Two weeks in Italy -carry on only?

I have gone 4 weeks with a 21" roll aboard plus a day pack. This included electronics. Plan carefully and you can do it. 3 pants (wear one), 5 tops, a light jacket, two pair of shoes (one for walking during day and one "dressier" which in my case was black leather MaryJanes, also good for walking). Never had to throw away underwear to make room. :-)
R.S. has excellent packing advice in his books and on this site.

First, a 24" bag is not a carry on. We have traveled up to 4 weeks with a carry on and personal item only. Make sure your clothes mix and match. We usually do some sink washing and bring clothes that can dry overnight. I use inflatable hangers that hold the fabric apart to speed the drying process. Weather should be warm, so you don't need to bring anything heavy. For 10 days it will be easy!

We do it all the time for 3-4 weeks without throwing any clothes away. You really get used to wearing the same clothes and it really simplifies your life. I take a smaller than carry on size backpack with wheels and my husband takes a backpack. We each take a pair of shoes and wear one. No computers but phones and chargers. Lots of advice on this site for ways to travel with less.

Absolutely - carry-on.
I've traveled several times for a little over a month with a carry-on and a small day pack.
Sure, I wear the same clothes over and over again....but I rinse them out in my room and
I have clean clothes each day.
You can do it
You can get Ex-Officio underwear at travel shops and 2 pr will work fine.
They absolutely wash and dry over night - they are some type of micro fiber

My mother was a world traveler, and she never learned how to pack. Her huge suitcases were not good for my father's back traveling into their early 80's.

On our family trips, no bags over 22" are allowed. Following Rick Steves' packing list with minor adjustments, anyone can go indefinitely. Rental cars are smaller in Europe, and their trunks usually won't handle more than 4 22" rolling bags.

We often come home after 2 weeks and find clothes that were never used.

While I often carry my wife's suitcase on and off public transport and up steps, she knows she's got to be the one to predominantly handle her own luggage.

Your suitcase will feel twice as heavy in Venice, so bringing clothes to throwaway won't help you there...and I don't recommend it anyway. We've only used a carry-on suitcase for 10 years now for several 2-week trips.

Regardless of how long we'll be traveling, I pack 4 outfits with a few extras. Personally I like to wear 3 washable dresses because the Europeans are dressed nicer than Americans. I bring one pair of capris and a dark work-type pant for evenings to match with a couple of tops. A couple of scarves give me variety. My husband dresses similarly - nicer lightweight golf shirts with lightweight pants. We wash our clothes in the hotel sink with Woolite travel packs (Amazon) - no big deal. We each carry one suitcase, so we have a hand free to jump onto trains, etc. and stairs aren't a problem. My hubby puts an empty backpack into his suitcase, so we can use it for daytrips. The backpack is our buffer to bring something home.

We each wear one pair of shoes and bring something lightweight. Leave the white sport shoes at home.

The area that's more difficult to pack light is all of the "essential" electronics. Figure out how you can reduce it to 1-2 small items.

Remember your moneybelt & enjoy your trip! We LOVE Venice!

We have done several 2 to 3 week trips to Europe and always with just carry-on. And no discarding of clothes or underwear on the way. Take clothes that pack small, resist wrinkles, and dry quickly when washed. It isn't difficult. Wear your bulkiest items on the plane and carry your jacket. Take a scarf or two to dress up basic tees.

For me, it isn't. I'm male, just slightly fashion conscious, and I can't possible travel 13 days on a carry-on.

I still laugh - when we did our first trip to Europe (20 days) in 2008 and I told people we were only taking a carry-on and a personal - they thought we were nuts! I remember someone telling me for a week in the Dominican they'd take two suitcases! It can be done of course...subsequent trips of up to 23 days have been accomplished with only a carry on/personal. I take old socks and underwear and toss along the way as I don't want to carry them around. And I make sure that around the middle of the trip, we stay somewhere (hotel or b&b) with laundry facilities (our first trip, I had planned to get laundry done after a week...but that didn't happen until about 15 days in when we visited my sister in the UK). But...I do always end up bringing home another extra carry on (I check the one with all the dirty clothes and put all my purchase in the ones we carry on the plane) that I end up borrowing from my sister in the UK as we always visit with her before coming home. (We have a great system...my mom takes the bag back when she goes to visit...and I bring it over when I come home).

db

Go up to the Graffiti Wall link on this site, and you will find a whole blog section with tips on packing light.

