Janice

This is not an entirely hypothetical question - the possibility of being a courier has come up, and I could stay for an entire week if I was willing to cede both my checked baggage and 1 carry on to my employers - leaving me with 1 bag which will fit underneath the seat in front. I'm voting yes - but now I'm not sure how I'll do it. Advice please Elvira, Thyra, all you experts!

meg

Go for it. Wear most of your clothes on the plane - many layers. Pack underwear in the bag. Plan to wear the same few items of clothing over and over. Buy toiletteries (sp?) when you get there. I went to Paris for a week in a 24X14X12 bag no problem. My dad's bag was smaller, and he went on to the south of France for an additional 2 weeks.

herself

No problem. I can do a week with a small carry on. I pack one set of undies, two pairs of slacks and a couple of tops. Wear skirt, top, sweater, coat etc. Go for it

Beth Anderson

yup, sure. I spent 5 days in February in London with just an 18 inch carryon. (but I did stay with friends - which does help with some of the hassle I suppose). wear your heavy stuff on the plane - bulk up - thick sweater, jeans, the heavy shoes & coat... carry the lighter stuff. <BR> <BR>I also have spent a month living out of just a backpack & traveling every other day with a Eurail pass. (not a day pack size though). I would say, I guess it is possible to be a 'fashion plate' while doing this, but don't waste your time striving for this - clean & comfortable are so much more important. <BR> <BR>I would say - plan to at least launder the undies/socks/Ts so that you would carry less of that. T shirts under sweaters helps with wearing a sweater more than you would normally wear it (in a row) and they are much lighter/smaller. <BR> <BR>what works for me on any trip - when I see I am getting low on a certain cosmetic (deodorant, whatever) I save it for my trip cuz I know I can just chuck it when I am packing up to go back home. plus it's lighter than a brand new bottle of whatever. definitely use sample sizes of stuff if you can - when on business trips, take the shampoo home with you! <BR> <BR>if I think of anything else... <BR> <BR>Beth <BR>

Thyra

Janice, no problem at all, at 21 my girlfriend and I were 3 months in Europe with one backpack each. First of all, as mentioned above, wear your heaviest things on the plane, if you have say big boots, Doc Martins or something, wear those on the flight, and also your heavy coat. Then take care of all the little things.. get a travel bottle and measure out exactly the number of squirts of shampoo you will use over a week period, same with all your liquid stuff. Next go through your vitamin pills, if you bring aspirine or any medication, don't bring the whole box, if the pills come in sheets like say, Sudafed, then cut the sheets in half. Get travel sized toothpaste etc. Then take a pair of extra pants and lay them out flat on the floor, then fold them in half,lengthwise, down the leg, then take some socks, shirts etc and lay them as flat as possible down the length of your flat pants, do this until you have about an inch to an inch and a half of clothing laying flat on top of your pants, then start at the top of your slacks and just like rolling a sleeping bag, roll up the mass as tight as possible, I mean roll that sucker TIGHTLY, if you can find a big rubberband, then rubberband the roll together. Make 2 rolls of clothes.. if you have to pack an extra pair of shoes then take little items and stick them inside of your shoes, then rubberband your shoes together in a way that takes up the least amount of space. I can usually take 3 pairs of pants, a tee shirt that I wear under EVERYTHING and which I sleep in also, one pair of shorts (for sleeping) , a sweatshirt, one non wrinkling dressy dress, 4 prs of socks, gloves, a casual skirt, nylons or tights and one pr of running shoes, all in either black, grey or white so that it can all be worn together. On the plane I wear my tee shirt, under a bulky sweater, another pair of pants, and my heaviest shoes then during winter I carry my heavy coat. Janice, this will be a piece of cake! Our trips usually go 3 weeks and I only ever bring a wheeled back-pack and a purse. Good Luck!

s.fowler

It is, as others have indicated, very possible. You can make do for a week with 3 bottoms and 4 tops, one of which is, for me, a lands end black silk turtleneck. Wash undies... reduce the amount of toiletries etc that you take and do wear your most heavy stuff on the plane. That list even allows for a second pair of shoes <BR>Have a *blast*!

Nancy

Have you looked at the Eagle Creek packingsupplies. I have picked up some for my next trip, but have not used them yet. I was real excited to get the bags that compress - for dirty laundry and bulky items. Look at their web site. <BR>Nancy

elvira

ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY I'd wear a pair of dripdry slacks, a rinsable blouse, sweater, jacket and my comfiest shoes on the plane over. I'd have a pair of leggings or slacks, another washable blouse, and a couple of pairs of socks in the bag. For underwear, I'd buy the disposable-after-a-few-washings panties from Walgreen's (they are rolled up to about the size of a lipstick). I'd take the toothbrush/toothpaste given to be on the plane, and buy everything else (pitstick, shampoo, etc.) when I arrived. Other than basic makeup, I'd skip the eyelash curler, curling iron, etc. A coupla scrunchies and hairpins and I'm ready...

rand

Nobody yet has mentioned how much you can stuff into your coat pockets. An extra pocket sewn into the linining about 18x12x8 should just about take care of it.

think

Wear what is necessary, bring extra underwear in an small expandable bag, and buy whatever you need when you get there. What do you have here that you can't buy there? Maybe only peanut butter.

steve

Did 2 weeks this spring in England and Ireland with only 1 carryon. No trouble. If you have access to washing machines it is very easy. Otherwise, get fast drying clothes (try www.tilley.com) and wash out in the sink. When I was younger and cycling, I went as long as 6 weeks with just one bag.

