One month in Europe, 12 night cruise, all from a carryon? Am I crazy?

Hello all! I am the OP of this thread! :D Hard to believe I started it before our 2013 vacation and now I'm back again planning a return trip to Europe (and 11 night Adriatic / Med cruise!) for another month in July 2018. So glad to see that the thread is alive and well and so many people are offering helpful advice on packing light. I can tell you that I managed fine doing everything in a carry on and we will do the same for the next trip. This time I will pack even smarter though, with more items that will do double duty (think black swing dress or sheath that can be worn in port while sightseeing and then also to dinner). There were a couple of things I took that did not really get worn but some things (black maxi skirt, travel dress, knee length skirt) that I wore A LOT so will have to really plan the next trip well so I maximize the value of every piece I take.

Happy planning!

Happy to hear we are not the only ones who pack black and light.

Just completing six weeks in London with only our carry on bag and tote. Cruising for a month November- December and just will add some color ....

Re-reading through the thread, there are some things that jumped out at me, remembering our last trip. I took a couple of tops that were "in style" at the time and were cute/ok but were quite busy (I think the style was that bohemian look with crazy patterns) and in the end I did not wear them. For me at least, solids or the smallest pattern works best. I do not wear jewelry and honestly I am not that fussy about scarves since I've never really known how to wear one stylishly. So this time I will be sure to take one or two pops of colour pieces that will brighten up my look. As we were traveling, I really noticed that women in France and Italy tended to wear more reserved colours, and did not seem that fussy or over-accessorized so I think that is the way to go for me.

Also, I agree with the poster up thread that skirts and dresses are the way to go for me. It was just far too hot for pants and even my cargo capris felt heavy and hot sometimes. I loved the freedom of a skirt and top or a casual dress. I felt more dressed up and less hot so that worked for me. The only issue is in churches etc where you have to cover your knees and shoulders. So definitely a lightweight pretty scarf is the best thing to pack along with you.

I too need my flat iron but the blow dryer in the hotel/ship works just fine. My only concern is we are spending a week in a vacation rental in Menton France and another week back in the same apartment rental we stayed at in Paris in 2013 and I cannot remember if there is a blow dryer there! Will have to double check. I don't wear much make up and honestly if you are travelling in the Med in the summer, trust me, if you wear lots of make up it will be sliding off your face by noon it is that hot there. I will definitely take a GOOD face sunscreen, some light makeup and probably just eyeliner and mascara. The cloths that foam up when you get them wet will wash my face perfectly and usually they come in a pack of 30 so works for the entire trip. Also, I found the most lovely skin cream in France that I am dying to buy again and will probably have to check a bag going home because I will bring so much back with me. :)

Now the hunt is on for the perfect bag to take (well, bags really...one for the long plane ride and a smaller one for day touring). Last time I took a kipling bag that I liked but ended up being too big and cumbersome for a full day...plus I ended up being the pack mule for the family which is annoying! This time it will be a small crossbody that will carry the minimum amount of stuff, and honestly I am not that worried about buying a specific travel bag for security. Having a carbiner clip with you to clip the zipper to the strap works just as well if you are on the metro or in a crowd.

For that dress - look at the Sahalie website. I've had one dress from there that I bought back in 2008 for travel - it was called the "Little Black Travel Dress." A nice, basic A-line short-sleeve dress in a cotton/poly knit (like a heavy T-shirt knit). It is still going strong. I could wear it out in the daytime with sandals when hot, with boot when colder, and out to dinner with jewelry or a scarf to pop it up. Even used it for "formal" night on Princess (paired with some of my crystal jewelry that I've made). The one they have now is called the "Little Best Dress."

I also travel without a travel-specific cross-body. I just use that carabiner. I have the ones that just clip and ones that actually screw closed. I usually use the screw one if I'm going into a city area. I understand the Kipling thing - I have one daypack that I bought at the airport in Cairo to replace another bag that died on the trip. It looked small, but it ended up being able to hold far more than what I needed. Look at some of the bags from Sherpani. They have been my go-to cross-body and totes for years and years. They function as my everyday bags as well, so I'm not buying stuff just for a trip.

