Advice for luggage for family of 5 in Europe this summer for land and cruise?

There will be five of us (two 40-somethings, 18, 14 and 6) sailing the Adventure next summer in the Mediterranean. I'm not sure what to do about luggage for us. We will be spending close to a week in Paris the week before the cruise (we will have access to a washer and dryer) and then going to England to board the Adventure. There will be a lot of airport shuffling, an overnight trip to Disneyland Paris, the high speed train, taxis etc involved in our journey. I'm imagining that 5 suitcases and 5 personal bags etc will be clumsy and awkward to manage. I thought about possibly doing hiking backpacks for each of us, so we can all carry our own things, but have our hands free. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way to plan this? I don't want to go over the 50 lb limit for our luggage and I need to have a good way to travel without too much craziness. Any ideas?? Thanks in advance for your help!

I imagine your six year old's things will fit in your and your husbands suitcase- so that eliminates a 5th suitcase. So this is one way to consolidate clothing and then the six year old will just have the carry on. Take it from me- you are best to have carry on's with rollers because the long walks really weigh your shoulders down- especially with a laptop.

Summer in England and Paris is comfortable- so you won't need that many changes of clothes. You can wash them and send them out to be washed on board. They usually have mid-cruise specials on laundry.

Let the kids pack their own stuff. I brought clothes on cruises that my kids never wore! They need long pants if churches are involved because shorts aren't allowed. They need something to cover their shoulders in churches too.

For myself (girls) I bring

two swimsuits, cover up, sunscreen.

2 dressy outfits

2 summer dresses

2 pr. long pants

2 pr capri length pants

4 matching tops

2 pr. dress shoes in case a heel or strap breaks.

flip flops

tennis shoes or comfortable walking shoes

sweater

jacket

umbrella

underwear and socks for seven days

boys/ men

2 swimsuits

3 polo shirts

3 tee shirts

underwear and socks for 7 days

2 pr. casual long pants

2 pr. dress pants

jacket, shirt and two ties

dress shoes/ black socks

tennis shoes

flip flops

sweater

jacket

umbrella

And lots of Money! LOL

I would definitely want rollers. I would give everyone a carry-on sized roller and a backpack (but nothing of value in the backpacks! - all passports, money, credit cards etc must be worn on your person in some non-pickpocketable way. I used a small purse across my body that zipped and latched closed). I also bring a couple bungee cords so I can put one roller on top of another for space purposes or if I need my little one to be able to move faster. For the 6 year old, I would give them a small roller as well, but it can hold all the snacks, water, etc. that you'll be wanting to have on hand at all times.

You may want to do some research ahead of time and look into cabs that will hold 5 in the places you'll need them.

All the best,

Mia

One thing that I think is fun, is to buy t-shirts as souvenirs. Then you have some extra clothes that are usable when you get home and on the trip and are inexpensive. We did that last year in Europe and got one from each port we went to. So there you have extra clothes. I'm sure the older kids have ideas of their own but the six year old might like this.

Pack for a 5 days and repeat.

Only bring one fancy outfit or just go to the buffet.

Guys have it easy. Dark walking shoes will go with everything. 6yo can have black sneakers.

Decant as much toiletries as you can, share if possible. Figure out how much you need of shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Limit your beauty routine.

Buy some stuff there.

Bring washclothes, those are considered personal items in Europe.

http://ladylighttravel.com/

onebag.com

http://www.onebag.com/travel-with-children.html

Then there is this family--

http://www.bigredkitchen.com/2012/01/the-almost-no-bag-challenge-how-to-live-out-of-one-bag-for-21-days-in-europe/

It takes a certain mindset to do this.

As an inhabitant of the UK, the only thing you can rely on the British weather is that you can't rely on the British weather - make sure you bring something warm and something waterproof for everyone!

BUT you can buy soap, shampoo etc etc etc in the UK and france very easily so don't carry lots of these.... and every hotel I've stayed in in the UK / france supply wash cloths but they are also for sale in supermarkets so I wouldn't bother packing those

Good point about wash clothes! For whatever reason, they are not found in European hotels, which makes no sense because who wants to pack a damp wash cloth in with their luggage.:eek:

Good point about wash clothes! For whatever reason, they are not found in European hotels, which makes no sense because who wants to pack a damp wash cloth in with their luggage.:eek:

yes they are in european hotels - unless you go really bargain basement....

yes they are in european hotels - unless you go really bargain basement....

I guess you have to request them. I wouldn't say that I've stayed in bargain basement hotels. I have noticed this in most hotels in the countries I've visited. I seriously doubt that I'm the only one that has evidenced this- as another poster has described. I've traveled extensively in Europe and my family is from Yorkshire England- so I'm not a novice or infrequent traveler in Europe.

What you get are hand towels and large towels but not the wash clothes.

We did a similar trip a couple of years ago but decided to take one full-size suitcase to accommodate the formal wear. Big mistake! So much more difficult to manage, especially if you are using public transit. We (I) used laundromats a couple of times but be aware they can be pricey. As much as possible, all items should be mix-match and wrinkle as little as possible. Shoes should be comfortable and, for women, try to take sandals that can double with dress clothes on cruise. Make it as hassle free as possible since you have a wonderful trip planned and enjoy to the fullest.

Get light weight suit cases ..

You don't have to dress to the 999999..

Thanks for all the advice, so far, everyone! I appreciate it and love the traveling light tips. :) I guess now I just have to decide if we should do suitcases or hiking backpacks. Hmmm.....

Thanks again!

As a family of 6, we travelled Europe for a month. We were each allotted one suitcase. My mom brought one extra small bag, but we had no other carry-ons/personal bags. My parents bought each of us a Europe Through The Back Door bag (rick steeves website). We limited our clothes to versitile things that went together & did laundry. Worked very well.

I still have that bag (25+years) and it has served me well on many travels - Bolivia, mexico, Uganda, summer camp :)

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