Help! I will be going to England, Scotland, Ireland and France for a month in August. I have practically ruined trips in the past by packing WAY too much and lugging around baggage that was ridiculously heavy. But how do you pack for a month--mainly casual, but the odd fancy dinner or two, a few beaches, etc? Any advice is much appreciated.

TTT

big question to ask yourself:<BR><BR>how easily will you access laundry facilities? (or have time, or inclination to use them)..<BR><BR>

Yes, there are laundromats in these countries! It can actually be fun to figure out the laundromat and then go next door and have a cafe au lait and read or write postcards while you wait. Of course, you can avail yourself of the laundering options at your hotel, but those are generally quite expensive. I did it once at a little 2 star hotel in Venice, though, and although more expensive than doing it myself, the laundry came back perfect, beautifully folded, pressed, etc. I can't tell you what it cost, butI was on a tight budget then and it wasn't that expensive or I wouldn't have done it.

It takes some planning but you should be able to manage very well with just a 22" rollaboard.<BR><BR>here is what I take for trips of 2 to 4 weeks.<BR><BR>Wash Cloth (UK B&Bs don't often provide them), Toiletries/Makeup in small containers - you can always buy more if you run out, 3 or 4 sets of underwear, PJs or nightgown - modest enough so you can walk down the hall, slippers or slipper socks, 4 pair socks/trouser socks, Blazer or jacket, one dress - jersey or other wrinkle free fabric, skirt - broomstick or knit, 2 pair casual slacks (I don't take jeans since they take up too much room and don't dry overnight), 1 pair "nicer" slacks, 1 to 3 sweaters, 2 to 3 blouses/tops, 2 or at most 3 pair of shoes all with good soles for lots of walking, accessories (scarves, costume jewelery, small bag for evening), small umbrella, rain coat or poncho, plus money belt, camers/film etc.<BR><BR>If you pick your colors well and everything is mix/match you end up with over 30 outfits. And only need to do laundry a couple of times (beside hand washing of underwear, etc.)

hi,<BR><BR>I ...WAS...the worlds worst packer until about two years ago and a friend gave me a list that she swears by. this last trip(2 weeks) i tried it and boy does it really work.<BR><BR>her packing list is called the "7 DAY SUITCASE" and it's built on the premise that if you have enough to get thru 7 days that you have enough for any length of time. more than that is too much. <BR><BR>if you are staying longer than that just find a laundromat. and pack light things that can be handwashed (doing this twice a week). she washes out undies, bras and hose each day. <BR><BR>unless she was on a trip where it is hot or warm weather, this list will last her 2 weeks. what she wore that day she wiped for spots hanging it up to air. <BR><BR>It was started for women only, but i think that there was a list somewhere for men. I do not know if you are a man or woman but i am going to assume you are a woman.<BR><BR>here's the list:<BR><BR>"THE SEVEN DAY SUITCASE"<BR><BR>5 pants (2 knit or 2 cotton/polyester, 1 jean, 1 dress)<BR><BR>7 shirts (5 casual, 2 dress)<BR>1 dress<BR>2 skirts<BR><BR>depending on weather add:<BR>2 sweaters or cardigans<BR>gloves and scarf<BR><BR>or hot weather<BR>2 swimsuits<BR>2 shorts<BR><BR><BR>7 undies <BR>4 bras<BR>1 slip(preferably full slip)<BR>1 sleepshirt or pj's<BR>2 pantyhose<BR>2 kneehighs or trouser socks<BR>3 socks (black, white, and one color)<BR><BR>1 pair walking shoes<BR>1 pair flat dress shoes(that can be worn with pants or skirts)<BR>1 pair dress shoes(for dress)<BR>1 small travel umbrella<BR><BR>1 small emergency kit-fingernail clippers, tweezers, aspirin, bandaids, neosporian,benadryl capsules, small scissors, thread and needle kit. 3 cups washing powder in a ziplock and 3 or 4 small packets of woolite. get rid of all boxes pack everything loose in a ziplock. <BR><BR>to be packed in small carryon:<BR><BR>1 shirt<BR>1 sleepshirt<BR>1 pr underwear<BR>makeup bag-3 lipsticks, 1 foundation, 1 flat makeup case that has 6 eyeshadows and 2 blushes, 1 mascara, 1 eye pencil, powder, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, antiperspirant or deodorant, 2 brushes(1 medium round one), hairspray, 1 or 2 small perfume, jewelry, 1 thin washcloth. (spray cans can be put in suitcase if needed), 4 or 5 quick hair rollers instead of curling iron. all of this actually fits in a medium size cosmetic bag. <BR><BR>camera and film. 2 or 3 paperback books. guidebooks and confirmation papers for hotels. <BR><BR>i think this is everything. if it is cold weather, do not pack your coat, wear it on the plane. if you need other cosmetics, buy them over there.<BR><BR>I need rubbing alcohol but i will never pack that again. any liquid that is not a spraycan i will wait and buy when i get there. i never bring shampoo or hairdryers because every hotel i have ever stayed at has them. i leave the curling iron at home and pack 4 or 5 of those quick rollup hair rollers in different sizes. (this way i do not have to worry about power converters).<BR><BR>if you decide you want to try this i even have a packing diagram for a medium size suitcase. (the new style with pullbar and wheels). email me if you are interested.

