joannyc

I like to use the compression bags when packing. I also bring another one or two along for dirty laundry, purchases, etc. I can fit more into my suitcase.

nukesafe

Zip Lock bags in various sizes. Take a lot, as they come in very handy for keeping stuff together, rather than scattered all over your suitcase. I have found the US brands are much sturdier and seal better than the ones I have bought in Europe.

I even take a really big one for doing laundry in the sink. The sinks in most hotels do not seal well, IME, and the water drains away or splashes on the floor and me. This makes me less popular with both the hotel staff and my wife.

If I merely fill the bag with soapy water and slosh the bag around with the laundry, the room doesn't turn into a swimming pool. Also, I can carry the bag full of wet clothing to the tub, where I will let it drain and dry, without leaving a trail of wet across the room.

Works for me.

Ackislander

Sorry I was confusing on cubes.

I use them like scdreamer, but I was thinking of them for kids' clothes -- Kid A, Kid B -- where a cube would hold clothes for a couple of days and each kid could be responsible for his own per dreamon's suggestion.

I carry shirts and trousers on hangers in a garment sleeve that came with my suitcase. I put soft clothes -- sweaters, polo shirts, underwear and socks, sleep shirt -- into cubes.

I lay the garment sleeve across the bottom of the suitcase, put the cubes on top, and fold the other side of the bag over them -- voila, instant bundle and no wrinkles anywhere!

Around the outside of the bundle goes all the other stuff in smaller cubes or similar: meds; electronic wires, plugs, adapters; toiletries, etc., each in a different color for easy grabbing, whether from the bag or from a drawer in my room.

If I don't carry extra shoes, all this comes in at about 28 pounds. An extra pair of size 14 shoes brings me up to 31 or 32, so I rarely carry them.

I have tried the gallon plastic bags and find the openings less convenient for my XXL clothes, but using one as a washing machine is brilliant. Thank you, nukesafe!

Dukey1

I have found the packing cubs to be superior to plastic bags: they last longer; they're more flexible; they're more durable.

sparkchaser

If you plan on buying stuff, buy a luggage scale.

A USB travel charger is a must. Make sure that all devices can be charged overnight.

Most rental cars these days have USB ports but I would not rely on it as a sole source for charging.

The showers in the Lufthansa lounge are quite nice.

Carry some FLUSHABLE wet wipes.

Mohn might look like chocolate but it ain't chocolate (it's a paste made from poppy seeds and the Germans love the stuff).

wendy17

Thanks for all of the tips! I will pack ziploc bags for sure. and have my chargers ready to go.

I LOVE Mohnkuchen sparkchaser....it may be the sole reason I travel to Germany. Although I had a cousin that took a bite, announced that the "chocolate" was rotten and spit it out!

Shoes are always the biggest pain! But boys shoes get so stinky after a while...and they refuse to wear sandals.

traveldawg

UNDERWEAR:
I now have lightweight travel underwear. I take four pairs for a two week trip and rinse out every day or two in the sink. They dry overnight and you are ready to go. Before this my wife would put an X on my old underwear that was about ready to be thrown away. I would take all the X underwear with me on the trip, wear it one time and throw it away in the hotel room. My laundry went down as the trip continued.

TRANSLATE
Get Google Translate or similar app to use to translate when needed. It also has a function where you can hold your phone up to a printed sign and it will translate what the sign is telling you to do.

ROOMS
Always ask to see your assigned room before you sign in. European rooms are not as standard as US hotel chains. The front desk will try to sell off the worst rooms first if they can. If you do not like your room, just ask if they have something in a different location, etc. They will oblige.

NAVIGATION
I have a US/Europe Garmin. I program in the addresses that I know I will be using prior to leaving the US. When I arrive in Europe and need to head to first hotel/town. etc I just go to the saved places and head out. Saves time and some rental cars still charge you for navigation. My system also warns of upcoming cameras on the road to check speed. Sweden has them about every five miles it seems like. That alone paid for my Garmin.

moosey

Great thread!

