Hi--

I'm planning a two week, European "mom" trip with a good friend and our teens (her 2 girls, my two boys) in the summer of 2011. We're planning on 5 days in London, 5 days in Paris, and 2 or three days in Amsterdam in (probably) August--we're still playing with the schedule and may do June or July. We're going to pack very light--one carry on per person, with a light roll up bag each that we can use for things we collect along the way to take home with us. We're doing this trip on a moderate to tighter budget (depending on if the dollar tanks)--laundry facilities may be hit or miss, so I'm planning on fairly quick dry things I can wash in the sink and line dry if I need to. I'm fine packing for myself (my standard--dark colors in quick dry fabrics that I can dress up or down, mix and match, one pair ballet flats with arch supports, and a comfy pair of pretty walking sandals). I know we have a long time to plan, but I realized that I'm stumped for the boys. Most of our family vacations in the past have been somewhere warm--they've lived in their beach clothing except when we've gone out to eat, we haven't had to worry about carting around our luggage, etc. We live in the midwest, and my sons normally dress like the student athletes that they are--khaki shorts and a tighter fitting tee, athletic wear, jeans, hoodies, the occasional polo shirt, and a pair of khaki pants for dress. They tend to wear the skater style tennis shoes with jeans and shorts, or a dark loafer with dress pants.

What will they need for this trip? Can they spend the trip in microfiber khaki shorts and t's? What type of shoes should I pack? Should I pack a nice pair of jeans as well? (I'm worried about space and drying time) Would they be better off with a pair of zip off leg khaki cargo pants? I know they're going to need at least one dressier outfit each if we go to the theater in London. We aren't planning on expensive restaurants, but we'll probably hit some mid priced ones. Will it be cool and wet enough in the evenings in London to need a rain coat or fleece? I was thinking about picking up the dark colored, lightweight Columbia or LandsEnd raincoats with the zip out fleece--they could use them as a pillow/blanket on the plane/trains, use the rain coat in wet weather, or the fleece on an cool evening. If they were younger I'd just do what's practical, but my oldest son (will be 15) will have a wardrobe rebellion if he thinks he looks like a "dork." Are there any big dos and don'ts?

Thought I'd start asking questions now so I have an idea what we need...then I can take advantage of summer sales this year. If I were packing for girls, this would be a piece of cake. Thanks in advance for your help!

Just a quick comment right now -- You don't have to pack 'dressy' things for the theatre. Jeans or their khaki cargo pants are just fine. You will see <u>everything</u> at the theatre -- as long as it is clean they can wear just about anything. I don't think they really need to get anything new (unless they need an excuse for a shopping trip )

Thanks! By dressier I meant "not shorts and a t-shirt" Glad to know the cargos will work.

If the various offspring can be persuaded to do a little light laundry in the bathroom, your group will need far less clothing than you might imagine.

In the summer in Europe, anything goes in terms of clothing, in spite of anything that you might have read on this forum, other websites, or in guidebooks.

Here is a photo report that I made about what Parisians wear in July. You can extrapolate for August. (These people are not tourists!)

http://tinyurl.com/mfbycy

LOL! My children are far more fashion conscious than anyone I saw in any of those pics...

Laundry in the sink is going to be a must. I was thinking two pair of microfiber khaki shorts, two pair of microfiber khaki cargo pants that zip off into shorts, 4-5 t-shirts, and a nicer polo shirt. Throw in the rain coat/fleece jacket, a pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of darker walking shoes that look dressier--am I on target? I'm feeling better about this already.

Maybe he'll even have room for a hoodie

Thank you so much for the photos--a picture says more than a thousand words!

You seem to have it well planned out. The zip off pant legs are good. It will be hot in August so I think shorts would be the best. Kids are happy just to be in shorts and t-shirts and that is how they travel best too. Just take extra underwear - maybe you could find some quick drying underwear.

From what I have seen in traveling, everyone wears much the same thing in Europe that they wear in their home town. Watching Rick Steves travel videos with his children, he says they each have one backpack and one tote to carry their ipods etc - things they will want for passing time while traveling. And each kid carries their own bags.

For myself I take my microfiber raincoat and a thinner sweater. We travel mostly in Sept and Oct. I don't think you need fleece but I could be wrong. Most kids like sweatshirts with hoods. Those would be good on the plane when it gets so cool.
We had those plastic bag looking raincoats and they worked great. Thy roll up into nothing.

"<i> . . It will be hot in August</i>" -- Possibly, but definitely not guaranteed. It could be hot and humid, or cool and cloudy -- or both.

I just don't think the boys will need a raincoat with zip out fleece. You'll hate me if I'm wrong, but I would take that to those cities in July or August.

My DH takes a very think rain jacket, like weightless. If it really is cool and cloudly, he wears a tee shirt, a long sleeve shirt, and then the super light rain jacket.

