Above: Meg and Micah with all of our "stuff" lined up in the Tube Station at Heathrow Airport. We did purchase two (very cute!) totes at the Cath Kidston Flagship Piccadilly Store in London to hold dirty laundry. The precious bottles of Chianti, Vin Santo and Olive Oil are safely tucked in our harder sided roll-aboards. We've conquered the 60-minute Tube ride to Heathrow at rush hour with all of our luggage (2 more bags than we began the journey with!).
The Camera
I (Kristi) am the primary photographer in the family, and do own a DSLR. It's big and would have required lugging extra equipment and lenses, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be bothered with the hassle of the bulk. I also knew I wanted higher resolution and greater versatility than my iPhone camera would provide. While getting out from behind a lens is important when traveling, for me, pictures are precious too because they help to re-live, re-enjoy and remember moments of the journey long after we've returned home and back to "real" life. I did quite a bit of research; one particularly convincing accolade came from the guy at the camera store who said this was the pick for every employee in the shop when traveling abroad. Click here for a very helpful video review by Maarten Heilbron. |
The Electronics re-charger
We found that often hotel rooms have only a single outlet. What to do when there is one Tablet, 4 iPhones, 1 Kindle and a camera . . . all with batteries screaming to be recharged at the end of the day? Multi-port charging station to the rescue! I'm sure there are many good ones to choose from; we selected the Anker Power Port 6 (60W-6-Port USB Charging Hub) Mulit Port USB Charger, which gave us the capability of recharging all electronics efficiently with one outlet. You can pick one up at amazon for about $35. |
The Phone Plan
Its a fact: no matter how excited they are to be seeing Europe, teens traveling for 2 months will get homesick and miss their friends. While our kids did a great job navigating the tension between being really happy to be traveling in Europe for the summer and feeling sad they were missing out on the home-front action, we wanted to mitigate their discomfort where we could. We decided to pay for unlimited texting on two of our iPhones, one for us and one for them. Not only did that give us a great option for communication if we split up into pairs during the day, but it allowed the kids to keep connected with friends back home. And, each of the places we stayed had WiFi connections, helpful not only for keeping in touch with home but for backing up photos to the cloud.
Its a fact: no matter how excited they are to be seeing Europe, teens traveling for 2 months will get homesick and miss their friends. While our kids did a great job navigating the tension between being really happy to be traveling in Europe for the summer and feeling sad they were missing out on the home-front action, we wanted to mitigate their discomfort where we could. We decided to pay for unlimited texting on two of our iPhones, one for us and one for them. Not only did that give us a great option for communication if we split up into pairs during the day, but it allowed the kids to keep connected with friends back home. And, each of the places we stayed had WiFi connections, helpful not only for keeping in touch with home but for backing up photos to the cloud.
The Map App & the GPS
How did we ever live without our smart phones? By all means, download a Map App that allows you to geo-locate yourself in a city without WiFi. We chose Ulmon City Maps 2Go, which gave us the capability of finding ourselves in any city without data. This was a great help whilst both driving and walking (we can confidently say that many marital "discussions" about correct navigation were happily averted). We would also highly recommend either bringing a GPS or paying the extra fee to have one in the rental car. We brought our own and were SO glad we did. It made navigating so easy, from Montepulciano, Sienna, the French Countryside and gallivanting around England. Really can't say how thankful we were for that genius little device, and listening to the computer voice try to speak Italian was quite entertaining too!
How did we ever live without our smart phones? By all means, download a Map App that allows you to geo-locate yourself in a city without WiFi. We chose Ulmon City Maps 2Go, which gave us the capability of finding ourselves in any city without data. This was a great help whilst both driving and walking (we can confidently say that many marital "discussions" about correct navigation were happily averted). We would also highly recommend either bringing a GPS or paying the extra fee to have one in the rental car. We brought our own and were SO glad we did. It made navigating so easy, from Montepulciano, Sienna, the French Countryside and gallivanting around England. Really can't say how thankful we were for that genius little device, and listening to the computer voice try to speak Italian was quite entertaining too!