YOU DON'T WANT ANYTHING LARGER THAN A 22" W/WHEELS!!! And a daypack. The 7 day list above is actually quite a bit for someone moving around a lot and requires 2 cases it looks like. I am a clothes horse. I'm not one of those people who continually wears the same thing day after day in the name of no luggage, but I would never bring more than what I can carry onto a plane. Now sometimes along the way I buy a cheap bag to start stashing my finds in and on the trip home check my bag and carry my booty aboard. I also always have a small day backpack or large purse. I usually finda a laundrymat, (and you will find them) and do wash only then take everything back to air dry. Its cheaper and takes less of my time, (Once everythings hung in the room I'm free to go on with my day). Of course I do the mix/match thing too and the small amount thing, but what really cuts down on the bulk in my suitcase is the material my clothes are made of. I'm a fan of CP Shades clothers for traveling. Comfortable, fashionable and they're made to look wrinkeled. I buy the rayon line. Very lightweight and quick drying. I'm also a fan of jjill for many of the same reasons. And only 2 pair of shoes not 4. Both for walking, one more "dressier" I guess, then the other. My make up routine is greatly reduced too, I try to bring a pallete kit like those seen at Sephora. (Lorac has a great one right now for $38). Also, weight at departure I keep to 25lbs.! I like to be able to carry my bag onto the plane thought I haven't traveled post 9/11 and don't know if that will be possible this summer. I always come back with heavier luggage and usually one extra bag of stuff, but I start out as light as possible.

25 pounds? wow. my last trip, I was at 80 or so pounds. YIKES.<BR><BR>the only time I've traveled as light as 25 pounds, was a 5 day weekend away and I still ended up wearing my jeans more than I wanted to and didn't have enough room for an extra pair of shoes (wore what I had on my feet the whole time).<BR><BR>however, it was nice not lugging everything. still would rather lug and look decent though.<BR><BR>PP

I pack for a month in Europe every year, and I fit it all into a 21" roll-on. 2 pairs of pants, 4 tops, underwear and socks for 5 days, sleepwear, one nice skirt, one silk jacket, jewelry, toiletries...I do my laundry once a week on the road or in town (when I'm at home in the Dordogne) and I carry a small duffel bag with me for things that I buy and want to bring back with me to the states. I can't STAND lugging heavy bags on trains and over the years have gotten more and more ruthless in packing, and in fact, even with the very few things I bring, I often find that I go for a month and never wear an item I've brought with me. You just don't need a lot of stuff, people. Pack really, really light, and your trip will be ever so much more fun. I took the train back from P&eacute;rigueux to Paris with my sister and a friend of hers a couple of weeks ago, and the two of them had HUGE roll-on bags PLUS huge duffel bags, and just watching them try to get on and off the trains was a MAJOR turn-off. They needed the assistance of a train conductor to get their bags on the train at Limoges, and if that guy hadn't been there, they'd have missed their train, no doubt about it. We were also just about last in the taxi line because it took them so long to get their luggage off the train and onto a cart. Which meant we got to our hotel about an hour later than I would have gotten to it without these ladies and their huge luggage.

