He has spoken . . . topic closed . . .

I think I'll have some fun with this one.

"London including a full on formal event (in the presences of her majesty the Queen)"

I will admit that our normal travel clothing was not what my wife wore when she was 'presented' to the Queen at a garden party held at Holyrood Palace during one of the Queen's visits to Edinburgh. For that occasion she used her 'what if' card (otherwise known as a credit card and all you ever need to pack for 'what if' occasions) to buy a summer 'frock' and shoes.

My normal travel clothing however was what I wore when I was part of a group audience with the Pope (John Paul II) and received his blessing even though I'm not a Catholic. It didn't seem to bother him but then it shouldn't have should it.

If you're gonna try and name drop janisj, you need to know others may easily be able to 'one up' you with ease.

Topic indeed closed ......

Ignoring this detour into the high life...

At 46L the bag in dulcius' photo is essentially the same size as the Eagle Creek bag I traveled with for nearly a decade. On several multi-month trips. I checked it, and took a day bag with pharma and electronics as a carry-on. Also, I pack the same - aside from extra guide books - for a two month trip as I do for a two week trip. For that matter, I pack the same for a two week trip as for a one week trip.

Before you run off with the idea that I am some freakish backpacker, I would point out that the Rick Steves' bag I linked is taken on his tours by thousands of people every year. I think it was 16,000 people on his tours last year, and they are expected to travel with one carry on size bag plus a day bag.

Additional resources for packing light:
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light
http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read...-talks/packing

Venice.

My wife and I.

Two months.

40 kilos (about 88 pounds) total luggage.

We travel in comfort and like to dress a bit.

Never do the carry-on thing.

"Venice.

My wife and I.

Two months."

Not relevant. If I were spending two months in one place I'd probably take more, too.

suze, I am actually begging you to confine your attitude, however you want to describe it, to the Lounge, begging. That is where these fights belong.

"The second event was full on formal (in London) . . . And I don't do Popes."

ROTFLMAO

You really can't understand that your pretensions don't impress me can you janisj. I've attended a 'full on formal' in jeans and shirt.

In Porto-novo, Benin a friend and I were invited to a formal reception for the newly arrived US Ambassador, where all the men were in tuxes and we went down the receiving line in shirts and jeans.

What we had just done seemed to be of far more interest to people than what we were wearing. But that's another story of course.

Thursdaysd, there is no need to take more for 2 months in one place. That's simply called 'what if' and you use your 'what if' card (credit card) where needed. For example, to buy a beach towel which you would never bother to carry normally but would probably consider a necessity if you decided to stop on a Greek island for a couple of months.

I find it hilarious when people pack beach towels in their luggage. About as hilarious as janisj's packing choices.

I agree that thinking of this as 1 trip is definitely the way to go. Since 2 weeks is your max amount of time without the ability to do laundry, I would pack for 2 weeks.

At the end of your 5 days in Dublin, do laundry so you start your bus tour with a suitcase full of clean clothes. Then at the beginning of your time in Amsterdam, get everything washed. At the end of Amsterdam, wash everything you wore there, so you start your river cruise with a suitcase full of clean clothes again. If you need to do laundry again, do it in Budapest, which is probably ridiculously cheap.

The strategy of laying everything out and then adding and subtracting is a good one. Mix-and-match and layers will serve you well. If you are someone who wears cardigans, you can take 2 cardigans and 3 shells and have 1 week's worth of tops that take up very little space. Add 2 scarves to mix things up further and add warmth and there you are.

There is no "fight". There is no "attitude".

November_moon, I ask this as a serious question. Where do you get the idea that the OP 'cannot do laundry'?

The OP can do laundry every night as has been suggested. I can understand 'don't want to do laundry' but I can't understand 'cannot do laundry.'

If someone insists they 'will not' do laundry then that's fine. They won't be travelling light and they will need to pack a lot more stuff.

I pack for 3 days and am not in the habit of travelling in dirty clothes when it comes to day 4. Surely you realize there is a difference between 'can't' and 'will not'.

What the OP CAN'T do is pack light and not do laundry.

"November_moon, I ask this as a serious question. Where do you get the idea that the OP 'cannot do laundry'?"


From the OP:
"I have already asked if there is a chance to do laundry during the bus trip and they said no."

Yes, of course the OP can wash out smalls in the sink, however being that they are on a bus trip, I suspect that they will not be spending more than 1 night at most stops. As such, the only hand washing that can be done is for items that dry very quickly. For most people, this means undies and thin tops - no long pants, no shirts that have any weight to them at all, even socks may not dry overnight. I hang dry almost all of out clothing at home, so I am pretty aware of how long it takes various items to air dry ;)

"Surely you realize there is a difference between 'can't' and 'will not'."

Surely you realize that there is a way to communicate without coming across as a jerk.

