Packing for a month in Europe, England, France, Italy and Spain.

It's certainly practical... (I'm assuming you mean you'll each have a carry-on). Have you reviewed the RS site's packing information?

Packing Smart and Traveling Light

Rick’s Packing List

Packing List for Women

Packing Tips: Clothes

Tips for Choosing the Best Travel Bag

Thanks for those links, this is my first time on the site. Happened upon Rick Steves' travel show this morning at 5am and here I am.

IMO parking light is learned behavior. Most first time travelers don't believe it can be done, so they don't try or make half-hearted attempts. They do much better on the next trip. The simplest way to put it - you wear one and pack two or three changes of clothes. Cross coordinate so that you can get a dozen different looks but it is the same clothing. Plan to do a little hand laundry each night or other night and hit a self service laundry every week to ten days. We pack the same amount of clothes if we go for six weeks or six days. Makes no difference.

What Frank says. You don't have to have a lot of clothes. Just plan on doing laundry. Its not a crime to wear clothes more than once and no one there will care if you don't have multiple outfits every day. It is a different mindset than most US travelers have learned.

Shoes, books, computers and bulky personal care things (like hairdryers, curling irons) are the biggest space stealers.

Should add. We learned the hard way. Our first trip with excessive luggage was a nightmare. We always pack on paper a good six weeks two months - to start - so as we think about it during the days leading up we can make changes. Then on the way home we review the list to see what worked and what didn't and adjust the list accordingly for the next trip. Over the years we have refined the list to the point that we now just print the list and pack but we do think about it a good month in advance. We now boast that if you call with tickets we can be in the airport in three hours.

Until last year all my (10?) European trips, including one summer-long trip, were made with carry-on size bags. My mother accompanied me on several trips, and her bag was lighter than mine--once just 17 lb. It definitely can be done. I admit that being young and strong enough to carry a wheel-less bag with a single shoulder strap helped, because wheeled carry-ons have substantially less space than those without wheels. At this point, I have to have wheels for the trek from train station to hotel and need a larger bag because of things now essential (3 months' worth of vitamins, etc.), but I curse the extra weight when I come across a flight of stairs.

Eliminating unnecessary items will be key. It's likely that all your accommodations will have hair dryers. If in doubt, email to ask; a standard US dryer wouldn't work anyway, unless it was dual voltage.

Shoes will kill a light-packing strategy due to their bulk if not their weight. Absolutely no more than one pair on your feet and one pair in the bag. This year I'm even leaving the second pair at home, because I'd rather wear the super-comfortable walking shoes all the time than carry an extra pound with me on a long trip. Obviously, that wouldn't work if you're going to the opera or nightclubs.

Consider solid rather than liquid versions of toiletries. Take powdered laundry soap rather than liquid. Decant liquids into the smallest bottle that will meet your needs for one month; my CVS drug store has a small selection of plastic bottles and jars displayed near the travel-size toiletries. I found some form of soap and shampoo in all my hotels last year, but only the few 4-star places I stayed in had conditioner and/or lotion.

Where practical, share occasional-use items with your daughter.

Buy smaller versions of things you need to take if you can do so cheaply. I have a trave; hairbrush that's about 1/3 smaller than my usual one, and half the weight. I also have a super-small purse brush. Both are only used on the road.

Be careful about containers that add weight or bulk. I've traded down to a smaller/lighter cosmetic bag. If I wanted to take a second pair of shoes, I'd wrap them in a nearly weightless bag from the dry cleaners. And of course a suitcase that's heavier than it needs to be means extra weight that is just as useless as articles of clothing you don't need.

You will each need to pack a washcloth.

In the past I sometimes had issues with slow drying of clothes in London, due to a combination of low temperature and humidity. For that reason, as well as other potential uses, you might want to throw some Zip-Lock-style bags in your suitcase. They're handy for containing items that are wet.

Strip excess items out of your wallet, too. If you have one of those monsters that holds a checkbook, a dozen pictures, credit cards for 6 department stores, etc., consider picking up a small billfold-style wallet. Your purse will be on your shoulder (across your body) for many, many hours a day.

This was us for an 11 night Trans-Atlantic cruise, 30 days traveling in Europe and two weeks in Florida:

Here is what we had

We each had a carry-on bag, DH had a back pack and I had a big-a$$ purse.

[COLOR="rgb(75, 0, 130)"]This included 4 bottles of wine, 2 glass wine glasses, a small coffee maker with coffee, creamers the little liquid ones, sugar, a supply of paper plates, salt, pepper, real silverware, 2 netbooks, 2 kindles, 2 umbrellas, a twin size flat sheet, all of my own shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, etc..., a sport coat & zippered sweater for DH (think layers), 3 prs of shoes for me (white dressy sneakers, sandals black strappy kitten heel) and 2 for DH, (1 black walking 1 sandal) plus all of our clothes. We did laundry 3 times in a laundromat and I washed some things by hand at night.

