Trying to Pack Light

A lot do and some don't. Obviously if you are a large person then it is more difficult than someone smaller. And it is learned behavior. If wearing one pants on the plane then perhaps one other pants and one dress is sufficient. One sweater. You cannot wear both at the same time anyway. We go with three changes of clothing - wear one pack two. You didn't mention shoes which can take a lot of space. What else are you taking? We routinely use two carry on but we have refined our packing list over the years to the point that it works very well.

At the present time we are packing, one each, a 21x 14 x 7 bags for a forty-six day trip to Ukraine. This will be our third month and a half trip, and there have been many shorter ones. It takes practice, getting the right clothes, and doing laundry in you hotel room. We each have a convertible carry-on and a small shoulder bag. The company Packing Light may have some helpful hints for you. I'm not sure what my wife packs but I have two pants, four shirts, two socks, silk long johns, cashmere sweater, rain jacket, laundry kit, shoe shine kit, nonprescription meds and the other ones, shaving kit, a few extra zipperlock bags and an extra compression bag, and two caps. Other small items go in my shoulder bag. I will be wearing pants, underwear, socks, shirt, belt, Tilley travel jacket, and the only pair of shoes I'm taking. Let me know if I can help.

Use packing cubes. Eliminate a dress, wear 1 pair of pants on the plane so you'll have a total of only 2 pair, 4 tops, 1 light sweater. What toiletries are you taking? Unless it's prescription drugs, contact lenses, etc. All of those toiletries can be purchased when you arrive. If you aren't comfortable with that
then cull. One tube of tooth paste for you booth, 1 shampoo, no hair dryer, etc.

We use a 21" carry on plus a backpack (him) and large purse (me) for our month-long trips. For our upcoming 4 week trip to Greece I am able to fit 2 jeans, 2 capris, 2 bermudas, 1 shorts, 10 tops, 1 sweater, 1 pair sandals, 1 pair walking shoes, 2 plastic hangers and pins, plus necessary personal items. It should weigh about 25 lbs. In my purse I carry the guidebooks and printed reservations and other info we need, notepads, plus our cameras, cell phone, chargers, etc. In the backpack he carries tablet, GPS and charger, and other misc. items. He is taller than I but still manages to fit his clothes into the carryon but it is a couple pounds heavier. We also do our laundry in hotel rooms and at this time of the year it usually dries overnight, though we have been known to drive with damp socks or shirts on the back seat!

Visit the Pacging Light website http://www.packinglight.net/ and look at the video of their packing technique. I'm amazed at how great this works.

My packing list for 8 week trip: Does not include what I wear on plane. Itinerary which includes dates, telephone #'s hotels, hostels in case luggage is checked and lost. 4 pants 4 blouses 4 socks 1 pair of Tevas sandals 4 unders fleeze jacket 6 think plastic clothes hangers 6-8 clothes pins poncho laptop and Canary WIFI finder camera cam corder ALL the chargers & adapters hair dryer (dual voltage) Flip flops for showers toiletries fit in quart size zip lock bag 2 Rick Steves travel clothes lines Wool Lite travel towel (since we stay in hostels a lot) silk sleep sheet Travel pillow that squashes down Travel coffee cup PacSafe Stash Safe (fanny pack) in day back pack until we board plane.
*Baby wipes In day back pack while traveling. Many items such as flashlight, pen, umbrella, poncho, travel cup, large cloth napkins, spoon, fork, knife for picnics always stay in the day back pack. I know I am missing some items. The day back pack if very important to me. I always carry it onboard and then out comes the PacSafe fanny pack. The 21" Roll Aboard expands out 2 more inches if necessary. If I carry the 21" as carry on....I do not expand it. Lufthansa and KLM have both accepted it as carry on......told them my day back pack IS my purse. Hope this helps. It is possible to take the important stuff and still packing light AND within the carriers weight limits.

I think how 'light' you can pack is somehat dependent on the time of year. In the summer you can pack pretty light. Winter you need heavier Clothes. Springtime you kind of need both. But 21" carry on is a challange if it is not the summer. I like to take a regular suitcase and but my electronic stuff in a small briefcase I carry on. I know RS likes to brag he just takes the back pack but that is not for me.

Rachel, everyone has a different style and different priorities. I use a 21" rolling bag and a Civita daypack for 12 weeks every summer. When I begin, the daypack is also packed full, but it becomes my take-everywhere bag once I reach a destination and can unpack some of the stuff in it. Besides what I wear, I take another pair of shoes, and a week's worth of clothing changes (more tops than bottoms, but everything goes with everything). I do laundry in the room most of the time but I also send things out to be laundered (I like to remember fabulous meals, but not by looking down at my shirt!) if the Tide-pen doesn't do the trick. Lately I've packed a folds-flat messenger bag that holds less than the daypack and I feel more secure with it. I take a camera plus two lenses, small Acer notebook, TIM phone to avoid roaming charges, and the usual array of toiletries (small sizes and I replace them during the trip), the many meds aging baby boomers tend to carry, and a journal, map, and pages of a guidebook (I only take the parts of the book I'm likely to use, and throw the pages away as I travel). I am envious of people who can do it with less. I have discarded some clothing toward the end of the trip to make room for purchases along the way (after 3 months I really won't miss those t-shirts).

