Packing angst.....
 

I've just been reading some old messages regarding how much to pack for Europe, and I'm wondering if my 26" rollabout is too big for the trains. I have a lock and cable to secure the bag if I need to put it in the rack in the back of the car.
My main concern is whether or not it will fit down the aisle. I've only taken trains in the U.S., where there was plenty of room in the aisle for a large suitcase.
My bag is 26"high, and 18" wide.
I am going Italy and France for 17 days, and I will be taking the train on 8 separate days--1st class, with reservations for 3 of the days. I will be with a friend for all of the train trips execept for 1 (Santa Margherita-Florence).
I am a petite person, so I probably wouldn't be able to lift it onto the overhead rack, but my friend and I will probably be able to do it together.
But I'm almost positive I will not be able to fit everything in a 22" suitcase. I am going to a wedding in Paris, so I will need an extra pair of shoes for that.
Is it worth getting a 24" suitcase?
Most of the ones I have seen are twice as expensive as my 26" one. I'd like to travel with 1 suitcase and a purse that doubles as a carry-on bag.
Any suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks.

hi alex,

I just finished posting my "7 day suitcase" plan on a temporary website:

http://geocities.com/sancreinc

the 26inch will fit fine on the trains. I had no problem with it. Most of the trains you will store your suitcase in the car in a section near the door, rather than an overhead area. a 26 inch may be too big for any over head, and you will need a 24-26 inch for clothes for 17 days.

check out my plan, it will get you thru two weeks with only washing underwear and longer with minimal washing.

hope this helps!

Thanks for your help, erin. I plan to leave some room in my suitcase for purchases, so I can avoid carrying another bag home. I checked out your 7 day plan, and I found it very helpful.

Your bag will be no problem in any of the aisleways on European trains. What I'd like to know is how anyone figures out how many clothes someone needs for 17 days, or any other time length for that matter, without knowing what they wear, exactly what size they are, how often they are planning to do laundry, etc., etc. To tell someone they need such and such size bag for so many days travel without knowing any of the above factors is, frankly, absurd.

hi all,

alex, I posted this without knowing or thinking if you were male or female. I assumed since you used the term petite that you are female, but if you are a male, I am getting ready to post the page that alters the plan for a male. in the mean time substitute ties for scarves, dress trousers for skirts, and men's suit for dressy dress. instead of the makeup kit, do the same, put together a kit of the items that you would normally use in a given week at home. (shaving gear, etc).

intrepid, I totally disagree. Most people dress casual these days and for women that means pants unless they are needing an day dress for something special or a dressy dress for the evening. the plan I set up with my friend will get anyone thru a whole week without washing, and will extend to two weeks with washing only undies and such. after the 7-14 days if you need to stay longer, either add a few more things or plan on going to a laudromat at least once every say 7-10 days. the key here is that it will get you thru at least one week or 7 days without washing anything.

I hated having to wash for just one week. and that is what the premise is based on. I also wanted to extend that to 14 days and if you are careful with your clothes you can do it with washing only undies.

we have tried it and it is a basic plan which allows you to pick your colors and favorites but asks that you follow some rules and limits. and it works.

all I can say is if you don't believe me, try it and see.

Brinham, that list for one bag is the exact reason why I came up with an alternative. I do not know many females who can get thru 2 weeks on 2 pair of pants and 3 shirts. I am sorry, I just can't. it is just not realistic and we would spend more time washing our clothes (I notice he includes a clothesline in his pack) than I would going out in the evening.

I DO NOT GO ON VACATION TO SPEND MY NIGHTS WASHING CLOTHES.....JMHO...

Thanks

Hello Alex! You mention that you will be travelling first class. Please know that there are many baggage handling options. Some travellers never touch thir baggage. Really first class. For our information and enlightenment make a list of your baggage contents and then check off items as you use them.

What caught my attention was taking the train on 8 separate days of a 17-day trip! Phew, I'm tired already!

