorts and a full change of clothes in my carry-on. This should be easy to do in a smaller suitcase.

We're staying at a rental villa (rentavilla.com, Villa Luberon). It has a washer, but no dryer. I'm just going to have to plan better, get used to wearing things twice, and learn from the word of architect Mies "less is more". Thanks, again. Annie