I remember one really hard rain storm in Paris when he had on that 3 layer thing. Just one.

Fleece might be a bit too much for high summer. Wouldn't they rather roll up their hoodie for a pillow?

What about the shoes? So hard to pack, and boys shoes are so big. Whatever they pack, make sure they are comfortable. DH will take two pairs of shoes: one pair that he wears on the plane, and the smaller pair gets packed.

I agree - I wouldn't take a raincoat in August -- and especially not w/ the zip out liner. And not a fleece either. Yes it definitely can be cool (or hotter than blazes) - but you handle that by taking things you can layer -- not a heavy raincoat. A light roll up rain jacket that can be worn over other layers when it gets cold.

Shorts are definitely fine, as are sneakers and flip-flops. T-shirts are fine too. Personally, I think the zip-off pants are pointless - good as neither pants nor shorts. I'm not usually a fan of compromise clothing. I would bring a pair of khakis and maybe wear jeans on the plane, giving you two options.

The weather can get hot in Paris, but Amsterdam and London could be very wet and will likely not be that warm. They will still likely be fine in shorts, but I would consider a light raincoat, though the fleece may be too much.

The weather could also be hotter than blazes in Amsterdam and London. Or cooler and wetter in Paris. It can be humid which makes it feel even warmer. You can't tell what a summer will be like.

Fleeces won't be necessary, but a hoodie or sweatshirt type thing may be useful. It may stay rolled up in the bag, or it may be worn daily. Something light and waterproof is a good idea.
As for the rest, whatever they normally wear at home will be fine.

And if you don't pack something, but decide you need it, you will be able to buy it fairly cheaply when you get here.

This is all great advice--thank you! I'll skip the fleece and go with light weight rain jackets and hoodies. My only trip to London was nearly 30 years ago in early summer. It must have been a really cold year, because I remember being freezing and wet the entire time . Like some of you said, half the fun is picking up things on the trip if we need them. My biggest concern is having kids overpack, and then listening to them grumble all the way through the trip because they have to carry it all, especially if we're rushing to make connections. It makes sense to me to pack the minimum, and add if we need to. They can wear their heaviest shoes and jeans on the planes/trains.

Do the boys have short-sleeved, button-up woven cotton shirts? One of those for really hot weather and/or more dressy occasions would be good.

And, yes, the jeans will be very difficult to wash and dry in the hotel room. For a trip in high summer, I'd skip jeans.

Actually, I've been in all those cities in August when it was very cold and a fleece would have been a very good idea. Partly because they tend to be very lightweight, and you can scrunch them up pretty small - and they are cheap, so if you really ruin it or get rid of it, it doesn't matter so much. That's the problem, you can never predict. But you could buy such a thing in any city if you have to, probably, so I would go more with a thinner jacket, I guess. I can't imagine being able to wash long pants in a small bathroom sink (let alone jeans, which are thicker and take up more room), but maybe you know how to do that. A pair of jeans would be my one must-have item on such a trip, and I bet your teens will sure want them. I never travel without them. I've always worn jeans on any trip to Europe, including in July-August.

I'd suggest if you want one carryon, they wear the jeans on the plane. Planes are often kind of cool, anyway, on those long trips.

I would definitely not buy them new clothes for the trip. Especially if you are doing carry-on only, that's just not that much they will have room to pack.

I'd get out the bag/suitcase they will be packing in, and just make an assortment of their normal clothes. Shoes, like everyone else, need to be for walking comfort, more than looks. Sneakers are fine.

Get them involved & do the exercise often recommended... where you pack the suitcase & carry it out around your own neighborhood, have them tote it around for awhile and they can decide if they need more or less stuff.

Definitely plan to do laundry once midtrip for tshirts, socks, underwear, etc.

I wouldn't worry about "dressy occasions" unless you are going to some high end restaurant. I wear jeans to the theatre and even the opera; I do not go to impress people but for my own pleasure.

The two young girls should absolutely avoid trying to dress up, because Americans tend to wear too much makeup or do weird things to their hair and they end up looking like Russian catalogue brides arriving from the airport.

I'd recommend taking a look at the weather forecast a day before flying. The weather can be so warm that shorts are wonderful at midnight or it can be chilly enough that you don't want to sit outside with them at 8 PM. The 14 days forecasts are pretty good at predicting the rough trends (i.e. can you expect a cold spell in a week).

I don't know whether they're old enough but if your teens want to go out to some clubs, they should take some dressier clothes than cargo pants and T-shirt.

I know it's about personal preferences but if you don't decide on carry-ons, you could easily put in five additional T-shirts etc. without having really heavy suitcases. In that case you need to find a laundromat only once in the middle of the vacation. Personally I think waiting a few minutes for the luggage is less of a hassle than washing clothes in a sink.