I love it when people come back and report their successes/failures. Sounds like you have made the conversion to light travel! It does open up the door to great travel opportunities when you don't have to worry about how to handle luggage ;)

Thanks for the recommendations! I'll look into both the Sahali dress and the Sherpani bags. I'm in Canada though so not sure if they are easily shipped here or not. That's the nice thing about planning so early, you have lots of time to shop around and get ideas.

Yes, packing light is the way to go for me. I was easily able to haul my stuff all over Venice, in and out of train stations in Paris and Barcelona, and honestly I could pack a lot lighter if I am smart about it. I do not mind wearing the same things over and over again as long as I like them, I like how I look in them and they are comfortable and practical for where I am. :D

We did a Venice to Barcelona cruise last July and took advantage of the laundry deal. Mid cruise 19.99 for a bag. We STUFFED it and split the cost between two people. Washed out undies and socks in the sink. My only piece of advice is to think about how much you'd be willing to rewear stuff in the summer... it was hot, we walked a lot... some things I'd rewear, but others were sweaty and gross.

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That's a great deal for laundry. Now that my girls are older (they will be 17 when we sail) I am quite sure we will take advantage of the special. Hopefully I can find some go-to tops that will be easily washed in the sink and quick dried. After the cruise we will be staying in the south of France for a week at a holiday rental so I imagine I will be spending a morning doing laundry then as well. :)

As much as I would love to take some white shirts as they look sharp, go with everything and in linen would be cool...I am afraid I am too much of a klutz and would immediately spill coffee or red wine on myself. I do plan to take the tide pen with me, but that can only do so much!

Thanks to another thread here, I've started a packing spreadsheet and as I think of things I am adding them on. Will organize it much later as we get closer to leaving but at least for now I know my jumbled thoughts are in one place. I have also started saving images of clothes I like to google keep. It's super easy and I can include a little note to myself, and then access the photo anywhere on my phone. :)

I love this thread and reading what everyone does. I have a preference for traveling with one bag and a small carryon. Sometimes that is my 20" Travelpro lightweight rolling bag, at other times it's a 25" Travelpro lightweight rolling checked bag. Dh hates to travel with only carryon, so we typically each check a bag when we vacation. But even if I check a bag, I don’t like to drag along a lot of extra stuff.

I have a developed a general plan for travel, which I will share in the hopes it might help someone. It's a variation of a plan from the Vivienne files called Base 5 packing.

Basically, for every trip I start with 5 base items: a jacket, 2 tops and 2 bottoms. From there, I add one item for every day of the trip, for a maximum of 15 items. Then, depending on the trip, I give up to three "bonus" items. 1 bonus for a 1-2 days, 2 bonuses for 3-4 days and 3 bonuses for 5-7 days. The bonuses are used for trips where they may be more "need” of extra clothing items. For example, I went for a long weekend last spring and attended a wedding, cocktail party and anniversary party.

Then I add these:

Underwear (up to 5 pairs)

socks (up to 5 pairs, depends on the trip, often I don’t bring any sneakers at all)

bras (up to 3, usually white, neutral and black/dark blue)

nightgown

swimsuit (if needed)

2 pairs of shoes (any additional shoes are part of the extra added items)

If I’m on a cruise, I will typically bring a pair of plain flats for the dining room, with decorative shoe clips to change them up (that’s me, I know a lot of people wouldn’t use them). With those, nice black pants and a dressy top, I feel comfortable during the dressy nights in the dining room. I also only wear flats and sandals without heels, because of my plantar fascitis.

I use the eBags ultra light packing cubes. I have their “super packer set” which contains 2 large, 2 small and 1 slim. The slim is basically the size of 2 smalls. I typically use one of the smalls for toiletries and then also have my ziplock bag for fluids. I use the slim for shoes...i can fit 4 pairs of flats or sandals in one (although I usually don’t!)

I wish I could have dd travel like this….maybe someday….sigh.

