I am going to be in Europe for two weeks and wonder how much luggage/clothing I should take. I am a single guy traveling alone. I am thinking at some point I will definitely need to do laundry along the way. I am leaning towards taking the largest carryon bag I can get my hands on, perhaps a soft sided duffel bag so I dont have to hassle with checked bags. I will be at 3 destinations, 4 days each.

What do you folks think?

Colë:

I've made more than 60 trips to Europe, so I think I have some expertise in this area.

A guy going solo to Europe for two weeks needs very little. One pair of jeans or similar pants, one nicer pair of ,say, khakis or black jeans. Five tops, ranging from long-sleeved dress shirt to t-shirt. One decent jacket - can be leather, corduroy, wool, whatever (something you can get into a club or nice restaurant with), underwear, socks, and accessories. One sweater. These you can easily pack in a 22" roll-on bag, which you can pick up for under $30 at any major discount outlet like Target or TJMaax or Marshalls or Ross or whatever.
A soft-sided duffel bag is fine, but a rolling bag is easier to manage.
You may have to get to a laundromat once or twice, but it will be worth not having to check baggage and haul around a large suitcase.

My thinking exactly. Thank you StCirq!

StCirq is my kind of traveler. I'll only add one thing . . .

If you are only going for two weeks, pack enough underwear for two weeks, plan on wearing everything a zillion times and you can probably skip the laundry. European laundromats take a lot longer than American ones. On the plus side, however, they are a great place to meet natives.

Have a great trip.

SalB is 100% correct. Packing two weeks worth of underwear - and socks - will save you the laundromat trip, which will save you some time and money - though you'll miss out on those precious laundro-encounters of the third kind.

Being a guy myself, I can tell you that the 22" is more than enough room. Tip: find a pair of comfortable black walking shoes that look good with jeans or black pants in case you eat out. Break in shoes completely before you go, make sure they won't cause blisters with long walks. Not having shoes in the bag saves a ton of room.

Also, if you haven't bought the suitcase yet, carefully review weight of the bag itself before you buy. US airlines restrict carry-ons by size (under 22" usually). European and Australian airlines further restrict by weight. The samsonite roll arounds we bought (without thinking of this factor) weigh almost as much as Qantas' weight limit *empty*. Ah well. Having the option to always carry on and move quickly would be so much better.

I also agree with what has been said and expecially what StCirq said, make sure it has wheels. You also might want to put inside your carryon bag another empty fabric bag incase you find some things you want to bring back with you.

Thank you all so much!

I can appreciate packing light - but I would take into consideration your method of transportation. If you're renting are car, I think you could bring a bit more. That's my opinion only.

I am so envous of you light packers. I try to do it - but could never get everyting into a carry om rollie - I just wasnt more options than that. My real issue is my significant other however. He brings enough with hin for the Normandy invasion. He has a 30" suitcase stuffed to the brim and I always end up with a bunch of his stuff in my much smaller bag. Example: one year we went to Germany for 2 weeks in November and he tried to take a heavy towel bathrobe with him "in case it gets cold in the bathroom". We have a big argument about this before every trip but the best I've been able to do is keep him in the one giant suitcase vs taking 2 plus a carry on. I've tried to convince him to take much less and have things washed along the way but he's always afraid the hotel won't have it ready in time. Any one else have a similar problem? And were you successful in modifying his/her behavior?

Sorry, nytraveler, there is no known cure for the "just in case" packer.

nytraveler

I cured my husband's just-in-case habit on our first trip to the UK together. I insisted we pack, and carry, separate bags. Any time we took a train/metro, it usually meant his having to lug that bag up steep flights of stairs from track level to street.

Mind, his 23" bag is stuffed to the brim, but he's much improved. Good luck!