Rachel, You didn't mention the time of year you are traveling. I have been on the VFR Tour and I can say with certainty that you will be glad you packed light when you arrive in Venice and you are dragging your bag over the steps and bridges. If you are staying at the Pensione Guerrato you will be crossing the Rialto once or possibly twice with your bags..I hope it is cooler than it was this time last year! I would also recommend you leave one dress behind. Maybe you can use your under seat bag to pack some of your items. You will not be able to take a full tube of toothpaste if you are strictly doing carry on so go for 2 small tubes and buy toothpaste after you arrive. Laundry may be expensive but it won't break the bank and it will enhance your travel experience. Leave a couple of items when you arrive in Florence or Rome. Like someone mentioned, don't obsess of what you are wearing but the wonderful trip you are about to
experience.

On the 14 day Best of Europe, each of us took one 21" RS rolling bag, with a couple of space saver bags inside, and a small backpack as our personal item. We stowed also a Civita bag for daily wanderings. (Civita bag stuffed with a sweater on the plane makes a great pillow as well.) On another 2 week trip, we packed even lighter; my husband and I took only one 21" shared between the two of us, with our two backpacks. You can do it. You will have a much more enjoyable trip. Yes, indeed, pack light. My advice? Don't check anything. One more thing. Take colorful scarves or buy some along the way to vary your outfits. Instead of one of the dresses, take a skirt that you can wear with several tops. Color coordinate everything. And use a crossbody purse, so you are hands free. More fun. Much easier.

I'm in the middle of packing for a 10 day bike trip, then 2 days in Florence. So far here's what I'm taking: 1 maxi dress 1 skirt 1 dress 5 t-shirts (1 long sleeve) 1 shirt (I'll wear on the plane) 1 sweater (I'll wear on the plane) 1 pair jeans (wearing on the plane) 1 pair Tom's shoes (wearing on the plane 1 pair sandals 5-6 pair undies 3 sport bras pj's Ipad (to load my photos and watch movies I rented) Nook Camera all the cords necessary to charge electronics adapter rain coat 2-3 scarves (haven't decided yet probably leave on home) 3 pair bike shorts (wear 2, wash, and wear the clean one) 4 bike jerseys bike socks (4 pair) bike shoes helmet bike gloves Light weight windbreaker/rain jacket for riding Woolite, clothesline and 4-5 clothes pins 3-1-1 (shampoo, face wash, etc)
minimal make up -- eye liner, mascara and blush there will be a few more things that get thrown in last minute, but all within my carry on. Also bringing a tote bag for under the seat and in city. Packing just for sightseeing is so much easier! Add to this that we bring our own tandem, so that's checked at the airport. Nice thing is...the dirty clothes and bike clothes go in the bike cases at the end of the trip (all under 50#) making room for any purchases.

Trust everyone and make sure you go with the carry-on size luggage. Everytime you go on a long trip, you learn more and more how to get around with less and less.

Thanks to all your encouragement, I did manage to pack with only the 21" carry on and a shoulder bag. I eliminated one dress, used another spacer saver bag & took out extra toiletries! Carrying the one bag made it much easier to hop on & off the boat in Venice and climb over the Rialto Bridge!

Remember, everything you might need, is available over there, so do not try to over think the small stuff. We have had good luck, packing less, and using a laundry service a couple of times while we were there. It was not expensive. and less trouble than washing in a sink. When the owner of one of our accommodations saw that we needed to do laundry, she thoughtfully hung them out on a line for us. Try to keep a checklist of exactly what you use, and do not use. This will help you refine your packing skills for next time. One last tip, nothing says clumsy tourist like to much luggage. A small bag will help you avoid pickpockets, and there are some good ones. some very helpful young ladies tried to help us out of our possessions while boarding a train in Milan. thankfully with only one bag each, they did not get far. Enjoy, You are going to love it!
Jeff

Hopefully your husband isn't bringing a large suitcase. We travel for four weeks at a time so my husband always starts with a large pile and then we eliminate and eliminate. He wears one pair of pants on the plane and packs a darker colored pair plus a pair of long shorts. He also wears the jacket and as soon as we are off the plane we expand the suitcase open. His shoes are bigger but he wears one and packs a pair with socks stuck in it. He brings polo shirts as they don't wrinkle and boxer PJs. We always bring good 3 ounce sunblocks, and a high quality concentrated hand lotion, shampoo and conditioner (I have rarely seen a conditioner come with a room)so we aren't wasting space on watered down products. I bring a secure purse with lots of zippers and put it in a tote bag that holds my minimal makeup, RX, books, and snacks. I xerox RS books only bringing the pages I need. You really don't want that big suitcase.

Love that you came back and reported on your modifications and what worked for you. True Helpline interaction!

If you are flying Alitalia...Dont check anything! If they lose your bag, you'll go through hell trying to get it back from them. It nearly ruined my brother and sister in laws trip to Italy last summer. The airline lost BOTH their bags (on a direct flight from Newark to Rome) and it was a nightmare getting them bag. The airline has NO customer service and my relatives had to visit two airports (Rome & Naples) to retrieve both of their bags after WEEKS of agonized phone calls. The airline wouldn't even deliver the bags to them. It was horrific!!! This trip for my in-laws meant the world, as my brother in law was in stage four lung cancer at the time. The airline could not have cared less!!! I won't even fly this airline anymore.

What Todd said x 2.