Now that dul-sex has totally destroyed the poor OP's thread I'll just make one small comment to explain something/defend myself. Then I'll leave it to our nasty friend to go off and hijack other threads . . .

I only (and I repeat ONLY) mentioned 'formal' because Pattie said they were going on a cruise and I suspected she might think that meant shed have to take dressy things (which isn't that common on river cruises ).

So, trying to help, I mentioned that I had even done formal out of my little roll aboard. I didn't post it to put on airs/brag. But OF COURSE dul-sex had to go on one of his rants/tirades/lectures and throw his bombs.

Improvisor/dul_sex can now have the sand box to himself. I for one am sick of him . . . I try to help people and these constant attacks are ridiculous.

Oh my... and all I was hoping for was some tips and advice on how to pack lighter than I usually do. And I did get some great advice (and more :))
Some of you understood exactly where I was coming from (and some totally didn't, but that is okay).
To clarify I do want to pack lighter (than I have in the past) but know I am not going to manage to fit everything into a carryon that weights 11 lbs or whatever, and that is not my goal. I just want to stay within (or lower) than the allowed amount which is actually 50 lbs overseas but only 44 domestic. I was hoping for under 36-38 lbs and this will be my goal.
Wording it as '2 separate trips' was misleading and a poor choice of words... janisj understood that what I meant by that, which was there may be times on the cruise that it would be nice to wear something a little nicer to dinner etc than the slacks I have been schlepping around in while sightseeing for the previous 3 days. I am not going to take anything 'formal' but would be nice to have a few things to dress up an outfit.
I appreciate all the great tips about choosing what to take and trying it out beforehand and on how to pack.
I have no problem doing some hand laundry, and plan on that but as someone noted I can't wash jeans or sweaters and expect them to dry overnight.
So again, thanks for the advice... it helped!

OP, I'm glad some of what you got was useful, and I hope some of the rest was at least amusing.

janisj: dulcius ruined the thread? You can't be so delusional. At least his nonsense is amusing, unless, of course, you have no sense of humor.

I would suggest taking one or two pairs of dressier slacks and reserve them for wearing in the evening .. on the cruise and on the tour or when you are on your own. If you are only wearing them for a few hours you wont feel as if you will be living in them for days on end. Pair a jacket or sweater and tops with the evening slacks. Don't take clothes that crease easily or need ironing and don't take anything that you will only wear once.

you can either find a laundry near where you are staying in Dublin and Amsterdam and figure on spending about an hour or so doing the big wash, or spend the extra money and not the time and have it laundered where you are staying if possible.

limit the number of shoes, purses, accessories.. you really don't need them all for a few weeks. and its more fun to buy things as you go along,

be sure to pack some sort of rain gear as you may need it.

practice.. try wearing a more limited wardrobe before the trip and think about what you could eliminate or would absolutely have to have. Be sure to make up a packing list and think about what goes together in terms of color and style..casual v dressier.

you may get a bit tired of wearing the same things, but the people in the trip won't know or care.

dress up outfits with a scarf or two, or some inexpensive jewelry.

and yes there is nothing wrong with checking one piece of luggage and taking a small carry on for cameras electronics etc.

some people find packing cubes and folders make it easier to organize your clothes and save room in the suitcase.

worry less, pack less and have a good trip

maxima said something that caught my eye: if you think you will buy things along the way, think about how you will accommodate them in your luggage! We have a thin nylon duffle bag that folds into its own pocket that we bring for "spillover". Or you could just leave some room in your suitcase.There's nothing worse than schlepping paper or plastic shopping bags alongside your other luggage.

"I would suggest taking one or two pairs of dressier slacks and reserve them for wearing in the evening "

This is excellent advice. I usually have a couple of evening outfits that I wear throughout a trip, and like you say, since you are only wearing them for a few hours at a time, you can get more wearings out of them than if you wore them all day. I definitely do this for city stays since we are more than likely to be out most nights. My night wardrobe might be a pair of dark jeans, a pair of nicer dark pants or skirt, wedges, a couple tanks, a slinky sweater, and a dress (the dress is always some material that packs down small and barely wrinkles). The shoes go with the dress and both pairs of pants/skirt, the tanks can be worn with our without the sweater, with or without a scarf - voila - several outfits for evening that will work for most restaurants and most bars or music venues.

A few years ago we spent 92 days traveling in Europe, beginning with a Med. cruise. DH made me pack in one carry-on size suitcase and a backpack since we were doing a lot of the travel by train and I had to be able to handle my own luggage. I did it, but most of those clothes stayed at the last B&B where the host was going to donate them to charity. I HATED them by then :)

DH always travels with a jacket and tie and I always have a dressy top to put with pants or a skirt and a pair of strappy heels that take up no space. We are good to go if the occasion arises!

Lady - Yeah, I think that after 92 days, I'd be ditching those clothes too :)

heck after 3 weeks out of a small duffle bag I was ready to burn 'em!