Last minute LUGGAGE question! Please help!
 

In Five days I've been travelling to Italy and Spain.My whole trip will last 2 months, since I'll be going to school in Spain in July.
I haven't decided on my luggage yet! And it's very stressful!
Do you think I can take a ROLLING WHEELED DUFFLE BAG:30" X 15" X 14" , or is it TOO big? I'll be doing a lot of train travel in Italy.
Please your ideas!

How tall are you? I'm 5'6'' [168cm] and travelled for about 7 weeks, mostly by train, with a 22' roller case, with a small cabin bag that fitted snugly over the handle. Very manageable, and much better than the large suitace I lugged on and off trains, aged 21, many years ago. My husband travelled with a roller several inches bigger but he's much taller, and uses a 22' for short trips anyway.

Are you talking about the soft wobbly bags on wheels? They seem very clumsy for trains, not to mention stairs where elevators or escalators aren't available.

Hi IL,

You need no more stuff for 2 months than you do for 2 weeks.

I also suggest at 22" carry on and a tote bag.

When traveling by train you will have to lug that duffle up stairs, onto luggage racks, through buses and subway cars, etc, etc.

Have a lovely visit.

((I))

Thanks for the ideas!
I'm 5'8'' and I'm 32 years old.
The duffel bag is not of a sturdy material, and when it's empty is light.

Fill up the duffel bag and walk around the block a few times. Then, go up a staircase or two. See if you can manage to get it onto a high shelf in your home. See what you think.

This duffel bag has wheels!

I have found wheeled duffles are much harder to roll than wheeled suitcases. I think it has more to do with the (shifting) distribution of weight - rather than anything directly to do with the wheels.

I much prefer a wheeled suitcase - and I always have a small tote of some sorth to put on top that holds purse, water and others items I need to reach quickly.

I think it's too big (the 30 inch part), and I wouldn't ever want a wheeled duffle bag myself. I would never used a duffle bag for my main bag, only a small tote. I don't like them.

I don't think you have to do all the things some other people do (like running around with it, etc.) as I can manage with a 25" bag and don't ever run around with it or have to put it on a shelf, either. You don't have to put luggage on shelves in trains. Sometimes you can, but there are options.

Anyway, it's not clear where you are going and when, and the luggage you need with you. You say you'll be doing a lot of train travel in Italy, but does that part of your trip mean you have to carry every thing with you the entire time, just like you will have for a month at a school? If so, I would pare down if you really are lugging around two months worth of luggage all the time.

A 30 inch duffle will be VERY heavy and VERY hard to move around.

And &quot;<i>The duffel bag is not of a sturdy material</i>&quot; is a problem- since it will have to be checked on the flight and will take a lot of abuse.

The wheels won't help much when you have to climb 2 or 3 flights of stairs, or 2 or 3 steps up into a train.

Take a much smaller rolling suitcase

I think it is WAY too big for doing &quot;a lot of train travel&quot;!

Even with wheels, you still often have to carry or lift it as mentioned... over your head to put it on a rack on the train, carrying it up and down stairs, etc.

I would use a normal 22&quot; rolling suitcase along with some kind of tote or daypack that you can carry or ride on top of the suitcase.

As also already mentioned, pack for one week and do laundry. Don't think of it as clothes for 2 months.

BTW - even if you don't have to lift the bag to the overhead racks on a train - you still might have to heft it up on top of a pile of other bags already on board.

I just can't imagine how I can pack in a 22&quot; piece of luggage. It's TOO small!!!

Take less. Wash more!

LOTS of people travel for a month or 2 or 6 w/ just a 21 inch bag. And many even get by w/ less than that.

Do a search - there are several really long threads on here about packing light. Don't think of it a a 2-month trip. That is just too daunting for some to get their minds around. Think of it as a 6 or 7 or 8 day trip, and then wear things more than once. At home you probably don't wear a completely different outfit every day - the same goes for Europe. Layers/color coordination/flexible garments (like a shirt that also works as a light jacket), etc all help.

Well you asked and we told you (just kidding) but I would not use the one you mention for two reasons: size (way too big) and shape (duffles are floppy and harder to handle than a normal shaped suitcase).

If you can't pack in a suitcase that small then you'll just have to figure out how to manage somehow with the large one you describe.

If you used the large bag for the plane ride over, is there a place you can store things and travel with a smaller bag for your train trips? Or do you need to keep everything with you at all times?

(I'm picturing weekend trips with a small bag if you can leave you large one at the school, for example).

The smaller bag CAN hold enough for two months - because you are actually packing a 10 day wardrobe (or so) they you repeat. If you need more for the school in July, can someone ship the extra stuff you need then to you? (instead of hauling it around while you sight-see?)

A bigger suitcase is better (easier to handle) than a rolling duffle if you have to go bigger.

Thanks for all your responses!
Unfortunately, I have to take all my stuff with me every time we go to a different town. In Rome, where we will be 5 days, my luggage will be in the hotel, but then I need to take it to my other destinations: Florence, Assisi, Venice, etc. And my luggage will be in the hotel for the amount of days we wll stay. After 3 weeks travelling around Italy, I 'll go to school in Spain.
It's the travel by train that worries me when it comes to choosing my luggage!!!

REALLY, do yourself a favor. Pack less, enjoy more. (and not cry at train stations!)

Did you notice people answering your question are 100% in agreement on using a 21-25&quot; rolling suitcase?

But I'm assuming this is your first trip? Go ahead and pack what you like, use the big bag, see how things work out. Please don't take that statement in a mean spirited way, because I mean it kindly. It will be a hassle but certainly not the end of the civilized world.

I guarantee you will take less on your next trip. I guess maybe some things are more easily learned by experience, then by us trying to convince you of something here.

Nice way to put it suze.