What about souvenirs if you only use a carry on?

If I plan to buy souvenirs (which I don't much anymore), I usually put a flattened duffel bag on the bottom of my carryon. On the way home I put my dirty clothes in the duffel and check it, put the souvenirs in my carryon (for safety) and take it with me on the plane. When I have not brought one and ended up needing one I have bought a cheap one at a kiosk somewhere and used that. Large souvenirs (Turkish rug, framed art, etc) I have sometimes had shipped home.

On our last trip we knew that we wanted to hit a few flea markets, so before leaving I found a place in Paris (Rayon d'Or) to buy an inexpensive hard sided roller bag, which we checked on the way back.

Don't you need the checked bag to bring stuff back...

I might be missing something but it seems obvious that you will be limited in buying stuff if you are limited to carry-on. First you have volume limits. You could donate your clothing to get more stuff into your carry-on. Depending on sir carrier you may also be weight limited. And there is the liquid restrictions, no 750 cl bottle of Aquavit. And no Swiss Army knife or Sami hunting blade souvenirs.

But given that most airlines allow one no-charge checked bag on international flights, why not check a bag with the goodies?

PS. On a multi week trip, why obsess with saving 30 minutes waiting for a checked bag to come down the luggage cute. Carry-on the essentials, check a lightly loaded duffle bag that you can fill with goodies. That or leave only footprints and take only photos.

Simplest answer, don't buy a lot of gifts or souvenirs. We have 5 adult children and their spouses and 14 grandkids ranging in age from 16 to 1. We couldn't check enough empty bags to bring stuff back for all of them, much less our friends.

Remember that whether you are driving or taking the train or bus, unless you wait till the last place before you leave for home to get stuff, and you wait to buy another bag then, you will be hauling that extra bag, empty or full all over the place.

If you fly between European locations you will probably have to check your carry-ons unless they are very small, and any additional checked bags will probably not be free. Most European airlines are very restrictive about the size and weight of checked baggage, carry-ons and personal items.

Some vendors will ship what you buy to your recipients or back home, but it won't be cheap.

Full disclosure here -- we are not big on shopping anywhere, but especially on our trips to Europe. For some people it's a pleasure, but we think it is a distraction from the real reason we are there. I'm more that way than my husband...but I can always find room in my carry-on for a scarf or a pair of earrings or a refrigerator magnet or even that tablecloth from Provence I just had to have.

The point of that confession is that if you pack light enough, and if you shop light enough, you might just be able to bring your souvenirs and gifts back in your carry-ons.

Yep, you can't have it both ways: If you choose to not check a bag, you're limited to what you can stuff into your carry-on.

On a European trip like this, we always check a bag. It's not a big deal to have a checked bag. We try not to put anything in it that we can't live without for a few days in case it got lost. And we don't use the opportunity to stuff it as full as we can (on the way there). Then we can stuff it full of whatever we do buy (and don't be guilted about buying things, jeesh...).

Thanks for the suggestions. I guess we'll just have to check a suitcase. Souvenirs (gifts) for the kids are not optional, as nothing gives more pleasure than going shopping for something you want to buy-it gives you an added mission to fulfill on the trip. If we return to Europe for another trip, maybe we can go lighter since we will have already picked up the souvenirs. I can understand Rick Steve's view about packing light though if you have been to Europe scores of times though and don't need to purchase mementos.

I have a Sea and Summit (or Summit and Sea??) collapsible duffel bag from REI that weighs 2 or 3 ounces, can be carried in its stuff "sack" on a key ring, is incredibly strong, and is really big. It was relatively expensive for that type of thing. I think I got it on sale for about $29, and it retails for about $39. It is absolutely worth it. Check their website.

Although I don't do much shopping, on my way home, I check my carry-on, which has mostly laundry in it. All purchases and everything breakable or difficult to replace goes in that duffle.

A nice additional benefit is that, if I'm required to gate-check my carry-on, everything will fit in that duffel. That means I'm gate-checking an almost empty suitcase, and if they lose the suitcase, I'm fine.

