The emperor's clothes don't cut it.
A PRELUDE TO TRAVEL IN EUROPE
In conjunction with this chapter please see these chapters for advice on packing and luggage. My "Last Call" is a comprehensive travel punch list, the Mother of All Packing Lists.
- 6. The Pack Light Field Test
- Validating Your Europe Packing List.
- 7. Best Luggage for Europe
- Get Wheels and Let It Roll!
- Last Call
- Travel Prep and Pack Lists for Europe.
- Section 5 Overview
Packing Your Clothes for Europe - A well dressed traveler gets respect everywhere.
LADIES FIRST
Girls from 17 to 77 have been complaining to me regularly for writing from the male side of things. Well, male is what I am and I ain't changing. But I have a couple of sections below that address the feminine way, including some information from my daughter Stephanie.
Now 28, Stephanie is a travel trooper with experience going to Europe since her diaper days. She has made about ten round trip trans-Atlantic flights as an unaccompanied minor (UM) starting when she was seven. Later she traveled all around Europe in her gap year(s!) for several summers, studied French in Paris, Spanish in Salamanca, and used Italian daily during her summers in Lombardy. Kindergarten in Germany for a year and a half was her first school. After her second degree she is now a working Registered Nurse. Besides travel, her love is books. She has a great YouTube page at time to read!. Check it out.
Stephanie's take on what to wear is below at A Report from Stephanie.
And please have a look at the other two gender specific sections below. WOMEN'S WEAR has general information, including links to books and a website by women. Further on, the brief section Women on Business will help you bring home the purchase orders. But do not overlook the rest of this chapter, especially the section on scarves, for women and for men.
CLOTHING GUIDELINES
What will you wear to Europe? This is a major concern, but it issecondary. The real question is — how much? You are infinitelybetter off going with nothing but an umbrella and a toothbrush thanwith the load you would typically throw in the trunk of your car and bring on a weekend sortie in the United States.
Pack Light
As every traveler and chronicler of the subject relates,pack light. Seldom does anyone define the meaning of pack light,except to present a list of clothes and accessories to bring, nosuch list ever being universally practical. One size or style does not fit all. To enjoy travel, youmust pack light. To define pack light, travel with your chosen loadand see for yourself if it is convenient and gives you the freedomyou need. See the Pack Light Field Test.
Remember that travel clothes are not the same as office or school clothes. When you travel you can wear the same thing day after day. Nobody is going to see you twice, except your travel partners. They may get bored looking at what you wear every day, but they didn't go to Europe to see your wardrobe! And if they are smart they didn't pack a different outfit for every day of the week either.
Dress In Style
It pays to be well presented, with a European flavor.Europeans are clothes conscious. Northern European clothing is somewhat somber,while brighter colors are more common as you go south. Clothesrepresent personality and social status. The clothes you are wearing announce "This is me."
Europeans seeing you briefly for the first time will judge you completely by your appearance and will behaveaccordingly. Unfortunately for the traveler most of your personalcontact in Europe will be with hotel clerks and cafe waiters. Tosecure a good room, good table, and good service, dress as if youdeserve it. In fact, you may be stopped and turned away at the door of some placesif you are not properly dressed. Riffraff is not welcome.
Girls talk and walk in San Sebastian in January, and all are wearing one thing in common. Hint — check the necks.
I bet they are talking about visiting their next pintxos bar. Pintxos are basically the same as tapas, tiny delicacies on a piece of toast, but this is in Basque country where many people speak the native euskara language, so it is pintxos in this jewel of a city in the north of Spain. San Sebastian is known as Donostia to the Basque people. Those are the folks who live there.
Be Comfortable
In addition, you must keep yourself comfortable. NorthernEuropean weather is generally cooler, wetter, and more variablethan in the United States. South of the Alps and Pyrenees it can bewarm and stuffy just about any time of the year. Walking in and outof museums, restaurants, and stores may force you to off and onyour coat. In stores the heat from those little halogen lamps canbe very uncomfortable.
