No more cruise ships, no more "tours". Just the four of us (brother/sister and spouses) striking out on our own to celebrate retirements. So, what would you advise for us to take in our small suitcases?
We will be in Europe from 15 September-15 October. I have designed our "field trip" so that we will be no more than five days away from a clothes washer. We will be driving station wagons to accommodate the luggage.

Thanks,

Larry for the retired-travelers

Layers and a waterproof outer coating.

oh that sounds so nice
hope u all get on fabulously

i guess it is no different from other trips youve done
if it is a road trip then think about getting some of that cutlery on a ring or buying thermoses when you get there..we took two melamine mugs and made good use of them

good maps or programs for a navigational device ( if you want one make sure you have ordered one from the rental company in advance - we missed out)

two pairs of walking shoes - so you can alternate
we got gortex ones - waterproof which was great

we shouldve taken some music - ended up listening to the same cd a lovely waitress in russia gave us- we now have our own song in russian

radio can be a bit dicey= either cant pick up or it's talk back
although sometimes u can listen to local bands which is special

enjoy the trip and safe driving

No more than 6-days' worth of clothing then. Include a collapsible umbrella. Are you willing/able to share one toiletry kit? Believe me, it can easily be done.

How many days are you willing to WEAR the same clothing items before they MUST be laundered? A decision it is helpful to make in advance.

Do you have fast-drying underwear and socks? Are you willing to washy ANYTHING in a hotel room and allow it to dry overnight? Are you aware of the "roll-in-a-towel-and-step-on-it" speedier drying method?

A small flashlight
A Swiss Army knife/Leatherman/Gerber tool
duct tape (repairs almost anything)

1. Enough underclothes and socks to last several days.
2. A stopper for your hotel sinks, powdered detergent, and a clothes line with pins if you want to do hand washing.
3. Two or three slacks or skirts, three or four tops.
4. At least one sweater.
5. A short jacket of the windbreaker type, a good raincoat, and a crushable hat with a good size brim.
6. Sunglasses.
7. Two pairs of shoes, one waterproof.
8. Medications and xerox copies of your passports, your medication prescriptions, and your
prescriptions for your eyeglasses.
9. Cell phones and sim cards that will work in the countries you're visiting.
10. Dictionaries or lists of phrases for the countries you visit, particularly the names of foods.
11. Good maps, whatever you need in terms of drivers licenses, and insurance.
12. Reading matter. I've found that having a Kindle is a Godsend, but don't know how easy it is to get one for Europeans.

Bon voyage!

Here's my 7-day packing list:

2-3 prs khaki-type pants (skirts or capris ok)
7 shirts with collars (button down or polo)
or else 7 t-shirts + 2-3 button-down to wear over
1 dress-up outfit (or 2 if you plan to dress up often)
1 exercise/lounging around outfit
1 cardigan sweater (wear on the plane)
1 light rain jacket that fits over the sweater, + umbrella
2 pr pajamas
sox, underwear for 7 days
Toiletries bag
no more than 2 pr shoes in luggage (plus 1 on your feet)
slippers/flip-flops and bathrobe if you wear them
jewelry, scarves, belts, (swimsuit?), etc

Also distributed in your bags:

Picnic kit (lunchbox with cutting board, knife, corkscrew, wipes, baggies, etc.. If carry-on buy the knife when you get there).

Folder of paperwork (directions to hotel, pre-paid tickets, phone numbers, flight times, passport numbers, etc), guidebooks, maps.

Cameras and electronics (ipod) + chargers + plug converters.

Small first aid and medicines kit.

Thanks everyone, but how about some specific clothing.
My world-traveling sibling packs for a cruise and has one of the largest suitcases I've ever seen. I am attempting to get her down to just a medium bag so it will fit in the car.
At the tender age of 60 and a resident of the Sunshine State, she is used to shorts, polos, and tees. Should we take shorts instead of pants, etc.

If you use them, take more than one pair of reading glasses and leave them in different places (hotel room, purse, carry-on, etc.) so if you lose a pair, you'll still have others. I buy mine at the dollar store.

Small but good opera glasses.

Band-aids (for cuts and scrapes, yes, but also for blisters).

Soft insoles you can move from shoe to shoe.

A few sheets a fabric sheets keeps luggage smelling fresh.

For Heavens sakes..
I can type this morning..

This is rather old but still works:
http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/bob_tips.htm

Hi RT,

Congrats on your retirement.

>What should old folks pack? <
Diapers and pads for incontinence
Lots of Advil
false teeth cleanser
Extra socks and silk underwear for when you feel cold at 85 F
Cane or folding walker
sun helmets
extra eyeglasses
2 pairs of orthotic shoes
1 pair compression socks
2 knee braces

You might want a cell phone that works in Europe for emergencies - see www.mobal.com

Enjoy your visit.

Tell her that she's limited to a 25" (or smaller) roller bag. I packed for a 3 week trip in a bag that size, only did laundry once and never in a sink, and purchased quite a few things while I was gone and it was fine. If you're only going to go 5 days in between laundry, that should be very easy to do. One trick is to pack using a carryon size bag, and then once you've limited it to things you can fit in that bag, move it into a 24-25" bag and you've got lots of space for purchases. If needed, you can buy a small duffle bag for extra or fragile purchases to take as carryon home. If you have a duffle bag that can be crunched up tiny, think about taking it with.

