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Please Help Me Pack, First trip to France and Italy

Please Help Me Pack, First trip to France and Italy

Old Dec 30th, 2003, 07:32 PM
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Please Help Me Pack, First trip to France and Italy

My husband and I will be traveling five weeks in France and Italy in June and July. We will be traveling for five weeks primarily by train. My husband tells me that I will be responsible for my own luggage. Help! What to pack? What to pack in? With this being my first trip and with my husband's solution to packing "just throw away your underwear, take old clothes and throw them away." What suggestions are you able to make?
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Old Dec 30th, 2003, 07:38 PM
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First of all, is there a reason you're asking this on the US rather than the Europe board?

Regarding throwing away your old clothes, especially underwear -- that is a good idea, but will you have a five week supply of old underwear to throw away?

I travel in Europe for up to five months. My theory is you pack for two weeks and hit a laundromat every two weeks.
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 06:41 AM
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I did the throw away thing on my last trip. It was great. But make sure you absolutely won't need it again! I was only gone for 10 days. Bought 10 cheap t-shirts at Old Navy, and chucked them as I went along to make room for that leather handbag I was salavating about all the way to Florence. The last 2 dirty T's actually got used to wrap breakables, so they made it home.
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 06:43 AM
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by the way, unless you plan on sitting in a laundromat, the laundry service in the hotels is going to put a huge dent in your budget. $7 to wash a t-shirt that I paid $8 for. You need to bring stuff that is versatile and can be layered. Don't forget that even though it will be really hot in july, both men and women need to be covered up to go into the vatican. No shorts on men no matter how long they are.
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 07:00 AM
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Go to the Europe board. They will give you a wealth of information about travel and clothes. I used a 26 in roll case with an overnight bag. Used the Eagle Creek packing system, color coordinated blacks, grey and white clothes and wentto the laudromat. I could not see throwing away underwear because I wouldn't wear ratty underwear anyway. If you use the Eagle Creek system underwear space is minimal.
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 07:02 AM
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Take one or two black dresses that don't wrinkle and can be washed out in a hotel room sink, two black long sleeved shirts, two black skirts (one to the knee and one past), six short sleeve shirts of neutral colors, two pair black pants, two pair neutral pants, two colorful scarves (one big enough to double as shaw), good walking shoes preferrably a pair of italian type tennis shoes that can be paired with the above, flat sandals, one pair semi dress shoes (think low heeled mule).

Neutral colors that travel well; khaki, dark grey, tan, brown.

Why so much black? It doesn't show dirt and it matches. It is hard to perfectly match any other color.

Your six t-shirts will break up the black. You can even throw a red or yellow into the mix.

Do not take; jeans, white tennis shoes, logo'd hats or sweatshirts.
 
Old Dec 31st, 2003, 09:56 AM
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Unless you are able to lug around a 26" luggage on your own, I would suggest a smaller piece, such as a 22". Get a piece of sturdy luggage, with strong wheels and great zippers. On a five week trip, you are going to be doing a lot of wheeling around and zipping and unzipping!

In addition, I usually have a very large backpack. It frees up my hands.

I also have a smaller backpack/bag for daytime sightseeing: tour book, maps, camera, light rainwear/umbrella, dark glasses, and so on. The smaller backpack fits into my suitcase, it's very light. I prefer the smaller backpack to a bag because again my hands are free to hold the map, the guidebook, or whatever.

GoTravel has given you some excellent advice on what to pack. As for the throw-away underwear, I wouldn't throw them away until the last week. Take one week's underwear or 10 days at most. Wash your underwear every few days. Go to a sporting store like REI where they sell environmentally friendly liquid soap in a small bottle. You need only a few drops for a good wash and this kind of liquid soap does not create many suds for easy washing and rinsing.

Lastly, carry a large garbage bag. You may want to change your underwear every day but not your outer clothes. Each outer article should serve at least two or three days. I put my "dirty" outerwear in the large garbage bag to separate them from the clean unused clothes. That way I can wear something different every day without having to launder everything every week.

On a five week trip, you should be able to get away with only one or two major laundermat stops, depending on how much you pack.

Oh yes, and when you have decided what you want to take with you, follow the wonderful classic advice: lay everything out on your bed and reduce by half. Then pack everything and try hauling your luggage around the house, up and down steps.