I don't skimp on comfort things when I travel and I take only the clothes I know I am going to wear.

I use packing cubes for most things except pants - they go in the bottom. I have 3 long jersey knit dresses and 2 short ones that travel really well. I can wear them with heels for dressy or sneakers (not gym type but cute white ones) and short dressy socks or sandals for casual. The long dresses are nice as they are pretty warm in cooler weather. I am not a fan of pants and generally choose a dress unless it is really cold. I had 1 pr pants, 2 prs shorts, 4 shirts, 5 dresses, 1 sweater & all the base garments. I carry a good supply of costume jewelry to dress things up.

DH had 4 prs of pants, 2 prs shorts & 8 shirts.

Plus swimwear - we spent 2 weeks in FL at the end of trip.

I'm older than you all but here is a link to a Trip Report I did when I came back from an 8-week trip including Rick's 21 Day Best of Europe tour plus some extra time in England, Italy and Paris. It might give you some ideas.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/21-day-best-of-europe-8-26-14

Here is a link to my Trip Report from last Fall which was just 5.5 weeks and included UK and France.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/trip-tour-report-for-best-of-england-paris-hof

I don't think anyone has mentioned to think in terms of everything going with everything else rather than thinking in terms of "outfits". Every shirt and sweater/jacket/completer piece should go with every pair of pants/skirt/capri. I limit myself to 2 pr shoes and a pair of flip flops.

I also love this website. http://www.theviviennefiles.com/ Most of her suggestions are too formal for my lifestyle and some of the things are WAY too expensive for me. However, I love the way she puts colors together and I have learned a lot from her. She occasionally has clothing from Land's End or LLBean which is more my style. I do travel with and wear daily a tee shirt from Lands End which is a cotton/modal blend. She suggested it for layering which works well but they also hand wash and dry quickly.

Do heed Frank's advice to develop a list and pack on paper first. It will cut down on impulse items when you pack. Also do at least one practice pack a few weeks before you travel. And for a real laugh look for the recent thread regarding being a RickNik!! Very funny and you can see what you might be getting yourself in to, lol.

Welcome to the group!

You will thank yourself for not making the mistake of being a luggage mule. Truly, everything you need can be found in all your destinations. Also, look for markets which are not located near tourist zones and then keep an eye out for consignment shops. Wonderful shopping experience at bargain prices.

Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions and tips. The links you have provided have also been very useful. So glad I found this website.

Right now I have my clothes strewn all over the guest bed for my 5 week trip to Europe. We will be all the way North to Finland and all the way down south to Sicily, which is quite a clothing range. It can be done because I have done it before. I know I have too much set out currently, so when I spread it all out I can get a better idea of what I have too much of, what the odd colored item might be, and I can eliminate better. It is all mix and match, pretty basic shapes that I can dress up with scarves/ necklaces. I tend to pack neutral bottoms and shirts, with my sweaters being the pop of color. My biggest problem is that I buy afew too many new spring outfits and want to wear them all!

Packing for a month with carry on luggage only is an American thing and more particularly people on this forum, due to the (in my view) poor advice from Rick.

No one from Europe would dream of doing this, as we have better things to do on holiday than spend every other day arranging to get clothes washed. A check in bag with wheels is easy to handle and easier than a hand luggage bag without wheels! Checking a bag in means that you have room to buy souvenirs and pack sensibly, as chances are you will need completely different clothes for Spain and Italy as you will for the UK. Otherwise, your entire holiday clothing is compromised.

With hand luggage only, you can only take liquids in 100 ml containers, so won't be able to take sufficient sun screen etc.

No one from Europe would dream of doing this

Sorry - I disagree. My wife and I (from Denmark, both around 60) have traveled this way since we stopped driving our own car in Europe. I would rather spend 20 minutes each afternoon washing a few items of clothing than carry 3 weeks supply. And checking in; And waiting at the luggage carousel.

But: each to his/her own.

I'm with Jennifer. I think you should take enough so that you can go for 2 weeks without doing any laundry, except socks n jocks. Evenings are wine time not washing time.

No one from Europe would dream of doing this

Ha! I am amazed at how small the luggage is that many Italians take. Smaller than my 21" rollaboard. Plus the big a$$ purse, of course (very Italian).

