Packing for 2 weeks plus

What are you struggling with? Other than the basics, a light rain jacket would be in my bag at that time of year.
I think the only thing you need to know/do is make sure you have planned adequate time for laundry, whether it's DIY or using a service.

Two comments:
1. Casual attire is the norm on all RS tours. You can search this site for many, many suggestions.
2. RS tour guides always arrange for laundry somewhere during the tour. It may be a hotel discount rate or a drop off one day service or access to a conventional laundromat. Your guide will know.

Finding a laundromat on your own is pretty easy - just google it (or ask). By the way, we have never visited a laundromat in Italy that did not have a friendly Australian there to explain how to use the machines (not that its all that difficult). Aussies are demon travelers and usually travel for a month or more so they really know their way around.

Hi Darlene,

any tips for packing for 2 plus weeks in Southern Italy including a 13 day tour in mid to late May?

Traveling for 2-plus weeks, I would go for a monochromatic, tonal, mix and match color theme - a base color like a light denim or khaki pants/shorts/skirts/ankle pants/dressier capris - ones that have the material of a dress pant; not necessarily a "legging type" - unless you prefer that style.

(Black, navy and grey are popular colors in Italy, but that time of year, you may want to look cooler.) Average temps seem to be in the low 70's during the day; 50's at night. Weather can change of course.

Tops - Tees, jerseys, and blouses can be white, cream, ivory; solids in jewel tones or pastels (if that is your thing); floral prints (to disguise stains)

A little jacket that can double as a windbreaker, protection from a light rain shower or to cover your shoulders from the sun. Maybe bring a thin cardigan to layer under your jacket? Wear it on the plane to save packing space.

Or you could bring a long, sheer scarf or two to cover a tank top - most, if not all, Churches make it mandatory that all women and men cover shoulders and knees.

Use packing cubes and roll most of your non-wrinkle clothes to maximize space. See if you have room for a travel size bottle of Downey - refreshes your pants.

Also, unless it is your goal, don't feel as if you can't take two bags - both can be small - 22" (including wheels) - one carry on with personal item and one checked. It may give you some peace of mind to have wiggle room - and for your souvenirs. That is what I do when traveling for two weeks. Although, I was stationary in one city.

Or, if you don't want to juggle with two rolling suitcases, check a bigger one - no more than 24" (manageable) and take a bit bigger carry on/tote with a change of clothes and all your valuables.

Take clothing that can be layered. Take things that mix and match to make it look like more outfits than you actually have. Many women take a nice scarf to dress up causal outfits. Wear one pair of comfortable shoes that goes with all the outfits. Plan to do laundry a couple of times during your trip, which allows you to pack lighter. You'll find self-service laundries (takes about an hour) and one-day laundry services in many towns along the way. I shy away from washing clothes in a sink as I don't feel like they ever really get clean. Most of the people you encounter on your 2 week trip will only see you in the clothes once, and your tour mates won't care as they'll likely be packing the same way.

You will get the entire gammit of ultra light packers to those who want multiple wardrobe choices. If you can carry it, you can take it on the tour. But the key is you are responsible for it - walking several blocks on cobblestone as the bus can't get to the hotel door. Perhaps uphill (both ways, ha ha). Also up several flights of stairs because many hotels don't have elevators, or if they do, you can only fit one person and one suitcase in it.
Often it isn't the clothing that take up the space - it's the 'stuff' we consider vital. Try to keep that in check. These tours are fast paced and sometimes long days. Reduce your hair and makeup routine. Don't be averse to wearing the same thing twice before laundry - pants; more times than that.
Try to have every top match every bottom. Layers are your friend.
Try hand washing and bathroom drying at home to see what truly dries overnight....but do consider the option of laundry service. To wash, use the hotel shampoo or buy a laundry bar soap. Cut off a quarter of it and that is more than you need. Know that soaking is your friend....but not all sinks or tubs have plugs, so I have been known to travel with something like this universal tub stopper.
https://www.amazon.com/ZMunited-Silicone-Universal-Bathrooms-Laundries/dp/B076J61H16/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=universal+tub+plug&qid=1563214674&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1
Or do what others do - wear your dirty undies into the shower and wash when you wash yourself. The key is to wring them out with a towel to remove as much water as you can. If you can, hang in an area with air circulation.
I would recommend 2 pairs of shoes. Your feet will appreciate a change of shoes at times.
A merino wool cardigan is lightweight, packs small but warm for a variety of temperatures. Add a packable waterproof jacket and you are good for many temps and climates, or a boat trip to Capri.
What I pack for 2 weeks or 6 is the same, and only 1 pair of bottoms and 2 tops more than 7-10 days. No one is going to criticize seeing you in the same or similar outfit. You can go all neutral with a few coloured scarves or lightweight inexpensive jewelry to add some pizzazz.
My bottoms are generally black, grey or navy. I have a collection of tops with all 3 colours in it (sometimes multi coloured) so I get 3 outfits out of every top. 6 tops = 18 outfits before repeating.
Generally, I travel with a 22 inch rolling suitcase and a hobo purse. If I need my full binoculars or have included bird watching into the mix, then it is the suitcase and a tote bag that has a sleeve to fit over the luggage handles. Granted, I don't do tours, but if I did, I might go back to my back pack, though my upper body would need some conditioning for that.
I should mention that it is handy to have a 'bus bag'. If you go with the suitcase and tote, then the tote could be used for bus 'entertainment'. Just have a smaller purse that will fit into it for the stops where the tote is too big or unnecessary. I would consider a ' pack in its own pocket' nylon type backpack for a bus bag and my preferred cross body purse for day use. Eddie Bauer has several sizes of these backpacks. They were on sale last week.

