scotlib

This is on the lounge because I'm partly tongue-in-cheek, but only partly. And I know there's likely to be a lot of Very differing personal opinion!

A bit of back story. Our high school takes a group of seniors/juniors every other year on a trip to Europe. I told my son that, of course!, he definitely wanted to go on the trip (so I could go, too

The kids (and chaperones) had bags ranging from 22" to 30" (30"? It was huge, whatever size it was.) And some had multiple bags. I took too much stuff myself. I'm now learning to pack light.

I'm sure that there'll be various degrees of listening to me from the students for 2009's trip, but this is what I want to preach (and further Fodorite advice for teens on tour appreciated):


Ten Commandments for Packing Light

I. You will fill whatever size bag you use; select small. (“Choose wisely” comes to mind, but no need to bust copyright immediately, eh?)

II. Decide on souvenirs that take the least space to bring home. Concentrate on where you are: Standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower is only done in Paris; madly shopping at the malls, with souvenir store items "fabrique in China," is an activity also available at home.

III. Choose and use a secret sack--money belt/neck pouch/secret wallet--for your passport. (Our most recent high school trip had one girl holding up what only looked like her passport. She put the chaperones’ hearts almost into failure when searching a huge 28” affair for 1/2 an hour at the departure airport looking for it.)

IV. Protect your money: bring two cards (a mix of ATM/debit/credit; call company before leaving for PINs and alert them that you will be out of the country), one emergency travelers check in secret sack, and a bit of local cash. (We spent the first evening making long calls to our local bank branch; a number of kids had not prepared their PINs.)

V. Pack mix and match clothes for one week. Bring clothes that can layer to meet the varying weather needs. Learn to hand wash underclothes and that outer clothes can be worn more than one day. (We're only gone 10 days; day 1 and 10 are just traveling on the plane.)

VI. Invest in two pairs of comfortable walking shoes: one to wear, one to pack, and switch off each day.

VII. Hotel alarm clocks (and wake-up calls) are unreliable; bring a travel size version with fresh battery installed.

VIII. Electronic items work best with the dual voltage feature (and appropriate adapter to the country).

IX. Leave behind the kitchen sink, but do take a small part of the medicine cabinet.

X. Make a list, check it more than twice, pack everything at least two days before leaving, and heft the bag (can anything be left behind?); check your list again.

Anonymous

That's a very good list. Brought back memories of the day of my own daughter's high-school trip departure; the variety of luggage sizes that the kids brought for a one-week trip was quite astonishing.

And somehow the kids who brought the most "stuff" also seemed to be the least prepared; perhaps those are both indicators of not thinking things through, or of having parents who either travel the same way or who weren't accustomed to travel at all.

Dukey

Great list. I might add...

Lay out everything you are planning to take.

Take only half of it.

OR

Pack everything in the suitcase; the person who decided to take all of this stuff then carries it 200 feet and up and down at least one flight of stairs. If still alive after this exercise then you haven't "overpacked."

gail

Or pack like my 21 year old son does - he forgets half of everything that he will need and always has the lightest suitcase in our family - and it is revealikng to us that even though he forgets much, he always has as good a time as the rest of us.

scotlib

Yes, I think the unfamiliarity with travel really shows up when we set out. Getting the kids away from the small, rural town we're in is just one reason the trips are done! At least one student on this spring's trip had never been on an airplane before.

I never felt so unprepared as when the tour guide dropped us off at a meet-up point in the Louvre. I had no idea what to go see, where to go, etc., and no time to plan anything. All the planning time should have been Before the trip.

I had a lovely trip, so did the kids, but I hope the next group has a slightly fuller experience, utilizing at least some of what I learned.

Great idea, Dukey! We could have a luggage night a bit before the trip. Bring the filled luggage to school, run around the halls like racing through the airport terminal to the gate, and a couple of times up and down the gym bleachers to mimic out-of-service escalators or small hotels with no lifts.

Thanks for the ideas and thoughts on the subject, everyone. Cheers!

janisj

Our local youth symphony took a trip to Finland, Estonia and Russia this summer. They were all limited to one bag plus their musical instruments.

So - one of the Symphony sponsors had a huge BBQ/catered party w/ all of the kids, their parents and all the chaperones/traveling companions. There were over 200 people.

After the post dinner "business" meeting (visa questions, pick up times etc) I gave a condensed version of my packing demonstrations. We only expected the adults to pay attention and that the kids would go off to swim or play tennis. But EVERY single one of the 200+ sat and watched and took notes. It was fun - what a great bunch of kids.

One big difference from the typical "packing" audience - these kids had to take tuxedos and long skirts for their concerts performances.

It was obvious many of the adults - let alone the kids - had no idea what to take or how to pack light. Or about ATM vs Travelers checks, money belts etc. Or why they might need more than flipflops.

scotlib

Hi janisj:

Was that one carry-on bag or one checked bag? Did you recommend--or stipulate--a size?

Many thanks!

janisj

They were limited to one bag - either checked or carry on. My programs are geared to "3 weeks in a carry-on" type packing. But we had to make some adjustments since some of the kids needed to carry on their instruments (like the violins) and for the 1/2 transiting through the UK they would be limited to ONE item.