Be ready for rain or shine, morning chill or afternoon heat. In addition to your toothbrush and umbrella carry a light weight windbreaker at all times. See "layers" below.
You do not need to buy a new wardrode for traveling to Europe. But if you feel the need, go shopping at your local Salvation Army or Goodwill store. You can find some great clothes in nearly new condition at ridiculously low prices, and help out a good cause. Leave the clothes behind at your last hotel with a thank you note to the chambermaid. You made someone happy today! And it gives you extra luggage space to haul your souvenirs home!
The Pack Light Field Test
Nobody can say absolutely how much another individual should bring or how big or small your luggage should be. Everybody has different limits. That's why we have Olympic Games, to see who can lift the most stuff. Don't break your back. Stay within your own limits. To determine what your personal limits are, whether you are a petite college girl or an NFL tackle, see Pack Light Field Test: Travel Europe in Comfort and Style. Unfortunately the usual case is that the college girl wants to bring as much as an NFL tackle can carry. My daughter Stephanie is a good example of this problem. Take a look at her packing list below.
Take it or leave it. For my quick-check packing list see Last Call: Travel Prep and Pack Lists for Europe. That is about as comprehensive as packing lists are allowed to be.
RECOMMENDED CLOTHING
Rules for the easy traveler, then, are rather formidable:
- Pack very light
- Dress in style
- Be comfortable
Typical Tourist Clothing
The clothes worn by most American tourists announce them asYankees better than any trilingual poster ever could. From theground up you're wearing: tennis shoes, worn Levi's,collared tee shirt, and ski jacket. And all of your wordly possessions are in your humongous backpack.
Tourists que to enter a monument in Rome Italy in August. For clothing it looks like anything goes. Notice the smartly dressed dude in the middle wearing blue bangos and camp boots. He probably has his dinner at McDumpster's. [Photo by Stephanie]
Go Like a Local
For a number of reasons you are better off looking like alocal citizen rather than a standard American tourist. Do not misinterpret this. I love the USA and all that it represents, but I try to avoid being an American billboard when I travel overseas. The primary reason is to avoid being a target of pickpockets, a breed endemic in Europe. You might also think that it could avoid being caught up in terrorist bombings. That is probably not an issue since the murdering sons of bitches just kill anybody, including fellow Muslims praying at their local mosque.
For many years my personal preference was a pairof black slip-on shoes, wool/polyester blend slacks, turtleneckshirt, and sport coat. This ensemble will get you through almostany door in Europe with reasonable respect, keep you comfortableunder most weather conditions, and allow you to blend in withoutbeing instantly identified as "the American."
I have worn out a couple of sports coats in my travels. I prefer the black/gray herringbone style with as many inside pockets as possible. This travels very wellwithout showing wrinkles or minor stains. If you do not want to buy a new one go to a Salvation Army store in an upscale neighborhood. There will probably be a selection in the mid size ranges going for about $25.
The wool/polyester blend slacks look more like wool thanplastic, but they wash drip dry. You won't need to iron theseif you care for them according to the label. Levi Strauss has introduced a new Dockers line available in several colors besides the normal khaki. A couple of pairs of the dark charcoal served me well throughout Europe on my recent trips.
Turtleneck shirts are ideal for the cooler climate in northern Europe, but they are not normally stocked in American stores. In fact I couldn't find a single one in my hometown in Michigan as I packed for a recent trip. The men's shops all said that they weren't in style this year. Booosh! I ended up buying a couple of good cotton T-necks at the V+D department store after I arrived in Holland. Many turtlenecks are available at Amazon.com year round. An open collar dress shirt is a good substitute for the turtleneck in warmer weather. In very few restaurants is a tie required, though you'll see them worn often in better establishments. For winter travel, I also bring a lightweight turtleneck sweater. When it is really cold I put on an extra t-shirt or two.
Here I am wearing typical tourist garb prowling downtown Athens, Greece in summer 1993. I would never dress like this in Paris or London, or anyplace else except at the beach. But it was really hot and Athens is rather casual.
