My husband wants to store a larger piece of luggage at the SMN train station in Florence (we are taking the train from Venice)for the four days we will be there. I say that if we haul it from Venice, then we can certainly take it on a little bit farther to our hotel. I also am trying to talk him into using carry-ons only; Is this possible for a 10-day trip?

IMO, for the cost of storing the luggage at the train station, you can tip the taxi driver, hotel bellhop, etc to lug it around for you. Doesn't seem to be much advantage to me.<BR><BR>10 day trip with carryons only, sure, why not? Lots of people do it (not me). But if you are flying British Air or any of the smaller inter-Europe airlines you may have a problem. BA has a pretty strict weight limit of about 15 lbs for carry-ons. Yours is likely to weigh more than that. Also depends what else you need to carry on, since you are allowed 2 pcs. So if you have camera gear or a computer or whatever, that is likely to fill one carry-on.<BR><BR>Why not check your luggage, but each take a smaller piece, like 23 or 24&quot;? That's what I use, plus a small daypack (with a small purse inside) and a tote I carry on that has my toiletries, jewelry, camera gear and film, meds, stuff for the plane, etc. I end up with 3 pieces: one that wheels, a tote that goes on top of it, and a small pack on my back. I'm completely mobile and can get up and down stairs if necessary.

My husband and I did a 3 week trip to Itlay with carry-on only last year. This included clothing for dinners, the opera and a formal graduation banquet for my daughter's school.<BR><BR>Now having said that, the organization required to accomplish this was excruciating and all clothes were the same colours black and navy,and washed at least once. I brought little scarves to brighten the look. Lots of ziplock bags helped, too.One no-frills camera and no hairdryers.YOu can do it, but its work...<BR><BR>You can do

Andiego,<BR>Another thing to consider is many hotels even( 2 stars) have laudry service, so pack just what you need and have it laudered if you need to, it was worth it for me.<BR>I took a large carry on with wheels &amp; a small tote and sent home most of the things a bought.<BR>It really made life easier, I highly recommend sending as much home as you can.<BR>In Florence there is a mail boxes etc. type place( sorry I don not remember the name) but your hotel should be able to help you out with this.<BR>Trust me I did A LOT of shopping.<BR>Also many stores will ship items home for you, it can be expensive, but if it's fragile its worht it.<BR>Good luck <BR>Fluffy<BR>p.s. The suggestion about tipping the porter is a good one; you can also take a private water taxi , from the train station in Venice directly to your hotel.It will cost you but I think it would be worth the x-tra $.

Andiego- here is the mail boxes etc. web address: www.mbe.com with many location in Italy, I think there are at least 2 in Florence.If you by anything big like ceramices ALWAYS have the store ship it for you.<BR>Good luck <BR>Fluffy

Thanks so much for the information, everyone! I think I like the idea of checking the 24&quot; bag and taking two carry-ons onto the plane with ME...the problem is that I'm tagging along with my husband on a business trip, and while we're in Venice, he's supposed to dress &quot;accordingly&quot;. Is there a way for him to look fashionable and polished without taking several suits? I'm pretty sure I can fit what I'm taking into a 24&quot; (I plan to use laundry service), but how can my hubby pull this off?<BR><BR>