What about socks and underwear?

Honestly, you don't even need liquid detergentyou can get by washing your underwear and socks with soap or shampoo for a few weeks. I spent a month in Europe last summer (I'm a young woman by the way, so even more clothes than you'll be bringing!) and I was fine with washing in the sink, hanging to dry in my room or out the window (Italians don't really use dryers, they hang everything anyways so sometimes they will have racks for you depending on where you stay). Underwear and socks especially dry fairly quickly, and are great to wash and use again. I also don't like the idea of throwing my underwear away after each use, but that is a personal thing.

I agree with the posts on Smartwool socks and ExOfficio underwear. Yes, they are a little pricier than normal, but well worth it, especially for traveling. Both are very functional, comfortable, and quick drying. Enjoy your travels!

The best solution is to buy underwear & socks that you can wash in a sink and that will dry overnight. Two hi-quality vendors are Tilley's and ExOfficio. You could potentially travel as long as you want with just two pairs of their underwear & socks. I've bought from both places; both are great. www.tilley.com www.exofficio.com

OK, I'm not a guy, but I noticed lots of guys commenting on women's clothing choices here. I purchase all my husbands clothing, so I think I can have a voice. Ex Officio makes great travel underwear, you can purchase 2-3 pair and be fine for 2.5 weeks of travel. As mentioned in the post above, they wash and dry quickly. I bought my husband several pairs to use for travel, and he uses them every day. I asked that he save them just for our travel, but he says they are so comfortable, he wants to wear them all the time. After 4 years, and lots of washing (by machine) they still look OK. No rips at all. The briefs are expensive, but worth the expense. REI carries them as do several on line dealers. Socks --- Smartwool. Normally we travel in May, so he brings 2-3 pairs, and wears sandals mostly touring (Chaco brand- great arch support, and his feet stay cool) The Smartwool socks are worn with his Timberland shoes that he brings for the plane ride over and for evening going out.

I had no trouble drying my sink washed socks and underwear on the heated drying racks our hotels had. While I wouldn't count on them being available, all of ours seemed to have them. Washed in the morning, packed them or wore them the next. If you are travelling somewhere new every other day, you may want to plan accordingly, I guess.

I also have Ex-Officio undies and Smartwool socks. The undies are sooooo comfy. This last trip to France in mid March, I bought a very thin long sleeved 100% silk T-shirt which was great for warmth, it washed really well in the sink. I used it as an extra layer on cool damp days. Kim Allen Silk, in Vancouver Canada, has mens and womens undies. I have a sleepshirt, lounge pants and lounge shorts that all travel well; these items are part cotton knit, part silk. I have a pair of undies that are 100% silk; they don't fit my body well but they are worth a try. They do try really fast as it is just silk and elastic. http://www.kimallansilk.com/
I know that she does ship to the US. Her orders are usually placed very quickly. Have a great trip.

Because they take up virtually no room and add virtually no weight, I always pack extra socks and underwear. It took our first trip to Italy for me to realize that I would wear other clothing (shirts, pants) at least twice before they needed washing - not true for underwear/socks.

Here's what this gentleman does: I save my "on their last legs" socks and underwear, and throw them out as I go along.

I think I am in the minority here. I never liked washing my clothes in the sink and I try to avoid it whenever possible. I also think traveling with fresh clothes next to my skin simply feels better. Since I plan my long trips well in advance, I hold onto the underwear that I intend to replace soon anyway and bring them on trips. Yes it requires that I pack an extra pound or two of clothes in my bag, but I will happily wear the same outer shirt three or four times as long as I have a fresh t-shirt beneath it. Perhaps once per trip I'll wash some clothes in the sink or more likely find a local laundromat, but mostly I just discard the used underthings as I move along. At the end of my trip, I've disposed of the undershirts and socks that were going to be replaced anyway, and I've added that much more space in my bag for souvenirs. One caveat about this scheme is NOT to take it to an extreme. Old socks losing their elastic or starting to thin are good candidates, but never risk the blisters by bringing socks that already have holes or are simply uncomfortable. I'd rather dispose of a decent pair of socks than spend my trip hobbled by foot pain. EDIT: Written BEFORE I saw Michael S's comments.

