MermaidsMom asked me to post a little on what we packed and some other tips for people who have booked or are thinking about booking. I know it can be overwhelming to think about everything you need to take with you. Plus, when you search Dress in Rome or similar on the internet you leave even more confused than when you first seeked it out!
One of the pieces of advice I heard and read over and over is that Italians dress way better than Americans (of course they do, they dont have to figure out how to fit it all in their suitcase!). Popular sentiments included the idea that women and men dont wear shorts, you should think about looking sophisticated or even overdressed, and not to wear t-shirts unless theyre plain. After spending a week in Italy I can tell you that you shouldnt feel as though you need to conform to any of these rules at all! Youre on a group tour and youre going to be doing a lot of walking, so you might as well come comfortable! Unless someone was wearing a baseball hat and college t-shirt or something similarly obvious I couldnt really tell if they were tourists or not.
I realized that I dont even own a suitcase that has to be checked, so I ended up borrowing one from a friend. The one I borrowed was 24-26 inches (not the big, big kind) and fit everything I needed nicely. My dad and sister both also brought medium-sized checked bags. In addition Kathy and I both brought a small duffle bag (the kind from LL Bean) and my dad a backpack.
As for clothes, I actually think I packed pretty well. The only thing I wish I would have done is bring a few more casual t-shirts because I feel most comfortable in them. If I did it again, Id bring more comfortable clothes and try less to seem put together. One thing I did do was try to stick with 2 to 3 colors that could be interchangeable. This was pretty easy and I thought it very helpful. None of us had any trouble closing our suitcases or being overweight or anything like that, but we also did not pack as lightly as possible, as you will see.
Here is the breakdown for me:
3 pairs pants/capris
1 pair of jeans
4 cotton dresses (I did not wear 1, 3 would have been enough). The cotton dresses were my favorite items because they were comfortable and light and didnt take up much room!
0 pairs of shorts (I wish I would have brought 1 or 2 in lieu of a pair or 2 pants...it was warm and I like to wear shorts)
4 tank tops
5 blouses/shirts
3 t-shirts
1 cardigan
3 pairs of running shorts/3 running shirts (I used one set as pajamas)
1 light rain jacket
Health and beauty: I did bring a quart-sized bag with the usual toiletries of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. in it. A small bag of make-up (I didnt wear it every day, but I did wear it).
Kathy brought a similar number of garments:
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of jeans
2 pairs of capris
3 dresses
1 skirt
2 cardigans
4-5 blouses/shirts
2-3 casual t-shirts
3 tanks
1 sweatshirt for the plane
1 light jacket
My dad brought:
2 pairs of jeans
4 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of khakis
5 polo shirts
3 button-ups
4 t-shirts
running shorts and shirts (probably 3 of each)
1 light jacket
Funny enough, he is the worst over-packer of the 3 of us, haha!
Lets talk shoes:
7 pairs of shoes - I regret nothing! (I wore all but one and most were sandals and didnt take up much space)
Kathy brought 5 pairs of shoes
My dad brought 4 pairs of shoes, but it may have been 5 including his slider sandals
I think a woman could get away with 3 pairs total...I recommend 1 pair of strappy walking sandals, 1 pair of walking shoes like Sperrys or Vans or similar, and 1 extra pair of your choosing. You will not need heels, though my sister did bring a pair of wedges she wore on the farewell cruise.
Men can probably get away with 2 pairs of shoes minimum, 1 walking shoe and 1 casual dressy pair, those lucky ducks!
Also, if you are a runner (male or female), I always advocate bringing a pair of running shoes if you wear them, as you never know when you might run...we ran 3 times during our trip and walked once. I generally wear them on the plane b/c they take up quite a bit of space.
I would definitely recommend at least 2 pairs for everyone. There were 2 boys on our trip who only brought one pair of shoes and they had a dry them with a hair dryer after the rainy day.
What else? In my bag I also brought a small crossbody purse and 3 wine skins. I think we ended up using one or two of them, but they lay flat and I was glad to have them. My dad brought a laptop and an ereader, and my sister an iPad. I brought my E-reader and a journal to keep some notes. Oh, I also brought a corkscrew. We probably could have gotten one easily, but it was nice to have and we did use it. Otherwise we didnt really bring much. Nor did we need much. There wasnt anything I didnt bring that I said, man, I wish I had that. I also had enough room to bring a few souvenirs back, but nothing big. We are not big shoppers, though, so that might be something to consider if you do think youll shop. There are lots of great options, thats for sure!!!