Carry on/checked baggage?

It's already fairly warm here and it's going to get warmer; if you have a fairly well-ventilated room your clothes will dry overnight. In other words, do a quick hand-wash in the evening, and they will be dry when you wake up. If they are even slightly damp, you can wear them and they will dry quickly. Rick's packing guides for men and women (search site) are very useful. The trains have luggage racks above the seats that could hold carryon-size bags and sometimes there are other places where you can fit large suitcases. But if you are going to be doing a lot of moving around, do you really want to drag all those bags behind you??? Pack light and you will be glad you did. LESS IS MORE. Be sure to check out Rick's packing suggestions and search these forums as well for suggestions/strategies.

You dont mention how long your trip will be. You can easily take enough clothing in a carry-on size bag for 2 weeks or less, provided people are willing to wear a shirt 2X and a pair of pants 3X. If people are not willing to do that, then by all means do laundry halfway thru the trip. It takes only a few hours. Otherwise be prepared to take along the larger luggage and to ultimately spend a lot more money on such things as taxis even for short distances because no-one wants to lug their heavy luggage on busses or metro systems, up stairs, etc. And having more luggage space gives one more room to purchase mementos of the trip that will just end up being dusty knick-nacks that no one will care about in a few months. If they all want to be princesses, let them. Just make sure they are willing to deal with their own luggage!

The high-speeds have overhead luggage racks as well as space between the seats for 24" roller bags laying down sideways. On the high-speeds, the seats are back-to back every other row which creates the "V" where these bags can be stored. On the Regionales, just have to have enough strength to lift the bags overhead. Nothing wrong with laundromats. We pack light for our 3-week trips and plan on doing laundry about twice per trip. Many may consider this a waste of time but wait until you try climbing on and off the Regionale trains with 3 narrow and steep stairs. Add in the groups of people trying to get on and off in time before the train departs and you'll understand why they will climb right over you. Additionally, in many medium-sized train stations, there are multiple platforms. The way you change platforms is to go down about 25 stairs, go through a tunnel to your new platform and then climb about 25 stairs. Elevators? You must be kidding. Many stations have them but we've seen few that work. Besides, when you see your departing train on the far platform, you won't be waiting for any elevator. You'll just love all of this with heavy luggage.

You say "all individuals can carry their own bags" but by "carry" do you mean roll the suitcase down the paved sidewalk and through the airport? There is a huge difference between that and rolling over cobbled streets, in and out of taxis, up and down the Steep stairs of a train, up and down staircases (in train stations, hotels, city streets, etc.). For my upcoming 10-day trip, I am packing the following in a 19' roller suitcase: 2 sundresses (wearing one on the plane) 2 skirts 2-3 tank tops 2 scarves (to wrap around shoulders to go into churches) 2 undies (wearing 1) 1 bra (wearing 1) 1 swimsuit 1 cover-up 1 nightgown (since I am sharing a room with Mom) 2 pair shoes (wearing 1) 1 flat cross-body purse (that I will use once we get to Italy) 1 small folding duffel (to stuff with dirty clothes and check on the way back so my carry-on suitcase can be full of stuff I buy) Also wearing a cardigan on the plane and crop leggings on plane In my "personal item" I will have the following: Makeup Meds (i.e. 20 tons of Imodium, Gas-X, stomach meds and Tums) Bag-o-liquids 1 pair undies Jewelry Wallet and passport zippered in inside pocket Pashmina (to use as blanket on plane to sleep) Eye mask and ear plugs Headphones Mags, books and snacks Camera with battery charger Phone with charger Electrical adaptors Itinerary print-outs and contact info for visas, banks, villa, hotel, cabs and restaurants Ziplock bags
Purell laundry soap sheets I will only have to hand wash stuff in the sink a couple of times and they will be dry overnight. The ladies can do it, trust me.

thanks for the tips guys - by 'carry' I meant be responsible for their own luggage. Larry - I appreciate hearing about all the steps. Carry on luggage it is then!

Personally, I'd rather do some hand washing in the sink every few nights than deal with the hassle of a large bag. Up and down flights of stairs (no escalators), down cobbled streets, up several flights at the B&B's, in and out of metro stations......