Have a look at the Packing category here on the Forum. No end of advice. Also Rick's articles and Google Sarah Murdoch for a video.

You've got plenty of time to consider this, so I'm glad you are starting early!

I like to have every shirt go with every pair of pants or capris. I'm not very tolerant of heat so going to Italy that time of year I'd probably want 2 pr capris and 1 pr lightweight long pants. I'd have 5 shirts. My go-to travel shirt is Lands End cotton/modal tee shirts. They wash in the sink really well and dry overnight. With 3 bottoms and 5 shirts you've got 15 outfits. Included in those outfits is the clothing you'll wear in transit. I'd also have a cardigan or long sleeve top as well as a rain jacket. I don't go anywhere without a rain jacket.

My favorite capsule wardrobe site is https://www.theviviennefiles.com/ Janice is wonderful at coming up with interesting color combinations. So pretty! My warning is that you can get totally LOST on that website!

The best tip I got on this forum when I was starting with light packing was to pack on paper first. I set up a spreadsheet so I've got a master list and I modify it for every trip.

I pack in Rick's 21" rollaboard but I am to the point where I check it instead of trying to get it into an overhead bin on the plane. I'm too old for that and I make sure I stay at my first location a few days so if it goes astray it will have time to catch up with me. If you start with a few extra days in Rome this will work if you don't want to do carry on.

You've got a fun time ahead of you! Welcome to the party!

editing to add: Laurel's fingers were not cooperating with her brain earlier. I'm sure she meant to say to "Google Sarah Murdoch" who is a RS guide for Italy and does awesome packing videos!

Click on the link to Sarah Murdoch's Packing Light & Right. As I watched it the first time, I missed the part where she said she was 6'2" tall, and I was sure she was a small person. Nope, she's not exactly packing size 2 garments.

After 5 RS tours, I've observed that everyone seems to have a basic "uniform." Mine consists of 4 tops, 3 bottoms and a scarf. The tops and bottoms all work together and are based on the colors in the scarf. Basing a wardrobe on a scarf or a piece of art are little tricks I learned from the Vivienne Files that make packing much easier. Note that I don't always wear the scarf.

I typically wear a pair of lace-up shoes that are high enough to support my ankles during the days of walking and standing. I take one other pair of shoes to change into at the end of the day.

Note that scarf sellers are ubiquitous in Italy -- and scarves make great lightweight easy-to-pack souvenirs.

I usually pack four outfits, plus what I wear on the plane. When you’re on the tour and staying at a location for two nights, wash your dirty clothes the first day in the sink, roll them in a towel to remove extra water, and let them dry overnight. You have that extra day if something isn’t completely dry.

For southern Italy in May, I would be packing 1-2 cotton dresses, 2 capris & 2-3 tops. (I wear long pants on the plane.) I differ from others’ advice; I don’t select clothing pieces to match everything I’m packing. My method is to wear each outfit about every 4th day, so I can pick individual favorite colors. I really like casual dresses because they feel cooler on warm days when I’m doing a lot of walking. By the way, this is the same amount of clothes and same method I take for 3-week trips, too.

