I have to comment on the posting about "not wasting valuable travel time at a laundromat". Frankly, washing clothing each night in my hotel sink and hoping it drys by morning (or standing around with a blow dryer to dry it) is not my idea of how to spend my vacation time. It's OK if you are talking about a pair of socks here or there, but is not practical when you have more to do. Finding a laundromat is a simple task in most any city and as someone noted, you can frequently pay the laundromat a small amount to do it. Even if you have to load the machines yourself, you don't have to wait around. Schedule doing your laundry around breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or go souvenir shopping while waiting for the wash cycle to complete. Or talk with locals in the laundromat...what better place to meet them! If for some reason you feel you need to remain to watch your clothes, you are really talking about no more than 1.5 hours max.

Holly, since I am one of those people who agonize over what I take on a trip, I never thought it was a troll.

I always find myself caught between my firm conviction that I should travel light and my irrational anxiety that if I don't have the right clothes I won't have a good trip.

And now GSteed has given me a new dilema: if I gain weight, then 20% of my body weight will be more than it is now and I can take more clothes. On the other hand, none of my clothes will fit!

I will add to MileKing and say you can also likely either have the hotel take care of it, or find a dry cleaner who also does laundry and drop the stuff off.

if you find one near a cafe you can hang out, have a cup of fabulous Italian coffee, and write your postcards. just don't mention that you are writing them while your laundry dries - ruins the romance of it! :-)

Before you plan to have the hotel launder items for you, check their price list. At the Paris Hilton, I think the price was 6 Euro a pair. Crazy!

Take too little rather than too much, it's a good excuse to buy there :-)
Seriously, I only take black pants, 3 styles/fabrics, and never more than I pair of comfy walking shoes or sandles because I always buy shoes there. Warm coat and you can intoduce colour with various tops/shirts. I also like to buy a nice warm scarf when I get there. I always take gloves and good socks. I usually take a fleece, nothing like it to keep warm on a freezing night, or for anywhere that I don't have to dress up. I recently took a day tour in Ireland and we were out in the countryside and everyone was saying that they wished they had thought to bring a nice warm fleece... I was as warm as toast :-)
The wool blazer is a good idea.
Pack light, you'll be glad you did~!
Good luck :-)

What is a fleece exactly? I have a tight fitting zippered top that is made of fleece, it that a fleece? Actually that could be paired with my tight warm up pants and do double duty, hmmmm.
I could sleep in them too and leave out the robe, this is becoming a challenge, good, it will keep my mind off of the long flight!

Since I am tall -- long legs, long arms -- I just had to chime in about "buying over there". I can't buy clothes just anywhere -- so I have to bring enough clothes for the trip. Most of the clothes that I have looked at in Europe are made for tiny little people. Maybe that's why I am still trying to paklite.
((c))

All too exhausting. Too much stuff. Take disposo-clothes and shed unwanted/diry garments as you go. You do have a pile of stuff destined for Goodwill, don't you? These folks will never see you again, right? Leave the jeans, sneakers and fanny packs here - a good pair of Ecco walking shoes will suffice.

Marilyn wrote: "And now GSteed has given me a new dilema: if I gain weight, then 20% of my body weight will be more than it is now and I can take more clothes. On the other hand, none of my clothes will fit!"

Good one, Marilyn!

Now, here's another idea. If you are one of the don't-mind-going-to-laundromats people, as well as an any-old-clothes-will-do person, you could follow around a dispose-as-you-go person, retrieving their discards, washing them at the laundromat, and not have to pack ANY clothes!:)

In respect to going to the laundromat in Europe, like MileKing said, I do meet locals there and have had very interesting conversations. I personally wouldn't leave my stuff unattended to go shopping, but I just bring along a book and take the chance to relax for a bit, or get some food beforehand so I can have a meal while waiting.

Scrumpy, best idea yet!

Pollyesther, I think a good idea is what one poster wrote, to put in the clothes that make you want to STRUT first and then add on from there until the suitcase is almost full!

