I have to admit, having a washer but not a dryer at my house in France, that it's a bit of a pain to dry things in the open air, but then, I am normally only there in the summer when it's pretty easy to hang things up outside and let them air-dry - it must be a pain during the rest of the year when it's damp or cold.

But taking the stuff to a local laundry (blanchisserie) isn't that much of a hardship - though, yes, it's expensive.

I think this is just one of those things you need to DEAL with when traveling to another culture - it's not all easy 1-2-3 like it is in the USA. And frankly, I've made trips to Europe where I spent a good deal of time in public laundromats, and you know....I made some friends there and got a LOT of language practice in during those hours while the drier spun around. Everything you do while traveling is an opportunity to make a new advance on some aspect of travel...IF you can maintain an optimistic, opportunistic point of view..y'know?

suze,

I didnt have a car so had to pay a cab there and back..

Instead of having fun eating, drinking, shopping, site seeing,
I had to sit and wait for the clothes to wash and dry. :)

OK, I'll buy that.

I have no idea how long your trip is, but for traveling to cool climates in cool weather, I probably just wouldn't wash my outer wear like pants (truth be told).

we usually go for 2-3 weeks.

What I really love is having all clean clothes in my suitcase when I get home.

The convenience of a washer is a big plus -- one that I would not do without in renting an apartment in Paris. When we rented our apartment for 12 days the summer before last, we could do fine without a dryer EXCEPT when we washed towels and sheets. The towels would have taken too long to dry and the sheets were too big to hang anywhere. Next time I'll rent a place with a dryer, even if it takes a long time for the towels.

Many washing machines in Europe are combined washer-dryers, and contrary to some of the comments on this (and past) threads, they will dry clothing quite effectively unless you massively overload them.

Also, with the exception of some city center apartments, most people do have access to some outside space and prefer to hang their washing out to dry - more environmentally friendly.

"I didn't have a car so had to pay a cab there and back.." - how much laundry did you have? Doesn't Florence have public transport?

"What I really love is having all clean clothes in my suitcase when I get home. " - well, I guess different people see things differently - I just empty my bag into the washing machine when I get home. I'd never bother with having everything clean for the return trip! (But I do hand wash and drip-dry on trips.)

I've rented three apts. in Paris that had washers but no dryers, and from all the ads I've seen, that is very common. In the apts. I was in, they didn't really have room for a dryer, also, they were very small.

I also wondered what they do for big things, sheets, towels, etc. I suppose if I had to eliminate one, I def. would have a washer but no dryer also for most things, and probably send sheets/towels out.

Give your clothes an extra spin cycle to get rid of more water then hang them from somewhere - I do this at home in Edinburgh and apart from jeans (which shouldn't be with you on holiday anyway) everything dries out overnight, even cotton underwear & trousers

Sheets - even Egyptian cotton ones - are washed on a different day and also hung up to dry overnight

wow that's funny, I would never have thought of the idea of having ANY clean clothes in my suitcase by the time I was headed home!! or spending time on a precious europe vacation to get them clean only for a return trip. different strokes, and all that!

Clean clothes when I get home? Not happening. Even if they were clean, I'd wash them again anyway. Everything that was in the suitcase - everything - gets washed when I get home. I just cannot imagine putting something away directly from my suitcase. As someone else said, "different strokes".

Funny enough, I always hang dry my jeans and my daughters' jeans. They shrink and fade too much when dried in the dryer.
But still can't stand the idea of towels not in the dryer! Ouch!

This all reminds me of a visit to Bakersfield, California in 1984. I was helping my brother-in-law install a drip irrigation system and the temperature was over 90 degrees F. It was made even hotter by the vented air from the clothes dryer which enveloped the patio. I think the washing would have dried more quickly by leaving it in a basket outside for half an hour.

A good dryer requires an outside wall and space, which few older and smaller British houses or flats can provide. Only a fool would put damp washing in an airing cupboard. We have a combined washer-dryer, but find that most clothes dry quite quickly without, either indoors or outside.

I'm sure that you will find apartments with separate washers and dryers, air conditioning, a big fridge, and an ice machine. You will pay more, and might just as well stay at home.

But since we are talking about the shortcomings of "abroad", why do U.S. hotels never provide a kettle so that guests can make themselves a proper cup of tea?

I think america is the nation of coffee drinkers. Most hotels offer a coffee pot and some coffee packets.
I wouldn't mind a spot of tea every now and again. :)

I have never had dirty clothes in my suitcase. Once i wear them I put them in plastic bag.

I thought it was weird when my friend showed me her way of bringing home clean clothes, now i love it. if it is quirky, at least i am clean :) I try to have clean clothes that are ironed too. I carry a travel iron. I am sure there are those that would never do that either.

I only bring 3 pants and 4 shirts so every week i have a load of clothes. Not so unusual..

<i>I carry a travel iron. I am sure there are those that would never do that either.</i>

I don't even iron at home, let alone on the road :-)

i hang most stuff up right out of the dryer so i dont have to iron..

clothes right out of the suitcase must be ironed. my mom says and she is always right !!

&quot;I only bring 3 pants and 4 shirts so every week i have a load of clothes. Not so unusual..&quot; - roughly what I take. Every other night I do a hand wash and hang things to dry. My clothes don't get to travel unless they'll drip dry overnight. I never have enough dirty clothes to make a full load.

Ironing on vacation? Horrors!