When we first started traveling, I brought a couple more outfits, but I’ve realized over the years that there’s no need to bring more. It’s so much faster in the morning because there’s no decisions of what to wear or what combo I want today - just take out the next outfit in the rotation. I bring four nice-looking outfits and have received nice compliments. People don’t know or care how often you’ve worn them on your trip as long as they’re clean.

I stopped traveling with jeans decades ago. They are heavy and in a hot climate are not comfortable. I now take Kakis.

Dear wife and I manage with one suitcase each for all our trips of 2-3 weeks.

I take more than some others do. I went to Greece at the same time of year last year and it was hot. The important thing is you can handle your own luggage.

I live in south Florida and do not wear pants in summer and thus I would take a skirt instead of the pants. I wore capris on the plane and was fine (below knee). I have elastic waist knit skirts that don’t look as comfortable as they are that I always travel with.

I usually take six or seven tops including one tank top. I don’t care if every one goes with everything but not optimal if only goes with one bottom. I take solid colors. The tank top can be paired with cardigan sweater for nicer look and by itself on hot days.

I don’t bring any long sleeves shirts but rather 3/4 length cardigan sweaters. It is what I wear at home with knit tops. In both Greece last year and Amalfi coast the year before, I took two-one navy and one sage. The navy one is more fitted so I could wear both at same time and did on plane.

I didn’t bring a rain coat to either Greece or Amalfi coast and didn’t need one. I did buy one for trip to UK this year and there it was needed!

I don’t bring scarves. It is too hot where I live to wear them and so I am not used to them. I do bring a few necklaces to dress outfits up.

Do you expect to swim? If so bring swim suit and cover up. I see people recommending wearing same tee shirt as sleep in to conserve space but I won’t do that. I do not want sand in my bed! And if you plan to go to beach, consider whether there are pebble beaches. I took light weight pair of water shoes which saved my feet.

I always bring multiple pairs of shoes. For summer, bring a pair of sandels. Make sure you can walk a lot in any shoes you bring. I have some very nice shoes that I have been wearing comfortably since I got back from UK that I didn’t take because I discovered as soon as I hit the 2-3 mile mark in them, I started to develop blisters between my toes.

And take pjs. I often wear night gowns at home but have capris length pjs and top I wear when traveling.

I haven’t used a laundry service because I hang most of my clothes up at home. I would end up with clean but too small to wear clothes! I agree that washing by hand does not get as clean -but at least I can wear them. I brought tide to go this year and it helped some but still not as good as my washing machine at home.

We just got back from this tour last week. I thought I packed smart, having taken out half of what I originally planned. I still only wore half of what I took and the other stuff got in the way. Next time I'll be smarter. If I had only taken what I ended up wearing, I'd have had room for some of the pretty linen shirts and dresses I saw along the way. ;)

Here's what I actually wore, including on the plane and train:
3 casual sleeveless dresses (one was for daytime touring, two for evenings),
3 scarves (typically carried one for covering shoulders in churches or a breeze),
1 pr. each long nylon travel pants (only wore a couple times due to the heat), capris, swim shorts that look like regular shorts,
three tops (all went with all bottoms), long sleeve shirt (actually a rash guard from Land's end),
swim suit (though I could have done with just the shorts and rash guard)
short sleeve cardigan, raincoat with hood, sunhat,
sandals, flip flops, tennis shoes,
6 pr. sport socks, 3 bras, 6 undies, nightgown.

Most things were in a technical fabric that dries quickly and I usually washed a few items by hand when we arrived in a new location. Quick drying fabrics are also a blessing when you are caught in a thunderstorm (twice) or sit on the windward side of the boat and catch a lot of spray! I was most comfortable in a dress when it was hot and also when we went to dinner. I also didn't mind wearing the same things repeatedly if I was comfortable.

Pack light! Have fun!
-Polly

Polly's point about the annoyance factor of a bunch of unworn clothing is a good one. Those extra garments can be a pain when you pack and unpack. Even if the clothes were perfectly chosen and you want to wear them, there's still a potential problem: The most common number of coat hangers I find in my budget-level hotel rooms is 3 in a single or 6 in a double. It's rare to have a pant/skirt hanger, period. If you take a lot of clothing, you may struggle to find a place to hang it. I like to keep my hotel room neat, but I end up with clothes draped over the desk chair and lying flat on the extra bed. Most of my traveling clothes are reasonably wrinkle-resistant, but they don't necessarily look OK right out of the suitcase, so in most cases the first thing I do at a new hotel is (try to) hang things up.