Janice

Thanks! you guys (and girls!) are the best - I'm definitely going to do it. any more advice? what do you read on the plane, and do you buy books in Europe for your return trip? (I'll die without something to read on the flight.)

elvira

I'm a reader, too...used to do the 'just in case' bit, bringing most of Barnes&amp;Noble in my totebag. Now, I bring one paperback for the plane; if I'm stuck in an airport with nothing to read, I buy another paperback. Once read, they get left wherever I am.<BR>In London and Paris, especially, there are plenty of second-hand bookstores and book fairs/flea markets to get a book for your trip home, as well as WH Smith bookstores (one right on the rue de Rivoli, hotdamn).

Beth Anderson

hey! why take barnes and noble WITH you, when you can bring it back home (that's my motto) <BR> <BR>I usually buy too many books when I travel. no wonder I can't lift my darn bags. <BR> <BR>do you have to have only one carry on going home? if you can check stuff on the way back - maybe throw in a little nylon bag for your dirty clothes, to check coming home. or for souvenirs.

Christina

I could do this if I had to, but would not do it just to save a few hundred dollars on air fare, as I have a lot other things invested in a vacation (vacation time spent, all other costs, etc), and only having a small carryon would impinge on my enjoyment. But, if this is a completely free trip and just something for a lark, I could do it in most locations and probably would, espec. if your boss is giving you days off for this trip, also. I just wanted to point out that you should clarify some things before doing this, as many airlines will not allow two carryons any more to Europe or if the flight is full. Then, you would have nothing of your own as you were allocating one of the two to your boss. Second, if this is a regular flight, which it sounds like it is, you can always take extra bags for a slight fee, it's not that much. It would certainly be worth it for a free trip to Europe if you had to pay a small amount to check your own additional bag. I've paid for extra baggage because at one time there were diff. limits for international and local intra-Eur. flights, maybe still are. I read a lot, plus buy a lot of books in Europe, so it's a real problem for my packing. Often I will take a couple fat "junk" novels for the plane trip, etc, that I know I will not want to read again and then throw them away. I usually take enough books for reading as English books in Europe can be pretty expensive, but I leave room for a few purchases. I wanted to ship some books back from Paris once, but I could not get clear information from the clerk at the bookstore as to how much that would cost, I know freight from France can be pretty pricey; as now you can purchase foreign books online easily and pay the shipping that way (which shouldn't be any more than onsite), there isn't as much need for me to buy them and lug them back, unless I find something I think I may have trouble getting online.

Walter

This site might be useful www.oratory.com/travel/ <BR>Regards, Walter <BR>

karen

If you're going as a courier, I assume you would not be as restricted on your trip home (i.e., the luggage allowance is needed to get things to Europe and not back from Europe). In that case, definitely try to pack a lightweight duffel (like Sportsacs, which fold to nothing) so you can tote extras home - or buy a cheap back in Europe. That way, you can be economical in your packing there, but still have room to bring things home. To economize on space on the trip over, definitely wear some layers on the plane to free up space in your pack. Also, forget about wasting room on toiletries - buy local toothpaste, shampoos etc (part of the fun of going to Europe!) and even in large sizes so you can bring them home. <BR> <BR>Enjoy.

Marpha

That's definitely no problem, I always do that! Just get a lot of clean underwear and cotton shirts that you can wash. A pair or two of trousers (light fabric) and basic toiletry and that's it! It is actually a real joy to travel light!

Shanna

Excellent thread. And great advice for paring down the load. Would this work? In addition to what one wears, pack two knitted loose slacks, two crewneck cotton sweaters and lots of undies of the camisole, t-shirt, and boxer knickers type. Wash them frequently. Some bright and some subdued, big but thin, scarves, and one pair of shoe clip-on bows to dress up walking shoes. Will this work? What is forgotten? Sleep sans jammies and tie a scarf on a bad hair day. I think this could be a ten day (warm weather) trip. Black eyeliner and Vaseline for lip gloss and dry skin. Buy anything else there. What else? Immodium? In nothing more than a soft-sided overnight bag - a gym bag even! Packing takes too long. I'm sick of it and lugging all that stuff around. Has anyone here jumped on the plane with nothing but the clothes on their backs? Oh, drat! Back to work . . . .

Simon

Go FOR It ! <BR> <BR>I do this every summer. Stay at hostels, and wash your clothes every 2 or 3 days for $5 ... you then have a clean wardrobe once more. <BR> <BR>Check out www.iyhf.org <BR> <BR>You can even book online in many countries in europe now.