Question regarding packing for trip and European car sizes??

[SASM]

Thank you so much!! Found a good deal on Eddie Bauer wheeled duffels today. I THINK the medium size will work with the various flights, rooms, trunks, etc.

[StantonHyde]

I hate wheeled duffles--they fall over, they won't stand up like a suitcase, they are a pain--we have the LL Bean ones and we try not to travel with them for this reason. We went to London and Dublin for 2 weeks last year. We each took a regular (not large) suitcase with 5 days worth of clothes. We did laundry several times--those dryers are small and take forever and in Ireland we had a drying rack (clothes horse), not a dryer. We never had a problem getting all 4 suitcases in the trunk of the car. We each carried a backpack as carry on luggage and we sat with that in the car. My kids were 12 and 14 when we went.

[SASM]

StantonHyde... This is the wheeled duffle that we bought during the 50% off sale this weekend: http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/ex...izetype=&size= It stands up on its own and is partially hard to protect the toiletries, etc. The top portion is soft like a duffle so it’s more pliable than a standard suitcase when we are trying to pack them into tight spaces. We plan to use x-large zipper bags to roll up and protect clothes so the water-resistant fabric isn’t a deterrent. DS wanted a regular duffle so we bought him a large, very durable EB waterproof one that has backpack straps. The plan is that we can also use this for souvenirs. We bought a little folding wheeled trolley that stores in one end of the duffle so if he gets tired of the backpack straps, he can wheel it. I don’t like grumpy teens on vacation. 😉

Very good to know about washers dryers etc!! Thank you so much!!

[american_mama]

Consider how much a big suitcase will weigh. My experience is that you can only get them about 80% full before you are at the allowed weight capacity, and all airlines weigh your suitcases now at check-in as they tag it with the flight stickers.

I was gifted a large, completely floppy wheeled duffel before our family went to Germany for 6 months and, to my shock, we all liked that bag, especially DH. He could fit his big clothes and shoes with no problem, he didn't have to pack neatly to get it to zip, and he never minded rolling it. Plus, the bag weighs very little so all the allowed weight goes to your items as opposed to our big soft-sided suitcases, which weighed, I don't know, 6-9 pounds empty. That was a large percentage of the allowed weight just going to the bag.

If your kids are going to have backpacks or even string bags to hold snacks/water bottles/electronics/timekillers, remember to take those into account for the car as well, especially with 3 kids and 3 bags in the backseat.

I would look into 1-2 bags that are very squishable.

[HannaAddict]

Yup...that's the plan...fingers crossed. Planning to pack for 7 days with no stuffed animals, blankets, slippers, etc etc etc

We have traveled for a month in Italy with a very large stuffed animal strapped onto a suitcase. Quite the conversation piece! I bring a pair of thin hotel slippers that take up no real room but are nice to have. We love our Patagonia wheeled black hole duffles. They are pretty flat when everything is out of them. Small size and medium large. Have a great time. I’d also reserve a minivan, their version is often smaller, but a regular car isn’t going to be comfortable for five plus luggage. We’ve rented some great cars overseas but have also had them try to give us a car our stuff wouldn’t fit in and had to insist on another. Have fun!


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[frugalmom]

My thoughts, pack as light as possible. Do laundry.

My family of 7 has been to Europe 2 times this year and are going back this summer.

First time we all packed in small kid sized backpacks. Each kid had their own and youngest and I shared. Worked fine except the middle two didn't want to carry theirs. We were there 3 weeks in summer and each back pack was about half filled. Even on the way home they had room to bring jackets and shirts they had all bought.

Second time we went with small carry on rollers. Our family was all packed in 3 suitcases. Youngest 3 in one. Everyone else got half the side of one. More than enough. We even bought extra shoes in there. I still brought a backpack to use as diaper bag out and about. And we had to bring some pullups and diapers. We were there over 2 weeks.

We always do laundry.
We often come home with clothes nobody wore the whole time.
We think next time we will pack even lighter.

[abh5e8]

My thoughts, pack as light as possible. Do laundry.

My family of 7 has been to Europe 2 times this year and are going back this summer.

First time we all packed in small kid sized backpacks. Each kid had their own and youngest and I shared. Worked fine except the middle two didn't want to carry theirs. We were there 3 weeks in summer and each back pack was about half filled. Even on the way home they had room to bring jackets and shirts they had all bought.

Second time we went with small carry on rollers. Our family was all packed in 3 suitcases. Youngest 3 in one. Everyone else got half the side of one. More than enough. We even bought extra shoes in there. I still brought a backpack to use as diaper bag out and about. And we had to bring some pullups and diapers. We were there over 2 weeks.

We always do laundry.
We often come home with clothes nobody wore the whole time.
We think next time we will pack even lighter.

I love this! Thanks for posting. We are also as family of seven and I chronically over pack. I'm considering backpacks only for our annual to to CO in Aug. Do you blog or write about your experiences?

[citymama]

We were in Europe for 3 weeks last summer and invested in some compact Eagle Creek luggage. We did 2 roller bags for the entire family + each person had a daypack that they could keep on their own laps in crowded transport situations. We were using ferries and trains and subways and needed portability. We did have laundry in all but one Air BnB accommodation, and were dealing mostly with warm weather but the key was having that compact luggage, everyone wearing their bulkier shoes (sneakers) and packing just one pair of sandals per person.