Planning on going for the packing light and washing in the sink but expecting even quick dry clothes to be pretty wrinkled. Do hotels on tour generally have irons in the room or for check out? Hate to add anything to suitcase we don't need like a travel iron.
Thanks
We never had problems with wrinkles. Experiment at home. Wash a couple items to see how they turn out. Travel irons never a good idea.
Hate to add anything to suitcase we don't need like a travel iron.
Don't - really don't!
Travel iron? Not intending to be disrespectful...hahaha.
I've taken a travel iron in the past and regretted it. Too bulky and didn't really use it. I was surprised on my last trip how my drip dry items (even all cotton) didn't really wrinkle. Agree, you might want to do a test run with any clothes you're not sure about wrinkle-wise. I imagine nicer hotels will have an iron you can borrow if you need one for a special night out.
Tip: I always travel with concentrated wash soup and a universal plug for hand laundry. Many hotel sinks don't plug well. Have a great trip!
A trave iron.. no.. heavy and some hotels do not allow you to use one in room.
Some hotels may lend you one.. or have a laundry room you can use one in.. but really.. in decades of travel I have never used one.
Pack different clothes..
No one on the tour I took brought or used one.. its a use of time most folks avoid by simply using their hands to smooth out wrinkles or have non wrinkling clothes.
Also.. I recall at least one hotel had laundry room.. so just pull stuff out of dryer promptly and the stuff isnt that wrinkled.
Socks and undies do not need to be ironed ( which is what most folks sink wash).
I think you will find most folks on RS tours pack light.. you will see same outfits being worn.. no one cares.
Synthetic knits don't wrinkle much. Besides, if you are on a tour that includes hotels that don't provide irons, you don't need an iron. I don't mean that dismissively or rudely - I'm just saying that if you're not going "Downton Abbey" class, no one will care about your clothing. In addition, standards have declined since our parents' time ...
You should worry about washing your clothes in the sink, and their drying before you pack them. Please read the tour guidelines. You don't want to waste your free afternoon sitting in a laundromat. Believe, me, I have, and regretted it. Especially after the 150 degree water savaged our clothes!
synthetic knits don't wrinkle and are fine if you like wearing a plastic bag in hot weather. I wear only cottons, silks, wools and linen and if it wrinkles, ah well. When you have a dryer it is easy to 'flip' knits as they come from the dryer and then roll them so that there is minimal wrinkling. I do have one dressy polyester jacket that can be wadded up in the bottom of a suitcase and come out non-wrinkled that I throw on over the basic black slacks and t shirt for a dressier look, but every 'travel knit' that I have ever owned has been miserable in hot weather.
An iron is not only a waste but a positive hazard if it is not rated for 220 voltage.
I always cringe when people are discussing washing instructions and tell people to twist their clothes in a towel. To me this gives lots of wrinkles. After I sink wash, rinse and squeeze out as much water as I can without twisting, I lay out the shirt on the towel, smooth the wrinkles out and then roll up from the bottom of the towel. I do fold it in half and yes, I stand on it but I don't twist. Then I shake the garment out before I hang it.
I also carry a small, travel size empty bottle with a sprayer top on it. If something does wrinkle I will spray it with water and shake it to get the wrinkles out. I have 2 Lands End shirts that are supposedly the identical percentages of fabric content (cotton/modal) and one does come out slightly wrinkled while the other one does not. I do have to spray the wrinkled one and it will not be making the travel team this year!
I agree with others to do some practice sink washes and work on your technique, lol.
I also sink wash in a 2.5 gal ziplock back so I have more room than a typical sink can provide. If you are traveling with someone else it also allows the sink to be accessed while the washing is being done.
Like the zip lock idea. We usually rent apartments with washers and dryers so it isn't an issue -- or at least washers and racks, but we will be on a Volga river cruise in the fall and the zip lock bag idea sounds perfect. I didn't even know they came in 2.5 gallon sizes. Alas few rooms now have bidets -- those were perfect for laundry.
I also use a towel just as you describe -- no twisting but rolling -- and it works great. An inflatable coat hanger also is useful although it is one more thing to carry. When we traveled in low rent rooms that didn't allow laundry in rooms, we would wash in the evening hang things up over night and then in the morning they would be damp and we would would move them to the closet to dry for the day on regular hangers. Never had any issues.
There will be a heated towel rack in your bathroom. Roll up your wet clothes in a towel and press the water out. Hang on the towel rack or on hangers nearby. Gently pull on your clothes to get most of the wrinkles out. This works well with linen, cotton...anything.
Remember, the first time you sit down or bend over, something will wrinkle and will stay wrinkled all day.
Nobody will notice, nobody will care.
Janettravels - I also use mailing tape on the side seams of the big ziplock for reinforcement. I can find the big ones in my regular grocery store. The handy thing is that you can let your wash soak by putting the whole bag in the shower but the sink is still free to use.
I do the same as Pam - my "iron" is a spray bottle - mist, smooth & it dries quickly. I did carry a steamer a long time ago but no more. But I will not give up my coffee pot/kettle. That is probably my best travel gadget ever. I can not move in the am without coffee.
