Luggage and Walking in Spain

Steve,
I think I understand what your implying but is it realistic to say that I would be lugging my suite case around Spain for half the day every day? I know there will be times I may have to roll it several blocks or hall it up a flight of stairs but that's a small fraction of the day.

You would probably be happier with two smaller bags instead of the larger one. A 28" bag is massive, and would have to be checked for sure. And it's a good idea to pack in separate bags -- and do some cross-packing, so that some of your clothes are in his bag and his in yours. That way if one bag is delayed you will still have something to wear until it catches up to you. The RS tours are designed for the carryon crowd.

You two issues with a large bag. First, it is easy to over pack (because you have space) and it can get heavy and hard to handle. Second, if you packing -- i.e. - take about 20 lbs, then the suitcase will only half full, poorly balanced, and the small amount of stuff will not pack well. You need a bag that is appropriate the amount of stuff you will be taking. A smaller bag encourages you to pack lighter. The other solution would be to packing everything in the 28" bag and let your husband handle it.

I'm doing the same tour in April, but I've also done the RS 17 Italy and 14 Ireland. It is indeed possible you'll have to walk 1/4 to 1/2 a mile with your bag over uneven, cobblestones, then haul it up stairs (no hotel elevator) then the same thing in reverse when you leave. In Ireland, we walked a lot farther (mile or so) in one town because construction and small streets prevented the bus from getting close to the hotel. My tourmates with larger wheeled bags looked frustrated most of the time, especially on the rough streets. On the Spain trip, aside from the bus you'll also be taking it on the train (BCN-MAD) and ferry to and from Morocco.

Before you take the big bag, visualize yourself getting from each hotel (assume no stairs) to the bus, metro, train station, ferry station, etc. trying to manage your bag. True, you won't be going for hours at a time, but over the course of the day it does add up. You must be able to lift your own bag on a regular basis.

There are non RS bag alternatives (sorry Rick). Follow the search instructions on any of the helpline pages for carry on bag ideas. I spent less than $50 on mine.

As for "strenuous" I think it depends on the trip. Sometimes it's not the walking but the standing (for 2-3 hours sometimes) in places like museums without the option of sitting down. Italy seemed like it had more than its share of strenuous days, but Ireland had far fewer. Your free time is yours, so you may need to use it to rest instead of hoofing it elsewhere. Just make sure you're walking now in the shoes you are planning to take so they're well broken in.

Have to agree with CL on a lot of her comments. I am doing this tour in July and it will be my 5th RS tour. While I don't think you have to worry about lugging your bag around for 1/2 a day, there have been some unforeseen things like a broken lift in a hotel in France when I was on the 5th floor. You might want to rethink the 28" bag. I use a 21" carry on and still find that I don't end up wearing everything I pack in it. I do like using packing cubes because they tend to keep things from shifting a lot and save some space. I have never had to do major laundry even on a 17 day tour.

Regarding your questions about the walking, I think that the amount of walking you are doing now is adequate but I agree that the standing and with me, the amount of stairs, has been harder to prepare for. Comfortable shoes are very, very important so be sure that you have worn and walked in them before your trip.

Have a wonderful time. You are in for some great adventures.

Gail, I suggest you up your mileage at least a couple of days every week. Our family did the Germany-Austria-Switz tour a few years ago; my husband is not a walker and had a lot of trouble with some of the longer days. For example on our first day we hiked up from the Rhine to Rheinfels castle, then walked back down, took the train to Bacharach, and hiked up those hills too. That was actually listed as a moderate day! though I think they changed the description the next year. As others have mentioned, standing can be even more challenging than walking. But if you can get up to 1.5 or even 2 hours of walking perhaps on the weekends, I think it will make your trip much easier and more enjoyable. DH ended up missing several afternoons because he just needed to get off his feet; he told me later he wished he had done more preparation.
I also agree with other posters that a 28" bag is likely to be a problem. Husband, daughter, and I managed fine on our trip with RS wheeled carryons and Civita backpacks each. We didn't find doing laundry to be a problem, but if you don't like it you can generally find a laundromat.
Have a wonderful trip!