hi,<BR><BR>traveler, all of the above list can be packed into one suitcase with the exception of the stuff you should put in a carryon tote bag. see my other post called the 7 day suitcase. I challenge each and everyone of you to pick out the clothes on the list and weight them. I did and my suitcase was about 35 pounds. this really was very manageable. see my other post about the 7 day suitcase. in the 27 inch pullman i actually had more room, however the 21 inch was not quite enough unless i packed shoes outside in the pockets. i chose to take the 27 inch to have room to pack purchases, but i also needed that foldable duffle bag too.<BR><BR>on my trip before last I took a much larger suitcase, packed everything and the kitchen sink and then had problems lugging it around to the point that i had to take taxi's instead of the planned metro's.<BR><BR>this last trip, i used this 7 day plan and the suitcase grid that i posted on another thread and it worked like a dream. the minimalist approach does not work for me. 2 pants, 2 shirts etc simply is not enough for me and this was much more reasonable for someone that would be needing clothes for 7 days or more. (this even worked for someone that was gone for several months). <BR><BR>excluding the extra in the carryon it is only 18-21 pieces of outwear(each weighting 8-16 ounces. the shoes and the dress weighed around a pound each. even the sweaters weighed less than a pound. the suitcase weighed around 10 pounds. total the weight was between 35-40 pounds. the tote weighed around 12 pds and could be hooked on the pullman bar with strap. total weight was around 45-50 pounds. <BR><BR>try it and you will see that it really works.

I love all of your ideas!! I too made the mistake (when I wasn't as experienced) of packing a travel hair dryer, shampoos etc. until I found that ALL the hotels we've ever stayed in have these, also apartments that we've rented as well. I think this is a common mistake "beginning" travelers make.

ttt

Well, "xxx," as you can see, there are lots of different approaches, but the underlying principle is the same: Re-use the things you take. Once the trip is more than 7 days long, the length of the trip is irrelevant -- whether it's two weeks or ten, you'll need the same stuff (barring a change of seasons or climate, of course). Personally, I like St. Cirq's list and janis's, and I think that sandy's 7-day list is way, WAY overpacking. How could you need 5 pairs of pants, a dress, and 2 skirts in just 7 days?!<BR><BR>You have to think about what you, yourself, really can't get along without. Some of these lists of bare essentials include things I don't even own, much less take on vacation.

re-reading my post it seems I need to clarify it a little. That list is ALL the clothes I take - But of course I would be wearing some of those items on the flight over (comfortable slacks/blouse/Sweater/scarf/shoes/socks). So not everything is in the rollaboard - some is on me

Heads up! When my husband and I go to Europe we try to stay as long as we can, usually six weeks. We pack as lightly as possible and do the laundromat thing, considering it a cultural experience. We've actually met some neat people in the laundromats of various countries. The point I want to make is to warn you not to take any of your favorite clothes with you because you'll wear them so often that you'll be totally sick of them by the time you get home.

hi ladies,<BR><BR>I still contend that for many of us, that minimalistic approach simply doesn't work. I have tried that approach for a week and ended up running out of clothes. The dress and 2 skirts gave me enough changes for evenings during the week and for longer trips, the variety I needed. For several weeks the other approach was simply not enough variety. That's my personal observation. <BR><BR>my thing is that if i am gone for only a week, i do not want to have to wash clothes. that's just me. for two weeks, washing as little as possible. for longer trips i understand the need to wash about about every 2 weeks.<BR><BR>as for the items on the list; all of the kits fit in a ziplock bag each and are things one would use. so ellen, I am quite baffled as to what item on the list you would not use or have not heard of? these are things that I and many women use in their normal everyday personal care. there is nothing out of the ordinary on the list. ??? please explain.<BR><BR>I have tested this several times and it works great for me. I would love for someone else to try it and let me know what they think on this board. I have recommended this to several people and have had great response, so I am not concerned. Open minds people, open minds. <BR><BR>sandy