My european exploits are typically about 3 weeks at a time. So, I take 4 pairs of boxers (I just take my Gap boxers or whatever I have) and 4 pairs of smartwool sox. Yes the boxers are cotton, but my general travel rule is to always try to spend 2 nights in each place that I stay, so every 3rd day, I wash the stuff in the sink and it dries overnight or during the next day. If necessary, I don't mind wearing slightly damp things which my body heat will dry in a matter of minutes. Synthetics will dry much faster, but the odor factor isn't one that I feel is worth the exchange.

Don't pack any special travel under garments unless you've tested them out excessively before you depart. Thousands of miles from home is not the best way to find out your new underwear binds or rides up on you after a lot of walking. Personally, I bring 4 pairs ea of my normal, every-day socks and underwear. I wash one set every morning while I'm in the shower and they're usually dry by the following morning. When my pants or shirts get visibly dirty or the Febrez no longer masks the odor, I look for a laundromat.

Actually whatever the thrift stores can't use they sell the items to places (can't think of the term they use) to be processed for rags. So yes, Goodwill does make money on "rags".
Lydia

For those new to the wash-it-in-the-sink club, both Woolite and Tide sell small foil-wrapped "travel packs" of detergent. Highly convenient. You can get them on Amazon and probably lots of other places.

I am also in the minority in that I refuse to wash my husband's tighty whities in the sink, and I know he won't either. Using a packing cube, I will pack as many rolled up tighty whities as I can in one cube, and as many undershirts as I can in another cube. This is his allotment. Yes, for our last five week trip in Europe this became a challenge. All I can say is it's his choice on whether to make a daily change or not. Oh, and by the way, I do not search for, and spend valuable sightseeing time, at a laundromat. You just make it work.

Jeff, it's really a question of weighing which (in)convenience is more important to you. Having 2.5 weeks worth of fresh underwear and socks is a nice convenience, but will definitely weigh you down luggage-wise, which is not very convenient. On the other hand, travel shorts/socks take up next to no room at all and make packing/carrying around your stuff a breeze, but will require that you take a couple minutes out each night to quickly wash that day's wearing. Even though they'll easily dry overnight or even in a couple hours if the weather is warm enough, it's still an inconvenience that some would rather avoid. So you really have to ask yourself which you'd rather live with – carrying around more luggage or spending a few minutes each night (or every other night) rinsing out your laundry? Either way is fine, so long as you understand what you're signing up for. But only you can decide which is best for you.

You know, it brings a smile to my face when I realize that I just moderated an exchange about underwear. :) I've removed a few posts here. Please keep in mind that no one's experiences or opinions are better than that of others. Differing experience and opinions will always exist and it is important to be respectful of others when presenting a dissenting opinion to prevent arguments. Thanks.

Hey, at least I resisted the temptation to preface my comments with "In brief...." ;-)

My husband also throws away his underwear as we go along and it's not necessarily old underwear that's past its useful life. He buys his underwear at Costco & feels that's they're an inexpensive investment. He doesn't throw away socks on the other hand...we use them to pack souvenirs in; we bought several little bottles of liquor on our last trip & wrapping them in socks worked out well. I, on the other hand, wash my undies in the sink as others have mentioned but they're synthetic & they dry fast.

The eight-day military plan for wearing underwear: Day 1: Normal Day 2: Turn 'em inside-out Day 3: Turn 'em around Day 4: Turn 'em outside-in
Day 5: Swap with with your buddy and repeat instructions for days 1-4.

This is the funniest thread, particularly since I thought it was the lamest until I read it. I REALLY think it was a great question, great answers, then of course the wine turned to wishes and the comedy started. Watcha gonna do?

I appreciate all of the responses-being at work yesterday, I missed the drama posts that were subsequently deleted. Some good suggestions-not sure about the "military" option, and at least, in that vein, no one has suggested going "commando". The suggestion about not traveling with a brand new choice is a good one and we come from a long line of wash them out, hang them up and wear them a little damp campers, so we should be okay.

Jeff - We just returned from Italy and stayed at a few small family run hotels. Each proprietor knew of a local laundry that would wash, dry fold and deliver your clothes back to the hotel for a reasonable cost. We used these services a couple of times and it was so nice not to have to wash clothes in the sink this trip.

If you do get your laundry done somewhere, I can't stress enough the importance of making sure they will fold it. We learned this the hard way when we dropped off a bundle in a pilllow case. They washed them, dried them and then crammed them back into the pillow case without folding. Those wrinkles and creases were set in until the next time we did laundry (ourselves).