Remember the old adage: An ounce at home is a pound on the trail.

Pack for five or six days and rinse out your dainties along the way.

We were there for three weeks - the last two of May and the first week in June. We didn't even check a bag. Everything was in our carry-on. And we're not really manic about packing - honest!

Remember the old adage: An ounce at home is a pound on the trail.

I thought the old adage was "Lay out everything you intend to pack, then take half the clothes and twice the money".

I've been following along because it 16 days I'm going on a 4 week trip to Italy with just a carry on bag. It will be my first time packing that lightly, but it will also be my first trip that involves a lot of train stations and a lot of accommodation that is up several flights stairs.

My recommendation for packing in general -- and it goes double for packing light -- is to know yourself and use that knowledge to decide what to pack. If you live in jeans and t-shirts, don't take shorts or a dress, regardless of what packing lists might say or if someone says "you'll be happy you have it". If you commonly spill food on your shirt (like me), take twice as many tops as bottoms. Etc. My basic plan will be to pack a pair of pants, a pair of shorts, 4 t-shirts, a bra, and 3 pair of underwear. Toiletries and electronic cable-stuff. Either a light skirt or a long wrap to tuck in my camera bag so I can cover my knees if I come to a church I want to enter when I'm wearing shorts.

Wish me luck!

I'll second Laura's reply from above. No need to pack a pashmina or scarf - beautiful, affordable ones are available everywhere. Love the one I bought in Venice in 2017 - a perfect, useful souvenir.
I always pack a thin black nylon "harem" bottoms - indestructible, perfect for evening and easily washable in the room.
DH was also thrilled that I wore snazzy Sketchers with my dressy pants at night so we didn't have to worry about my "evening" shoes slowing us down

Enjoy!

You've already received lots of good info on packing and pointers to more. It's usually hard to imagine packing so lightly -- until you do the math and realize how many different looks are possible with just a few basic pieces. Add a scarf and/or jewelry and that makes even more options.

Over the years I've found that packing for a week works well for me, regardless of how long I'm traveling. I'm not a fan of sink washing, but I do it when needed. I am a fan of doing laundry myself at a laundromat (lavanderia in Italy). It's a great way to learn a bit about the country I'm in and to meet other travelers, and yes, on at least one occasion they were Aussies.

I always carry-on, partly because I've seen how bags are loaded into the plane, but mostly because I travel standby 90%+ of the time and there's no guarantee that I'll get on the flight. Checking a bag is not possible. So what I take has to fit in one of the carry-on bags I have.

Those are an Eagle Creek 42L soft-sided 22x14x9 carry-on bag for airlines that accept that size. And a slightly smaller 36L soft-sided Eagle Creek International carry-on for airlines that are more restrictive.

I used the international one this summer for a total trip of 5 weeks including the RS Heart of Portugal and Best of Spain tours back-to-back.

So, what did I take? These are the basics totals, including what I wore on the plane (with notes):

• 3 pair long pants (own no skirts or dresses, don't wear shorts, capris or leggings -- yet),
• 4 longsleeve linen shirts,
• 4 sleeveless tank tops (never worn alone due to vanity about my ugly arms, sometimes worn as a pj top),
• 1 linen jacket (mostly for the planes, 8 flights),
• 2 bras,
• 2 shapewear tanks,
• 8 pair panties,
• 2 pair compression sox,
• 1 pair pj bottoms,
• 1 pair ankle height lace-up booties (the ankle support saved me from a fall on very uneven pavement),
• 1 pair adorable laser-cut flats (never worn due to extreme foot and ankle swelling caused by the salty food),
• 1 very light rain jacket (never used),
• 1 scarf (used as the inspiration for all the rest of the outer garments and footwear).

I'm not a proponent of an all neutral wardrobe. I used to take at least one "spaghetti sauce" top, but I find that a scarf can substitute for that, is easier to sink wash and dries faster than any top.

For me, part of the fun of planning a trip is coming up with a trip wardrobe that minimizes the number of pieces and maximizes the number of combinations possible for them. I first shop my closet and then try to find things on sale online to supplement. Truth be told, most of the items in my closet were purchased with a trip in mind and many have been used for multiple trips.