The "Michigan" cap, collared t-shirt, shorts, and canvas shoes sort of identified me, even without the city map, camera, and day bag. We were on a month long road trip from Germany, target Istanbul.
Not knowing about the availablity of ATM machines, I stashed $1,000 in one shoe and 1,000 Deutschemarks in the other before we left Germany. But look, I'm standing in front of the Alpha Bank and there is a guy drawing cash at the 24/7 ATM machine behind me.
[Photo by Elizabeth]
Levi's
Levi's and other brands of denim jeans became fashionable inEurope in the 1990's. Some of my critics dispute the date. It depends where you were in Europe at that time, but it doesn't matter any more anyway. This is the new millenium, 2000+. Levi's are now tolerated in many cafésand restaurants during the day. However, regular slacks are still muchmore common as street wear in major cities throughout Europe. Based on my observations of people walking through the central train stations of Europe, less than 20% were wearing denim jeans. The preference for the vast majority, men and women, young and old, was black slacks.
Slacks are also much more in harmony with packing light. Levi's areheavy and bulky, and take a day to dry out when they get rained on. If you do wear denim, select a lightweight pair with a bit of fashion. You might want to consider wearing Levi slacks rather than Levi jeans.
There are some people who wear blue jeans as if it was a religion. They insist on wearing them everywhere. I wear jeans if I am out on my bicycle or going to local pubs in Holland. But normally I dress a bit more upscale for the benefits it gives me. Fashions do change and fashions are different in different cities, but slacks, a dress shirt, and street shoes are always welcome.
Clothing Cop - Not I
I have no ambition of being a clothing cop so accept this chapter as you will. The advice is based on years of personal experience in Europe. Yeah sure, you can wear your back yard jeans or cut-offs, t-shirt or no shirt, and sneakers or flip flops. If that is the way you want to be viewed in the cosmopolitan cities throughout Europe, expect no respect. I am startled by some of the email I get on this subject. Some readers claim that I have never been to Europe and do not know what I am talking about. They are passionate and rather foul at times in proclaiming that jeans are the holy grail. If you are under 25, regard eating out as a quick stop at McD's, and jeans are the only drawers you own, then do it.
Dressing well does not have to apply only to Europe. I had drifted into wearing Levis at my local pub in Michigan a few years ago. One night last summer I was returning home from an event where I was wearing a jacket and slacks and decided to stop in at Oscar's, my regular place, to shoot some eight ball. It wasn't long before a young lady about half my age started bumping into me and making strong eye contact. After that I started wearing slacks and a dress shirt when I went to Oscar's. Approachments by young dames have happened again and again to the point that it has become embarrassing, but I won't brag on it. Guys, listen up here! Dress sharp and you won't need all those bull drop lines to meet a girl in Europe, or anywhere.
I would expect that a woman dressed in grungy denim would normally be approached by a man in more or less the same low-life outfit. It's only speculation, but I guess that if you want to meet the prince of your dreams in Europe you would dress to the nines. Why not? Besides, women in Levi's are about the most asexual creatures on the earth. I don't know why girls wear Levi's. They are so unflattering to the derrière.
A party of university students take over the sidewalk and part of the street in Leiden, Netherlands for a few rounds of traditional Dutch beverages.
Good and Cheap
It won't cost you much to dress better. It will probably cost you less than that name brand Levi stuff. Think, have you been to your local second hand store recently. They have some great stuff at laughingly ridiculous low prices. You will want to tell your friends, as I have just done. Male speaking, I bought a London Fog brand, zipper-in liner,trench coat for $40. It looks better than the the one in my closet that I bought 15 years ago for $140. Well, I must admit that it is a bit out of fashion. Most coats in Europe are black and the length is just above the knee, so this thing is the wrong color and a foot too long per current styles. I had a seamstress cut a foot off. Another of my Salvation Army store buys was a $60 London Fog windbreaker which I bought for $3. Perfect.