For the group connecting through Frankfurt, I recommended doing it w/ carry-on only and for the LHR group - checked luggage so they could carry their instruments.

easytraveler

That school night when they bring their luggage is a great idea!

Tell them to do one thing before they come: the day before lay everything in that bag on their bed, then eliminate half of what is on the bed and pack the rest. Then bring it to the meeting.

With the three ounce limit, show them how to bring a baggie and pack all their cosmetics, toothpaste, and creams in that small baggie!

GoTravel

I wear mostly all black when I travel which cuts down on packing. And usually no denim.

toedtoes

For a 10-day trip, I would limit the size of their luggage to no more than 22" plus one small tote/backpack. That gives the option of carry on or checked, but doesn't allow them to get carried away.

I like Janisj's idea of a "packing seminar" before the trip and having the parents there also. That way you can discuss the idea of wearing the clothes more than once without washing them and the parents can say "yes, honey, you don't have to throw the shirt you wore for 2 minutes into the laundry."

My sister and her family went to Disneyland with some friends for 4 days. The friend's son (about 12) brought 4 suitcases. I think giving them a limit of how big and how many bags they can bring is important.

travelinphotog

I remember my first trip to Europe when I was in college. I ended up throwing my suitcases down the stairs in the train stations when I could no longer carry them. What was I thinking?! Since then, I have traveled around the world with a carry-on. My tip would be that everything should match. It is "outfits" that kill suitcase space. If every shirt, shorts, pants, and shoes match each other, you can save alot of space. And I agree with the lay-it-out and then take away theory. My husband makes fun of my packing, but it helps me to bring quite a bit less.

scotlib

Many thanks for the continued ideas and thoughts. They're all terrific!

gail

Peer pressure sometimes causes teens, especially girls, to feel they need to follow same fashion rules when traveling as at home - the prime rule is to not repeat outfits.

But teens also love competition. How about prizes for students with the lightest/smallest luggage. Would have to set some rule about what must be in bag or else you will get some kid who just brings a toothbrush and borrows everything else.

So set a minimum packing list and then weigh or measure bags upon departure.

Our kids have each been on international group trips in middle and high school. Chaperones require copy of everyones passport prior to departure - and since someone loses a passport on every trip, this has expedited the replacement every time.

J_Correa

I had never been out of my state before graduating high school - travel is definitely not something every family does, so I can definitely see a lot of these kids not knowing how to pack. Now, granted, my state is California and I had been to all sorts of places within my state, but I had only been on a plane once.

I think these sorts of school trips are great - the kids not only get to go see some really great stuff, but they get some travelling experience along the way which they can use later on.

swaymock

Oh boy, now that I'm 50 I find I need one entire rolling carry on to contain the prescription and otc drugs I take every day the plus cosmetics, blowdryer, flatiron, hairbrush, shampoo, cream rinse and other things I require to look my prettiest.

L84SKY

Good list.

Cell phones have alarms- no need to bring an extra.
I like things that do double duty- before I discovered my cell phone alarm (Thanks to a fellow fodorite) I used a watch with an alarm.

robjame

Your choice of "ten commandments" is apt cause it is a religion with some.

We don't pack light, we check our bags, we have never regretted the extra stuff and have never tried to convert others to our beliefs.

This is sacrilege to many.

FauxSteMarie

I just did a 4 week trip to Austria with a 22" suitcase. Of course, I had a washer at the house. I had 6 changes of mix and match clothes that I was thoroughly sick of by the time I got home. In summer it is much easier to pack light. Travel in the winter is more of a challenge packing.

Even with the 22" suitcase, I had a two items I did not wear (1 sweater, 1 long skirt). Next time they don't come in summer. I also never used my rain poncho on this trip. I used one of those windbreakers that you stuff into a sack and it worked just as well (no downpours, just sprinkles).

I also severely restricted souvenirs. The days of schlepping pottery I don't need back from Italy are over. I am thinking about downsizing now that the kids are grown and gone and I do not need more to add to my collection of "Things I should not have bought and do not need." I guess I will end up selling some of that stuff on ebay.

I do agree that your time is better spent sightseeing than shopping. People waste an incredible amount of time and money shopping on trips. They mostly buy cheap souvenirs that are, as the original poster pointed out, manufactured elsewhere than in the country you are visiting.

Each time you go, you take less stuff. If you really need something you forgot (and there was that infamous trip where I forgot to pack underwear and acquired some new), you can go to the store.

scotlib

That's an excellent observation, robjame. I'm developing rules/commandments that affect me and my personal choices for traveling. I must remember that when I present these, first ones to hear them are my fellow teachers this fall, who may or may not agree, eh!

I'll have at least one, maybe two, more trips done by the time the students go on their trip. I'll work to "evangelize" by example and not preaching (smile).

Thanks for the reminder of teens' competiveness, gail. There's definitely a strong streak that runs through some of them at our school.

I never thought of the double duty for a watch, L84SKY, lol, because I don't wear one regularly. I attach one to my travel day pack for use while traveling. I also don't have a cell, but many of the kids sure do. I'll adapt that commandment.

Thanks all!