Laundry
 

My last trip overseas for for 5 weeks. I took much too much clothing, and I'll not make that mistake again. <BR>On that trip, we were at the Park Hotel, in Siena, when we ran out of clothing, and used the valet service, and the bill was astonishing. <BR>This time, it's our Honeymoon, and it's 3 weeks. We're committed to one suitcase each, and one soft duffle for gifts. We're traveling by car from Munich through Salzburg, Italy, and Switzerland. <BR>What do you guys do about laundry. I know about underwear & socks in the hotel room, by hand---but what about the rest. <BR>thanks

Some people find laundromats, but I use the sink for everything. Just bring clothing that is washable and dries quickly (not jeans or cotton items).

I do everything in the sink, too. I just bring a small bottle of laundry detergent (liquid rinses out more quickly), a plastic skirt hanger (for slacks too) and a plain plastic hanger, and only slacks that will dry overnight (L.L. Bean and Lands End have fabulous tailored twills that are easy care, comfortable and travel exceptionally well - need NO ironing and hold the creases). Heavier items can be rolled between towels to blot the excess moisture for quicker drying.

I put the rental of a house or villa (with washing machine) somewhere between day 7 and 15 of any trip longer than 10 days. <BR>

Laundromats will do a service wash for you very cheaply, same day. <BR>Can't understand the astromomical cleaning charges I've seen - I think it's a way of gouging the expense account customers.

After you roll the clothes up into towels, jump up and down on everything several times. It really gets the water out, and even jeans will be dried in the morning.

I've never had any problem finding a laundromat in Europe - I also like Rex's idea of renting an apartment or house at the strategic times! A 1/2 day to do laundry is relaxing - it gives you time to write in your journal or catch up on correspondence. We always do our laundry on the first day of a three or four-day stay in a hotel, so that damp clothes can dry. YOu may also chat with other tourists or work on your language skills with the attendant.

I have never had a problem finding a laundromat in Europe, either. In Portugal, England, and Spain we left our laundry with an attendant and it was done for us in within a couple of hours. And it was done for a very small fee. <BR>As we have a car, we usually look in the small towns and find one. It's also a good time to restock on any groceries you may want. <BR>Email your hotel in advance as we do, and they will tell you where you can expect to find one. <BR>I always get a chuckle imagining Karen jumping up and down on her laundry. LOL!

For slow to dry items we found that if you have a car with a hatchback and one of those curtains which cover your stuff, placing wet jeans etc. on the top of the curtain then parking in the sun does a fine job. Takes a certain amount of courage to put your unmentionables on display like that, but then it's good for one's self esteem.

We never do laundry while in Europe. I just pack all the old underwear that I have saved up for one final wearing in Europe. Then you wear them that last time and throw them away. You come home with less clothing than you took. Works great with socks and tshirts also. <BR> <BR>On pants, you can usually buy an extra pair for less than the sharks at some laundry will charge you to clean, but we have never had to do that. Just find a laundromat and do it yourself.

If you in a cool weather area, remember you can wear shirts more than one day, so ten shirts equals 20 days. That is good for around two weeks. A five week trip like your first one, then plan ahead for a small town where it would be easy to find a laundromat. Plan then for an afternoon of washing & ironing.

As a woman I have compacted my travel wardrobe to sink washable items only and they can all go in a small carry on case. I have learned the travel packing tricks well. But my husband is a different story! For our recent Roman holiday of 8 days he took 2 dress shirts, 6 knit shirts, 3 cotton shirts, 3 prs Docker pants, etc. Geez, he just won't listen. <BR>Anyway we were in Nice in 1997 and found a laundromat about half-mile from our hotel. We schlepped two loads of dirty laundry late one evening. It cost an unbelievable $21 U.S. by the time we finished washing and drying! Then we had to schlepp it all back to the hotel in a driving rainstorm. Wouldn't trade some memories for anything.