I take 15 items of clothing, period (not including a t shirt and capri leggings to sleep in, 5 pairs of underwear and 2 bras). One dark pant/one dark capri, one khaki pant/one khaki capri, a skirt/dress or third color bottom. To that I add 2 sweaters which will go with everything, one dark long sleeve/ one short sleeve, one off white long sleeve/ one off white short sleeve, 2 pop of color tops. The long and short sleeves can be print or plain but everything has to mix and match with everything else. I prefer navy for my dark layer so I usually add aqua, royal blue or lavender for my color. I will wear flats on the plane, bring one flat pair, one "active" pair of shoes plus flip flops. This set of clothes give me almost an unlimited number of outfits. If we're going somewhere cold I may add a fleece vest and waterproof jacket. I wear silver hoops and a pendant necklace daily, so no worries about jewelry. The only thing that takes extra space is my magnifying mirror so I can put on makeup without glasses on. We're going to Australia and New Zealand for over a month and I'll take all of the above, DH and I will take a 20" carry-on each and one checked bag to share. The only reason to bring a checked bag this time is that we'll have to move clothes into the checked bag to make room for camera and lenses in carry-on.

I love this thread and reading what everyone does. I have a preference for traveling with one bag and a small carryon. Sometimes that is my 20" Travelpro lightweight rolling bag, at other times it's a 25" Travelpro lightweight rolling checked bag. Dh hates to travel with only carryon, so we typically each check a bag when we vacation. But even if I check a bag, I don’t like to drag along a lot of extra stuff.

 

I have a developed a general plan for travel, which I will share in the hopes it might help someone. It's a variation of a plan from the Vivienne files called Base 5 packing.

 

Basically, for every trip I start with 5 base items: a jacket, 2 tops and 2 bottoms. From there, I add one item for every day of the trip, for a maximum of 15 items. Then, depending on the trip, I give up to three "bonus" items. 1 bonus for a 1-2 days, 2 bonuses for 3-4 days and 3 bonuses for 5-7 days. The bonuses are used for trips where they may be more "need” of extra clothing items. For example, I went for a long weekend last spring and attended a wedding, cocktail party and anniversary party.

Then I add these:

Underwear (up to 5 pairs)

socks (up to 5 pairs, depends on the trip, often I don’t bring any sneakers at all)

bras (up to 3, usually white, neutral and black/dark blue)

nightgown

swimsuit (if needed)

2 pairs of shoes (any additional shoes are part of the extra added items)

 

If I’m on a cruise, I will typically bring a pair of plain flats for the dining room, with decorative shoe clips to change them up (that’s me, I know a lot of people wouldn’t use them). With those, nice black pants and a dressy top, I feel comfortable during the dressy nights in the dining room. I also only wear flats and sandals without heels, because of my plantar fascitis.

 

I use the eBags ultra light packing cubes. I have their “super packer set” which contains 2 large, 2 small and 1 slim. The slim is basically the size of 2 smalls. I typically use one of the smalls for toiletries and then also have my ziplock bag for fluids. I use the slim for shoes...i can fit 4 pairs of flats or sandals in one (although I usually don’t!)

 

I wish I could have dd travel like this….maybe someday….sigh.

 

I can't figure out how to edit, but wanted to add this. The more days I travel, I try to choose 2 items: something heavier and something lighter than I expect to need. Sometimes weather can be unpredictable.

I can't figure out how to edit, but wanted to add this. The more days I travel, I try to choose 2 items: something heavier and something lighter than I expect to need. Sometimes weather can be unpredictable.

The 'edit' window expires 20 minutes after your post.

One month and 12 days is just 9 days of layered clothing repeated for us - well mix and match so we didn't get tired of any one outfit. We've traveled 4 months in Great Britain/Europe/Africa (weather covered all 4 seasons) with a backpack and a small carry on each (the small wheeled IKEA suitcase) with no problems. Didn't carry formal clothes, carried our jackets (which had a zip out lighter jacket) or tied them on to the backpacks when not wearing them - that was one of the biggest problems - had to make sure they stayed attached during train changes. And, when we bought souvenirs, we shipped some home and then left a few clothes behind to make room for the others.

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One month and 12 days is just 9 days of layered clothing repeated for us - well mix and match so we didn't get tired of any one outfit. We've traveled 4 months in Great Britain/Europe/Africa (weather covered all 4 seasons) with a backpack and a small carry on each (the small wheeled IKEA suitcase) with no problems. Didn't carry formal clothes, carried our jackets (which had a zip out lighter jacket) or tied them on to the backpacks when not wearing them - that was one of the biggest problems - had to make sure they stayed attached during train changes. And, when we bought souvenirs, we shipped some home and then left a few clothes behind to make room for the others.