I threw my travel iron away decades ago, about the time I could afford to stay in hotels that could reasonably be expected to provide an iron and an ironing board, from reception if not in the room itself. I expect a blow dryer now too, which leaves room in the suitcase for lots electronic gadgets.
You can't be assured that you will have a heated towel rack in your bathroom. I'm in a rather nice hotel at the moment -- and there's no heated towel rack, just a plain old chrome towel bar.
That doesn't bother me, I just washed my undies and wrapped them in a towel and will take them out after a while to hang dry. Just to say that a heated towel rack isn't a given, even in nicer places.
Guess I'm the only one who takes a travel iron, but I do. I think it's sort of like a "pick your battles" thing. I use a RS 21" suitcase and carefully select my mix and match clothing. I do sink washing every couple of days and find that some items just need to be ironed.
I bought this iron a few years ago and it's worked out fine.
Guess I'm the only one who takes a travel iron.... Not true Donna.
My travel iron is a 230 volt rate Toko iron that weights 2.75 pounds and comes with a grounded Schuko-system type plug (two round pins with ground contacts on the side of the plug):
http://www.tognar.com/toko-t8-wax-iron-230v/
It holds steady temperatures (minimal fluctuations) Adjustable from
100°C to 160°C (212°F to 320°F). It features a stout 1/2" thick
aluminum base plate that measures 100mm x 150mm (4" x 6"). Ships with
a common European two-pin electrical plug, for use with other 230v
plug configurations please use a plug adaptor, you can easily source
these adaptors at a local travel store. 230 volts 800 watts. For use
in countries operating on 230 volts, Europe, Australia, New Zealand,
Chile, Etc.
There are a few items I sometimes iron while traveling, particularly for the outfit I wear on the flight home. I borrow an iron from the hotel. However, your question was if hotels on tour have irons. I don't know this for sure, but I would think so. An iron is a rather basic item for a hotel.
I've found that a mini spray bottle with water works just as well as Downy Wrinkle Release. But I would borrow an iron from the hotel before I would ever add 2.5 lbs to my luggage!
Wray: However, your question was if hotels on tour have irons.
A generic answer for French hotels would be difficult in that French star ratings are somewhat obtuse in specificity. http://uk.france.fr/en/information/hotels
Other countries with hotel associations following the "Hotelstar Union" are a bit more informative as to criteria for the different classes of hotels. (Criterion are not necessarily a reflection on quality). The hotel associations of Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland are members of the “Hotelstars Union”.
Looking at the Hotelstar Union criteria, the answer as to hotel provided irons is -- it's up to the specific hotel property. While hotels earn point if they provide irons, having an iron in not a mandatory qualification for all categories. Also note that heated towel racks earn points but are not mandatory. On the other hand, hotels need to have sewing kits available to be a two star to four star hotel and must have a kit in the room to be a five star hotel.
http://www.hotelstars.eu/fileadmin/download/kriterien/Hotelstars_Union-_Classification_Criteria_2015-2020.pdf
PS Hairdryers are mandatory for three star and higher Hotelsatrs Union hotels.
There's no way I'd want to pack an Iron all over Europe, given that it would probably only be used a few times during the trip. I always pack "travel friendly" clothing which eliminates most of the wrinkles. I'm not overly concerned about a few wrinkles as I doubt that anyone really cares. It would be a different matter if I was attending an audience with the Queen or something like that.
If you want to go the spray bottle route, don't bring one - you can buy them for 1 EU just about anywhere.
Instead of inflatable hangers ( I read this tip on some forum a few years ago.. and it works ) I pack some balloons. Yup the dollar store bag works fine.. takes no room or weight and you just inflate a balloon and stick inside a shirt or dress or whatever.. holds the fabric sides apart for faster drying. Then throw away.. ta da.
Brilliant Pat!
Just no. If you have to have one, buy it there. EU voltage does not work on US irons. If staying in a hotel, they usually have one available if you ask.
I once borrowed an iron (and ironing board) at a hotel, and the iron that they provided was rather filthy. The plate was dirty because whoever used it before must have burnt their clothes onto the iron, like synthetics were melted by the heat. Had to use a hankie as a liner cloth before ironing.
An online youtube shows a hotelier explaining that steam from the shower can smooth out wrinkles. You turn the hot water spray on, trap the steam within the shower, or, do the following after a hot shower , hang the wrinkled clothes in there, then hang them out in the room to "dry". Same principle as using a spray bottle, but not as wet and do not need to bring a spray bottle.
I think it's possible to borrow an iron from the hotel most of the time, especially if you're staying in American style hotels (tv's, en suites and elevators).
I'd opt for that over carrying an iron.
Even better, pack for no ironing (and quick drying) by avoiding 100 percent cotton clothing. As was stated before, wash some of your clothes and sort through the ones that travel well. Put a load in the dryer for 30 minutes. Pull them out one at a time. If it's still too wet to pack as is, don't bring it. If it can be worn without worrying about wrinkles, it's a winner.
If you read material labels, it's possible to find every kind of clothes in non-cotton material even t-shirts, socks and underwear.