I came back from Amsterdam a few years ago after participating in the annual Queen's Day party on April 30 and visiting the blooming tulips at Keukenhof in early May. It appeared that about 80% of the tourists of all ages and 95% of the young locals are wearing Levi's or something similar. Girls wear very tight jeans with a prominent belt around the hips. There is no excess fat on the Dutch girls. Men are wearing various sorts of jeans in various colors, black being very popular. I stick to my loose slacks with pockets that I can get my hands into. My Dockers "Pleated Classic Fit" charcoal slacks from J.C. Penny were perfect.
An Attaboy
I get a lot of email. I invite it. See my Blow Back section. I try to make this web site more helpful every day and reader feedback is one of my sources of new information. Your questions tell me what I have missed and your critiques keep me on my toes. Of course, I do get complimentary emails. A recent one is particularly pleasant.
From Nancy in Miami:
Ha! I think I can vouch for your information re dressing better in Europe compared to the U.S. My son has traveled extensively in Spain and around Rome for the past few years. He has become quite the preppy dresser, with scarves!!! He likes Echo shoes, black leather lace up, says they are as comfortable as running shoes and look better. And you're right, he says women love the improved dress. He has a couple friends from Spain who love to visit in Miami and wear shorts and flip flops. But, they tell him they will not be seen with him if he dresses like this while in Madrid. They are all mid thirties.
All the rest of the information is interesting also. I love packing light but wow, it's difficult. Thank you for all your hard work.
Nancy
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. ps 145
Thank you, Nancy!
Layers
Dress in "layers." This means dressing in items that can be added to or removed individually without changing everything when the weather changes. For example, instead of a heavy overcoat wear a sweater and a windbreaker. If it gets too warm in the afternoon take off the sweater and carry it in a shopping bag. Dressing in layers requires that all of your clothes be complementary and mixable. Dark, neutral, and earth colors tend to avoid fashion clashes, and do not need cleaning as often as lighter colors.
You can also dress in under-layers if it is really cold. On a winter trip through Scandinavia and the Baltics a few years back I would wear two or three T-shirts under my turtleneck and two pairs of socks. That extra insulation really helps and is not bulky. I was amazed to see the locals walking about with their coats open.
Scarf
For those of you who wish to look fashionable, keep your neck warm, and not look like an American tourist, wear a scarf. In Europe a scarf is a ubiquitous fashion statement. Women and men from 10 years old and up wear scarves. Bring one appropriate for the season and climate.
Pack your scarf in your carry-on luggage or wear it. The cool dry air in airplanes can give you a chill. A scarf will help to keep you cozy.
Visitors relax in a Rome museum. The Europeans, even the young ones, wear their signature — a scarf — even in August in Italy. After you put your shoes on put your scarf on, gals and gents, even if you're wearing jeans and tennies. [Photo by Stephanie.]
Shoes
In Europe you'll notice all sorts of footwear — boots, clogs, tennis, joggers, sandals, army issue, camper clumpers, and Italian fashion. Many people will see and examine your shoes before their eyes come up to meet yours, if they ever do.
Appearance is important. Wear a good looking, durable, broken-in pair of shoes. Your average American department store shoes will probably be mistaken for Italian fashion. Perfect. An average pair of polished black slip-ons will get you in the door anywhere. Also, rubber soles will survive far better than leather soles on the rain soaked sidewalks of Europe.
House rules at my hostel in Riga, Latvia required everyone to check their shoes at the door. This is what the patrons were wearing — fashion boots, tennies, street shoes, hiking boots, and flip flops. Flip-flops in Latvia in January? They raise some tough durable people up north!
See Hostels in Europe: TRAVELERS YELLOW PAGES for more about hostels. It's a great way to travel.
Instead of shoes, I have become a convert to sandals, morespecifically Birkenstocks, a German brand. Once you break in a pairof Birkenstocks you will never go back to shoes again, except forduring stormy weather. You won't even want to go barefoot again. Birkenstocks have a half inch of cork between the hard rubber bottom and the leather part you rest your feet in. Cork is very easy to walk on. You can go all day in these things. I recommend black socks with the Birkenstocks, unless you are at the beach. Birkenstocks are expensive so you can make this one of your purchases when in Germany, at prices 50% less than the American prices.
