What is the very least you've ever packed for a European trip? Particularly for a 10 day/2 week cold weather trip. I've whittled myself down to a handbag and a bike messenger bag, and I'm looking for incentive to streamline myself even further. A few conditions: I'm not going to buy all new things when I get there, and I'm a distinctly middle-aged creature who doesn't wear shorts or jeans. <BR>Draw a new line in the sand!

Janice, <BR> <BR>Well, I admit I've never whittled myself down as far as you have, but I did do a six-week trip with one carry-on bag. . . . <BR> <BR>I just got back from a week in London, where it was chilly but not cold, so I don't know how helpful this will be. I basically wore two things: wrinkle-free khaki pants with different tops, and a denim/Tencel jumper (from Travelsmith), which could be paired with the same tops. Both things wore well, requiring no ironing and drying quickly when rinse-outs were needed. <BR> <BR>I have a passel of cotton cardigans from Lands' End, and I took one of those. I wore the jumper and the cardigan on the plane--obviously with one of my long-sleeved shirts--and packed the khakis. <BR> <BR>I wore one pair of shoes and took another, as I was going to London and wanted to have a pair on hand in case one pair got wet. In reality, I wore only one pair, which were Easy Spirit walking shoes. <BR> <BR>My problem was dealing with camera, guidebooks, toiletries. I needed a carry-on suitcase to handle those in addition to my clothes. <BR> <BR>Although I didn't do it this time, in the past I've packed an empty backpack, which I then use to hold things I accumulate along the way--brochures and booklets from different sights (sites?), misc. souvenirs. <BR> <BR>My goal is never to check a bag, but planes have become so crowded that my daughter and I checked our bags on our return flight. Having the leg room under the seat in front was great, and improved my ability to sleep. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

In reality no matter how long the trip, one only has to pack for about four days. It is a little trickier to pack light for cold weather! I wear mostly black and take microfiber undies which dry quickly. I do laundry in the sink or tub about every other evening and things are dry by morning. My husband and I each take a carry on and I pack a light "gym" bag for things we accumulate along the way. On the return trip we check our carry ons and take the bag of treasures on the plane. We don't take the chance of lost luggage at the beginning of our trip but it is not a big deal once we are home. In April one of our bags made it from Brussels to Atlanta and the other took a side trip to Madrid. We got it back two days later. Happy travels!

Janice <BR> <BR>Thong underwear- may not be what they're cracked up to be, but they travel great.

Janice, if you don't wear jeans I can't picture you wearing thongs. But I may be mistaken!

well, I spent a whole month in Europe with just a pack and a railpass - does that count? <BR> <BR>by the time I had purged much of the stuff I wanted to take I was down to 1 pair of jeans, 1 sweat shirt, 2 pairs of shorts & 2 T shirts! along with socks & underwear, of course & various toiletries - I don't think I wore any makeup other than sunscreen. (I bought a few more T shirts & probably at least one paid of shorts while I was there. plus I was only 25 at the time, and it was summer). <BR> <BR>what I find to be so hilarious, are these lists of "how to pack light" - which I tried to follow (the first time) and before I even left the house, ended up throwing out fully 2/3 of the stuff because I couldn't fit it in my pack let alone LIFT the darn thing!!!

Actually, I do wear thongs most of the time - even in a skirt or wool pants you care about those panty lines! (not to mention being irresistible to your travel companion)

Did somebody call my name? <BR> <BR>I might be looking for a companion for a cold weather trip to Europe myself, say sometime after January 20? <BR> <BR>I'll draw some lines in the sand with you! <BR> <BR>You like cigars, Janice?

We've found it helps to put things like T-shirts, turtlenecks and sweaters in the extra big (1 gal., I believe) zip lock bags. You can squeeze out all the air and, being kind of slippery, it's easier to get everything in the luggage. We tried it on an Oct. trip to Germany, Austria and Croatia, and it worked great.