Well, sandy, since you asked!<BR><BR>You said you take "makeup bag-3 lipsticks, 1 foundation, 1 flat makeup case that has 6 eyeshadows and 2 blushes, 1 mascara, 1 eye pencil, powder, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, antiperspirant or deodorant, 2 brushes(1 medium round one), hairspray, 1 or 2 small perfume, jewelry, 1 thin washcloth. (spray cans can be put in suitcase if needed), 4 or 5 quick hair rollers instead of curling iron. all of this actually fits in a medium size cosmetic bag. "<BR><BR>Instead of all that stuff, I take antiperspirant, toothbrush and paste, and a chapstick. One pair of basic gold earrings, which of course I wear rather than pack.<BR><BR>I don't even own any slips, I haven't worn pantyhose since my daughter's wedding in October 2000. I spent 3 weeks in Britain last summer with 2 pairs of pants and one pair of shorts. I didn't get tired of them because they all were black. The linen-and-rayon pair were dressy enough to go anyplace I wanted to go, especially with the matching jacket, without messing with dresses, skirts, nylons, special shoes, etc. And I don't even OWN 5 pairs of pants and 2 skirts!<BR><BR>"Needing" variety, pantyhose, and makeup is a matter of personal choice. If you're willing to lug all that stuff, fine. Just please recognize that it is a choice, not a necessity.

It always amazes me how much women pack to go on holiday!<BR><BR>A tip, though, from my aunt. When she goes on holiday, she buys enough packets of disposable maternity undies to last her for her holiday. That way, not only does she not have to do any washing, there's a little less luggage to bring home.<BR><BR>In the UK you can get them in places like Boots or Mothercare.

Keith, exactly how much luggage would your auntie's undies otherwise take up?! And what on earth are disposable maternity undies -- unheard-of in the US. I just wore my regular ones!

hi ellen,<BR><BR>thanks for explaining. I apologize if i came off sounding strange, but your 1st post kind of made sound like i was an alien or something. you are right, it is simply a choice. we each know what we need to have. my point was that if the minimalistic approach does not work for someone, my list is just an alternative and is manageable. when i finished packing the weight of everything including the carry on was somewhere between 40-45 pds.<BR><BR>its funny though, most of the makeup stuff you mentioned actually fits in one ziplock bag and the weight is less than 2 lbs. (not including brushes).<BR>most of the items are travel size so that makes a difference, and they do not take up much room. i will have to recheck it, but i think if you put all the kits together on a a scale, the emergency kit, the laundry kit, jewelry kit, and makeup kit, they would weigh less than 4 pounds. it really looks like alot but IT ISN'T.<BR><BR>sounds like you are simply not a makeup person. I can't leave home without it. well i could, but it wouldn't be pretty. (not all of us are naturally bea-u-tiful if ya know what i mean!(grin)).<BR><BR>as far as the 5 pants, 2 skirts, 1 dress, each weigh less than a pd except for the dress. I am very hard on my clothes and found once again, that the very minimalistic approach does not work for me especially for more than 7 days. I think it is great that it works for you. <BR><BR>this list is much more moderate for those of us that need more and is it tested and controllable. cutting out 2 pair of pants, a skirt, 2 shirts, 3 underwear, 2 bras, hose, 2 socks, well even as a full figure gal, for me that comes to about 60-70 ounces average or about 4-5 1bs. the average weight of a piece of light weight clothing (pants, skirt, or blouse) is about 8-10 ounces. underwear 4 ounces.<BR><BR>the items that weigh the most in a suitcase are things like shoes and books and objects not fabric. with the exception of heavy wools or denim. of course if you throw in 40 pieces of outerwear clothing along with the rest of it, you are going to end up with a 70 pound suitcase. the trick is to limit it to just these items on the list. substitute, but don't add anything extra. <BR><BR>great thread guys!