thursdaysd

Totally agree about the jeans. I've done a lot of travel, and I've never taken jeans. I wash my clothes in the bathroom sink and doubt that would work well with jeans, aside from how long they take to dry.

I have occasionally taken "thermal" underwear if I'm traveling in the UK in winter, but the lightest weight that REI carries, and I wouldn't wear it on a museum day. I never wore it when I lived there, but I was often cold in winter, and now I live in NC I notice the cold more.

BTW, no need to quote a whole post, just indicate who you are responding to.

LYC

Thank you so much again, janisj!
I will have to look into suitable clothings for all of us.
My son has skin allergy as well, so the last visit to Hokkaido in winter was a challenge as he didn't like the prickly wool material against his skin.
I had a trouble having to monitor both kids, and at the same time, "forcing" him to wear the wool scarf. I will get him a knitted cap and hopefully, when we are all able to travel safely, he would also "grow" accepting wool. LOL!

What other material do you get besides jeans? I have always traveled in jeans, so I lack knowledge on that sense.

LYC

Thank you for your advice, thursdaysd!
Old habits die hard; trying to do better.

Because at the previous countries that I had visited during winter (not many), I avoided late Dec-Feb, so I had never really experienced rain during winter.
I have never even thought about it until this post! And being a jeans lover, I wear it nearly everywhere I go. Any advice on the type of pants to bring with me?
I never thought about cargo pants coz' they are usually too baggy for my liking, and I have always assumed that the cold wind could enter the pants due to its bagginess.

bilboburgler

I tend to wear Rohan type winter wear in the UK on the legs and then layers on top. I save wool for a top jumper and socks but a lot of synthetics in other places. Synthetice tend to wash and dry easily while I probably will not ahcnge my top sweater for 2 weeks. I'll fly in the sweater and pack the synthetics away.

thursdaysd

I cannot get this to post with full URLs. Grrr.... So I have posted the names of the companies instead, you'll need to do a search when you get there.

No reason to wear wool if it causes problems. There are plenty of synthetics around. Or silk next to the skin.

Now I think about it, the last couple of winter trips I've worn rain pants over light weight regular pants rather than thermals under them. Or rain pants alone. Go to rei.com and search for women's rain pants.

For alternatives to jeans you might start at: travelsmith.com and search for women's pants.

janisj

If he's allergic to wool - just get a fleece type scarf. They are quite inexpensive and very warm. If they are hard to find where yu live it is really simple to make one using fleece fabric. A fleece head band is useful too to keep his ears warm.

Tulips

If you always wear jeans, just wear them on holiday too. No point in buying a new wardrobe, just wear what you are comfortable in.
For additional layers, fleece, coats etc I like Uniqlo. Inexpensive and basic. They have lightweight thermals too, should you need it.

Regarding winter weather, just check before you go. December 2020 in Belgium where I live, we had a maximum temperature of almost 14 celsius. No frost to speak of.
Lots of rain, though.

jewela

I think your plan A and plan B are quite ambitious. Paris and London are both large cities to make your way around. Transportation and walking from one place to another will alone take hours, but that part of the enjoyment. Wandering the streets and alleys of Paris is part of the pleasure of being in this beautiful city. Your itinerary makes it sound as if these places you want to see in London are next door to one another. Please take the advice of some of the experts on this forum and cut some of these things out of your plans. You and your family will have a much more memorable trip.