The 1-Quart Bags
Here's the deal: why spend $13 bucks on a plastic bag when you could use an actual 1-quart zip-top bag that costs about 10 cents? I'll make my best pitch: These 1-quart bags by Flight 001are made of sturdy, see-through plastic, and they are AFA approved. They won't puncture or leak. A few other bonuses: With four of us, we each got different colors so we could easily identify whose stuff was whose. We found most European bathrooms offered little-to-no counter space. These bad-boys have the distinct advantage of standing upright; in other words, they balance on a sink leaving both hands free for putting on makeup, shaving, applying toothpaste to brush . . . you get the picture! (Plus, if your trip is next year, these make great stocking stuffers!) |
The Rick Steves Packing Cubes a.k.a "Drawers for your Suitcase"
Can't say enough about the organization these simple cubes provide. Every member of the family got a set of Rick Steves Packing Cubes for Christmas, and Meg quickly dubbed them "Drawers for your Suitcase", and you know what? That's exactly what they are! They make loading and unloading your bag a breeze. And, you won't believe how many tops you can fit in the big one! Micah only used two, so one of his smaller cubes became our "junk drawer," holding everything from extra medicine, to nail clippers, to moleskin, to highlighter pens, laundry soap (the Tide Travel Singles), first aid supplies, sink stopper, laundry lines... well, you get the idea! |
The Suitcase
I (Kristi) was the only one of us who didn't have a roll-aboard sized bag. After some research, I purchased a Rick Steves Rolling Carry-On at the Travel Center. (Ironically, it turned out to be the smallest of the four carry-on pieces of luggage we brought. Go me!) I can raise my right hand and testify that I had enough room to pack for the heat of Rome and the rain of England, hiking the Cinque Terre to the Theatre in London and stuff in a few souvenirs as well (you can read about the Olive Oil in the Rome tab). It took careful, thoughtful planning, but it can definitely be done! (See also, Trainer Travel Tip|Laundry & Trainer Travel Plan|The Big Picture). |
The Clothes I don't know why, but for whatever reason, it seems like packing for a whole summer as a woman is a whole lot more complicated than for a guy. Or a 14 year old. So, if you're interested, I'll share what I brought to get me through an entire summer in one small suitcase. The goal was to make it 10 days without having to do laundry. And yes, this all fit beautifully into my little Rick Steves Rolling Carry-On. I promise ladies, it can be done!
In the LARGE PACKING CUBE go the tops:
2 Nic & Zoe 4-way cardigans. These are stylistically versatile, super light weight, and pack very small. Easy to tuck into my day-bag for quick shoulder cover if needed for visiting churches in Italy. 8 tops, tees & cami's 1 collared wrinkle-free dressy shirt 1 silky wrinkle-free dressy shirt 1 long sleeve shirt (probably could have used another one by the time we got to Paris & England) 1 light hoodie for layering Lay across the bottom of the suitcase: 1 rain jacket (which laid in the bottom of my suitcase unused until Paris, and then boy was I glad I had it!) 2 skirts 3 capris (one casual for hiking and two a little nicer) 1 pair nice pants for out-to-dinner & theatre In one SMALL PACKING CUBE: 10 undies (sounds like a lot, but they scrunch up small) 2 bras 2 pair socks (only needed with tennis shoes); rest of my shoes were sandals |
In the other SMALL PACKING CUBE:
2 pair light weight pajama bottoms, 1 swimsuit, 1 scarf
On my body whilst travelling: a light-weight blazer, long jeans, (obvi., one bra).
The Shoes: This was SO hard! I probably broke a thousand travel-packing rules, but my oppositional defiant streak had to draw the line somewhere! So yes! I confess! I took more than 2 pair of shoes. Sorry, Rick. Here's what worked well for me; a pair of athleisure shoes, comfy-but-cute espadrilles, low ankle-strap sandals & dressier but-could-walk-a-few-miles-in-these Vince Camuto heels for the dressier times. I used them all, and was glad for them!