We did our last three trips with carryon only. No problem. Know that you can buy anything there you need: toiletries, socks, clothes etc. We usually pack an empty lightweight duffle in the carryon (or buy one there) and it gradually fills with souvenirs, dirty clothes etc. We check that bag on return flight with anything expendable, leaving more room in carryon.

Please dont' be that "Throw away American tourist"! Take nice looking clothes you would wear here to go out to eat or visit a museum. Not clothes that you do gardening and painting in. Don't you want to look nice while on vacation in your photos?

You can absolutely pack in a 21" bag for 2 weeks. Just plan outfits. You won't need more than 2 bottoms, 5-6 tops and 2 pairs of shoes (I always have a pair of closed toed shoes and one pair of sandals - wear the closed toed shoes on the plane to save space)

Plan to do a couple days of laundry. It's easy to wash out underwear/socks and t-shirts in a sink, or pay for laundry 1x mid trip.

Personally, I've been on 2 week bike trips....so I had to pack bike clothing as well as stuff to wear off the bike. I managed in a carry on with all that stuff! (the bike helmet was attached to the outside of the bag, I didn't pack it)

Not sure if you are female or male, but female, bring a skirt, or a dress and sweater and a scarf for evenings/dinners and even hot daytime travel.

Plan out your clothing and practice pre-packing it to see if it fits. you should be able to wear the same top more than 1x before washing, unless you sweat a lot and "pit" your shirts out.

If you are going with a 24" bag, as someone else mentioned, it's NOT carry on size, and you should be able to bring too much stuff in that size bag!

You are getting good advice here. Here's some basic tips; If you can, just wear your shoes and not pack an extra pair. Hiking sandals can work also and you can eliminate the socks. 2) Packing Cubes - ebags.com has good packers at reasonable prices. You can roll-up your casual shirts and lightweight pants and pack them easily with packing cubes. Also, packing folders. (Sometimes, discount stores like Marshall's have these for $5.) The Eagle Creek full-tube cube is good for socks and undies. 3) Keep your toiletries to a minimum. Pack in a kit that is not bulky. (I think you have to check your luggage if carrying razor blades. Checking your luggage is no big deal. Usually, one suitcase is free. Stay with a 21-22 inch bag though. It's easier to schlep around.)4)Wear pants that dry off quickly. That way, if you have to do laundry or take it to a Laundromat and pay a fee for washing - it's easier. My family and I like the Laundromats where we drop off the laundry in the morning and pick it up washed in late afternoon. It's worth the $12-$15 that you spend. 5) Use a collapsible backpack as a flight bag and daypack. Or, RS sells a nice over-shoulder tote that can strap onto your carry-on luggage. This tote makes an excellent flight bag. You can carry any "over-load" in it. If using the shoulder tote, I would still pack a daypack/backpack for daily use. I don't see any advantage in throwing away clothing.
At Bed,Bath,and Beyond - you can purchase a cheap, fabric laundry bag and use it for laundry.

If you are a woman, you may want to look into Foxcroft blouses that you can wash at night, hang up very wet so they don't wrinkle and they will be dry and look wonderful in the morning. I have traveled for weeks with three pairs of pants and a skirt. If you use two mix and match colors for the pants and skirt, such as tan and black or navy blue, you can then co-ordinate four or five blouses to go with them. On the plane, wear the shoes that take up the most room and pack another pair. Take light, washable underwear, which takes up very little space and perhaps wear a sweater and/or light jacket on the plane, as even Italy can get cool in the evening. I agree about not taking throwaway items. Don't. There is no reason not to look well put together and neat. Whatever you do, have a wonderful trip.

It seems that most of my answer didn't make it through. I just suggested looking into Foxcroft blouses as you can wash them at night, hang them up soaking wet and they will be dry and look wonderful in the morning. You can certainly get by with a carry on. I usually pack three or four pairs of pants and perhaps one skirt, plus about five blouses. You can co-ordinate the color of your pants/skirts in tans and blacks or navy blues and then match your blouses to them. Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane, pack another pair and wear a sweater and or light jacket when you travel. Underwear can be washed out every night and will be dry in the morning, so you don't need much. I don't think that I would take throw away clothing as you might want to dress as well as you do in your own town. Whatever you do, have a wonderful trip.