 

 

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That's great, and many of us have done that as travelers and backpackers. Yet cruising into formal night attire -if that's part of one's cruise vacation- requires a bit of fashion strategy..

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That's great, and many of us have done that as travelers and backpackers. Yet cruising into formal night attire -if that's part of one's cruise vacation- requires a bit of fashion strategy..

 

 

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That 4 month trip had an 18 day cruise on the front end and a 30 day cruise on the back end to get us from and to the US instead of flying. DH carried one pair of pants that would work for formal night and used a cotton blazer as a light jacket and formal night wear. I carried a couple of knit dresses (not much suitcase room required) that I could dress up or down for formal night wear. The important thing to us was that the clothes could be worn the entire trip. It is doable.

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That 4 month trip had an 18 day cruise on the front end and a 30 day cruise on the back end to get us from and to the US instead of flying. DH carried one pair of pants that would work for formal night and used a cotton blazer as a light jacket and formal night wear. I carried a couple of knit dresses (not much suitcase room required) that I could dress up or down for formal night wear. The important thing to us was that the clothes could be worn the entire trip. It is doable.

 

 

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I'm genuinely impressed, and that you didn't tire of them. Especially as you were away that length of time. That's what I find.

Last year we were away just a month (two European cruises, inland a week), but the repetitive evening wear was wearisome after a few weeks...Cruise dilemmas!

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Thanks, I was surprised too. Mix and match makes all the difference for me. If I were wearing the exact same outfit every 9 days I would get tired of it. Tried taking matched outfits once and ended up buying clothes because I was so tired of the ones I brought. And, I make sure I love every piece of clothing I take with me....I think that makes a difference too. Another thing is that evening wear is not important to me so wearing the same evening wear again and again doesn't bother me. On the longer cruises I still just take one or two dresses that I can make work for dress up or normal wear.

All that said, on another trip where we spent a couple of weeks in Morocco, a few days in Spain then 90 days on a cruise ship we had to buy a large suitcase in Singapore for souvenirs....we rarely buy souvenirs, but found some great things along the way - it was our first time in the Far East and we found a few unique things in Morocco. Luckily we were able to check a bag for free on the flight home!

So, on our next cruise (1st visit to South America) we will pack an empty duffel bag or two for souvenirs. We are driving to the port so the amount of luggage won't matter, but I still won't pack many more clothes.

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Don't worry about being mistaken for a tourist....you ARE a tourist! Only tourists go to the "tourist" spots! There is no way in the world I could carry what I need in one bag...a carry-on, at that! No desire to even try!

Don't worry about being mistaken for a tourist....you ARE a tourist! Only tourists go to the "tourist" spots! There is no way in the world I could carry what I need in one bag...a carry-on, at that! No desire to even try!

No matter how many times people tell you that you are wrong, you persist in posting this information over and over.

It is certainly NOT true that "only tourists go to tourist spots" (first of all, who do you think actually works there? :confused:). Nevermind that many tourist sites are smack in the middle of large cities where many, many people work AND live.

Don't worry about being mistaken for a tourist....you ARE a tourist! Only tourists go to the "tourist" spots! There is no way in the world I could carry what I need in one bag...a carry-on, at that! No desire to even try!

Yikes, You've been saying this for so many years! I live in a tourist town, so of course I ~and hundreds of thousands of others ~ go to tourist places as residents of those places! If you don't want to travel in a carry on and don't have anything new to contribute, that's fine! Please move to another thread. (with all due respect.) :)

Well, I know I'm a tourist but I prefer to think of myself as a traveler ;) I always try to dress comfortably on vacation but that (for me) does not include shorts or bright clothes since I don't wear either at home. I tend towards dresses and skirts for summer travel as that is what I am comfortable in and I find it much cooler. I don't necessarily try to dress as a local but I don't want to stand out as a tourist either if I can help it. I would never dream of wearing loud tee shirts, shorts, fanny packs or sneakers with socks while in Europe but if others feel comfortable in these clothes and if that is what they tend to wear at home, then go for it.

