Comments on: Packing Advice: 10 tips for a two-week European jaunt

By: Lily Jan

Lily Jan — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 08:53:13 +0000

Great tips my love! I think that packing cubes and vacuum seal bags are a godsend! I use them on every trip and they are absolutely amazing. I actually use all these tips in general just when packing for a trip. Good luck with the move!

By: Jennifer Badde-Graves

Jennifer Badde-Graves — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 02:28:30 +0000

Gosh, I never bring along reading material, as I find the airline magazine(s) sufficiently interesting, if I really want to read something. And because I’m fluent in German and quite a bit in Italian, I just pick up something there when I arrive. I usually leave behind those materials when it’s time to fly back to the States.
Also, I found a pair of very comfortable leather low-cut boots that work for traveling as well as traipsing around Europe or even hiking here and there. They look smart in a city, but totally at home in the country, too. No one ever notices that I’m not European.
Thanks for your notes, Alex — I’m passing them along to a guy friend that wants to travel abroad with me.
I also appreciated hearing from others about their ideas, e.g. chocolate: absolutely!

By: Mary Dreyer

Mary Dreyer — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:51:45 +0000

take an empty water bottle, chocolate and/or a bag of nuts.

By: Mary Dreyer

Mary Dreyer — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:46:58 +0000

Make sure to scan your passport, tickets, credit cards (with their number to call if you lose them) and put them in dropbox or onedrive or google drive or whatever you use. Download google translate to your phone: it can translate spoken, text, and manuscript fairly well. (think menus, museum captions as well as actual communication with humans).

By: Blanca Hammond

Blanca Hammond — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 13:17:05 +0000

Plastic bags are not eco-friendly but in this case I love them. Plastic bags have helped me so many times. Love your tips. They are so useful. I am going to show your post to my sister. She is going to travel to Paris next week. Thank you!

By: Pamm

Pamm — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:57:00 +0000

Wow – you pack much more than I do. For two weeks I would bring, one extra pair of trousers, four dressy t shirts, one nice long sleeved shirt, four sets of underwear and three pairs of socks. On the plane I wear trousers, (I don’t even own a pair of jeans), dressy t shirt under a sweater, a pashmina, and my long trench coat, which doubles as a bathrobe if needed. If I know I am going out to a dressier dinner, I will include one top (it actually can fit into my pocket) to go over the dressy t shirt. I do not being extra shoes. If I am going somewhere that requires outdoor footwear, I will wear the lightweight hiking boots on the plane. This is the same wardrobe (with the addition of one turtle neck sweater and a turtleneck exchanged for one of the t shirts), gloves, hats, wind pants and wind jacket that I took for a 60 day trip from the polar ice cap of Greenland, to Europe, to a ship sailing from London to Cape Town, to Ethiopia and to Jordan. Sub zero to tropical weather.

As for the difference in packing between genders? It is just one garment that is the difference – it is either a sport jacket (if needed) or a bra. There is no reason women need to over pack with the excuse that they are women.

And, yes, I know I am a bit extreme with this and that most people would not be able to cope. I just hate hauling things around. If I can’t lift it over my head 10 times, then I need to lighted my load further.

By: Diane Bellora

Diane Bellora — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 16:48:35 +0000

An additional tip would be to plan your travel wardrobe around one color so that everything matches and is interchangeable.

Also, since many of the sites are in churches have clothes that are modest or you won’t gain admission.

By: dorothy

dorothy — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:12:47 +0000

I love the packing cubes we got from Rick Steves’ website years ago. When doing a trip with mixed climates (Paris/Egypt in January), the cubes were essential. All my wardrobe necessities for each area fit perfectly into one of the cubes. I never had to disturb the “other” climate wear. There was a third cube for undies and intimate apparel. Everything is very compact!

By: Kitty Carmody

Kitty Carmody — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 00:45:13 +0000

Great article! My daughter and I travel to Europe every summer and go for two weeks or a bit more, with nothing but a regulation carry-on size backpack…in which we manage to jam a couple of cocktail dresses, a shawl, a pair of heels, and dresses and flat shoes for exploring. They top out at about 19 pounds, fully loaded. Last year I had to bring sneakers (trainers) for hiking in the mountains and was disgusted at how much space they took in my bag…but the mountains of Spain were worth it. We usually manage to bring home half a dozen pairs of ballet slippers and pointe shoes from Paris, too, and we’re always dressed up, as we’re attending theatre, ballets, and concerts. (And eating sandwiches in parks to make up for the cost of the theatre tix!) 🙂

By: Alex Robertson Textor

Alex Robertson Textor — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 09:36:16 +0000

Michele, great comments. I did address cosmetics in tip 4 by quoting the lovely Lynda Daboh. Regarding your second point, gifts could, I suppose, fit in the space I recommend to be left for souvenirs.

Snorkeling and theme parties certainly present other challenges. It sounds as if you’ve got a great many ideas here, and I’d encourage you to write your own packing list tips blog post. I’m sure we could all learn something from it.