Janis, I'm having visions of Saturday Night Live's "Mango".....and it's not a pretty sight. LMBO

Most importantly - don't forget to throw in a largelight weight vinyl bag (like a duffle gym bag) in your suitcase. As your trip progresses, you stuff all your dirty clothes in it and save your carryon luggage to bring back your treasures in. check the extra bag and hope they lose it if you hate to face dirty laundry when you get home.

You go Margo :)

Would you believe ... <BR> <BR>Hanes & JC Penney have both come out with "Toeless Pantyhose". They are perfect for those open-toed shoes. They stay on your feet with this little loop between the big & second toe.

Ziplocs are a great idea...the best way to get the air out of them is to seal them almost all the way, leaving enough room for a drinking straw. Then, suck the air out. My brother almost keeled over laughing at his sister's "vacuumed packed" bags the first time he saw me doing this until he realised how well it works! <BR>Somewhere on this site I read an article on the various schools of packing. I personally find laying clothes as flat as possible then stuffing underwear in the odd places the best method for me. Don't forget shoes are great for small items. <BR>Now my question....I'm thinking a long black skirt and black top (like a t-shirt), might be acceptable for dinner? Or will I be hopelessly outdated blah blah? It's so hard to find a balance between travelling light/being comfie. <BR>Thanks in advance!

Are you sure ?

Am I sure about what? <BR>

I'm a "packing light" fanatic and wanted to share my latest find: Boots stores in England (there's one in Terminal 4 Heathrow) sell little clear plastic cylinders with three compartments each. I put shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, makeup, deodorant, everything, in these compartments, and threw out my "travel size" bottles. I had enough of everything to last me three weeks, and shaved a surprising amount of weight and space from my already little carry-on. (Someday, I will travel with nothing but a purse...my dream.)

Anne ,, black skirt great but add some colors in your tops, you don't wnat to look like Lady dracula, do you. Black is great but it does get a little old after a few days

I prefer sweater bags (Target) to Zip Locks. Underwear in one; sweatshirt and silk underwear,turtleneck (cold weather clothes) in another bag, swimsuit, long tee shirt (coverup)in another. etc. I always use the liquid bathgel or soap available in every hotel to wash my clothes. No need to bring Woolite or anything from home. Works perfectly. When I go shopping in clothing stores I grab the material and scrunch it tightly in my fist. If the wrinkles stay I know the outfit will not be a travelsmart item. On the contrary if the wrinkles release easily and the color is right it's a BUY. <BR> <BR>

To Jody: Thanks for the colour tip!...Yes, Dracula was not the impression I wanted to make. I am going in August, will I need a wrap at night?

Topping for Caitlin.

This is a wonderful topic. We are leaving next Saturday for our seventh trip to Europe. I remember my first trip. I took everything except the kitchen sink. We could hardly get the bags into the rental car! <BR>I have learned from experience and take far less these days. I have learned a trick that might help others. We like to stay in small little family run places in the country (it is so nice to have your windows open at night without having to deal with traffic noise). We often end up on second or third floor (stairs and all). When I pack, I pack three sets of underwear, socks, etc. for my husband and myself per ziplock bag. Usually we have four or five bags with the air squeezed out. I use roller type suitcases and one small roller toiletry bag. At the first stop on our journey, I pack one bag with a bag of the underwear and three days worth of clothes. When we stop the next three days, all I have to take in to the hotel is the toiletry bag and the one suitcase. Usually I collect underwear and socks during the year that are ready to be discarded. I use these for our trip and throw them out. After the third day, I repack. Your clothes stay neater, you have fewer dirty clothes in your bags, and you have less to carry in each night. Hope this helps.

Go without underwear. It saves you packing and it's more comfortable.

I remember doing a few tricks during my bachelor days to help with this packing problem:<BR><BR>- Hotels will typically have hairdryers and irons for those last minute touchups - so at least you have a last resort. Otherwise, you probably will not need to be dressed impeccably so no need to worry about wrinkles and stuff.<BR><BR>- Less outerwear = more underwear. The underwear can act as layers and will take up less space. T-shirts should be heavier-duty as they can do double duty as under- and outerwear and even sleepwear. Thicker, darker outerwear can cover up layers much better than lighter. <BR><BR>- Ziplock bags are great if you need to really bring tons of stuff, but just remember that same space + more stuff = denser and heavier loads, which may not be what you're looking for. (BTW, ziplock bags are GREAT for waterproofing valuables for a trip involving water - I actually take my wallet with me when I snorkel - it also will float a bit if there's air in it so I can't really lose it either!)<BR><BR>- Hang your day's clothes on the bathroom door when you shower in the morning (or the night before) - the humidity and steam of the shower will help "unwrinkle" you clothes. Works to a degree for my dress shirts.<BR><BR>- For carry-ons, make sure the luggage is as soft and "crushable" as possible, so you are able to STUFF them into the overhead compartments. This also means no heavy-duty stiffeners or those vacuum bags, as they may not be manageable in this way. The roll-on-roll-offs are just smaller in general so they will hold less, but are better for the vacuum bag cramming.<BR><BR>- Another way to pack is to pack the exact outfits you wore the last three days (laundered, of course), as long as the weather is fairly compatible. Then bring a jacket and a few extra sets of underwear. At least you'll know you will be comfortable wearing them more than once.<BR><BR>- You can also put tomorrow's clothes between the matresses before you go to sleep (laid flat in a dry cleaner bag) to perform a slow press/smoothing job without actually ironing.<BR><BR>- For dirty laundry and separation, I have brought and used plastic supermarket shopping bags - same concept as dry cleaner bags (which I did not do often enough to have a collection . . .)<BR><BR>Obviously, these shortcuts are just that - shortcuts, and may not give you the final touches you may need, but should work well enough up to the business casual level of dress code.<BR><BR>Hope these are helpful, as I know females may have more/different requirements than men.

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for our first European vacation for 6 days, we have decided to pack ALL our stuff in carry-on bags so that we assure no lost or stolen items.<BR>By rolling up my clothes, tucking underwear and socks inside shoes and wearing my big boots and heavy items the day we fly, we can easily pack everything we need. Also, consider wearing some pieces more than once.<BR>