On a cruise, you change clothes 3 times a day and need fancy party clothes. You don't need anything nearly that formal, or all of those options for your trip I assume. Decide what kind of clothes you need based on the weather and what you're used to. If your sister is from the Sunshine State, she'll likely want to dress warmer than I would as I'm used to Iowa. http://www.worldweather.org/010/c00032f.htm#climate That's a link for London average temperatures. September averages are low 50's - mid 60's. October averages are high 40's - 60ish. I wouldn't call that shorts weather, so I really doubt she would.

Take clothes that you can layer easily. Good walking shoes (I love my goretex lined Merrell's), comfortable pants (jeans or slacks, whatever is most comfy), a light weight shirt, a sweater/cardigan and a rain jacket would be my guess for what to wear. If you've already planned so that you only need to go 5 days in between laundry, then you don't need to pack more clothes than for 6 days (a few extra socks and undies are a good thing though). Polos or tees would be the right weight for your light weight shirts in my opinion.

Depending on your plans, you can easily rewear clothes without offending anyone with smell. You don't need six pairs of pants; pack two pairs and wear one. If you take a pair of black pants they can easily be dressed up for evening. If you are planning on anything fancier, take a pair of nice dark slacks and just wear those in the evenings. For shirts, pack two - five (depending on space), wear one. Take one or two cardigans or sweaters that work with all of the light weight shirts. Socks and undies, I usually suggest an extra or two. Remember PJ's and maybe something comfy for lounging around.

Shoes take up a lot of space and weight, so focus on what you really need. Some people want two pairs of comfy walking shoes, some only need one pair. Your feet are very important, do not torment them with uncomfortable shoes! Take a pair of dress shoes only if you really need them and your walking shoes won't work. A pair of flip flops or similar small sandals are great for pools, nasty showers and wandering around the hotel in the evening. I usually take my comfy merrells, a pair of black ballet flats as they pack tiny and work with anything, and maybe a pair of flip flops. Don't forget bandaids... if a shoe starts to rub in a spot put a bandaid on it immediately to prevent a blister from forming.

I hope that helps for clothing packing ideas.

You don't say what part of Europe you will be in but anywhere above Italy for those dates will be to chilly for shorts.
I agree with layers, you will probably need a jacket or sweater. Water resistant would be best.

30 days traveling with another couple? A good sense of humor.

Are you driving 2 cars? I always pack a good audiobook that dh and I both will enjoy.

Instead of bandaids for blisters, I'd take moleskins. They can be cut to fit and stay on much better. I've only needed them once, and after that they live in my suitcase.

It sounds as though you have traveled with the other couple before, but if you haven't you may want to work out what to do if one couple suddenly wants to drive 40km out of the way to visit a shoelace factory that you have no interest in.

No shorts, or maybe one pair or a skort. But you're unlikely to need shorts in the UK in that time period. I say don't take jeans because they're heavy to carry and hard to get dry in British/European dryers. Lightweight pants are best; cropped ones for warmer weather.

I think a 25" suitcase is huge, but if she's willing to carry it up and down several flights....

You don't say what kind of accommodations you'll be staying in. Big hotels in cities don't mix with a car; you'll just pay to park it. Big country hotels will have parking and probably an elevator. B&B's mostly have parking, no elevator. Since you're doing a driving tour, I assume you don't want to rent a cottage; it might have a washer/dryer, but cottages usually rent for a week at a time.

Cities and towns have laundromats (laundrettes); you can drop your clothes off or wash them yourself. At one B&B in the Cotswolds, they let me use the washer and dryer when they weren't in use -- for a charge of L9, which I thought was a bit much, but convenient.

Ear trumpets.

Oxygen.

Nitroglycerine pills.

And if you don't need those:

Viagra/Cialis/Levitra.

Tell her that she has to be able handle her own bag - no porters, no one will put the luggage in the "stateroom" for her, that she has to be able to carry it up and down at least 6 steps and lift it to shoulder height (to put in the racks at the end of the train car) or even way over her head (to get it in overhead racks), and be able to walk 2 blocks dragging the bag while carrying her handbag and carry-on.

She may not get it at first - or even believe you. But eventually it will sink in.

There are many threads w/ specific packing lists and 60 yo folks will take the same sorts of garments. Do a search.

In general -- 3 or 4 "bottoms" -- any combination of slacks, skirts, jeans, dresses. All in the same color family or that coordinate. Then as many tops as you want - tees, shirts, blouses, sweaters -- again all in the same color family or complimentary so they all mix/match/layer. 2 or 3 pair of shoes (remember - one of everything plus a jacket will be on your body on the flight, so only 1 or 2 pair of shoes will be in the suitcase), socks, underwear. Now underwear - it depends on each person's "philosophy" -- some don't mind washing things out in the sink - those folks only need maybe 3 sets. Others hate hand washing or even find it icky - those folks should bring enough for the entire trip. But underwear doesn't take much space.

Everything should easily fit in a 21 inch rollaboard -- but a 24 inch (too big to carry on) would also be fine. Any larger than that and she will have trouble handling the suitcase weight/size

Works for men & women both, packs in a 22-24" roller bag (plus some of this will be on your body at any given time!):
3 pair pants
5 shirts
1 sweater
1 outer jacket
2-3 pair shoes
1 hat
assorted undies, socks, etc.
1 something to sleep in/robe/slippers
toiletries/cosmetic kit

Sorry, didn't mean to "copy" janisj, we were posting at the same time!