I agree with Howard. Unless some of those days are just a short hop or day trip -- say an hour or less, it sounds like half of your trip will be traveling.

I agree that you will normally put your luggage at the end of the train. The trick is trying to know before you get on, which end has the luggage rack, so once on the train you don't have to try to wheel it all the way through the aisle when others are trying to get through the opposite direction.

Your worst problem will be lifting it up the steps onto the train, but I am amazed how many people will offer to help you do so -- sometimes just so they can then get on or off the train. They do it for me, a strapping male, so if you are a petite female, I suspect there will be MANY volunteers to help you.

Hello Alex.

If you tuck your purse into a small backpack, you can solve the problem of having a dressy purse for the wedding,etc., and at the same time have a practical carryon that leaves your hands free. I would distribute your clothes over 2 bags, rather than mess around with a larger bag.

If you take the 26" bag, your bag will fit down the aisle but it will be a bit unwieldy. I trust you are planning on taking taxis and not public transportation while in the cities?

I think your main problem is that you are trying to combine an informal, 'nomad' survey style trip with a formal occasion. The cultural expectations of wedding apparel are plastic and malleable up to a point; the laws of the effect of gravity on mass are not. : - )

Does the wedding come at the beginning of the trip? If so, consider mailing home the formal wear before hitting the rails. Or arrange for it to be stored in Paris, if you're returning there. Failing that, simple clothes can be made to look a lot more formal with the addition of dressy accessories.

Bon voyage.

The problem will be that 16 times (8 on & 8 off) you need to get that suitcase from a hotel, possibly with stairs and no elevator, into a taxi, into the train staion, and then up and down the narrow stairs of the train car, and in reserve... off the train, into a taxi, onto the next hotel.

If you have a way that you never have to handle your own bags, as others mentioned, well more power to you!!

Not having to do with the original post, you can (I do all the time) pack for 3 weeks in a 22" rolling bag. The wedding stuff does make a difference and I second the idea of mailing home mid-trip if this helps lighten the load.

I wouldn't bother buying a new 24" suitcase, that won't be that different to deal with than the 26" you already have.

oops, that would be "reverse" not reserve.

Wow, I just read all the new responses--I've just discovered this website,and it's so helpful to hear all the different suggestions.
In response to Howards' email, 2 of the 8 days will be day trips--I will be based in 1 location, and not taking my suitcase on those days. Also, one of the trips (where I will have my luggage) is a 20 minute train from Avignon to Arles in France. But I do agree that it is quite a bit of train travel--more than I've ever done before, so I'm trying to make it as stress-free as possible.
To answer the question about the wedding, unfortunately it is in the middle of the trip. But I am only taking a very thin dress, a small evening bag and a pair of strappy sandals. So I don't think they will take up too much room--the shoes are the only addition that will add some more bulk.
I will be staying in hotels the whole time, and using taxis to get to and from the train station. The first 5 days I will be based in Florence, taking a day trip to Lucca. Then we will take a train to Santa Margherita and will be based there for another 4 days. The France part of the trip involves the most back to back train travel because we want to sample as much as we can in a short time.
It's good to know I can at least get the suitcase down the aisle!
I will only buy a 24" suitcase if it is lighter than my 26" one. Otherwise, I will make do with what I have.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

OK, Alex, I feel a little less tired now!

If you can get the hotel in Santa Margherita to do some laundry while you are out one day, jump on it. (Or if you can locate a place that will do it so you can pick it up dry and folded at the end of a day...Rick Steve's books are good for finding those places..go for it) Having clean fresh laundered stuff mid trip has been something I've decided is worth the effort/$$$ to have done. (And I hated washing stuff out and having to pray it dried overnight or while we were out the next day...plus it doesn't smell as good as when it is done "right") You have to be sure you only pack stuff that CAN be washed and dried to make this plan work. BTW, hotel laundry charges in Europe are a fraction of what they are in the States.

i'm glad you're not so tired anymore, howard. now if i could only feel that way myself!!!

thanks for the laundry tips, uhoh....