Loire/South of France laundry and packing questions

I recently went on the Eastern France tour, so different towns than yours but similar weather and facilities I'm guessing. I brought a few tide pods and next time will bring more. Every town except one, when I wanted to do laundry, I found a place. (And they all had soap anyway.) In the one town, both laundries I tried were closed even though they appeared open online. Lesson learned, call ahead or have hotel call, to ensure you don't trek 15 min in the boiling sun with your dirty clothes only to find a closed sign. (But then I just bought a few new items, so it turned out to be fun.)
Clothes: if you don't have a hat you love, definitely buy one there - crucial for tour walks in the sun, and easy to find. Breezy tops - I went to Old Navy and found inexpensive striped ones. Good white tennis shoes, because they are stylish and summery.
I enjoyed buying toiletries and clothes in the little towns, so don't worry too much about packing.
Have a wonderful trip!

As I did on the GAS tour in 2019, I will always bring my Scrubba bag so that I am prepared in case there isn't a laundry facility nearby, and because hotel sinks are often very small.

My information is from 2010 so take it for what it's worth. In Arles, the hotel we stay at, Le Calendal, did laundry service for us at a reasonable fee. Don't ask me why I remember.

Just returned from the South of France and one thing I loved that I took with me were detergent sheets. I found them on Amazon. They look like pieces of paper but one sheet does a load. They take very little space in my suitcase and come in a good carryon pouch. I threw in a "tide to go" stick and some Shout sheets that were individually packaged. I did a mix of laundry in my hotel sink and laundromats. I discovered that the heated towel bars could dry my clothes in less than an hour.

Just did this tour in May, and there were several options for laundry. We had ours done by the hotel in Sarlat, which is roughly the halfway point of the tour. It was not inexpensive, but the laundry was well done and everything folded neatly. There was a laundromat that we saw in Sarlat as well.

have my sturdy, if ugly, slip-on Chacos for rough terrain and anything wet/slippery.

This. We finished this tour about a week ago, and found the footing scary in Alberobello and Matera.

We had our laundry done by the hotel in Arles in 2019. 10 Euros per small bag of laundry. I believe we threw in our socks, underwear and a couple of shirts. Our guide had arranged this for anyone who needed it.

I pack a very large ziploc type of bag to wash in, several folding plastic hangers, a travel clothesline that has clothespins attached and detergent sheets. I’m picky about using public facilities and handing my clothes over to others. I take items that will easily dry overnight.

@Jane, isn't that on Italy?

@Others who have been on this tour, I will be there late September/early October. Do I need to bring shorts and flip-flops for the kayaking? Will they be doing it at that point in the year?

@itsv Totally agree on the laundry sheets in addition to Tide liquid packets. So much more lightweight than lugging around even a mini bottle of liquid detergent. And I don't recommend carrying a powder on the plane. 😬

Jill, you are absolutely right. I would have sworn the thread was about South Italy.

We also did the South of France tour this spring, so maybe my brain has conflated the two.

Travel brain? I'm not sure I remember where we were last week, much less what kind of shoes I wish I had had. Except in Matera and Alberobello. LOL

Thanks everybody! Laundry sheets packed (as well as, too much, other stuff ;)). Looking at the forecast, it seems the visit to the caves MIGHT be the only time when it's not 90 degrees!

Caroline

Well, I am beyond curious as to why Eric remembered the laundrette from 2010. I bet that's a good story. Unless, "Don't ask me why I remember" means there was no story, and it was a fluke recall. But I'm still hoping for a good story.