elenm:
Funny comment about shoes. My 15 year old (boy) has size 13 shoes!!! My 18 year old is a size 11. Needless to say, they will have to manage with ONE pair of shoes/sneakers. I'm hoping to buy them some kind of (colored?) sneakers that don't look too sneaker-y. They will be hard to take out to too nice of a restaurant, but oh well. I do recall in Paris about the only people I saw wearing sneakers were teenage boys. So maybe this will work. What do you think?

I have bought us all the Rick Steves moneybelt things - which are on sale right now for $8.45. The boys will carry their own valuables. I've never used one before, but all the talk of crime in Rome has me feeling a little extra cautious. (Although mugging a 6 foot 5 inch man/boy may give them pause.)

suze:
I am hoping to get the kids very involved in trip planning. So far their only interest seems to be in reenacting the DaVinci code and the other book...Demons and something???

I can sort of understand though because we are leaving the day after HS graduation, and with all the college planning etc. my eldest is (as he puts it), "burned out looking at brochures." (i.e. lazier than usual)

Actually, my first challenge will be getting them out shopping for luggage, clothes (I want to buy them those zip-off pants), and shoes. My kids HATE shopping and will do anything to avoid it. But sometimes that in itself results in their overpacking. They throw in more stuff because they don't have the one right thing that would work best. I want all clothes quick dry - and they will want to bring their huge cargo pants that take an hour in an American drier to dry. Either that or they'll just be really dirty. (They won't like that either.)

Actually, I am so excited about this trip. They are going to have a blast. I'm totally happy that they are the ages they are for a trip like this. I can send them out to get food if they don't like our plans. They can go do something else if they're bored with us. They can haul their own stuff (and maybe mine too). It's perfect.

oh well, whatever floats their boat (re DaVinci code to raise interest).

i'll make the plea for TWO pair of shoes though for each person. one on your feet and one in the suitcase. take less clothing if necessary to accommodate. you can always weaer a t-shirt an extra day but NOthing can spoil a trip quicker than having blisters or your only pair of shoes gets wet because you fell in a canal (whatever). two pair is my shoe minimum for any person any trip.

other hand, if you'd be willing to shop for shoes w/ teens on the road, then wait and see if the one pair will cover them.

I wonder if they sell really big men's sandals in Europe? Or maybe I'll have them bring their Tevas?

I'm the opposite wrt shoes. They're bulky and heavy, so one is all I ever bring. Hey, you can't wear more than one pair at a time. And I can't imagine a scenario where my shoes would get soaking wet so that I'd need another paid right away. That happens to me maybe once every 5 years in my normal life, so I don't know why I'd plan for that contingency for my vacation. An extra t-shirt, pair of socks, or pair of underwear would be much more useful than an extra pair of shoes, imho, so I would never substitute shoes for clothes.

On the other side of the coin buying an extra Tshirt or two and socks in sure quicker and easier then shopping for shoes (although I love shopping for shoes).

wliwl,

You've gotten lots of great advice! When we went to Germany/Italy a few years back, we all carried Rick Steves bags. I'm a big fan of them! We had 3 teens in our group of 7 and everyone had one RS bag and one daypack. We used trains and public transit nearly exclusively and had no problem.

BTW, we carried on our RS bags. I would suggest you purchase your teens the RS bags and let them haul their stuff on their backs as they desire. Whether you carry them on or check them is your choice.

Also, here's one more packing light tip -- Get some Hefty X-lg zip top bags. The key to packing light is being able to squeeze all the air out. You'll be amazed at how much clothing you can fit into one of these bags, when you sit on it and squeeze out all the air. Throw a few extra bags in empty, as you'll lose the seal on a couple along the way.

Good luck and have a great trip!

DeeDee:
Did you have the Rick Steves bags that convert to backpacks? I see he also has the rolling ones now. Thanks.

Our kids are pretty low maintenance with regards to makeup and accessories but the teen girls backed big duffels for their trip to Germany. We had a "dry run" day when we went over everything they'd packed and explained why winter hiking boots wouldn't be needed in Germany in June and why just bringing shorts would be a bit too optimistic. That being said our 14 yr old insisted on bringing her volleyball. Since our policy was - "you pack it - you carry it" we let her. On a LONG, painful wait in Charlotte she amused herself and our 6 yr old son with practicing in a corner of the terminal - but of course that was the only time it made it out of the bag.

