Traveling light

My husband and I have done this for a six-week stay. Others have done it for much longer. It's the only way to go!

Should be fairly doable. I generally travel with a bag and personal item for 4-6 weeks. Makes things easier (IMHO) when you don't have too much luggage.

Traveled for six weeks in Europe (3 in Italy) in 2015 and 3 months (yes, months) in the South Pacific in 2016 with small carry-on and one personal item. No problem if you plan well and there are lots of tips on the RS site and in forums to help you do just that. Don't burden yourself with more bags and you will have an easier go of it.
Happy trails!

Totally doable. We never travel with anything more than a small carryon and a personal item. We always marvel in train stations about the stacks of bags people have...we couldn't believe some of the stuff we saw in Frankfurt in January....a 25 inch bag AND a 21 inch bag AND a purse for each person and they're all stacked up together and they're hauling it all through the train station.

There is something extremely liberating about traveling with a 19x15x8 bag:)

We usually travel from 18-23 days and have always taken just carry on and a personal - let me tell you, seeing people struggling with huge bags on and off trains/buses/subways and up and down stairs in subway and train stns - I'm always glad that we are much more mobile.

We did take my mom to Italy with us in 2014. She had been visiting with my sister in the UK for 3 weeks before joining us, so she brought her big suitcase (it was a 33 or 35" I think), as well as carry on size - what a royal pain. My husband had to lug it, I had two of the carry ons and my mom had hers and the personal bags. Hindsight being what it was, we should have left her large bag at my sister's and had one of the grandkids schlep it to London for us before going home. If I ever thought before about maybe taking a bigger bag, that trip certainly changed my mind. If we were going somewhere staying put or maybe only making one or two moves, I'd think about it, but if you are moving 4-5 times using trains/buses/etc - travel light...trust us!

Yes it is doable especially in summer. We do laundry as needed.

All international travel with one carry on bag and small backpack. We keep packing lighter and are happier. Opinion is split amongst folks about sink washing clothes (us) and those using laundry services. Find what works for you.

Definitely doable and I do it often in November - December in the UK when it's cold.

I stay 3 weeks or longer.

AirBnb must have washer/dryer combo.

Shout outs to:
Keen Shoes
SmartWool Socks
Light Weight Fleece
Patagonia Capilene
And waterproof jacket!

Happy travels. Go lite and never look back.

Remember that accommodations with elevators are very sparse, many cities have large pedestrian-only zones, and that in the smaller train stations, you have to walk down and then up the stairs to get to your track. The less luggage, the better.

I spent 3 weeks in Italy with only a carry on. No problem. Hotels were very accommodating with laundry options.

You can do it ! We spent 6 weeks in Europe, kayaking and hiking through Slovenia, taking a river cruise, and attending an elegant wedding in Florence and we each traveled with a 21" rolling bag.

Bring clothing that can be rinsed in a sink and dry by morning. Or leave it at home....

For normal tourist activities carrry-on only is certainly possible. Their is no difference between one week and three or four weeks in that laundry, sink washing or otherwise, needs to be part of the equation.

However, if your activities require items not allowed in the cabin, you would need to count on checking a bag. For example, trekking poles, ice axes and similar items need to be checked. You may also want to bring or buy a lightweight duffel bag to bring home goodies.

100 days, one rolling carry one and a daypack

Hello everyone,
Your input is much appreciated. I think we'll be okay traveling light. Another question, how far ahead can we purchase tickets to local attractions in Rome. We will be traveling with our grandsons (41/2yrs and 21/2 yrs old and 5 adults) in December. Are there places for our little ones that might capture their interests? Thanks again. Theresa/CA

Recommend you start a new topic about the kids in Italy. Your add-on question is lost in this question.

Let people know what attractions you are interested in and they can let you know when tix go on sale - most people will purchase Colosseum tours ahead, but I'm not sure now how many months/weeks in advance they go on sale...also I believe you have to book the Borghese ahead, but again, not sure how far in advance...

Posted by Theresa
Thank you Nicole for your advice, I'll start a new topic as Lo have suggested soon.

yes! before we had children we would routinely travel with a small roller carryon and a small backpack or tote bag. with small children that got more challenging tho! you probably already know this but washer/dryers in europe tend to take a lot longer than those in the US, sometimes more than 2.5 hours for a load, and some places will have a washer but no dryer, so you have to plan a bit farther in advance.

Theresa,

I would recommend an apartment for your stay. Especially if Rome is the only destination for the entire two week period...

Yes, using carry-on luggage is doable. Most of the apartments will have at least a clothes washer if not a combo washer/dryer. And, most (if not all) will have clothes drying racks in the apartment. If yours doesn't, they're pretty inexpensive on the local economy. I have found that cloths easily dry on a rack overnight (or during the day while we're away sightseeing) while the combo units take forever to dry which slows everything down.

I recently switched to an ebags weekender backpack and I'll never check luggage again. I don't care how long I'm gone, it makes the trip so much more enjoyable.

We travel with just a carry on and a backpack. We now have a 3 year old and her stuff goes into my carry on bag. Before our first trip, i told my wife and our 7 year old to pack light. I then took them to a park with lots of stairs and a walk. We went up and down the stairs and then walked for 30 minutes and then the stairs again. I know it was evil, but when we got home, my daughter lost half her weight and my wife lost lots of weight from their packs.

We have been on multiple two week trips and never needed something. We always carry a rain jacket. We try to stay at places with a washer, if not we use the sink.

I like to think of it as packing for a 4 or 5 day trip no matter how long the trip, knowing that you will do laundry a few times.

I like Brian's philosophy, generally I pack for one week plus one day. Wish I could cut back, but on a long trip clothing malfunctions (not the interesting kind) can happen.