pack light?
 

I was advised when i goto europe to pack light and only use a carry on, and wash clothing. I don't know how i will be able to get that much into a small 21 inch bag, esp. if i buy things. What are your experiences with this? I will be taking the train to a few places in france and rome. Also if i do only take a carry on, should i mail things home (to the US) that I buy, and how expensive is this? Also my airline saids that you can have a carry on and also a personal bag, would a book bag count as this?

My husband & I each take a carryon bag and a backpack. We've traveled as long as 6 weeks with this.

If you doubt you can do it, take everything you wear for a week and put it in your suitcase. That's all you'll probably need and I bet it will fit.

If you have something heavy like a winter coat or blue jeans, wear it on the plane to save space in your luggage.

There's a web site called onebag.com that tells you what you need and how to pack it.

Believe me, it's possible.

Have a great trip.

It all depends upons the length of your stay, the season you're traveling, and how "formal" your destinations.

If you'll be traveling about by train, it's defintely best to have only a managableable number of bags, regardless of whether you plan to check any with the airlines.

If you're planning to take a small 21" bag, and a bookbag, best bet is to stick to casual sort of places.

Most airlines permit one carry on bag, along with another reasonably sized personal bag. As to the definition of "reasonable" each airline is specific about this. If you're unsure of the "limit", you can phone or e-mail. These days, while you're in the check-in line in the airport, an airline official goes down the line sticking official tags on allowable carry ons - the rest have to be checked. A "bookbag" might be considered too large for a "personal" bag, all depending upon the airline.

Typically, depending upon what you plan to send (weight, fragility), shipping items "home", regardless of the expense, is somewhat economical compared to hauling it all about with you and carrying it on the plane home.

Without knowing what you would wish to send home, there aren't many items (of substantial weight and size, anyway) that cannot be acquired stateside at a similar prices, or on the web once you're returned home with reasonable shipping prices.

My wife takes the kitchen sink everytime we travel to Europe. We usually have a rental car. As much as I've barked at her, to no avail.

I've taken a 22" roller and a small back pack as a carry on plus my wife takes a carry on with her jewelry & some toiletries. We've never had a problem. ((b))

I know everyone says to do this but I am not a believer. I prefer to have several changes of clothes for daytime, a couple of choices to wear for going out to dinner at a real restaurant, sweaters for cool weather and a change of shoes. (I refuse to waste valuable vacation time doing laundry and hotels charge almost as much to wash clothing as you paid to buy it.)

I check a medium size rollie (24/25") and have a soft carryon for toiletries, essentials and one change of clothing (in case your checked bag is lost - although this has never happend to me).

I have traveled extensively by car and train and dealing with this luggage has never been a problem. Just make sure that you can lift it all in case you ever need to (unexpected stairs for example). And you'll have room in both the rollie and carry-on to pack the things you buy as you go.

What is correct is not to overpack - take the carry it rule very seriously and you'll be OK.

Happy traveling!

... and in October a friend and I did the very opposite over three weeks, and rued that decision. We each took an enormous suitcase and ended up wearing the same 2 pair of slacks, 2 skirts, half a dozen various tops and a sweater. We trained between five cities and used public transportation to get to our hotels. Man, were those bags heavy. Next year I'll take a wheeled suitcase but it will be the small to mid size. I don't have any concerns about checking luggage - a credit card will replace everything quickly. Any large gifts will be shipped home (but I hope to avoid that scenario after this year). Have a wonderful time.

There are some folks here who crow about being able to live out of a ziplock back for six weeks. Don't get too worked up over this. The whole point is not to haul stuff you don't need or won't use. And to be able to navigate easily with your luggage. That's a pretty subjective line for most people.

djkbooks' points about travelling season, duration and how formal your activities will be are excellent ones. When are you going?

Be aware that some airlines have very restrictive (tho sometimes sporadically enforced) rules about the dimensions and weight of carry on luggage.

"Personal bags" would include a book bag unless it exceeded the airline height and weight dimensions.

It's nice if you can do it, but why make yourself miserable for the sake of a principle? At least, that's the conclusion I've finally reached after many years of trying to pack as light as possible.

I now take the same bag for almost any length trip -- a 23-24" rolling case that has room for a couple of pair of shoes and some hanging clothes. I check it. I can wheel it for miles if necessary, but I can also lift it onto a train or carry it up a flight of stairs.

My toiletries, jewelry, books, camera and lenses, film, etc, all go into a carry-on tote and a small daypack -- that is the "carry-on and personal item" that your airline is talking about.

