How Big Of A Suitcase Do I Need For A One Month Trip

How do I most effectively pack a suitcase (or three) for a 3 month trip?

You don’t need to bring your entire wardrobe! Bring one pair of jeans and one pair of skinny black or white pants that you can wear alone or with a dress. One day dress, one evening/club dress. 8-10 tops. 4–5 shorts. 2 swimsuits & coverup that doubles as a top or nightie. 2 nighties or whatever you sleep in. The bras that go with your dresses & tops. Probably a beige, black & strapless. One pair dressy sandals, one pair casual sandals. Wear your trainers or hiking boots on the plane with comfy sweats or leggings & maybe a tank & hoodie. Trust me, if you need clothes in a pinch, WalMart has inexpensive Camis, tees, etc that will do fine for summer wear. You can get flipflops for 99 cents at Dollar Tree and most drugstores. You goal would be to fit 10 days worth of clothing into a carry-on bag, preferably with wheels & popup handle.You are allowed a backpack & purse. I'm the purse, no matter what else you take, is your phone, charger cord and any prescription medicine/eyeglasses/contact lenses. Gum, book, pen, notepad, small snack, empty personal water bottle. In an outer pocket, keep your passport, photo ID & ticketing papers for easy access.In your backpack a beach towel, what you need to do your hair (straightener/dryer/etc.), toiletries in approved size containers for one week (they will toss your oversized products & that is sad to watch.) A few pads or tampons (we sell them everywhere here, even in food markets). Tablet or laptop if you need. Jewelry if you wear it.Chargers are cheap so if you have your cords you can pick them up for under $10 at drugstores & big box stores like KMart, Walmart, etc. We have most of the same hair products & cosmetics in the US as in UK and most of Europe. We have Crabtree & Evelyn as well. Most motels have coin operated washers & dryers and hotels have laundry service.Travel light. You will move more quickly & efficiently through airports and be less vulnerable to unscrupulous people. Running out of toiletries or cosmetics will just give you a chance to try new things if what you are used to is unavailable. Make outfits, use pieces & accessories that mix & match so you need less. If you wear socks, a hat, sunscreen bring those things. If you only bring the things you are most comfortable in and frequently use, you will be relaxed & have a wonderful time.

How long should it take to pack a suitcase for a month-long vacation?

If you’ve travelled enough to understand the process, less than an hour. Much of that will be used for counting pills, underwear and the like.You should figure out how many dress and casual outfits you will need respectively. Then you just grab piles of not difficult to match clothes and roll them up into your bags.You should have at least two bags for a month, one of them a carry-on with pills and other must-haves in case your checked luggage is mis-placed. When I was traveling constantly for business I had three identical large suitcases and one carry-on. I took one suitcase for each week of an upcoming trip. With laundry service the same amount of stuff other than expendables would suffice indefinitely.

Is a backpack or a suitcase on wheels better for a two-month trip to Europe?

I'd say the backpack any day.You can carry a backpack with you and have both hands free.In case you need to use them, storage lockers throughout Europe may not necessarily fit hard suitcases but you can always squeeze a backpack in or split its contents into 2 lockers.Smaller backpacks double as pillows on overnight trains (throw a cloth over the pack for cleanliness), and by sleeping with your head on them, or putting them at your feet with your leg through the strap, you can avoid theft to some degree because the thief would have to wake you up to steal your backpack. (Theft in parts of Europe is rampant, but most of it is unarmed pickpocketing where the thief wants to get your stuff without you noticing, not the violent sort).Rolling suitcases tend to easily break after enough dragging on cobblestone roads. Once the wheels break, they become a pain to deal with.It's easier to get on and off public transportation with a backpack. Almost every last town in Europe is linked by either regular public bus or train with posted schedules, and you'll want to use these public transportation tools not just for environmental conservation but also because it's much cheaper (taxis in Europe are very expensive).

Should I take one or two suitcases if I am constantly traveling for a year?

A happy traveler is a traveler who travel light! - Well that's from my backpacker mind.If I was you - doesn't matter whatever purpose it is, I'll never like to find myself hustling and bustling with suitcases trying to carry from accelerators, taxis, hotels, elevators to any kind of transportation.I think the only person who can give an exact answer to this question is YOU. Ask yourself that are there really so many stuffs you'll need that you have to pack 2 suitcases?Did you read carefully? I said "Stuffs you NEED" not "WANT".When I traveled for the very first time I seriously end up packing lot and lot of stuffs which I thought I will use but just ended up making my backpack heavy and hard to travel. You won't believe in some cases I bought 2 tickets for the bus even when I was traveling alone, YES! One for me and another ticket was for my bag.I learned my lesson: Next time when I travelled I kept everything on my bed and started picking up things which I will really NEED in my trip separating from the things which I WANT.Next time, I just bought only 1 ticket for a bus ride and my bag easily got fit under my seat.So now I will like to ask you the question -ONE OR TWO?Happy Traveling :)(Love traveling? Explore the world with me on Wanderloop (@wanderloop) • Instagram photos and videos)

What should I pack for month-long trip?

You’ve heard this before, but, pack light!  You should be able to pack all that you need to start you trip in one carry-on bag.Other’s have pointed out that much of what you pack depends on the distance, time of year, and purpose of your trip.  I traveled for two month (April & May), in Europe, all out of one carry-on bag.Including the clothes I wore, this is what I brought with me.4 sets of underwear (socks, boxers & T-shirts), in a two sided packing cube3 pairs of pants3 long sleeve shirts2 short sleeve shirts1 pair of well broken-in shoes (NOT sneakers)1 tie1 belt1 pair of shorts (which doubled as swim trunks)a small toilet kit (TSA compliant)a fleece vest with detachable sleevesa rain jacket & pantsa digital cameraoutlet adaptersa duel voltage battery chargeran umbrellaA hostel sheet (just in case!)a travel towela rubber door-stopa small, nylon collapsible daypacka small home-made first aid kita tiny radio & a set of earbudsa journal & pena digital organizer (full of collected data & addresses)a home-made laundry kit, which consisted of a 2.5 gallon Ziploc bag, twisting clothes line, an empty squeeze bottle (I purchased detergent in from a laundromat one I was there) and an artificial chamois (a Cham-wow).a coupe of those thin rubber sink stoppers.  The kind they give away at your bank, and other places.  They’ve got millions of uses!zip lock bagsI also brought sections torn out of guide books; stapled together by area.  However, I’ll never do that again!  At the time tablet computers were still pretty new on the scene.  Now, that’s what I’d bring.  That would take the place of my guide books, radio, and organizer, plus function as a phone, with all it the apps one could want.Also more & more electronic devices accept 220v input as well as 110v.  In addition, There is a whole new generation of batteries that are charged directly via USB.  So there would be not need for the battery charger.