Stressed Out Packer...PLEASE HELP!

Keisha, no need to stress about this! You won't be the only one on the tour in a skirt. Many of our guides have worn skirts the entire trip. I very rarely take shorts on a tour. A dress makes accessing your money belt awkward, but a skirt works great. I always take a change of shoes, but there's no need for tennis shoes. Take shoes that you're comfortable wearing all day long. As far as defining casual, that's a difficult one. I'm guessing, since you're teaching Zumba, that I'm much older than you :-). I wear pretty basic clothes - capris and t-shirts, etc. - that pretty much all go together. Then, I add scarves or inexpensive jewelry. Packing light is definitely important to me.

If you feel more comfortable in a skirt, then by all means wear a skirt. You will see hundreds of other women in skirts - be comfortable.
I always get sore feet, so I wear Clark's sandals and when I do a bit of hiking I wear my tennies with a good tread on the sole.
In July it will be HOT.
Hope you have a wonderful trip I have been on 7 RS trips and I really love them.

You might be the only woman in a skirt but so what. No one's judging your choice of attire. Some women will be in shorts, some in capris, might see some jeans and probably a skirt or two. NOT a big deal. I'd take a second pair of shoes but not necessarily tennis shoes. Maybe a slip on/loafer/mule instead. Cobblestone streets can be a bit more rougher than an amusement park. Be sure you wear those new Clark's sandals from now until you leave. BEST to have them broken in beforehand.

Nancy this trip is my 40th birthday present. I am not as young as most zumba instructors! Thanks for your response!
Frances Thanks for your response! I think skirts are much cooler than capri pants and it will be HOT! I think I will pack a mix of skirts/shorts with interchanging tops.
Claudia I am wearing my new sandals to break them in. Thanks for your advice!
Krisha

You will be just fine wearing skirts or dresses... that is all I ever wear in the summer... pants are just too hot. If you wear a dress and don't want to use a money belt (I never do... too hot...too uncomfortable) Just use a small cross body bag, or a neck wallet.
I wear what I feel the best in and don't care if everyone else is wearing pants or capris... Also, leave the tennis shoes home and find something else that looks cute with your skirts...probably the Clark's will be perfect.

Krisha, I wear Tom's on the plane and for night time outings. They aren't super supportive, but good for cold plane rides and good for going out to dinner. I have one pair of Chaco brand sandals that have gone on every European trip since 2002.

I have rid my closet of anything Capri length, and take a pair of jeans and roll them up to a desired length. I wear the jeans on the plane (see cold plane rides)

Found and bought a cute dress last year at GAP, it now gets packed for every trip. I wear it during the day and at night with a sweater or scarf.

For great travel wear, I've found FIG clothing... they are just getting going in the US, but you can buy on line. http://www.figclothing.com/en/home/

Skirts are GREAT..shorts not so much. I know jeans seem HOT, but I take one pair anyway, since I wear them all the time at home.

Casual is US casual. NOT Sweatpants, etc, but jean/skirts, t-shirts. Your favorite sweater and a scarf or two. You will be on the bus with the same people for 2weeks, but the people you meet in the towns you visit won't remember what you had on...they'll remember how you treated them!

Buon Viaggio!

Everything that has been said so far is very sensible. I'll just add that another reason for bringing a pair of closed shoes, not necessarily tennies, is for wearing in case of rain. I agree that skirts are cooler in hot weather than pants. Also, a skirt, though not a mini, will get you into churches, while shorts may not.

I never take shorts to Europe. In hot weather I wear capris, a dress or a skirt. A dress/skirt is cooler than capris as far as I'm concerned. You will not be out of place.

Skirts are just fine but make sure yours fall below the knee: knees and shoulders MUST be covered to visit Italian churches and some of the museums (like the Vatican). This applies to men as well, and is another good reason not to bother with shorts. Italian women really do not wear those in public (except the beach) anyway so are more out of place than a skirt, pants or capris.

Immodest amounts of décolletage are discouraged as well but sleeveless blouses and plunging necklines can be covered with a big scarf: just tuck one in your day bag if needed.

It's a good idea to have footwear with soles that grip well when it's raining: sightseeing Italy often involves cobblestones, marble surfaces and stone steps which can be deadly slippery when wet. I've witnessed some pretty serious falls on rainy days!