More important than the clothes we wear are the manners we display is what I believe. So I dress semi-casual, comfortable and try to have a quiet voice and a smile on me at all times. :)

We head to California in just over a week (yay!) and our entire family is travelling carry on again. Should be fairly easy since we're there for 9 nights and really, what do you need in Cali but cool beach clothes, good walking shoes and a hat!? LOL

Don't worry about being mistaken for a tourist....you ARE a tourist! Only tourists go to the "tourist" spots!

SO not true. I'm an American and...shocker.... I've gone to tourist sites in here in the US. Liberty Bell, 9/11 memorial, colonial Williamsburg etc. etc. as have MANY Americans. And guess what? People from other countries do the same thing where they live!

SO not true. I'm an American and...shocker.... I've gone to tourist sites in here in the US. Liberty Bell, 9/11 memorial, colonial Williamsburg etc. etc. as have MANY Americans. And guess what? People from other countries do the same thing where they live!

I totally agree with you. Having just returned from a 12-night Baltic cruise, I know that there were many natives at the "tourist" spots we visited because I talked with some. Oh, and BTW, I did the 12-night trip with a carry-on and a small accessory bag. No problems and plenty to wear. :D

So, not exactly a cruise but we leave for Los Angeles on Friday and we're again just taking a carry on bag. I found the 5-4-3-2-1 rule to be really helpful when packing for this trip! Basically the one I used was:

5 tops

4 bottoms

3 dresses and 3 shoes

2 bathing suits / 2 bags

1 hat, sunglasses

Funnily enough, when I compared this packing suggestion with my packing list, I had basically followed the rule without realizing it. :)

I'm trying to pack as light as possible for an upcoming trip to Portugal and Spain since I will be toting my own bag at various points.

My biggest conundrum is this: for part of the time, I will be joining a tour -- a tour that includes nice dinners each evening and has an expectation of appropriate dress.

Automatically this means I have to bring 1 additional pair of shoes (my other two pairs are strictly functional) plus some type of smaller bag, plus a minimum of a few outfits.

Anyone have advice on the least amount of extra pieces to include just for these evenings (8 in total) and how to dress? I am not a dress person, btw, so dresses are NOT in the mix. I'm thinking maybe 1 pair of dressy black pants and 1 black skirt, 2 black lightweight shells, and 4 different toppers (wearing each one twice). But that's an extra 8 pieces in addition to extra shoes+bag. :(

 

Anyone have advice on the least amount of extra pieces to include just for these evenings (8 in total) and how to dress? I am not a dress person, btw, so dresses are NOT in the mix. I'm thinking maybe 1 pair of dressy black pants and 1 black skirt, 2 black lightweight shells, and 4 different toppers (wearing each one twice). But that's an extra 8 pieces in addition to extra shoes+bag. :(

It sounds like a good plan to me! I'm not a dress person either and find that a nice pair of black slacks and a few tops will go a long way towards evening wear while travelling. A wrap and simple jewelry never goes to waste and brings it up a level. The shoes are always the killer for me. I'm not putting a pair of heels in my bag for a couple hours of wear over a month long vacation, but black ballet flats don't take up much space and are a LOT more comfy! Have a great trip! :)

I also would do a black ballet flat - I have some privo that I travel with that are great for dinners/on the ship and for short (up to ~2 miles) port visits. When we did a Europe river cruise a couple years ago, my "evening" clothing alternated between Chicos travelers and a merino Patagonia dress with various tops & scarves. I wore either the privos or my knee high leather boots (that I could also tour during the day in - same with the dress. I could have worn the Chicos pants during the day but I didn't).

You don't *have* to bring 4 toppers and wear each twice. You could bring 2 and wear 4 times, alternating scarves or cardigans? You do need to decide to pack less/wear more often, or pack more. No getting around that decision.

Instead of an evening bag, one thing I often do for travel is use a wristlet as a wallet inside my normal purse (I have a nice nylon Tumi I like) that I can use as an evening bag when needed - it's big enough for a room key, my mobile phone, some $ and a credit card/ID, and lip balm.