People (me too now that i live without a dryer) re-wear their clothes and do not wash everything every day. Change underwear, of course, but rinsing out a pair of jeans at night or doing a "load" of undies every four days in the room is a small trade-off for not having to lug a heavy bag on-and-off trains and through the city. I get three days out of a pair of jeans, and we do drop my husband's long-sleeved shirts off at a laundry after he's worn then for two days each.

It can also be challenging to store a large suitcase on the train and the consequences of a delayed or lost bag you had to check on the way over are too grim to think about.

Hi,

I have a carry on shoulder sack, weighs ca 16 lbs, where I keep an extra pair of Dockers or something similar, other clothes, eg socks, etc. Also water, once I clear the TSA control. Just make sure you that you don't include anything prohibited by accident that will cause it to be rejected by TSA as a carry on. All the main stuff is loaded up in a 4 wheeler spinner. Keep in mind that in the train stations you yourself will be carrying the carry on and other luggage up and down the stairs. For that the weight has to be kept at a comfortable level. You see in train stations too many people burdened and encumbered with too many heavy pieces that they need the elevator to reach the platform.

My way is similar to Emma's. I hate doing hand laundry and I never feel like my socks and underwear are really clean (okay, it's psychological, but there it is). So I pack enough for 7+ days and spend a couple hours once a week at a laundromat. There's the weather consideration. My guess is you're travelling in summer. Italy and Spain will be hot and you'll want light-weight clothing and sandals, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats. But England and France can be chilly and/or rainy, so you'll need to take rain jackets or ponchos and closed shoes, maybe a fleece jacket (or similar). While you can easily wear the bulky jacket and shoes on the flight, you're going to have to find room for them in your bags while you're in Europe.

If you do go with carry-on only, check the airline regs carefully. If you are flying multiple airlines, you have to follow each airline's regs for that flight, even though you're ticketed on only one of them. If you are flying within Europe, check those regs. Sometimes the size and especially the weight limits are lower. If you aren't bags with wheels, try walking for an hour carrying the full bag.

Traveling light is important, but comfort is too, especially on a long trip like yours with lots of stops. I find that taking a bag that's a little too big or a little too heavy for carry-on probably doesn't make a big difference. It takes very little extra time at check-in, can make it easier (faster) to go through security, and by the time I get off the plane, through immigration, find an ATM for some local money, and a toilet stop (at least to stash the extra and the ATM card in my money belt), my baggage is on the carousel, or there's only a few minutes' wait.

I started traveling with carry-on only after the second time we had a checked bag get mis-routed. I am certain the next one will never be found and I am just not good with that! It takes no time at to wash things out at night or make a quick stop at a laundromat - we've met some very nice locals and gotten some great tips while doing laundry.

Layers are key for traveling to various latitudes in one trip. I am a dress girl which pair well with leggings or yoga pants for added warmth and the dresses & leggings travel well.

I think Fred hits it too.
To negotiate stairs you must be able to comfortably lift your main bag vertically with one hand. A shoulder bag or small back pack as a 2nd piece should be your limit. One hand always free.

I carry on only, even if I'm going for a month - even if I need to bring dress clothes. It's really not that hard to do. Just make sure everything you pack matches with everything else and will (not might) be used regularly.

Three bottoms and five tops make 15 outfits (and you can probably get another bottom in to make 20 outfits). For England, I'd have two warm items that can be layered over each other, plus a waterproof rain shell. After that, you won't likely need more than one warm layer at a time. Plan at least one stop at a laundromat to do all your laundry during your trip (for me about every other week). Take only small quantities of essentials, except medications, you can get more there as you need it.

As always focus on what you really need to bring rather than how much you can get away with bringing. I guarantee no matter how light you go, by the end of the trip you will think of a way you could have packed lighter.

I take the concentrated laundry soap from REI. You only need a small amount to do hand laundry. Also, I have found that even tee shirts dry overnight or within 2 days if you wring them out in a hotel towel before hanging. Something else I always travel with is a flat sink plug that has a smaller plug part. I just returned from a trip and needed my plug several times to do hand laundry. I do take atleast 7 pairs of underwear, since they take up such little space and I hate doing laundry more than 1-2 times a week. Don't worry about being too casual. Most of Europe has become more and more casual over the years. We even went to the Moscow Bolshoi in jeans and were in no ways alone. For warmth I take a lightweight Smartwool cardigan that doesn't wrinkle. That and a rainproof rainjacker kept me warm, even when we had icey rain one day in April.

Hi,

On always having one hand free as recommended above: yes for the hand rail, if your roller is too heavy. When you get off the train, you and everyone else will be pulling or gliding their 2 or 4 wheeler until you hit the down staircase at which time it's best to change the position of the roller from vertical to horizontal ( for better balance if you have a center handle).