I try to take one or two (stacked) little plastic takeout containers (or just the Ziploc bags noted above) for unfinished meals. A child who is completely full may suddenly be hungry an hour later, or an oversized breakfast could make a nice midday snack. (or even for the two full-size meals they manage to feed you on a six-hour flight to Europe - I hate to waste so try to take the roll or croissant from breakfast with me!)

Traveldawg, I am cracking up at the "x" underwear! But I am guilty of taking old clothes or slippers on vacation and leaving them behind.

nyse

Sparkchaser, re mention of FLUSHABLE wet wipes, be very careful:

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainab...ties-flushable

Getting to be a terrific problem; labelling can be very deceptive.

annhig

I like the cubes too - undies in one, tops in another, and that just about deals with my packing and unpacking apart from the trousers and a skirt which I lay flat and hang up when I get there.

Very easy for kids too when you are moving around a lot as [hopefully] knickers and socks won't get lost and they can find them easily.

we colour code them - red for me, green for DH - which would work for the kids too.

Sally30

Just back from two weeks with a 5 and 9 yo (girls) so here are a bunch of random thoughts. Our trip was a big different as we were in the city (not the car) but these things worked for us:

- Definitely separate the clothing by person somehow. I wasn't organized enough to order the packing cubes ahead of time so I just got the XL ziplock bags on amazon prime and packed our clothes in there and used separate bags per person. each kid ended up with two bags. We moved accommodations so it was very easy to just pull out each person's bag without having to sort through clothes for four people

-stay in places with washing machines or drop off your laundry every few days

- bring waterproof shoes for the kids. we had fantastic weather on our trip but it did rain a couple of days. one of those days my older daughter didn't wear her boots and within the first hour of being outside she was so wet and miserable she went back to change. if she didn't have her rainbows she would have been miserable all day. or you could buy them during the trip if needed.

- do a lot of reading in advance with the kids. We went to Paris and Venice so it was very each to find books about each place geared toward kids. There is a series called "Not for Parents" by Lonely Planet that has good guidebooks for a bunch of cities. Look up books in the Magic Treehouse or "Who Was" series related to your destinations (Mozart, etc). My 9 yo is a big reader so she would have been interested in reading up on the cities before we left anyway (honestly, she was more prepared than most adults) but I really thought my 5 yo benefited from learning a little bit about each place before we went. She was so excited to see the Rialto Bridge. She doesn't read yet so I read her picture books that took place in our destinations.

- we got a kids french phrasebook for our older daughter and she enjoyed trying to translate signs and menus. if your kids speak German that is great. have them do some of the ordering or buying tickets etc.

- get the kids their own maps (one for each kid if they fight like mine do) and let them trace your route.

- if your kids like to read, get them a kindle so you can download books along the way and don't have to bring a ton with you.

- the ball is a great idea. we brought our little one's scooter and it was a true life saver in Paris. She doesn't like to walk but was happy to scoot everywhere. if you are going to be in cities and either kid doesn't love to walk, the scooters are great especially if you can find a small foldable one

- pocket money, mentioned above, is great too. i find that kids are very happy buying cheap knick knacks. they are fun to have when you get home to remember the trip.

- our five year old is not great in restaurants so we let her bring the dvd player she used on the plane into the restaurants. she was tired at the end of the day and this gave her time to relax and rest. i am sure others will think it terrible to let a child watch tv during a meal, when you are spending 24 hours a day for 30 days with your family, a little break is just fine (in my opinion!).

- carry a lot of food with you. all the time. when sightseeing it is hard to time it so that you are at a restaurant (or back to the apartment) right when everyone needs to eat and not everyone will be hungry at the same time. I brought a few pieces of fruit, a baguette and a chocolate bar with me every day. The kids (and my husband and I) would snack on that if we needed a little food between meals.

