Luggage

We will be traveling for 90 days including a 15 night cruise. We will be in Paris in August to Boston & NYC in November. We will each have Rick's Ravenna Rolling case & Euro Flight bag.

It can be done. No we do not wear dirty clothes - we pack smart light-weight clothing that can easily be hand laundered in a sink and will dry overnight. We stop and do laundry along the way. My husband will have a sport coat with him - my "team" jewelry & scarves help dress it up as needed.

There is a ton of info here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing

You will appreciate the smaller bag when you are the one responsible for getting up & down stairs.

It is easy to pack light for a 3-week trip. Check out the RS packing tips on this site. Three weeks or 3 months, many people pack the same regardless of the length of the trip.

Don't take something because it might be useful. That's what causes packing overload. Only pack something if you know you will use it multiple times.

One suitcase each, not one suitcase total. Carry on is better because you can keep it with you and you are limited in how much you can fit. However, if your bag is a bit bigger than carry on it's no big deal as long as you can lift and carry it easily yourself. Carry it up a few flights of stairs at home, lift it over your head to mimic train luggage racks, and make sure you can manage. You will be walking longer distances with it, some hotel elevators aren't big enough for luggage, and you have to lug it on and off trains fairly rapidly.

As far as what you need - it's just a matter of smart planning of clothes. Pick a color scheme and mix and match. If your stuff is shades of black, gray, and blue/purple there is no need for brown shoes or the reverse - all khaki and green no need for black. Accessories can change an outfit.

Have your laundry done once - there are services in bigger towns. Or do it yourself at a laundromat or rent an apartment with a washer.

Leti, this subject has been extensively discussed on the packing forum so I'd suggest spending some time browsing through the threads there.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing

The carryon-only method works for some but not for others so it comes down to what works for you. In either case it boils down to luggage no bigger or heavier than you can easily manage by yourself. For most of us, traveling in Italy involves being able to carry our bags up and down flights of stairs (sometimes long ones), in and out of trains, and drag them across stretches of cobblestones and other problematic pavements. The less you have to haul, the less of a headache this will be. Topline tips:

• Wardrobe should be mix-and-match: all tops should go with all bottoms. Don't pack by individual "outfit".

• Fabrics should be easy-care; nothing fussy. Lightweight is advised for Italy in the summer, and dark bottoms don't show dirt/stains.

• Plan on doing laundry. Lightweight shirts, pants, etc. can be rinsed out in the sink and drip-dried overnight, and hit a self-serve laundry partway though the trip. Some travelers pay to have their laundry done but we've preferred to do our own.

• Keep accessories to a minimum. I bring no jewelry and wear the same pair of gold earrings the entire trip. A lightweight scarf can dress up a plain shirt, if desired.

• 2 pairs of shoes only, both well broken in and sturdy enough to walk in all day. Wear one; pack one.

• share toiletries when possible, and just buy in Italy what you run out of.

My husband and I routinely travel in Europe and the U.S. for 3 weeks at a time and both check a 24" suitcase (plus carryons) BUT they're not packed to excess. They're heavier at the end of the trip because of items we pick up along the way but we're careful not to bring anything at all that won't be worn multiple times or will be difficult to care for, such as white pants. No one is going to know or care if you've worn the same sink-washed shirt 3-4 times in one week! :O)

HI
All of the above is great advice, especially the RS packing lists...great starting point. There's also a really good RS video...check out the RS youtube channel.

You'll find that some folks really go light, using a back pack type suitcase. I could never go that route, but I can do a 20-22" rolling case (and I like my clothes and shoes! and we're going for 6 weeks!). If you're traveling in summer, that should be fairly easy because clothes are lighter weight.

Have fun wherever your travels take you!

edited to include youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJeV5zHhr6Q

My parents were world travelers, and I still remember my poor father hauling around a huge suitcase for my mother. He went on one organized tour to the Holy Land and ended up having to help a bunch of elderly women deal with their luggage--and he hurt his back..

I'm a believer in lighter is better, and we travel with 21" rolling carry on bags and one handbag, small duffel or backpack. And every time we go, I find myself bringing home clothes never worn.
Our family rule is you can take anything you wish--as long as it fits in one carry on suitcase and as long as you can haul it yourself for a mile minimum. Everyone is to handle their own luggage.
We just returned from a month in Italy and Hungary. Luckily we had a washer/dryer in an apartment.
You've just got to mix and match your clothes and wear the same things day after day in different combinations.
As a man, I can take a starched pair of jeans and wear them for 2 weeks and they still look okay. And I rotate golf shirts out every day. Just remember, you'll never see these people again.

