Forgot something! Make sure you bring whatever pain killers you need, 'cause you're not going to find the same ones in Spain! For instance, I can't live without Excedrin Migraine, or else I may as well decapitate myself right here and now. They don't sell Tylenol and what-not in stores there... you have to go to the pharmacy. They kinda scare me.. they shouldn't, I know, but they do!

Not only are pain meds restricted to pharmacies, but they are plenty expensive.

I have a friend in Madrid who asks me to bring Walgreens aspirin from time. 3 bucks for 500 on sale!

Gosh, all this talk about packng and I think I'm ready...but my trip isn't until June '06 so I guess I should ease up!!

So, my questions is...WHAT are you packing your guys' stuff in? What TYPES of suitcases work best for you??

We're (me and husband) going for 10 days...want to buy plenty there and be fairly mobil but not quite back back style...any tips on types of luggage and places/sites for good travel gear would be great!!

Hello tclearn3,

I follow professional travel guide, Rick Steve's advice: pack light! After following this advice on several trips, my advice to you is pack light, the less you take with you will mean the less you have to lug around with you. One small suitcase allows you so much more flexibility in your travels.

What suitcase to take? I bought a very sturdy Ricardo suitcase with very sturdy wheels and big enough to place either under the airline seat or above in the baggage compartment. I can't emphasize the word "sturdy" enough. Test it out before you go and see if it's comfortable to tote it around with you for a day. My son carried a duffle bag, he's strong!

Check with your airline for the dimensions of your carry on luggage. Doing so means that you can forego the long wait in baggage claim.

What to wear? Keep in mind, you are a tourist, so safety, comfort and convenience should be your mantra. Unless you are going to attend a concert or a family event, such as a wedding, forego any formal wear.

As a woman, I usually decide on one color scheme to coordinate my clothing. For my last trip, in December, my color scheme was black/red/cream. My son packed around the color blue, he looked fantastic the whole time.

The hotels we stayed had laundry facilities and in Madrid we did visit a coin laundry called Onda Blu, which also had internet facilities.

When we left, we also wanted to avoid the long lines and bother of claiming luggage. So we mailed most of my heavy stuff like books, clothes and souvenirs.

If you plan to buy a lot, buy a suitcase in Spain to place your new items, and take them with you.

Have a fantastic trip!

For me because I into photography, I have to take two bags.

The suitcase, has my cloths and a tripod. I check that in. I carry on the plane a large camera bag for my camera gear and portable PC. This is the stuff I would never check in.

Bill

I am just itching to get packing. I leave Thursday for 17 days in Seville and can't wait to get started. I won't do my clothes until the day before I leave but I have packed up shoes and other things I won't be using. These last few days are going by sooooo slowly

Angela

I charge my camera batteries about 3 days before I go. Get the rest of my stuff out and inventoried the day before. Do the actual packing the morning of travel (coming from the USA, I fly overnight).

I, too, am a firm believer in carry-on packing. Not having to wait for baggage gets you through customs a lot faster.

My wife and I each take one carry-on. One 22-inch w/wheels for overhead storage, and a smaller bag underseat with anything we might need on the flight in it.

This is for a 1-week trip...but I'm sure we could do it for longer.

i used to do the carry-on only routine...but i just can't leave my trusty swiss army knife behind. i guess i could buy a cheapie when i land and toss it when i leave...not being able to carry-on anything sharp is a real hassle...
that being said...i keep all my basic travel supplies together and am able to pack and go in under 10 minutes...

Wow. I could never do that! Mostly due to the fact that 99% of the time I forget the most basic things even when I'm just going to class or something...

When I pack for my trips (and especially when I went to Spain for 6 months), I usually start about 2 weeks before. I'm used to living in and out of a suitcase (moving back and forth between home and school a lot), so I throw all my "most forgotten" things (lotion, address book, nail clippers, etc.) into my suitcase and pull them out if I need to use them. Then, about 3 days before I leave I do my laundry and make a list of the clothes, etc. that I want to bring. I start putting things in my suitcase the night before (to avoid MM's dreaded wrinkles! )

I still don't know how I managed to come BACK from 6 months in spain with only a large suitcase and a hiking backpack (not a very large one!)

One more thing. We're not major travelers - we only take about 1 trip to Europe a year, but we keep a packing list from trip to trip with only minor changes. This really helps cut down on the lead time needed, sincew we just pull out the list when it's time to assemble everything.

We carry the list with us -- if we discover an omission ("We should have brought that!") during the trip, I pencil it in and update it when we get home.