Traveling To Europe: How To Pack.

A reader (Miss Ali) sent in a question that I thought would be useful for all of us who are developing a wanderlust and booking travel plans that takes us away for more than just a few days...

Hi Missus Boston! I currently saw your video on traveling to Europe and found it EXTREMLEY helpful! Thanks for that but I was hoping you could help me out a bit.. So, I leave in about 2 weeks for London, Paris & Rome... I will be there for 12 days (technically 10 because of traveling).... and i'm wondering a couple of things..
1st, where did you find your carry on luggage... how much time before your trip did you start packing.. did you bring anything back from your trip if so how did that fit in your carry on? Also any other feedback that you can give to me would be very helpful as it is my first time traveling for more then a week and over seas! THank you sooo much! I appreciate it :)

London, Paris and Rome??? Ali, you lucky, LUCKY girl!!!! Rome, by far, is my favorite European city. Paris is my friend Frogger's favorite. And London... It is nice.

First question... I bought my carry-on (the Alexander McQueen Hero upright) at a Japanese department store in NYC back in January. I recommend hard-shell cases, as opposed to soft-shell cases, for carry-on purposes as there can be no disagreement with airline officials as to whether or not your bag will meet in the carry-on maximum allowances. This may seem like an odd thing to recommend... But on this very trip to Europe in April, British Airways refused to allow Frogger to bring her carry-on suitcase on board and forced her to check it. Their view was that it was slightly too large to fit in their carry-on spaces. They then turned to me and my bag and tried to do the same thing. I then went to their carry-on space tester and showed them that it did in fact meet their requirements. They then shut-up.

As for the second question... In my mind, I started packing for the trip as soon as I booked it back in January. But about a week before hand, I started jotting down a specific day plan. I drew out what cities I would be in, what the weather would probably be like, and what I wanted to wear. I then thought about what I could repeat, since I would be going to multiple cities and would only have to worry about Frogger minding my lack of wardrobe creativity. Bringing a small bottle of liquid detergent, which allowed me to wash clothes in the sinks of my hotel bathrooms, was useful in allowing me to pack less.

I brought back very little from Europe. I spent all of my money on the experiences I had while I was there... Like going out to restaurants, day trips, kick ass cocktails. Don't get me wrong... I would have LOVED to have done some damage at Balenciaga and Hermes... But the Euro to USD was not going to make it worthwhile.

Here is what I recommend packing:

• Pajamas
• Toiletries
• 2 pairs of jeans (yes, only 2)
• 3 dresses (preferably ones that you can ball up in your suitcase)
• 1 nice blazer
• 1 nice pair of flats
• 1 pair of cute heels
• sneakers (though you can wear these on the plane)
• 7 tee shirts
• 4 blouses
• 2 camisoles
• Plenty of underwear
• 1 Cardigan
• 1 large purse (Since you get one carry-on and a personal item to take on board. The large purse is your personal item.)

If you leave in less than two weeks, I recommend you begin making your list and doing a packing dry-run now. This will help ensure that you have everything you need, from toiletries to underwear, and that you don't need to go and buy anything else last minute.

Have a great time! And I recommend you hit the bar at the top left-side of the Spanish Steps (when you are looking up at them) in Rome, and the Plaza Athenee in Paris.