Also get yourself a sturdy pair of walking shoes. And, oh yes, the others are correct: go to the Europe board. A lot of wonderful folks over there with a lot of wonderful advice on luggage, shoes, etc. etc.

Happy travels!
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 10:04 AM
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I love traveling in Europe! Take a few good tips from an excperienced traveler. Of course use luggage on wheels, one for each of you. But not too large to handle when getting off & on trains. The clothes are the easiest part. When in Europe, Blend with the locals! Take only a
FEW, light weight, coordinating pieces that can be rolled together in your bag (non wrinkling fabric), preferably neutral, solid colors. Take your usual undies. All these things can be rinsed out in your hotel sink EACH night. (Think about it, you can only wear one outfit & one set of undies per day). Forget the laundry mat! You'll have a marvelous time!
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 01:29 PM
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Great advice!
I'm going to save this post for future
expeditions!
Go Travel or anyone: Just curious-
why "no jeans", not even black ones?
Thanks
R5
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Old Dec 31st, 2003, 01:34 PM
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I definitely would say to pack jeans, both blue and black. When we were in Paris everyone was in jeans and comfortable shoes. Anything that doesn't show dirt is great. Wear what you're comfortable with cause nobody there knows you anyway! I made the mistake of thinking everyone in Paris would be dressed to the nines all the time. Saw more jeans and leather jackets than anything else!
 
Old Jan 1st, 2004, 08:20 AM
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Make sure you can EASILY carry your stuff. Pack 2 pairs of black pants, a few shirts, wear a jacket that sort of dresses up the whole thing. When you are really dirty, go to a laundramat. Perfect!
 
Old Jan 1st, 2004, 08:37 AM
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What is the "Eagle Creek Packing System"? My wife likes to travel with the kitchen sink, just in case. Her 26" roller always seems to weigh 65-70 pounds, and with the new 50 pound limit, we (she) may be in big trouble next trip.
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Old Jan 1st, 2004, 09:20 AM
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Pick up Rick Steve's Europe travel guide. He always lists good laudromats. Actually, ask at your hotel desk about laundry services -- at a hotel in Florence there was a service where you left a bag of laundry at the desk and for a flat fee (I think it was around $10) it was laundered and left folded on your bed by 6PM. This past trip, we used a Rick S drop off laundry in a small town in France...worked great as you left it in the AM and it was ready to be picked up after 5PM. Again, cost was around $10. It's worth it to me to NOT have to spend my own time doing laundry on vacation.
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Old Jan 2nd, 2004, 09:28 AM
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Re: Packing the kitchen sink. Even with great wheels, etc. You have to be able to pick up your suitcase to get it on the train, to lift to overhead compartments, up/down stairs when theres no elevators/escalators, over cobblestone streets. PACK LIGHT. If you can't lift it easily, you're in for trouble.

I like Dr. Bronners peppermint soap - environmentally friendly, can use for clothes, hair, as body soap, etc. Buy at REI, health food stores.

Jeans are heavy and take a long time to dry, so some choose not to take them. Particularly on long trips.

Eagle Creek system is a system of separate bags - shirts in one, pants in one, smaller items in others. Easy to find things and compact. I've just used 2 gallon ziplocs.

On long trips, I've done a combination of tossing clothes, washing, and laundry. Just remember to go light!
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Old Jan 2nd, 2004, 11:07 AM
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Jeans are heavy, take forever to dry, are hot, show dirt, and there are some places you cannot go into wearing them.
 
Old Jan 2nd, 2004, 02:11 PM
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It takes considerable planning to pack light, but the rewards are well worth it.

On our annual two-week trips to Europe, my wife and I each take a 20" carry on and a tote bag. Upon arrival, we walk right past the baggage carousels with our luggage in hand and are the first ones to the taxis or subways. We easily travel by train between cities, and have no problem with stairs in subway stations. We take at least one dressy outfit for the theatre or a splurge meal (such as dining last October at Boyer les Crayeres in Reims, France, which Conde Nast Traveler rates as one of the top three restaurants in Europe in its 2004 Gold List).

Rick Steves, as well as others, have excellent packing tips. Look for lightweight travel clothes, especially those made of Coolmax or technical fabrics. Travel Smith and REI are good sources.

Woody
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