dwoodliff

I think I failed in the "packing light" category on our recent vacation. Some conclusions:

Only take clothes that are very comfortable and look good on you. You won't wear your too-tight jeans, and you won't want to look bad (or fat) in your pictures.

Don't take new shoes. All I needed was my every-day tennies and a pair of comfortable house shoes (which I didn't take).

Don't take all EIGHT travel guides you bought on your trip. We decided to unload four of ours in the car before our flight.

Take only 2 or 3 shirts for a week-or-2 trip, unless there's NO place to shop. My teenage daughter bought 10 tops and 2 sweatshirts in less than a week.

Check your kids' bags to see what they're taking. Besides way too many clothes, my teenagers had over 100 CDs between them.

Make sure you don't take the maximum amount of bags when you fly. We had an extra bag and a guitar to bring on the trip home.

I'm going to keep trying until I learn how to pack where I won't practically pull my arms out of their sockets, when dragging my luggage.

Donna

joanalto

Here's a suggestion about those bulky travel guides. You've already spent tons of money (or close to it) on your trip, so try not to feel too guilty about messing up your $12 travel books. Just rip out the pages you'll need, put them in a ziplock bag, and you'll avoid taking all those heavy books with you.
Also, a tip for us ladies. I often go to the opera or symphony when travelling to major cities. One simple black dress or 2-piece outfit in a lighter weight silky fabric will work for everything and can be unwrinkled in minutes in a steamy bathroom. Accessories such as a pretty shawl, great costume jewelry, a sparkly scarf or belt and a tiny, flat evening bag can transform the one outfit into 3 or more and whether in the US or Europe, you'll feel like you fit in beautifully.

madameX

All good advice above. May I add:

(1) Asuming you are not traveling with really young infants, enlist your children in carrying SOMETHING, even if it is a lightweight carry-on bag filled with their pj's, a change of underwear, in-flight amusements, etc. This will buy you a little more precious space in your checked bags.

Consider where they will be carrying their bags -- airports are one thing, but having to lug a bag upstairs may be more challenging. One of our friends has a SMALL roll-on carryon for each child, but goes to smaller hand-totes when she knows that stairs at the inn will be involved.

(2) Also recognize that you may be able to cheaply buy those things that have a low probability that you'll need them. Most chain drugstores have a wide variety of stuff (e.g. umbrellas, rain ponchos, etc., that I doubt you'll need in the southwest, but you can buy if you find yourself in the odd situation.)

jor

Toss out 95% of all the women's stuff and you should be able to narrow it down to two suitcases and still have mostly women's stuff in your suitcases. That leaves just enough space for the husband's one pair of underwear and a razor. Any boys in the family will have to settle for Dad's used underwear and a toothbrush. Have a fun vacation.

travelinandgolfin

I think the key is what NOT to bring, rather than how much I can bring and fit into my suitcase.

A lot (if not all) airlines, charge you if your bag is over a certain weight, usually 50 lbs. Of course, if you don't care about paying the extra charge, stuff it all in there!!

tracys2cents

Here's a tip for travelers to Europe...for a few weeks before travel, save your half-used rolls of toilet paper. They take up much less space in a suitcase than a big bulky new roll, and if you forget to take it when you change hotels, you have other half-rolls still packed.

We Xerox the pages from the travel guides that we'll need, staple together our selections for each city, and toss them as we leave the city. Plane and train rides are great times to get out the info and peruse it/review your plans.

flygirl

why would you take toilet paper to Europe?

shannon44

This is all great advice! And you are vey smart to be thinking about this in advance of your trip.Here are my thoughts: Forget the toilettreies. One cannot drive five miles from a good sized airport without seeing at least several strip malls. Buy a bar of dove soap. If you get used to hand washing your stuff,(takes about 5 minutes), you'll be fine with just one change of clothes (for the kids), since they will want t-shirts etc for souvenirs. Also, its gentle enough to wash your hair and body with. Don't pack formal stuff. There is at most a very slight chance you might wear it once, if you don't plan ahead....so leave it home.For two suitcases, this should be fine! Have fun!

relaford

You are away from home amidst strangers who could care less if you don't have an extensive wardrobe. And if they do then they are strange. So take fewer clothes and use laundromats. Instead of bulky toiletry bags use zip lock bags. You can see every item in the bag and don't have to fumble for stuff. Get the big 2 gallon size zip locks to roll clothes and keep them clean. Also ziplocks are great for packing wet swim suits.

Traveling with fewer clothes and using laundromates provides a learning experience for your kids. How to put soap in the washer. How to do whites separately from colored clothing. How to put the coins in the machine. How, while waiting for clothes to wash and dry, to read a book or play UNO. Travel light and have fun.

jor

relaford, I can't think of a better way to teach the kids how to do laundry and use zip lock bags. A trip to Europe. Who knew?

suzanne

Europe has no toilet paper? America has no washing machines?

I'm stumped.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Traveling with minimal luggage:

http://onebag.oratory.com

tartangal

The suggestion of packing a change of clothes in your carry on is useful for a number of reasons. If you are on the first flight out in the morning on the same airline you flew in on the night before, the airline sometimes offers to check your bags through to your final destination. We found ourselves in this situation in L.A. last month and were fortunate in that all our family members had overnight things, change of clothes, as well as medicines and other valuable, necessary items, in their carry-ons. What a blessing it was the next morning not to have to deal with the bulk of our cruise luggage!
Speaking of cruise luggage, I will be the lone voice here in saying I did NOT bring enough clothing for a 3 and 1/2 week trip. Part of the problem was having to pack for cold as well as warm weather, and casual as well as formal attire. (I had one duffel bag and a garment bag.) Also I had prided myself on carrying the smallest possible containers of personal care items, only to find I ran out of necessary products while on the ship. Try finding contact lens solution in Latvia! Luckily the ship stocked some basic products, but only the basics.