I favor a wardrobe that can be washed in the hotel sink and dries fairly quickly. This doesn't work so well for cold weather travel, so if I am gone more than about 10 days I will have to do laundry at some point or pay the exorbitant hotel charges. C'est la vie. (I always take some powdered detergent with me, but shampoo will work in a pinch.)

I always bring a tote bag that zips into itself and can be used on the return as a second checked bag. It usually ends up holding dirty clothes and shoes, while my purchases go into my suitcase which is a bit more secure when "locked" with plastic cable ties. This tote can also come in handy for trips to the beach, weekend trips when you don't want to take all your stuff, etc. On this very forum I learned about Baggalini, an excellent brand of portable bag which I can now recommend from personal experience. (They have a website which gives retail locations.)

That's my system!

i think most people over-pack. we never travel with more than we can get in carry-on. if you buy a gift get rid of a piece of dirty cloths. if you like to shop for cloths abroad ditch the old stuff.

Really doesn't matter when you are traveling - you can pack light. Gather everything you think you'll need, and then put at least half of it back in the drawer. My husband and I went to Paris for 10 days with 1 roller and 1 small zippered tote for the 2 of us - both were carry ons and the tote fit on top of the roller when we were on the move. Here is what we took (detailed, but might give you some packing ideas): I a pair on Bill Blass ?moleskin? pants that look nice and do not wrinkle with a cashmere sweater (warm and doesn't?t wrinkle) and packed a pair of Lee wrinkle-free dark grey and black pants and another cashmere sweater, and ladies, with the exception of the coat I wore, and underwear, etc. that is all I took for clothing. Both sweaters went with both pants so I could vary the uniform, and I always buy ?dress shields? from the Vermont Country Store to put in my sweaters so I don?t smell bad by day #5! Unless there is a formal event, or your will be experiencing a drastic change of climate, I can?t see taking your entire wardrobe with you. My husband wore his black suede winter jacket, a pair of black Docker?s Gabardine pants (again, no wrinkle) a mock turtleneck and a black sweater. He packed 2 more turtleneck shirts and a pair of khaki?s, underwear ? and that?s it. I don?t wash underwear out in the sink at home and I don?t want to do it on vacation either, nor do I want to bring a suitcase full of dirty stuff back home, so we took our older underwear and (discreetly) threw it out. The things we bought fit into the suitcase and the small tote. Shipping and several of the larger stores (and museum shops) was available if we had wanted to do it. I have found that when you are traveling you really don't have the time (or the desire) to fuss with a lot of clothing. Also, bring a small lock with you so your suitcases can be secured if you need to store them at any time - i.e. if you arrive at your hotel and you room is not ready etc. Keep it simple and focus on what you are seeing and experiencing.

I am goin jan 8 till the 23, will be in the netherlands ( i hear it is cold) and france paris and mountpillia (spelling) and rome and venice. Also any tips on travel insurance? is it worth buying it? Right now I don't eve have health insurance in the US (i am a recent college grad, who was kicked off my parents insurance the day i graduated)Becasue i will be traveling in the winter and from philly, i am worried that my plane may be delayed or cancelled

. . . sorry about the apostrophe's turning into question marks . . .

You don't have to pack light if you don't want to. It's a tradeoff. Pack light and wash clothes more often and have fewer clothes to choose from and less adaptability to weather changes.

Pack heavy and avoid the above problems, but wait for luggage at airports, and have to carry heavier luggage from airport to train/bus/cab and train/bus/cab to hotel.

As we tend to stay in one place for several days, we pack heavy and it doesn't bother us. But if we moved around more during a trip, we'd certainly pack light.

We just did a month on the train with a carryon size duffel and a day pack. Clothes: two pair black washable pants (cotton spandex), one black knit skirt, black long/sleeved knit top, black short/sl knit top, hot pink knit top, white knit tank top, red blazer, hot pink overshirt, white overshirt, white pullover, one pair black SAS walking shoes, one pair black Easy Spirit clog-type Spandex shoes, one travel raincoat--all packed in space bags. Make a list of these items and see how many combinations you can put together--you'd be surprised.Took one small clothing kit (laundry, sewing kit, etc), one small first aid kit, and one picnic kit. Total weight: 19 pounds, including bag. Had everything we needed for dressy evenings as well as casual daytime. Also took three silk scarves to vary the look of the knit tops. As for purchases, look for miniatures and small items that don't take up much room.

What are you experiences with suitcases with wheels, do they work well?

suitcases with wheels are lifesavers!

Suitcases with wheels work well some places and not so well in others (cobblestone streets). Depends on how far you are going to roll the suitcase--typically we only need it in airports and entering hotel lobbies, or for short distances on sidewalks. Bigger wheels are better--and get good quality stuff or it will break.