My Top 5 European planning tips
Jan 27th, 2017, 07:42 AM
#21
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"I feel like I'm the only one who ever mentions doing laundry."
Jean, I think that is a great tip. Plan your laundry times. On our upcoming trip, I have actually rented apartments with laundry facilities about every other move, so we can do laundry without having to miss a morning or afternoon of sightseeing.
After having my pants shrunk by a couple of inches by a laundry service, I like to do my own laundry now. A little shampoo bottle of detergent is perfectly packable for doing hand washables in the sink at night.
Woin, I just think it's arrogant to take for granted that everyone speaks English. A few words of the language where you are certainly can't hurt.
Jean, I think that is a great tip. Plan your laundry times. On our upcoming trip, I have actually rented apartments with laundry facilities about every other move, so we can do laundry without having to miss a morning or afternoon of sightseeing.
After having my pants shrunk by a couple of inches by a laundry service, I like to do my own laundry now. A little shampoo bottle of detergent is perfectly packable for doing hand washables in the sink at night.
Woin, I just think it's arrogant to take for granted that everyone speaks English. A few words of the language where you are certainly can't hurt.
Jan 27th, 2017, 08:15 AM
#22
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<i> That $2 Paris-2005 guidebook from a second-hand store may end up costing you several hundred dollars because you were too cheap to spend $25 on a current one.
Where´s the evidence supporting this statement?"
</i>
My daughter, when she was studying in Germany (about 20 years ago, admittedly) once asked a friend from the US to bring along a copy of Let's Go, Germany when she came to visit. The two of them planned to go on a little trip when my daughter's term finished. The friend was very proud of the fact that she'd found a copy of the guide at a yard sale for one dollar. Unfortunately, all the phone numbers were wrong, because there had just been a major revisions of the phone number system, and you now had to add some numbers, different from town to town, to the front of the number.
Even guide books that you buy new can be out of date. I always look for the publication date, which they often try to hide from plain view. I once had a new copy of the Rough Guide for northern Spain that was dreadfully out of date, so much so that I was sure they hadn't really done a thorough update.
Even museums and archaeological sites can have drastic changes in visiting hours, prices, and other important things. The Barberini Gallery in Rome has just finished undergoing a lengthy restoration, during which many rooms were off limits. The guide book is great for description and background, but check the particulars on the internet.
Where´s the evidence supporting this statement?"
</i>
My daughter, when she was studying in Germany (about 20 years ago, admittedly) once asked a friend from the US to bring along a copy of Let's Go, Germany when she came to visit. The two of them planned to go on a little trip when my daughter's term finished. The friend was very proud of the fact that she'd found a copy of the guide at a yard sale for one dollar. Unfortunately, all the phone numbers were wrong, because there had just been a major revisions of the phone number system, and you now had to add some numbers, different from town to town, to the front of the number.
Even guide books that you buy new can be out of date. I always look for the publication date, which they often try to hide from plain view. I once had a new copy of the Rough Guide for northern Spain that was dreadfully out of date, so much so that I was sure they hadn't really done a thorough update.
Even museums and archaeological sites can have drastic changes in visiting hours, prices, and other important things. The Barberini Gallery in Rome has just finished undergoing a lengthy restoration, during which many rooms were off limits. The guide book is great for description and background, but check the particulars on the internet.
Jan 27th, 2017, 08:17 AM
#23
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I pack very efficiently, and I don't do laundry on the road, unless some sort of emergency or unforeseen circumstance dictates. Mainly, I plan to wear things several times, and I make sure that all the pieces can go together.
Jan 27th, 2017, 09:45 AM
#26
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This is not advice, it is judgemental.
We don't and we usually come back with 25% of clean clothes.
We like to have a choice of clothes during our holidays.
I like it like that. You like it your way. Good for me. Good for you.
Why to tell others they have to pack light ?
We don't and we usually come back with 25% of clean clothes.
We like to have a choice of clothes during our holidays.
I like it like that. You like it your way. Good for me. Good for you.
Why to tell others they have to pack light ?
Jan 27th, 2017, 10:20 AM
#27
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woin I guess your back is better than mine! 
Is it possible that you don't move around as much as someone who is coming from North America and staying for a month? And using trains?
That's what taught me to travel light; trying to lift the biggest suitcase ever up 3 stairs into the train with a lineup of anxious people behind me. And that was after bumping it down one long set of stairs and up the other side.
We do laundry because we are usually on the road for 4-5 weeks. That's just too much underwear and socks to pack!!
Is it possible that you don't move around as much as someone who is coming from North America and staying for a month? And using trains?
That's what taught me to travel light; trying to lift the biggest suitcase ever up 3 stairs into the train with a lineup of anxious people behind me. And that was after bumping it down one long set of stairs and up the other side.
We do laundry because we are usually on the road for 4-5 weeks. That's just too much underwear and socks to pack!!
Jan 27th, 2017, 10:44 AM
#28
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<i> Why to tell others they have to pack light ? </>
I didn't say anything about what other people should do. I used the first person singular throughout. I don't see how that's judgmental, unless you think I'm some sort of oracle.
I didn't say anything about what other people should do. I used the first person singular throughout. I don't see how that's judgmental, unless you think I'm some sort of oracle.
