Packing and Laundry - Musings and Fun Facts about Our Europe Trip

We've been home for about 36-hours now. Sleep patterns are still off! So, when awake at 4am, I find myself reflecting on the "not as glamorous", but possibly helpful things to remember about the trip.

First...I will never travel with checked bags again (if I can possibly avoid it!). We all travelled carry-on, and it made getting around the airports, train stations, boats and cobblestone streets so much easier!! Scott and I each had one backpack and one rolling carry-on sized suitcase. It was fabulous! Of course, we were traveling in the summer, so no heavy clothes. Makes me want to try a winter trip, just to see if I can master it!!

We did most of our laundry in the sink at the hotel. I like my method best...doing a few items at a time (making sure we had at least two days in that location for the clothes to dry). Scott waited and did a huge washing all at once, and our room looked like a homeless camp! That was the only day we used the travel clothesline and clothes pins I brought.

I bought these Sink Suds packs on Amazon, and I'd use them again for sure. Just the right amount per pack for a small sink full of clothes. We brought the Shout Wipes, too, but never used them. The blue sink plug was a Rick Steves travel suggestion, as he has found that many European sinks have no drain plug. I only had that situation once...but it probably just depends on where you are staying. I'd probably bring it again, just to be safe.

Packing clothes that will dry quickly is super helpful! Denim and cotton don't dry quickly.

Aside from sink washing, I used one laundromat about 2 weeks into the trip. It was a fun adventure, but then, I am a big fan of laundromats (weird, I know)! Just figuring out how to pay and work the machines was a kick! The only downside was it cost me two hours one day that I could have been exploring, but that was ok, I kind of needed a break by then. And, if the laundromat you use is in a tourist area, you might get lucky and they'll have English instructions posted. If I had read the instructions before diving in, I would have saved 5 euros!! Look before you leap!

It was also helpful to have a variety of ziploc bags along. I had quart, gallon and 2-gallon sizes and used them all. Wet swimsuit that didn't ever dry...stick it in a ziploc before packing for the next leg. Apple core with no trash can in sight...stick it in a ziploc until you find one!

And have some kind of extra bag at the end of the trip in case you buy souvenirs and don't have room in your carry on. Lori and I each went on a shopping spree at the Duty Free store in the Venice airport. You can actually take those items on the plane and they don't count as extra personal items. The problem was, when we got to our connection in Philly, we had to go through customs and security again. We couldn't carry on the alcohol and olives. So we had to repack and check our suitcases. Lori used a laundry bag, and transferred her clothes to that, making room in her suitcase for the alcohol, and carried on the laundry bag. I just took one packing cube out of my suitcase and carried it on, putting my purchased items in the checked suitcase.

Whew! I think that's it for that category. Next category...walking shoes!