Packing fewer pairs of shoes… If your shoes get wet, stuff them with crumpled newspaper. It wicks the moisture away and makes the drying so much faster. This method savd my only pair of flats I brought to Paris from being ruined after I had got caught in a downpour and had to run through puddles! So save that hotel newspaper. 
We leave tomorrow–or in about 6 hours for a 3.5 week trip to Italy. I have loved all of your suggestions.
Not keeping my meds in their original container is amazing. Only kept the one narcotic for the “in case” pain. bought the jars at Storable and labled the meds.
The Eagle Creek bags are amazing and the large too big for my light weight clothes, Yes, did cost a lot but will use them often we hope. Having designated clothes in each bags means no more piles on the beds.
My suitcase weights 6.3 and I packed 17.5 lbs of clothes. My other personal bag carries meds and mini and such. Did not weight it.
Tried to get most paperwork in the cloud.
I will save and reread all of the suggestions here. I did take off my diamond earrings and put costume perl studs. Put on costume jewlery perls, packed some small gold hoops and one necklace.
. Took out a white and put in a black sweater. added thin gloves and an earwarper for NYC as the winds are to be wild.
Sadley had a talk with my forever favorite black
cashmere sweater that has been on every trip. It is warm under a light coat, super warm to sleep in and so soft. But we talked and he knows it is time to become a car tripper.
Funny what we get attached to…
Did I mention
that I spent 2 hours in the dentist chair with and emergency today? I am good to go but lost the time for the little stuff.
Buon viaggio! Enjoy il dolce far niente!
And don’t sweat forgetting to pack something important. That’s why God invented credit cards & souvenirs.
Wishing you a great trip!
Have a wonderful safe trip Oregon! We will be waiting for a report when you return!
Safe travels, oregon!
GMT is right… Even in Ubekibekibekistan stores sell toothpaste 
This is a great thread. I travel quite a bit (usually domestically, though) and am a disaster at packing light. I don’t wear much black, for one thing ( don’t like it and have too many furry friends at my house) and for a trip over 4 days I take 2 pairs of running shoes. Summer is easier than winter, of course. I like to have a choice of outfits but I am good at mixing and matching. I usually check a bag, which isn’t a problem since I’m usually on Southwest. I do try to get by with just my iPad instead of my computer if the trip is under 4 days. I tried to switch to a more professional looking tote besides my purse) but keep coming back to the floral Vera Bradley large tote that holds everything and is light and comfortable to carry.
Packing light for Europe means a lot more than in the states I think. Cobblestone streets, no handicap anything, steep stairs to your room, lost luggage, tiny cars, tiny rooms, train travel will convince you real quick to leave it at home. It’s not very fashionable at times but it certainly makes for a more enjoyable trip!
I get hives at the thought of checking a bag. You mean I arrive at the airport and can’t immediately leave for my destination? I have to wait until you decide to give me back my stuff? shudder (Nor can the airlines be trusted with a bag, but that’s another story.)
I fly Alaska and often sit in the front rows, which means I get off the plane early. By the time I get out of the secure zone, my bag is waiting for me on the carousel. The 20 min after touchdown guarantee is great - usually I get my bags within 10 min. I think Alaska made a pact with Menzies when Alaska contracted their luggage handling work out - Alaska’s bags get first priority. That’s why everyone else gets their bags late.
I always check a bag. I make sure to pack a pair of underwear, something to sleep in and an extra top in my carry on. That saved me in Hong Kong several years ago.
(fingers crossed) I rarely have to wait long at all for my bag on Southwest. The one exception was my business trip into Sacramento where I had folks waiting for me and I didn’t want to hold up the group. My bag didn’t come and didn’t come. Finally I went into the little office and they told me that my bag had been damaged. They wheeled it out in shreds. It had fallen off the truck and been run over. I was just so glad to see my stuff! Contents were completely fine. 12 year old Tumi bag (which was about to be donated anyway) was in shreds. Southwest bought me a beautiful new Tumi bag, gave me a duffle for my trip and then when I mentioned the incident (not negatively) on Twitter they gave me a $100 voucher. I just really prefer checking the bag to fighting for overhead bin space.
We have never used carry on. The first time will be in September for our first trip to Europe for 10 days. What we are doing is taking one 20 inch carryon and checking one bag. In the carryon will have 1 set of evening clothes each with shoes, and one or two sets of day clothes…plus anything else essential we couldn’t stand if they lost our luggage. We are checking a slightly larger bag that DH will carry (24"). With the little larger bag, we can put a few more things in it. We’ll both have a backpack. I think if there are 2 of you, then being able to check one bag that is larger is a nice solution.
BTW, we arrived in Orlando last week and waited one hour for our luggage! Never had that happen before.
Several years ago when we went to China, I had a heck of a time packing light because we were visiting the colder northern section of the country, similar latitude to New England, and also the southern end, similar latitude to Cuba. I did the monochromatic color thing with black and white and used scarves for accents. I have to say, the pictures were weird. Black, white, black, white, touch of red!, black, white, etc. When we went to Ireland and the UK last Spring, I remembered that so bought a deep mauve rainjacket, more colorful scarves but still wore mostly black and white clothes. The weather there was consistently cool and overcast, with the exception of a few days. All of the pictures, except for a few featured me in the same coat with different scarves. So those pictures were mauve with green, mauve with blue, mauve with pink, etc. The one very same thing about all the pictures, no matter what country was my big smile - I love traveling and taking adventures!
I always have to check a bag. My clothes are big.
I went to Greece and wore just about the same thing daily. You’re right. The pix look alike but I was smiling!
I’m more with Hanna on waiting for bags. And after going on a trip where only 3 of 9 bags arrived in our group (9 of us), no thanks on checking.
Will most international flights allow you to carry your bag on??? I’m taking my first international flight in June to France for 10 days and REALLY would prefer to walk on that plane with my 20" carry on and backpack then to actually check anything. Clearly I will check this out ahead of time, but curious what the general rules are.
yes, abasket, you can carry on for international flights.
I always carry my bag on - international or domestic. I can’t remember when I last checked a bag.
upcoming 10 week international trip:
wearing: black silk/linen coat dress over matching sleeveless dress/ heavy cotton black/white floral jacquard coat/ wool shawl /flat lace up oxford (for cobblestones!!!)
packing in roll on: black linen coat dress, matching sleeveless dress,
black/white tiny stripe cotton coat dress/matching sleeveless dress
black voile jacket
white cotton nightgown
long black lightweight raincoat (folds into a pocket, but works well as windbreaker and with wool shawl if temps drop)
silk long underwear
underthings (I always bring oldest things and toss before coming back)
medium heel shoe for everyday or dress
sandals that work as slippers, too
robe or caftan (if there is space. otherwise I’ll use raincoat for robe)
toiletries (minimal amount, I purchase on trip)
folding umbrella
crushable staw hat
chargers
packing in messenger bag: cross body wallet, tablet, kindle, phone, prescriptions, sunglasses, minimal amount jewelry
I’m ready for hot or cool or rainy or sunny weather. If I perspired, I’d pack silk tees to use as a washable layer. My philosophy is to buy things I love and don’t mind wearing continuously. I pack one to wear, one in the laundry and one just in case.
But keep that backpack small–your personal item has regulations too as to size.
If you want to take flights within Europe you need to look up their individual guidelines. Carry on size and weight varies depending on airline and country. So your 40 allowable carry on pounds here may change to 35 pounds on an European airline. Not fun counter side…