This is my 4th trip to Italy (3 summer trips). I only wear shorts when I run and I did wear them to Ostia Antica. I wore running shoes those two times. I have worn casual shoes on all the other days (totalling about 7 /2 weeks) and I am a major walker ... I have had no problems. I wear skirts, dresses and my casual shoes. I can out walk just about anyone and I am happy wearing skirts/dresses. Wear what you want to wear.

Hi Krisha,
I was in Italy two years ago (at the end of June) and it was hot. I wore a skirt or dress almost every day and saw plenty of other travelers wearing skirts. My skirts and dresses came either to the knee or just above it. I made sure to wear a longer skirt (and pull it down a bit) when going inside the churches. I also carried a scarf or cardigan with me in case I was wearing a sleeveless top. I took a pair of tennis shoes on the trip, but wore sandals in Italy almost the whole time. I agree that a 2nd pair of shoes (or sandals) is nice to have, but it does not have to be tennis shoes. Wear what you are comfortable with. Have a great trip!

First, stop stressing! My husband and I just returned from my 40th birthday trip of two weeks traveling all over Italy with one carry-on bag each. Before I left I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but we did just fine. Skirts are great and you'll be glad to have them because they will be cool in the hot Italian sun. Definitely consider a pair of closed toe shoes, whether they are tennis shoes or something more formal. I brought my tennis shoes and was glad I did because we walked constantly from sun up to sun down, and I cannot imagine trying to tackle the Cinque Terre trails in any type of sandal. I wore my tennis shoes on the plane, so no worries about wasted space. Definitely take a scarf, or two (or buy one for yourself as a souvenir). My scarf was indispensable. I also took jeans and wore them a lot, but we were there in early June and in the Lake Como area and had some cool temps at the beginning of our trip. Have a wonderful birthday trip!

I consider myself to be pretty fashion savvy but I keep reading about scarves. I never wear them except in Fall/Winter in Upstate NY. What do people use them for in Italy in the summer as in July/August? I can understand if a person needs one to cover shoulders in a church for "legal" reasons or to honor local customs but I keep reading about scarves in situations other than churches.

Also...If a person wants to go into a church and they are wearing a short sleeved t-shirt is that acceptable?

I think a lot of women use scarves as a way to add some pizzaz to their travel wardrobe's basic color scheme (black and white; navy and white; khaki and navy; etc). Because they are lightweight and don't take up much room, a variety of those serve as fun accessories, like earrings. They can also take them off if they're too hot during the day, or put them on again if it's just a little bit chilly in the evenings.

Yes, a short-sleeved shirt or blouse is just fine, and what I pack for Italy; it's sleeveless that's a no-no.

I wear skirts exclusively during the good season weatherwise-- for spring and winter I take a pair of pants. The trip we just returned from, to the Netherlands and Italy, I took one heavy knit skirt and three very light ones. Shorts aren't actually looked on in a positive light in Europe-- Americans are famous for being a bit informal. I'm glad to hear you are changing it up from the flip flops-- I took a pair of Tevas in addition to my good walking shoes (which I hardly wore due to the warm weather everywhere.) Since both you and I wear skirts a lot, we are already better dressed than most travelers, and we can dress down or up the skirt.
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Good to know that short sleeves are OK. I have planned to bring all pants but am wondering if a skort is OK? Like a short skirt that looks like a skirt but has shorts built in...kind of like a tennis skirt? What about wearing a tank top/camisole under a see-through mesh type shirt that has short sleeves?

My walking shoes look like a cross between tennis shoes and espedrilles (sp?). They are made by Sketchers and called "go for a walk". They are very casual but I have feet problems and the only way I can do a lot of walking is with these shoes. I hope they will be OK. I am bringing Clark walking style closed tow sandals (Also VERY casual). My raincoat is not only very ugly but very casual (functional) but it folds into the size of my fist and dries in about an hour (Eddie Bauer...a men's coat)

I am only going to Cinque Terre and Camogli and will be traveling through Milan Centrale. It is Milan Centrale that I am most worried about but I also want to look presentable at appertif/early dinner time.