I am in agreement with everything suze said. First of all I don't really see the reason to not check your bag on an international flight and as she said, the overhead bins get full or there are stricter weight restrictions. I do agree you should limit the size of your teen's suitcase. Last summer my 17 yo daughter packed a 25-26 inch because she is a clothes freak and couldn't leave anything home. I was going to battle her about it, but in the long run she was happier that she had her things with her. The only stipulation was that she would have to handle her own suitcase which was a little interesting when we were getting on and off some local trains. She is 5'2" and weighs around 105 lb so it was not easy for her. I think next trip she will travel lighter.
A backpack is definitely a must for carrying items around during the day.

Secondly, as suze said, take more than one pair of shoes. My friend that was traveling with us only brought one pair of shoes. They were good walking shoes and she had broken them in. However, after one day of walking around London especially on the cobblestones of the Tower of London, she had blisters and no other shoes to wear. She bought moleskin which helped some but her feet hurt the whole trip. She wore a pair of my daughter's shoes for a while but they were not much better. Myself, I took several pair of shoes and was glad I did. All of them were broken in but the pair that I thought would be the least comfortable turned out to be the best for all the walking we did. I realize your son's have big shoes (not like packing girl's sandals) but nothing can ruin your trip more than sore feet.

Yes, we own two and I borrowed two from my sister on our last trip. I am probably going to just buy two more. I think my 18 year old wants to pull the wheeled bag. So...I may purchase 1 or 2 wheeled bags from RS this time.

I have looked and looked for comparable bags that I could buy in a store and have not found one that compares in lightness (wt.), cost and versatility. It's a very well made bag for $100 or so. I've been checking Ebay for some used ones, but, alas, no luck!

My 21 yo daughter read Dan Brown's
"Angel's and Demon's" before she went to Italy and specifically Rome. I also had a hard time getting her to plan ahead and she was like your older son - "too much school work, etc to think about it". But she loved the book and when she finally got to Italy, it really sparked her interest in what to see. She spent 5 weeks in Italy last summer and the rest of the summer traveling around Europe. Rome was her favorite city among all the places she went so I know your son's will like it.

to paula1470~ thanks so much for the kind words. the "perfect pack" is a passion of mine (strange but true) so i appreciate it when others see the beauty of my ways -LOL. i am certain i have spent more time than the average jo(sephine) trying different methods.

and not to be a bore on this subject, but i can't imagine wearing only one pair of shoes for 2 weeks straight with all the walking you do on a European trip. YES to wliwl, bring the Tevas as a second pair would be perfect.

if anyone is buying a new rolling suitcase, both of mine (a 22" or 24" i carry one or the other depending the type of trip) came from JC Penny or Marshalls and cost ~$50 each and have lasted years.

Great advice, suggestions! Just one more comment on teen toys - i.e. ipods, DVD players. My teens ARE in fact big readers. I must tell you trying to carry enough paperbacks to occupy them is no less difficult than the music/DVD thing. We had to buy English paperbacks in Rome after a 2 week trip to Italy and it was very expensive. Also, IF they take "disk man" type things, you can take books on tape (well, CD actually) as well as music. My kids listened to the Davinci Code last summer, courtesy of a friend who loaned us his CD set. I also concur that they should be allowed to check a bag and do not insist on carrying everything on board the plane.

I just had an idea of a place to visit for your teens. They are into the DaVinci code, right?

Why not visit Leonardo's home town of Vinci? It's in Tuscany, between Pisa and Florence. It's a small and pretty hilltown, but there's not much to see EXCEPT a fine museum dedicated to Leonardo. They might find it neat to walk the same streets Leonardo did as a boy.

I did it as an easy day-trip from Florence and it took 1/2 a day.

You should also take them to the Tomb of the Capuchin monks. It's in central Rome somewhere, attached to a church (but I can't remember which one). It seems that several hundred years ago, a group of monks, in a fit of piety, took the skeletons of several hundred monks and used the bones to create a kind of "macaroni art"/mosaic and structures in a series of rooms. Very strange. I seem to recall an altar made of monk bones and even a kind of chandelier.