Jan 27th, 2017, 10:45 AM
#29
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One tip for those who want to save some money. When you check in your luggage include a cork screw and some utensils. When we are walking around a city or a larger town we buy things like wine, chocolate, meat, cheese, bread, and fruit and put in our backpacks and have a feast for dinner when we return to the room. If just carry on buy a cheap cork screw wherever you are.
Jan 27th, 2017, 10:57 AM
#30
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<<This is not advice, it is judgemental.
We don't and we usually come back with 25% of clean clothes.
We like to have a choice of clothes during our holidays.
I like it like that. You like it your way. Good for me. Good for you. >>
Stop the clock and mark the date, I agree with Wo on this.
Fact is, you cannot just pack light for certain times of year and certain climates. And having a choice of clothes happens to be both useful and more sanitary than wearing things time and time and time and time again and avoiding laundry like bvlenci. We're not taking enormous steamer trunks full of stuff, but regular suitcases. And honestly, they're great for hauling souvenirs too.
We don't and we usually come back with 25% of clean clothes.
We like to have a choice of clothes during our holidays.
I like it like that. You like it your way. Good for me. Good for you. >>
Stop the clock and mark the date, I agree with Wo on this.
Fact is, you cannot just pack light for certain times of year and certain climates. And having a choice of clothes happens to be both useful and more sanitary than wearing things time and time and time and time again and avoiding laundry like bvlenci. We're not taking enormous steamer trunks full of stuff, but regular suitcases. And honestly, they're great for hauling souvenirs too.
Jan 27th, 2017, 11:05 AM
#31
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<<'Someone should strike you.'>>
I'd like to see someone try when I use my selfie stick, which is highly useful for taking photos above crowds or at angles you can't normally reach. They'd learn the f=ma equation for gravity real quick.
I'd like to see someone try when I use my selfie stick, which is highly useful for taking photos above crowds or at angles you can't normally reach. They'd learn the f=ma equation for gravity real quick.
Jan 27th, 2017, 11:08 AM
#32
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BR, I marked the date with chalk. ;-)
Sundried, it is actually worse, I usually carry an extra luggage to make it easier for my wife or kids. We hardly ever go for a family trip less than 3 weeks. (I'm European, do you really want to know how many days of holidays I have ?).
But usually we have a car, so I just have to bring the luggage from the car to the hotel. Which means several trips to and from the car, since my daughters will be busy typing the password onto their Ipads...
BTW, it could be a tip for people traveling with large families and small children to maximise the use of a car : kids sleep super easy in a car and you can have some trash in the car, ready to use, instead of nicely packed.
Sundried, it is actually worse, I usually carry an extra luggage to make it easier for my wife or kids. We hardly ever go for a family trip less than 3 weeks. (I'm European, do you really want to know how many days of holidays I have ?).
But usually we have a car, so I just have to bring the luggage from the car to the hotel. Which means several trips to and from the car, since my daughters will be busy typing the password onto their Ipads...
BTW, it could be a tip for people traveling with large families and small children to maximise the use of a car : kids sleep super easy in a car and you can have some trash in the car, ready to use, instead of nicely packed.
Jan 27th, 2017, 11:11 AM
#33
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"I'd like to see someone try when I use my selfie stick, which is highly useful for taking photos above crowds or at angles you can't normally reach. They'd learn the f=ma equation for gravity real quick."
That's it. I'm banning you from Europe. You're banned!
That's it. I'm banning you from Europe. You're banned!
Jan 27th, 2017, 11:12 AM
#34
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Laundry is super important to us if we're going to be gone for 2+ weeks. It's not so much the pants and tops, but it's the socks and underwear which can't be reused. (Well, they *can* but I'd really rather not...) We also like to do a final wash, if possible, before coming home, so we're not faced with a gigantic chore right before going back to work. That's a big reason why we go to places where we can legally rent apartments with washer/dryer, or we find places that can do our laundry for a reasonable price (so NOT hotel services). So far we haven't yet needed to hit a self-service laundromat, but we might have to do that someday.
Jan 27th, 2017, 12:18 PM
#35
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Laundry is important for us too. We travel for three months and usually seven days in each place and it is great to have a washing machine. we had laundry done for us in Turin the strong smell of the detergent used was awful. Luckily we were on the way home but we had to rinse the clothes before we could wear them.
Jan 27th, 2017, 12:47 PM
#37
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Most of our holidays are about two weeks. Socks and underwear can easily be stuffed around the edges of the other stuff in the suitcase. I even stuff socks inside our shoes, which actually helps to preserve their shape.
I have polished my packing technique to the nth degree. My daughter says that my little suitcase is like one of those tiny clown cars at the circus, when she sees all the stuff I pull out of it.
We enjoy driving trips when we're in the countryside, but not when we're staying in cities, or traveling between cities. I love driving on country roads, even if they're narrow and twisty, but it's no fun driving on the autostrada in the midst of heavy truck traffic.
I have polished my packing technique to the nth degree. My daughter says that my little suitcase is like one of those tiny clown cars at the circus, when she sees all the stuff I pull out of it.
We enjoy driving trips when we're in the countryside, but not when we're staying in cities, or traveling between cities. I love driving on country roads, even if they're narrow and twisty, but it's no fun driving on the autostrada in the midst of heavy truck traffic.
Jan 27th, 2017, 01:07 PM
#38
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Bvlenci I to stuff things in shoes. We use backpacks and sill have not mastered how to pack correctly and even though I take lightweight clothes the lightest I've had my pack is 13kg. So any tips you could share would be great,y appreciated.
