I cannot emphasize enough the importance of packing light. What do I mean by packing light, well it means being able to “carry-on†your luggage on the airplane.
- No checking in suitcases, no waiting at the carousel wondering if your luggage made it, no wondering who may have rifled through your belongings while in transit.
- Packing light requires some planning, but when running at full speed to make your overnight train to
- Packing light will help you avoid the pain in the butt (and back!) of shlepping your heavy loads of luggage from train station to pensione. Even if you take a taxi you still have to navigate a crowded train station to get to the taxi stand, a task made much easier with a lighter load.
- Don’t forget that you will also have to accommodate your luggage onto trains. You will feel silly taking up multiple racks of luggage space when the European traveler next to you has their entire luggage reduced down to one bag.
- Packing light also means you will not be horrified when you realize that the cute little pensione you’ve booked in Florence is on the 5th floor (that’s over 100 steps if anyone is counting) of a building with no elevator.
- News flash, hotels in Europe are small, small, if you take too much luggage it could very well take up any extra space and make for a crowded stay
Please take these scenarios into account when you get the urge to pack a separate outfit for every day of your trip. The old cliché of “less is more†definitely applies and should guide you in choosing what items to pack. With my detailed suggestions I’ll show you how it is possible to pack light without sacrificing style.