We do what Nancy & Sherry do. Pack an empty duffel in your carryon, check it on return flight full of dirty clothes and expendables. Sometimes, I have bought a cheap one over there. They're a lot easier to deal with than a suitcase coming & going.

I agree with you, I love picking up a gift for someone when I'm traveling. I by small things, ditch toiletries or clothing to make room, or check a bag (but not the one with gifts in it).

I also pack a collapsible bag. Usually put gift in it and check carry on.

I love shopping in Europe. I have found some of the most unique gifts there. The more trips I take the less I buy, but everywhere I look in my home there are items that remind me of my trips. I don't shop much at home but I do find some time to wander the markets in Europe. I also usually check a bag coming home... but it is never my gifts... just check your clothes in case they don't show up. When the grandkids were little they had the most amazing European style clothes that I found at a department store in Salzburg (I think it was the now infamous H&M) I try to buy really unique or useful items such as clothing or books or food, not just dust collectors, but the kids will love hearing your stories of your travels and it will make them dream about taking their own trip. Take plenty of photos to share with them as well.

In going to Europe for 12 of the last 13 years for a month, I always do as Nancy posted by taking along a flattened duffel bag, filling it at the end of my trip with laundry, and then packing any treats into my carry-on for safety. Works every time.

The point of packing light is not to say that you can't check a bag on an airplane or can't buy souvenirs. I do both. You will be handling all your luggage yourself in many situations, which could include stairs in train stations, hotels, and hill towns, etc.; that is the main reason for packing light. Starting out lightly packed also means you have some capacity left for the souvenirs that you buy.

I like Rick's lightweight, collapsible Hide-Away Tote for a variety of uses while traveling, including a Laundromat run, grocery shopping, and hauling home purchases. My main bag is carry-on sized, but with an expanding feature that you can use when it is checked. I often pack purchases in that main bag, expanded or not, wrapping most items well with layers of clothes, especially if they're a bit fragile, and check it. The most fragile or valuable items I'll usually carry on using the Hide-Away Tote. (This is not my day bag; I have a small, cross-body bag for that purpose, and it can also get stuffed pretty full on a flight day.)

Heavy souvenirs like ceramics and bottles of wine are best purchased later in the trip, if at all. You have to be selective. At the same time, if you see a gift that will be perfect, you should buy it, not expect to find it again later.

buchanan,

1 country or a 12 countries. Makes no difference.

What it comes down to is do you want to lug that extra luggage around with you from country to country to country...to back home?

you dont say where you will be traveling from, but i will assume from the USA somewhere. Chances are you are allowed one carry on and one checked in baggage - for free, but dont take my word for it but do you own homework and read the fine print on your tickets to and from the USA (assuming again). If you decide to have a larger or heavier checked in bag, then there maybe additional charges. Again, read the fine print or ask the carrier and again, this is from the USA (assuming) to Europe and back.

Now, what do you do once youre over there. Again, if you choose to fly from point to point, then you may only be able to have one (1) piece of luggage. And that may be charged or not. This will depend on the carrier(s) you choose, so again, you will want to read the fine print. Some carriers mean one (1) is one and ONLY one.

However, if you choose to use the fine train system over there to travel from point A to B, then you should be okay with anything you can carry. I havent tested bringing more than my carry on, but i have seen some and chatted with some people moving their whole life across countries and had 3 or 4 roller luggage. Nothing that would be considered as "overhead" luggage either.

If youre interested, here is what i do. I do some homework into each country i am going to visit and check how much it will cost to send stuff home. Believe it or not, many counties have their version of the US Postal Service. You can go Brown and see how much they charge but i can bet you won't like what you will find - i didnt. You can also go Yellow and see those prices. Again, you may not like those prices. Just so you know that DHL is all over Germany and is their "Postal" service.

Since you dont say where you are going, you can try googling "X postal servcie", were X is the country where you are going. Sometimes you will need to use google translation to figure out the web site, sometimes not. But check the original language site first and look for a little flags or something where it may have various languages already. I have found that using google translation sometimes will screw up the web site and not display some important information as in shipping costs or what you are looking for.