Gail - just got back from our own (non-tour) trip to Spain. One thing I found in cities like Madrid was that even though I have only the carryon size rollerbag it was more difficult to pull it behind me due to very narrow sidewalk space. I imagine that your 28" bag is a rollertype as well? I was also constantly having to lift and carry the bag over larger obstacles - it was the first time I really regretted having a roller type bag and if it were any larger I would have had an even more difficult time.

Also, with regards to "strenuous" - both my husband and myself (50's) are very athletic and we too have the most difficult time walking slowly (as you go past all the wonderful masterpieces in the Prado), standing as we listen to our audioguide, etc. I suggest you up your current activity level if possible. The good thing is I would assume that the RS tours follow Spanish times with regards to dinner being VERY late - we definitely took advantage of the time between afternoon sightseeing and dinner to have a quick nap, almost every day. And packing more lightly will help too!

There is nothing like putting on my carry-on size backpack (Osprey Porter, it's like the RS backpack but a bit more ergonomic), and just bypassing everyone trying to lug their roller cases up and down cobble stone roads, roads with sidewalks that are stairs, busy crowded areas. My first trip 6 years ago to Spain with a 28 inch rolling suitcase was a nightmare, as I was solo. I could not put the case overhead. I struggled to get it up the hills in Granada. I was jealous of those with hikers backpacks and smaller suitcases. When traveling, you have to be realistic and practical or else your trip won't be as amazing as you want it to be. I won't even bring a huge case even if I were to stay in one city for a week or two. Once you learn from your mistakes, you make the proper logical decisions for luggage. So for a trip that is 10-14 days long, I bring 4 outfits (this year, I am down sizing to just 3 outfits). Its amazing what you will wear 2-3 times before you do laundry. During those trips, I maybe will do hardy laundry once, washing my underclothes in the sink every 3-4 days or so. I would never do it at home, but in Europe, its way ok to re-wear your clothes, as long as you don't spill red wine all over everything.

Thanks for all the wonderful advice. This was my first posting on ETBD. I also use Tripadvisor but find the feedback here to be much personal and detailed. I went home and remeasured my suitcase. It is actually only 26"( I was guestimating as my students say). I also stopped at Macy's and looked at some 21" bags. Although I made it through London and Italy with the 26", I think I can do Spain with the 21" (the other two trips were in the early spring and Christmas time). I also will be increasing my walking now that Spring has sprung in Georgia. I think I will be fine with the standing as I spend most of my day as a 4th grade teacher on my feet. I have purchased a new pair of Merrell sandals ( I wore my Merrells all over Italy and loved them) and I have been breaking them in. Again, thanks for the thoughtful responses and am counting down the days until May 27th!

Include some hills in your walking/training. On your RS tour, you will encounter some hills. Also, spend some time walking pulling your luggage. I have weak shoulders and find that some time spent practicing walking with my 21" wheeled bag helps build my arms and shoulders. On stairs, such as in the Metro, I pick up my bag by its handle and carry it. It really helps me to keep my bag's weight under 20 lb.

BTW, on the RS tour of Spain/Portugal that I took two years ago, we had the "early seating" at restaurants. It works for Americans who are used to dining at 7-7:30pm, and it works for the restaurants so they can have a second seating at 9:30pm or so.

I did the RS Spain/Portugal tour 2 years ago in Spring - amazing trip! Id second the idea of two smaller of just really try to use the 21". Look at the packing list RS has for Men/Women. Even though you will be checking the bag and not worrying about 8kg carry on limit - there are some times you will need to carry the bags up stairs and over from the bus. The main time will be in airports before checking or after pick up. One tip other couples do is check just one bag with heavier or extra non essentials and then each person carries on one smaller day/shoulder bag. That way you also have room for souvineers!