Definitely just a carry-on It is enough of a burden, that I wouldn't want anything bigger. I have watched travelers, especially women struggling with big bags or multiple bags and I am so glad that it wasn't me. Aside from the crowded sidewalks, VERY narrow sidewalks, short time to load into the train, crowded subways, standing room only trains, narrow and winding stairways, overhead bins, there are also the short transfer times between train connections and often you will arrive on one track and depart on another track which you reach by going down a set of stairs, through a tunnel under the track and back up a set of stairs. A carry-on is clunky enough. Why add more, it can only add negative memories to a fun time. And, besides the 5 or you, no one is going to know that you wore the same outfit the other day. Try to do a trial run on packing the bag, it may not be that difficult to stay in a carry-on. Summer clothes tend to pack thinner anyway. Avoid bulky versions of the clothes you are taking...sweaters, jeans, too many shoes... Good luck.

It is definitely doable to do carry-on only, even for a woman. My first trip to Europe (3.5 weeks) my husband and I each took carry on bags. My sister and her husband both brought bigger bags. Maybe 26' & 28'. Up until the last 10 days we traveled by car, so we didn't have to deal with public transportation. It was still a big hassle for them to carry the bags up and down stairs at hotels. When we took the Eurostar from Paris to London, and then took the Tube to our hotel it became a huge problem for them with all the stairs. We got on the Tube at commute time which didn't help them any. We always carry on, even for 4+ weeks. It is easy to pack less clothes that you can mix and match. Make sure they dry fast and it is easy to hand wash every few days. I like to use inflatable hangers to make the drying time a little faster. There are many helpful hints for light packing. I would make sure that if they insist on taking big bags they should make sure they can carry them themselves, including lifting them onto trains. Otherwise it will be you doing all the heavy lifting.

I take a rolling carry-on and a Civita daybag for an entire summer, with enough clothing for a week's worth of changes. I do laundry in the hotel room or at a laundromat. It's doable. The memory you don't want of your family vacation is dragging luggage around. I've also used the rolling backpack over cobblestone streets and up and down stairs and never it's never been a problem.

My sisters and I, all of whom love clothes and fashion, traveled to Spain & Portugal last year for 10 days using carryon bags. At first we thought it would be impossible, but with some careful planning, it was a piece of cake. One trick is to buy lightweight clothing that not only takes minimal space to pack but washes out easily. Encourage the women in your group to check out the travel lines at their favorite stores (I like Lucy and Eddie Bauer myself) and invest in a few key pieces such as a travel skirt & black slacks. Scarves are the key to change up outfits as they take little space but add a splash of style and color.

Mark,
It's doable! Our family 2 male and 2 female traveled our first trip to Europe for 3 weeks in 2004 and did all carry-on bags. This almost killed our teenage daughter because she had to wear something twice (God forbid) after sink washing. Everything dried overnight even though it was winter. Now my wife and I are traveling again and we take quick drying underwear and quick drying shirts/blouses that dry wrinkle free. You could always play the $$$ card for checked baggage. Tell them they have to pay for that themselves and no one will drag their luggage for them. Plus they will travel slower and miss many connections because of a too big bag.

Loose-fitting, dark-colored, plain cotton or linen clothing will look good and feel cool. Jeans and anything tight will feel hotter. Sandals, if you can wear them. I have some favorite capris that are part linen, fairly loose, and very comfortable in hot weather. I don't worry about wrinkles. Pick simple color combos and just mix and match. Two pairs of pants/skirts and several tops will keep you well-dressed and provide enough variety that you won't get too bored with your clothes. I wash out a couple of things every evening so hand-washing never becomes a big chore.

Sounds like you have it worked out but I'd say that if anyone is still thinking about a large bag have 'em pack it up to the max weight, find some stairs and make 'em carry it up/down a few times while giving them the picture of a staicases about as wide as the bag with twists and uneven steps. Might think twice about it. At worst, maybe one large communale bag along with the carry ons. We've done that several times on longer trips (4 of us) and has worked out pretty good.

Mark We'll be making our sixth trip to Italy if a few weeks. One bag is VERY doable. Have the ladies of your family check the many posts here on one bag travel for great ideas. Lately is seems like most of the pickpocket stories I've been hearing start with attempting to hoist several pieces of luggage up the stairs of the train (or on or off a public bus). PLUS with one carry on you don't run the risk of "lost luggage" which is a huge plus. We always preplan our "lavandria" days which usually include a carry out lunch and chatting with the locals. This year we'll be staying in apartments that have washing machines.