Nobody wants to look like a tourist. There's a lot of discussion on the travel blogs and forums about what to wear to blend in with the Europeans and especially the Italians. Really? These are ITALIANS. Fashion is what they do! Besides, I'm pretty sure the backpack, camera, and our mouths hanging open are going to give us away.
Apparently, there are a few basic things that distinguish us as tourists: big white athletic shoes, shorts when we aren't at the beach, and t-shirts with clever quotes or advertisement. We also need to keep our knees and shoulders covered at the Vatican and have warm clothes for our trip to the tippy top of the Zugspitz, Germany's highest mountain.
Luggage is another topic of discussion on the travel forums and everyone has an opinion. We will be traveling primarily on trains; walking from the station, on cobblestone streets, to our B&B where we will schlep our luggage up several flights of narrow stairs to our room. A backpack seems the logical choice. We like the Eagle Creek Digi Haulers because they zip open like a suitcase. Another nifty product from Eagle Creek is the packing envelope. Can't travel without them.
Our goal was to keep each backpack and its contents under twenty pounds; filled with lightweight things we can wash out in the sink and have dry by morning. Think Columbia hiking pants or golf clothes in techy fabrics. Surprisingly, we outdid ourselves. Both packs came in at just over 18 pounds.
Ron and Ellen gave us some Canadian flag pins for our backpacks. We're hoping that terrorists (and other nogoodniks) have a tender spot in their hearts for Canadians. We should be able to maintain this charade as I was raised in WAY upper Michigan and speak fluent Canadian, eh?
Jane will be here at 11:30 to chauffeur us to the airport. Next stop: Amsterdam!
Below is a list of what's in those backpacks. I'm sure we could get by with less but I don't want to get sick of myself. I'll update this post when we get back with how this worked for us.
Me:
Pants: 1 long, 3 capris (knees covered). Shirts: 2 long sleeve, 4 short sleeve. 1 knit sweater type thing, 1 windbreaker, two pair of shoes, PJ's, undies, socks. A couple scarves and some jewelry in a pathetic attempt to jazz myself up.
Larsen:
Pants : 1 pair of khakis, 4 pair of shorts. Shirts: 3 Polo shirts, 2 button down. 1 windbreaker, 1 pair of shoes, PJ,s, socks, undies.
Miscellaneous:
1 smart phone with two spare batteries, Camera, iPad, iPod, Electric razor, Universal battery charger,
European plug adaptor, Travel extension cord/USB port, Cosmetics & toiletries, Laundry stuff: Woolite, Shout, clothesline, foldable hangers, Passports, Universal drivers licenses, Money belt, Mucho Euros.
A cross body purse made of Kevlar with steel cables in the shoulder strap and locks on each zippered pocket. This will be our day pack.
All of our travel info, including maps, reservations, and several audio tours, is loaded on my phone. I used a clever little App called Trip It.
Post Trip Update:
The phone was a hassle. You won't believe how many apps you have running in the background that eat up your meager data plan. I shut it down and only used it as a "dumb phone" to access my Trip It data for reservations, train schedules, etc. Wifi was available everywhere, if not really reliable, at least it was free.
Loved the backpacks but 18 pounds feels heavier than you might think. Lighten it up if you can. The ipad added extra weight. If you don't plan on blogging, leave it home. You can turn on your phone when you are in a Wifi area to check your email.
The clothes we packed worked really well. We did notice that the colors were very drab: black, gray, brown, etc. Maybe it was the season, but I think I wouldn't take bright colors the next time.
The cross-body purse was great. We heard a lot about pickpockets. Never saw anything like this and never once felt uncomfortable anywhere we went. I have a theory. It's O.K. to look like a tourist, just don't look like a stupid or vulnerable tourist. Also, if pickpocketing is your profession, you probably recognize my purse as being hard to "pick" and move on to something easier.
