You will wear black trousers over and over. They go everywhere and with everything.

Buy cheap cotton panties from the big box store and throw them out at the end of the day!

Way to many clothes .If you must wear different pants everyday .Just rotate them and hang the ones you wore the day before to air out by the window..If you really get sick of wears them more than once .Your in Paris go shoping.

Ohiobarbara, those tours look like fun! I used Trafalgar in Egypt and will again for an upcoming trip to Italy.

You have two nights in Nice and could do a bit of wash in the sink and know it would have plenty of time to hang dry before you were on the move again. Then you have time in Paris and could find a laundromat. Ask your guide or ask at the hotel desk and they can point you to a laundromat. That should get you into your second tour and to Amboise where you have two nights again and can do a bit of wash in the sink.

You can definitely get into a 26" suitcase with those tours and you'll have a great time!

I would cut the number of slacks, and the amount of shoes, I would combine and layer some outfits, you want to be able to bring home some souvenirs, yes?

I'm not a superlight packer, so can't travel like some of these folks (which I could sometimes) but I also think you have too many slacks. Other than that, it doesn't sound that bad to me. I cannot wear the exact same pair of shoes every day. Besides, at this time of year, I want one regular pair of walking shoes, say, and a pair of walking sandals. Capris look kind of dumb with enclosed shoes (to me).

I don't really see why this is such a big issue given your itinerary. What difference does it make if you are only going to one city and staying in one hotel? I personally wouldn't worry at all about taking a 25 inch bag to one place like that, depending on how you are getting to/from your hotel. I usually take taxis, so it really wouldn't matter if I had a 25 inch bag. In fact, I do take one on trips like that. I have a nice lightweight one, though, which basically saved about the same weight as when I used to pack super-heavy in a 22-23 inche one.

ON the other hand, I have no problem washing undies in the sink. I would never wash pants or slacks in the sink, I can't even imagine that.

Thought I would weigh in with a few comments! Isis for Women (got my 3 pairs on Backcountry.com)has some great pants that convert to capris..they roll up and have 2 tabs to keep them up. Also are made of a lightweight, easily dried material and don't stretch out at all. When rolled down, they pass for dressy pants. I actually wore 1 pair for 5 days(without washing)in New Zealand and they still looked fine. We have to limit bags to 24" because we travel(usually) with another couple and that is all the trunks (boots) of the rental cars will hold (4 24" suitcases). Once you get used to packing light, it is very freeing!! AND we like to shop in Europe for "stuff", not usually clothes, but that all has to fit, too. We use compression bags to save room and take mostly clothes that won't wrinkle (and if they do, hang them up and spray them with water..voila!!). A 6 week trip to New Zealand (cold) and Australia (hot) worked in a 24" bag...with a few washing days. This year we are going to France for a month and I will take a black skirt and 3 pairs of pants (plus 1 on the plane), 2 short sleeve shirts, 6 3/4 sleeve shirts, plus a sweater, trenchcoat, silk underwear, etc but it will all fit in the 24" bag. A skirt is necessary to me, because it goes anywhere, can be dressed up or down with scarves, jewelry, whatever and can be worn over and over if it is the right material and dark. I see packing as a creative accomplishment to have room left over (for purchases!)when I have packed everything!!

Gosh, there's so much advice here!

Things we discovered about travel: if we don't take vitamins for 3 weeks it won't kill us. Nobody will notice that you wear the same jewelry every day. If it rains we will buy an umbrella and leave it behind when we go home. We tear apart travel books and only take the pages that we need. (they get outdated, anyway.) Now that I got my knees replaced I don't need to take a folding cane any more.

Our biggest problem is that we are avid readers and three weeks in Italy leaves us desperate for books in English. I am not ready to spend the money on an electronic reader, but probably will in a year or so. And we'd have to buy two of them!!

Charneese: We take whatever book we are reading and most hotels have a book exchange. We either leave the finished book and take another or we just leave the book and in most bigger cities most book stores have and English section. In Florence on Borgo Ongisante there is an English book store. In Rome there is a book store with a lot of English books near Piazza Republica. Most of the stores we go to in Rome have at least a small English section. So there's no need to carry a lot of books.

Sheesh you guys travel heavy. I just came back from two weeks in Turkey and took only carry on.

I enjoy reading too while traveling. I buy wonderful titles at the Friends of the Library room at our library for a low price. Then read them on trips and leave them behind or hand it to someone I meet. Most often people are happy to get a new/used book. Helps my library, me and also the person who gets to read it after me.

Hastobe.....how about a month with carry-on? I wash and take very little.

When you learn to pack light, you learn that there are a lot of things you can easily live without and being without them (like flat irons, nail polish, extras, etc) makes your life so much easier. When you get home you can get back to your regiment.

<<People will see us wear the same stuff over and over. Do you have an intervention to offer us to fix our addiction?>>

They won't notice what you wear unless it's something exceptional, like a brightly patterned shirt. If you stick to basic colors and mix and match no one will notice. You can change the look with scarves.

Most group tours limit the luggage to one suitcase per person, so everyone will be wearing the same clothes several times.

Ohiobarbara,
We were in Paris for a week a couple of years ago at the beginning of a 6-week trip for me.
I found a self service laundry near my hotel in advance either from a website or a travel book like Rick Steves.
It was quick, easy, and inexpensive. The instructions posted were a little confusing, but a couple of Australians were kind enough to share their experience.
Often when I travel for long times like this, I specifically book a hotel that has a guest laundry. Because I usually stay in budget hotels like the Ibis, this is common.

Luisah

That's what I do - take primary coloured t-shirts etc and then add scarves. A larger cotton scarf also doubles as a beach wrap over a bikini, a beach 'mat', it covers head / shoulders etc when visiting mosques or temples....

Hi, I just glanced at the request for light packing and noted a simple addition was missing. Take away all the cotton panties or silk if that fancy (they dry super fast) and add thin pantyliners. They are extra flat, extra easy, and extra clean.

"That's what I do - take primary coloured t-shirts etc and then add scarves. A larger cotton scarf also doubles as a beach wrap over a bikini, a beach 'mat', it covers head / shoulders etc when visiting mosques or temples...."

That's good packing. I was on a three week trip last year and only remember the scarves one woman wore, can't remember the tops or pants, so guess they were black or brown. She had brought several scarves, but they are so lightweight it's no problem. I thought of them as an accessorie, but reading this, they can be a distraction -- from your top and pants.

Bringing a large, multipurpose scarf is a good idea, I'm going to keep that in mind.

Hi overpacker... I was inspired by a local travel store that gives a workshop on packing light... and confess I have transformed myself from an overpacker to a light one. Since... I've made 3 trips with only a carry-on and backpack. Trips were 2 and 3 weeks long each! It can be done! It was well worth it. With only 8 days... you can surely do this. As I was told... change countries not clothes! Best advice I ever had.

I'll comment on makeup. I love makeup that does double and triple duty for vacation. There are several brands and ideas.

Nars makes a product called "The Multiple" which is used on eyes, cheeks and lips. It makes for a really natural and sheer/clean look. I really like it.

You can also go with a pigmented loose powder (many brands such as MAC) which is also used on eyes and cheeks - combined with gloss it's for lips.

This helps pare down my makeup by a lot...and it's fun to buy a new product.

Good luck!

I think shoes are WAY more important than pants or tops. You could wear the same pair of pants for 8 days (I'm not saying you have to -haha- just that you could) and be no worse off for it. But if something goes wrong with a pair of shoes (they get wet, wear a blister, whatever) and you only have one or two pair, you're screwed.

People know you are traveling. No one CARES if you wear the same stuff "over and over".