Lots of great advice here- I always travel light and I think you'll be fine with that suitcase. I do the same thing as you- take a couple of things that I don't want any longer and ditch them after wearing them, to be replaced with new ones I buy there. That way, I get some wearable souvenirs of the trip.

Figure out what you need to take and cut that in half. If your bag is full you are taking too much. Take easily washable items that will dry fast. Plan on buying a thing or two to wear while traveling to supplement what you brought.

In the history of the Helpline I have yet to read a post where someone said they didn't bring enough stuff.

I am going to pack light and do a 4 week trip with carry on only. BUT I do not do laundry in the sink at home and there is no way I am going to do that on a vacation. There are laundromats in Italy where you can drop your clothes off in the morning and pick them up that afternoon.

Use to lug the big suitcase around and laugh about it now. Small carry on is the way to go. We just do laundry as we need it.

Have a great trip.

A carry on will do you fine. Neutral colored pieces that mix and match, a pair of nicer shoes for dress up (you'll already be wearing your walking shoes) and easy to consolidate undies will get you through. Buy an interesting accessory to wear as a remembrance of a special place. If you need to, do a small load of wash (Italian laundries are the same as ours). For items that require careful packing, the stores are used to doing it and great at it.
Above all...go with the flow.

We always pack the same amount for our trips to Italy, regardless of length of time (2 weeks to a month, in our case), and we always do only carry-on. It's the shoes that will kill you, so try to find one pair that you can wear for everything.

Once you see the length of the "checking baggage" line at Fiumicino airport in Rome, you will never want to check bags in Italy again. It can easily add one to two hours to your processing time. This past May it took us only 30 minutes to get to our gate after arrival at FCO on the FR1 train from lower Trastevere.

I learned to pack light thanks to Rick Steves' packing list for women (you can find it here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/womenpack.htm). I modify it for my own needs. I've traveled for up to 3 weeks with a carryon suitcase, a regular school-type backpack, and a day bag / purse. It's liberating to pack lightly and to be able to manage my own bags.

Some airlines allow only two carryons, in which case I put my day bag inside my backpack before I go through airport security. Know your airline's requirements - this will help you to pack most efficiently.

You can go indefinitely with only a carry-on. If everything is packed to mix and match, five tops and three bottoms make 15 outfits. Pack items that can be worn by themselves, as a layer, and can dress up or down to give yourself flexibility between dressing nice and dressing casual.

Examples of flexible for me include packing either a pair of shorts that can be used as swim trunks or a pair of swim trunks that can pass as a pair of shorts - not one of each.

I pack only a few pairs of underwear and socks, wash them in the sink almost daily, and plan for a full wash at a laundromat at least every two weeks.

Myself and two female friends did three weeks in Italy/Sicily with a rolling duffle plus a back
pack. We're all early 60's. We rolled clothes tightly, and brought four pairs of pants and six
tops. Two pairs of shoes each, closed toes on the airplane, as well as the dressier pants/jacket
which would have taken the most space. We spent some $ doing laundry mid-trip. I don't dislike
the idea of throwing out clothes along the way to make room for some purchases, as long as you
don't look like a "bum" on the trip, making all of us nice Americans look bad!

I did Italy for 16 days with a 19" carry on and a backpack and worked out just fine (like others said, you just re-use your clothing). I just needed to plan ahead of what I would wash as it would take about 2 - 3 days to fully dry anything cotton (I tried to get as much quick-dry stuff as possible, but couldn't do everything).

The other thing to keep in mind is that Italy has a lot of stairs and cobblestones, so even from a practicality standpoint, you will love yourself to just have to lug the carry-on over a big bag. I saw people struggling in Venice with all of the bridges/stairs with full bags, and it also helped to have a smaller bag for things like running for a train.