For ladies only: I don't want to be indelicate, but bring your own feminine supplies. And, in the hot, hot weather, a Lightdays type pantyliner will keep your pants fresher longer, and stretch how many wears you can get out of them before needing to launder.
What I'd do differently next time: ditch a pair of the capris, pack a couple of light-weight dresses (especially in Italy, the ladies are so beautifully turned out, a pretty little dress would have been perfect), and bring another scarf. Also, I never used the swim suit.
2 pair light weight pajama bottoms, 1 swimsuit, 1 scarf
On my body whilst travelling: a light-weight blazer, long jeans, (obvi., one bra).
The Shoes: This was SO hard! I probably broke a thousand travel-packing rules, but my oppositional defiant streak had to draw the line somewhere! So yes! I confess! I took more than 2 pair of shoes. Sorry, Rick. Here's what worked well for me; a pair of athleisure shoes, comfy-but-cute espadrilles, low ankle-strap sandals & dressier but-could-walk-a-few-miles-in-these Vince Camuto heels for the dressier times. I used them all, and was glad for them!
For ladies only: I don't want to be indelicate, but bring your own feminine supplies. And, in the hot, hot weather, a Lightdays type pantyliner will keep your pants fresher longer, and stretch how many wears you can get out of them before needing to launder.
What I'd do differently next time: ditch a pair of the capris, pack a couple of light-weight dresses (especially in Italy, the ladies are so beautifully turned out, a pretty little dress would have been perfect), and bring another scarf. Also, I never used the swim suit.
The Shoulder Bag(s)
No offense to Rick Steves, but while his collapsable day bag worked fine for Neil, Meg and I wanted something with a tich more style! Something sturdy and practical, able to transition from a day in the Colosseum to dinner out in Paris. They had to be big enough to hold emergency snacks, water bottle, extra layer (for chilly rooms or churches requiring covered shoulders), a guide book, lip gloss, kleenex, feminine supplies, a coin purse for pocket change, and occasionally, a picnic lunch! Handbags can be pricey, and we didn't want to spend a lot. We ended up with TopShop Backpacks and were happy with that under $100 choice. Whatever you choose, we strongly feel that two straps is a MUST to distribute the weight evenly on both shoulders, which is necessary for long days of touring. Micah wanted something with a little more teen street cred, and found the Adidas string bag to be perfect. Neil wanted better protection for his Tablet than the Rick Steves bag provided on it's own. Solution? The Rick Steves Civita Day Pack collapses, and could be tucked into the sturdier Swiss Army bag, which hauled the GPS, Tablet & cables while moving from location to location. Once there, the Civita worked beautifully as a much lighter option for everyday use.
No offense to Rick Steves, but while his collapsable day bag worked fine for Neil, Meg and I wanted something with a tich more style! Something sturdy and practical, able to transition from a day in the Colosseum to dinner out in Paris. They had to be big enough to hold emergency snacks, water bottle, extra layer (for chilly rooms or churches requiring covered shoulders), a guide book, lip gloss, kleenex, feminine supplies, a coin purse for pocket change, and occasionally, a picnic lunch! Handbags can be pricey, and we didn't want to spend a lot. We ended up with TopShop Backpacks and were happy with that under $100 choice. Whatever you choose, we strongly feel that two straps is a MUST to distribute the weight evenly on both shoulders, which is necessary for long days of touring. Micah wanted something with a little more teen street cred, and found the Adidas string bag to be perfect. Neil wanted better protection for his Tablet than the Rick Steves bag provided on it's own. Solution? The Rick Steves Civita Day Pack collapses, and could be tucked into the sturdier Swiss Army bag, which hauled the GPS, Tablet & cables while moving from location to location. Once there, the Civita worked beautifully as a much lighter option for everyday use.