If you choose to do this, just be aware that some places dont make it easy or just out in front so you may have to dig/search for the information. Also, many times, the prices will be zone based just like UPS or the USPS. Also, you may not see USA or United States of America, for the zone, but something else. You can also, "cut & paste" text into google transition to figure out things.

I know it sounds like a lot of work to do, but if you choose to do more travel you may find that using the local postal service can be reasonable, but that of course will depend on where you go.

Well, back it up and ask why only take a carry-on? The answer is varied but usually:

• By only having a carry on, you will not lose a bag, and on landing, you avoid waiting for a checked bag.

If you have time on landing, and will be staying in your immediate destination, that is not an issue.

• By having only a carry-on you are forced to pack light making travel easier

A very valid and valuable point.

But the above does not mean you cannot pick things up as you go, you are really only limited by your tolerance for hauling things and your itinerary. If you use a "home base" itinerary you can store things there, if your itinerary is continuous, you could look at shipping things home at intervals or save the shopping for the last or near to last stops.

As for the flight home (when you are probably the heaviest loaded) there is no reason not to check a bag, generally the first bag is free internationally, or by having an airline credit card, if the bag is delayed, big deal, it will get to you. In fact even with no extra stuff, I check a bag, just to lighten my load and make the trip home a bit more pleasant.

Some comments/my experience.

1. depending on the value of the United States Dollar (USD) it maybe less expensive to ship stuff back home.
   
2. Pay attention to how its going to ship. Sometimes they have "express" or "standard" or "?". If you dont need it overnight ask what each method costs and approximately how long.
   
3. insurance can be bought and sometimes tracking.
4. get a copy of Ricks "Europe though the back door" and read the section about shipping stuff home. It gives some hints.
5. bring your own shipping labels. not little 1 inch x 3 inch, but 3 inch x 5 inch and use large font. Peoples hand writing can be like a Doctors handwriting. Do you want to make life more difficult for the person that handling the package. especially when English may not be their primary language? Also, make sure you add USA at the bottom of the label.
6. Bring or buy some shipping label tape. They have it overthere too. it doesnt take a lot of space either.
7. dont be shy about using the tape to wrap the box. make sure you cover the label with tape too so that it cant get rubbed off.
8. sometimes you can buy their version of the "priority mail box" and make life easy for you. take advantage of that.
9. try to keep your box weight to < 2 kg or approximately 4 lbs. If you dont know how much 4 lbs is, you can buy a travel scale used for luggage. you can bring some string/rope and use it to wrap (hold) the box to weigh the box, or you can do it there.
10. note that you will need to fill out a version of the form for customs. I forget our number but i think its like PS form 922, but it will be different for each country, but similar.
11. whatever you pack inside the box, wrap or pack it in some plastic bag like a grocery store bag or extra shopping bags from your souvenirs. That way it may keep stuff from falling out of your box if the box is breached. also, use the tape to tape the bags together if you can.

a comment. If you fly around overthere, you may want to consider the "baggage fee" vs shipping it home.

good luck and happy trails.

I really don't buy many souvenirs. One trip with three kids in tow, we bought quite a bit and picked up a wheeled duffle bag from a street vendor to pack the extra stuff for the flight home - we had a leased car so the extra stuff didn't matter much during the trip (as long as it wasn't stolen out of our car). TSA must have had a fun time with the swords my sons brought home (we didn't try carrying those on).

A couple of ideas:

1. Buy only small souvenirs and offload stuff you no longer need (travel guide chapters) as you go.

2. Wait until you get to the end of your trip to buy your souvenirs, then buy a small bag for the extra stuff (put your souvenirs in your carry on and check your clothes. Carry on is great for the flight there, quicker out of the airport and no chance of losing your stuff. On the way home it's not as big of deal to get out of the airport slower. If they lose your luggage, you have plenty of clothes at home.

3. I like buying unframed art (just local stuff I like, no masterpieces) and rolling them up in a mailing tube. You can buy quite a few and they all fit easily in a carry on.

Guys and Gals: Thanks for all the great advice. I went ahead and ordered the Hide-Away Tote along with a couple of the Deluxe Roll on bags for carry on. I think the postal angle with the Hide-Away Tote to haul clothing around in works. Thanks again to all!