My husband and I take small groups of friends with us to Italy every year. Our one requirement is NO bags over 21", they must be carried on and one day bag. My bag is 17" and I have room to spare. Our friends aren't always happy with our requirement but they LOVE us when the trip is over. We've found that rolling your packed clothes instead of folding is important.

My wife and I and our friends have done several 2-3 week vacation trips to Europe during the past 15 years, and always did carry-on. You can easily wash some socks and underwear in your hotel sink once and a while, and let those dry overnight on a line strung up in your bathroom or on your balcony. We've even washed/dried some other clothing that way. If you're desperate, use a laudromat once during your trip.

And one important point: If you check your luggage instead of doing carry-on, you run the risk that your luggage gets lost. We went to a wedding in the Amalfi coast, Italy a couple of years ago. My daughter didn't take my advice, and her luggage didn't arrive. You can imagine the tears in her eyes when she arrived in Amalfi. Luckily the luggage showed up just in time and we were able to get it transported from Naples to Amalfi just before the wedding. I think she'll do carry-on from now on...

Every trip to Europe we take less and less. Traveled for 20 days using Rick Steve's Backpack. You have gotten so much good information here. One suggestion is to limit items like hairdryers (I check the websites of hotels we will be staying at to see if they are provided) and sure enough I don't care one. Don't take so many toiletries (buy bandaids, etc in country if needed) There are pharmacies everywhere. Buy Ex-Officio underwear and rinse them out, buy fast drying clothes. You will be amazed how much room all of these extras take up in your suitcase.
If you like to buy sweatshirts as souvenirs, limit your outerwear in your suitcase as you can wear the sweatshirt.
Read Rick Steve's packing list. Love using the compression bags that Rick Steve's sell online.

I do 3-month trips every summer with a 22" carryon and a Civita daybag. I pack a microfiber messenger bag inside the carryon to use when I'm out sightseeing. I take about 8 or 9 days' worth of clothes and do laundry every few days (sink) or less frequently at laundromats, even send some things out to be dry-cleaned (oil, stains).

You can do it!

I managed fine with Rick's 21' bag for 2 weeks in Italy but one thing to be aware of.

I flew over via Delta/KLM. Flying back the 1st leg from Florence to AMS was on Alitalia and my bag did not meet their carry-on requirements (neither weight or length). It was a rookie mistake that it was not really on my radar screen to see what actual metal was flying us home from Italy. I had booked on Delta and I knew and met their carry-on regulations but I had not realized I would be flying another carrier and needed to check their limits. I had to fumble at the counter to pull out some things that I didn't want to go in the hold.

I learned a couple of valuable lessons on that trip!

Regarding the baggage-checking lines at FCO, there is a luggage service I saw advertised on TV in Rome that will pick up your luggage and get it checked through for you. I tend to buy books and ship them home myself by Fedex at a Mailboxes Etc store, you could do that with luggage as well if you can't pare it down to a carryon only.

When we see travellers struggling to lift huge, heavy suitcases onto trains and down the narrow aisles, my husband and I look at each other and smile. It's worth wearing the same outfit day after after day. Once you go with carrion, you'll never regret it. You'll never go back.

This is a great video on how to pack a lot into a minimal space and not have it completely wrinkled and crushed...haven't tried it yet but this guy is good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlk4NlW_SnE

For me, I am with Andre. I would rather have a slightly bigger suitcase (not so ginormous/heavy I can't handle it) and not feel stressed about packing. I accept the consequences and always put an extra outfit and underwear in my small carry on in case my checked bag doesn't make it. I have never had this hinder my trip.

My parents love the vacuum bags. And they are able to fit a lot of stuff into their suitcases and always carry on. Vacuum sealing them on the return trip is always a trickier. Imagine a lot of rolling around on the bag to get the air out. But they manage. In September, it will still be pretty warm so you won't have to bring a lot of heavy clothes which helps.

Here's a little inspiration for traveling light:
http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/how-to-travel-long-term-with-only-carry-on-luggage/
This couple sold almost everything they owned and travel the world full time with nothing but a carry-on sized backpack each. Amazing.

Here's a little inspiration for traveling light:
http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/how-to-travel-long-term-with-only-carry-on-luggage/
This couple sold almost everything they owned and travel the world full time with nothing but a carry-on sized backpack each. Amazing.