- finally, try not to forget that kids need a lot of downtime and traveling is tiring for everyone, especially them. our kids were very tired. if they seem like they are starting to get worn out, do a rest day or if you are with a partner, take turns staying with the kids while the other goes out.

jkbritt

We bring wash clothes too. We also buy razors, soap, perfume, deodorant, etc. there. Less to haul around getting there. We also take two rolls of toilet paper, with no center core. I take a GPS with a Europe chip to use when driving. I also take a small laptop computer, and assorted converters for power. Wal-Mart sells a small portable fan, 9 inch and 12 inch (I think). It can be battery powered, but I just use the power cord that came with it and plug it into a wall socket. In the summer, no ac, open window and having a breeze blowing is wonderful. We also bring extra zip-lock bags, quart size. Wife buys soap to do laundry there as well as fabric softener. We bring sanitizing wipes and buy more there, to wipe down trays on airplanes, shopping cart handles, etc. A pen or two are recommended, as well as a small note pad. Bring any over-the-counter meds you might want to use. For example, they do NOT sell Tums in Germany or France. Found out the hard way. Plastic rain coat in small package might be helpful. I buy a umbrella when we arrive. I like taking a hat for sun protection. Wife loves to bring a scarf or just buy one there. Lip balm might come in handy on windy days.

wendy17

More great ideas! I have never heard of XL ziploc bags, so I must figure that out! Also, something to pack leftover food in is also a great idea.

I've done the "take old underwear" thing too. I may get them another Kindle to read.

I also buy small plastic boxes with dividers. They are maybe 9 x 12 inches and 1 inch high maybe. Anyways, Lego pieces fit in there really well and were easy to corral after car trips.

Toilet paper is smart too!

jan47ete

Locks for luggage--tried to buy a bunch of TSA approved locks but over the years have had to buy more. So now I number the locks and number the keys, so I know which key goes to which lock.

Save old 3oz or less makeup jars. Then when I travel put hand lotion, shampoo, etc so the jars can thrown away when done as I bring just enough for the trip. this way if something happens to my luggage, expensive creams and lotions are not lost, just the small portion I brought for the trip.

Rain ponchos at the Dollar Store are $1, come tightly wrapped like a tissue pack. I usually buy 2-3 if I am going someplace with a chance of rain. Admittedly they tear easily but just toss at the end of the day. I like it better than a sturdier poncho that is more bulky.

Cowboy1968

re. medication / OTC drugs

While it does not take it much space to carry a few pills, the other option is to look up the active ingredient instead of asking for a US brand name.

For example, while PP jkbritt did not find "Tums" in Germany, he/she would have found tons of calcium carbonate pills in any drugstore or most supermarkets (it's considered a dietary supplement and not even restricted to be sold in pharmacies, as most OTC drugs here).

Other OTC drugs simply have a different brand name.

Prices for OTC and prescription drugs with the very same active ingredients vary a lot. But even with a prescription for a specific drug you can demand the cheapest alternative at the pharmacy.

You don't need prescriptions for contact lenses (or glasses) in Germany - in case you lose them.
If you know your numbers, you can pick up a box of contacts at any optician store over-the-counter.

sparkchaser

<i>Sparkchaser, re mention of FLUSHABLE wet wipes, be very careful:

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/may/26/disposable-wipes-sewer-toilet-cities-flushable</i>

Yes. Be careful.

The previous tenants in our house used non-flushable wipes and flushed them. Two months after moving in, the sewage backed up onto out patio. Fortunately we were not responsible.

If you do use flushable wipes, ALWAYS use them sparingly.

StCirq

As Cowboy says, you don't need to bring OTC meds from the USA. Both France and Germany, and probably other EU countries, have the same meds available at supermarkets and pharmacies. Just know the ingredients.

sparkchaser

If you take Ibuprofen, better to bring your own as it is cheaper in the US and you can get higher dosages OTC. I think hay fever drugs are priced similarly.

In Spain you can get Tylenol with Codeine OTC. Useful for those who need their fix.

StCirq

Same in France. And Doliprane here comes only in 500 and 1000 mg dosages, WAY more than the average American takes. But you need a prescription for "baby aspirin," 100 mg. Go figure.

sparkchaser

I think the take away should be that it might be available but bring your own anyway. Better to be safe than sorry.

And stock up on the good stuff should you be in a country that offers it.