I follow David's mantra of everyone has to manage his own stuff. My husband is a true southern gentleman who is happy to help. He is also much taller and stronger than I am, but I don't want him to end up like David's dad.

I suggest you read Rick's guides on packing (and watch the accompanying videos).

Although you don't explicitly state it, it sounds like you are taking an escorted couch tour or a cruise. In this case, you must think of the logistics of your luggage. Bigger is definitely NOT better when there is a whole coach or ship full of passengers. If it's a coach tour, you must also think about the constant lugging on baggage up and down stairs at hotels.

I, for one, do NOT do my laundry in the bathroom or kitchen sinks. I do, however, go to laundromats and either do it myself or opt for the "wash & fold" service. Nowadays, I usually stay in short-term rental apartments when I'm going to be in a city 3 or more nights (which is usually the case). This affords me a cloths washer and either a drying rack or a cloths dryer. If I were to go a cruise (unlikely) or a coach tour (also unlikely), I would probably opt for hotel laundry service as it's really a small budget item compared to the rest of your vacation.

In my carry-on convertible roll-on/backpack, I can get 2 pairs of trousers, 5 shirts, 5 sets of undergarments, jacket, extra pair of shoes and my toiletries. This is enough 6 days between laundry events. I also pack a cloth laundry bag for the dirty laundry if I expect to be using laundromats.

Here's another link on packing from the RS website. I know it is really hard to imagine packing for only a week, regardless of the length of the trip, but it definitely can be done. Traveling with a 22" or smaller carry-on and a personal item is both smart and liberating. Keeping that 22" bag to 20 pounds or less should make it much easier to go where you need to go.

Not being sure what tour you're talking about, take to heart what others have said about schlepping your own stuff in and out of trains, over cobblestones and up and down stairs -- especially in Italy.

Unless you have a business conference that requires a suit or some event that requires a tux, a carry on roller bag and a light duty back pack no larger than this- ( e.g. http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/stowaway-30l-packable-pack/82300073/_/A-ebSku_0230073045__82300073_catalog10002_en__US_EBSite?showProducts=&color=100) will carry everything you need for at least 4 weeks. It was all I needed. And after our first trip I found I could take less for the 2nd trip and not miss anything.

RS sells a similar style/size as well

We found doing laundry in the sink and using the RS clothesline kept us in all the clean clothes we needed.

3 weeks in Italy does not "require" a large suitcase.

Its not like you are wearing the same thing every day to work where the same people see you every day. As a tourist no one is going to see you wearing the same shirt every 4th day, except your travel companion(s), and they will be doing the same thing!

Carry on 1 roller 21" and one day bag. That's it. Do laundry.

In summertime? You won't need much and it will all wash and dry easily whether you do it yourselves or send it out.

Dragging bags around is not fun, and the more you have the more thieves will target you...slow moving targets are easy.

I always pack a small lightweight flat pack nylon bag in my suitcase to bring back purchases that do not fit in my ONE carry on suitcase.

Each adult takes one 20-inch carryon. I pack my carryon to 15 pounds max. I add the RS Euro Flight Bag holding my travel laptop, small pack of wet wipes, and allergy medicine.

Your question belongs in the general Europe section.

I don't use the kind of suitcases that have wheeles. I carry a sort of 20 to 24 inch long travel bag, with an adjustable shoulder strap. I figure that if I have difficulty carrying the weight of my luggage before I leave, then I need to take less; I want to keep both hands free, the travel bag can be stuffed into tight spaces easier than a wheeled suitcase; my empty travel bag should be lighter than an empty wheeled suitcase.

Are you staying in one place for 3 weeks or moving around? The main reason we do carry on only is because we move around using the trains which have a high step to enter/exit, minimal room for your bag and movement is rapid once your stop comes up and often times your connecting train is down steps, through a tunnel and up steps on the other side, so having a smaller suitcase makes traveling through Europe so much easier and safer than being distracted by your luggage.

Now if your just staying put in one place for 3 weeks then go ahead and take your bigger suitcase as you wont be lugging it around.

Its all about mix and match, and yes you will wear the same thing over and over...but only for 3 weeks so who cares. No one says "remember that cute outfit I wore at the Vatican", you talk about the experience what you saw, what you ate. I seriously do not even remember what I wore unless I look at pictures and if it was raining it would not matter cause in all my pictures I have the same jacket on and that is all you see.