Rick Steves' Best of England 2016
...accompanied by "The Bard "
Backstage
Packing for a Rick Steves tour is not unlike an acting troupe
preparing for a road show:
. Only the necessary toiletries.
. Comfortable clothing that you can mix and match.
. Shoes that are comfortable and go with anything are best.
. A water resistant jacket that can be layered with sweaters/fleece
for cooler climates.
. An umbrella or rain poncho (we find an umbrella works the best).
Rick Steves' travel books and website offer great information on tour packing suggestions. The information we offer here illustrates the essentials that we find make a trouble-free trip.
A collapsible lightweight duffel bag lines the bottom of each of our 22" suitcases. We carry our luggage on board with us enroute to our destination, but check the luggage going home. Our precious souvenirs are placed in the duffel bag to be carried with us as one of two permitted carry-ons.
More essentials! Quick-dry underwear, disposable plastic zip-lock baggies (great for transporting underwear and socks that don't dry overnight as well as storing leaky containers), and a Rick Steves' clothesline- not every hotel has a heated towel rod.
We always wear a money belt containing our passport, credits cards, tour contact numbers, and cash. Our iPad, cell phone, medications, water bottle, and other essentials are carried in a back pack as our second carry-on. Once we reach or tour destination, we use a Rick Steves' Civita bag (the old model) for daily sight-seeing.
We bring a lightweight mesh laundry bag to put our soiled clothing in when transporting it to a laundry facility. A plaid ribbon, a remnant from a previous trip to Scotland, distinguishes our suitcase from others.
We were turned-on to packing cubes several years ago and would NEVER go on a trip without them. They optimize use of space and compartmentalize clothing. The shirt and multicolored scarf is an example of travel clothing.
This is a great guide to packing a carry-on that we found in Family Circle Magazine a number of years ago. We roll our shirts (and underwear), as is demonstrated here, and put them in the packing cubes.