Bottom line,.. pack until it becomes too heavy/uncomfortable to make quickly this switch in position, or too exhausting lugging it down a staircase, eg in Berlin, or the up staircase as in Hamburg. You are most vulnerable encumbered going down the stairs.

We've done this twice now, for two 3-week trips, and we plan to do it again next week. I will never go back to lugging around suitcases, if I can help it.

Two exceptions to this might be:
-travelling in northern climates in winter.
-travelling to a single destination or on a cruise, where my stuff will stay in one place the whole trip.

For hopping on and off trains and planes and visiting multiple places, there's nothing like travelling light. And it's not a hardship, nor do I spend a lot of time doing laundry.

I usually bring 3 pair of shoes, too, and 3 pair of pants, 5 or 6 tops, and 5 pair of underwear and socks, two jackets (one is a rain jacket that folds into its own pocket), a small umbrella, and a sunhat. Sometimes I bring a skirt or a dress, but as I usually haven't used them, I probably won't bother again. I bring a bathing suit, and often a big scarf.

I bring few liquids. My husband and I have been sharing a bar of solid shampoo and a bar of solid conditioner for the last couple of trips now. I bring laundry soap flakes and a drying cord, but we also often rent apartments that have laundry facilities. I bring a minimal amount of makeup and a small tube of sunscreen, and I don't usually bother with jewellery. I bring a phone, a camera, and an ipad.

What more does one need?

I buy small souvenirs (Christmas ornament size) as I go, too, and I can always find space for them.

And this is what I put it all in: http://www.staples.ca/en/Samsonite-Small-Travel-Wheeled-Underseater-Suitcase-Purple/product_434519_2-CA_1_20001?kpid=434519&cid=PS:SBD:GS:n:n:SBD:58:21800&gclid=CNzy99SZ0MwCFRCOaQodytEHKA I use compression bags, and of course, I am wearing one of the pants, one of the tops, one of the shoes, underwear, socks, and a jacket on the plane.

Put me down on the "it's not a crime to check a bag" side -- my husband and I are in the second half of a two-month trip with one 22" roller bag and one smaller "personal item" bag each. (Mine is a RS Euro tote, goes over the handle of the roller bag) We have used trains and intra-Europe airlines. Found a laundromat about every 10 days. Look at all the posts in the "Packing" section of this forum for many suggestions.

One additional issue with packing a lot of clothes, rarely if ever mentioned, is the time spent unpacking and hanging up the garments every time you change hotels, then re-folding and packing when you depart. Although there are some fabrics (including denim and crinkled cotton) that may live in your suitcase without harm, I find that by the time I select my wardrobe based on expected weather, ability to mix-and-match, and easy washability, I kind of have to take what I can get with respect to packability. So I arrive in a new city, all excited about what I'm going to see, and what's the first thing I do? Open my suitcase and hang up clothes. Not fun. Even less fun with more clothes to worry about.

There's also the issue of coat hangers. There often aren't that many in the room.

We have traveled a lot and laundry is a real issue. If you travel to a warm area like Southern Europe in the Summer the clothes you wear will be good for one day, since you will be perspiring in the heat.

Yes, in cooler places, you can wear some clothes two days, sometimes three.

Hand washing may work depending on how long you are in a hotel and how much you can hang up in the bathroom. Sometimes it takes more than a few hours to dry, so you need to be in the hotel for a couple of day to DIY Laundry.

I learned the hard way years ago, jeans don't dry quickly and they are heavy, so I don't use them.

Finding a place to do laundry can be harder than you think in some countries. Then you need coins that work in the machines. Having the hotel do your laundry is very expensive.

We are planning a four week drive tour of England and Wales and I have already looked at the places where launderettes are located.

Admittedly, London is one place I don't know of any coin operated laundry facilities, not even in hostels, as I am aware of in Vienna, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, Arras, even Munich. I've only had laundry done by the Pension in Berlin, give them a bag stuffed with what needs to be washed ( socks, underclothes, etc,) in the morning after breakfast, you could get it back in the evening or the next morning, all nice and fresh, for 4 Euro. I don't know the cost is at a hotel. True, I've seen more dry cleaners (chemische Reinigung) in Germany than public laundrimats

@Fred - for future reference there is one about a 5 minute walk from the Marble Arch tube stop, Lila Launderette.

@acraven - I have to be staying in the same place for at least 5 nights before I will unpack! Otherwise we just leave everything in the suitcase - I only pack things that can be "ironed" with a spritz of water from a spray bottle! I will pull out the next day's clothes and give them a spray and hang them up the night before but to unpack - no way - too much time & effort!

@ Christi....Thanks for the tip. Marble Arch isn't too far from Kings Cross where I stay, and relatively close by is the Lila Launderette.