I think I will do that myself from now on!

Pack a pair of black pants and a black tee and at least a dozen scarves. That's all.

Really, though. I actually went and bought a scarf that coordinates with the clothes I am taking on my trip to Italy in March. Now what?

I have no idea what to do with a scarf, besides tie it on my head like a pirate.

Do any of you scarf proponents have a suggestion for a website or book that shows what to do with a scarf?

Pirates are "in" right now, so wear it proudly, I think an eye patch would be over the top though.

If it is a long scarf, fold it lengthwise put the middle in the back of your neck, make a loop at the fold and bring the two ends through it, this is a way I was taught by a genuine European woman, lol.

ndf321:

Here's a site for you: http://www.scarvesbymargaret.com/tyingscarf.html

That link absolutely solved my problem: no scarves for me!!!

That web site has lots of pictures of ladies wearing scarves and they are all older than me by several decades.

I'm not exactly a fashionista, but I hadn't noticed women my (current) age wearing scarves since the early 80's when I was a pre-teen. They are recommended so highly on this site and in all the guidebooks, though, that I thought maybe I was missing a big fashion trend.

But no. I admit it is probably a good way to stretch your outfits, but if wearing something makes you feel ridiculous, then DONT WEAR IT!

My husband just pointed out that you can buy a case of white Tyvek suits pretty cheap, and as a plus, they are also chemical resistant! Just throw them away and wear a new one each day.

Polly
it kind of seems as if your going too end up in square 1. .your goign too deleets some itams and add something elso jsut too complament the new things your adding.

just pack for 4 days and buy the rest their.. do go too laoundry matt or have it washed . whats the big deal..

zipplock bags are a gimmie.. it makes finding things easier and makes ging threw customss inspection go faster..

ndf, I swear every woman I saw in Paris of whatever age was wearing a scarf, and ain't nobody chic-er than Les Parisiennes.

There are all sorts of hip, young ways to wear scarves. You don't have to look like a member of the Junior League with a large Hermes draped around your shoulders (not that there's anything wrong with it).

If it's small and fine silk or chiffon, you can tie it around your neck with a small knot in front or to the side (very 1950's chic), or if it's a little longer but still fine material you can wind it around your neck and tie it in the back. I have several large rayon squares that I wrap once around my neck so the ends hang down in front, and sometimes I tie them in a loose knot. The colors and patterns can add a lot of interest to a basic outfit.

Scumpy, what a riot! It seems there are two very opposite camps on the topic. One believes it doesn't matter what you wear because no one knows you and you'll never see them again. The other believes it doesn't matter how much you lug or how difficult to launder, wear what makes you strut your stuff.

I guess I'm in a third camp. I would not be happy wearing clothes that I was ready to discard. I would feel crappy and I think I would look like a bag lady. It's a whole lot easier to get away with that disheveled look when you're 20 than when you're 50! So I always take clothes I feel good in, but I almost never buy anything any more that doesn't travel well. When I shop, I am always giving fabrics the wrinkle test and considering whether they could be handwashed in the sink.

Marilyn, "You don't have to look like a member of the Junior League with a large Hermes draped around your shoulders" - I resemble that remark!

Sorry, wsoxrebel! I did say "not that there's anything wrong with it." Just didn't seem to be the look ndf was going for.

I often think how funny these threads about what to wear are because we dish back and forth about stuff and we have no idea what each of us considers &quot;stylish&quot; or &quot;appropriate.&quot; Some of us wouldn't be caught dead in anything without a name label, and others wouldn't be caught dead in anything <i>with</i> a name label. :-D

Back up a few posts, it was suggested to wear the same sweater for a few days. Now I must perspire more than the norm because if I wear a sweater or tshirt more than twice at the very most I begin to smell like a walking clothes hamper. How can you do it? I have to bring a top for half of the time and then wash them out after one wearing.

I agree that a scarf can become matronly but if they can be worn stylishly too and by young women.