There are other advantages to wearing Birkenstock sandals. At airport security check you can kick them off and slip them back on in a second. In hotels where the toilet is down the hall slip them on when making a trip. The same goes for overnight trains if you do not have a W.C. in your couchette.
Carry an extra pair of shoes since it is likely that yourshoes will get soaked occasionally. If you invest in a pair withnatural leather uppers, you can oil them to the point that theyresist water like wax paper. Use mink oil or equivalent once aweek.
My advice is do not wear any kind of sports shoes, e.g. tennis,jogging, or whatever else they call them these days. I was withsome business associates in The Hague a few years ago and wedecided to take a pub crawl. Two of them had just bought new joggershoes and wore these out for the evening stroll. The doormen at several placeswould not allow my friends in the door. These places were just youraverage Dutch cafés and bars, not fancy or up-scale. Andmy associates were businessmen in their 50s, certainly good potentialcustomers in any establishment. Those doormen want to keep their jobs so they keep theoff-spec people outside. Nothing looks clunkier than freshwhite tennies. I've heard that the French call them marshmellows. In my Amsterdam and Brussels train station observations, jogger shoes were worn by less than 5% of those passing through, usually by young people with backpacks.
An alternative for those who like tennies is the Florsheim line of shoes called "Comfortech." These are light weight black slip-ons with a cushion bottom. They look great, are super comfortable, and will get you past any maitre d' or doorman.
Hat
Hats are not very common in Europe. Do not let that stop you from wearing one. Hats are practical, whether to keep the sun or the drizzle off your head. I wore a black wool fedora on my last tour of Britain and Ireland, until I forgot it and left it on a train in Edinburgh. After five years of looking for a replacement I found the perfect hat at the annual outdoor market in Bloemendaal, Nederland. The vendor is a sparkling eclectic gal from Haarlem doing business as Cosy van Tutti (Zijlvest 11 Zwart) a few steps south of one of my favorite pubs in Haarlem, Cafe de Witte Zwaan. Cosy has a large selection of men's hats, but very limited open hours.
Wow, I found the brother of my lost fedora at the annual street fair in Bloemendaal on one fine summer day. I spent five weeks in summer 2015 biking and photographing around Nord Holland, the Netherlands. Paula took this photo as I enjoyed an espresso at an outdoor cafe. I'm no fashionista for sure but I like my scarf. Drats, I lost it on my way home to Michigan. Some lucky person in Schiphol, Heathrow, or Detroit airport is now wearing it.
Leather
Leather jackets are fairly popular in Europe, especially in Spain. Leather looks good and is very practical. It resists drizzle and wind. Use mink oil to keep it clean and waterproof. I wore a bomber jacket on my spring 2009 trip around Britain and Ireland. It is cool and drippy in those countries much of the year.
Rain Gear
Weather protection is essential. Bring a telescopingumbrella. You can find umbrellas which slide down to under 10 inches. But get a good quality device.
A lightweight hooded mackintosh is veryhandy for those frequent all day drizzles. A light pair of leathergloves and a hat are helpful for off-season travel, and can even beuseful in northern Europe in the summer.
WOMEN'S WEAR
Friends who have read this book often say that it is overly male oriented. A major reason,perhaps, is my discussion of clothing, but the attitude probablysurfaces in other areas as well. I've seen packing lists on the internet written by women who must have had a platoon on hand to carry their utterly essential stuff. Some girls claim that they simply can'ttravel with only a carry-on bag, and some bring everythingbut the kitchen sink on a weekend outing.
Here's How
I used to travel like that but learned the hard way how todo it the easy way. Living in Haarlem at the time I drove to Paris with my Dutch girlfriend for a weekend sortie. My two suitcases were packed with six days worth ofextra clothes and other just-in-case stuff. When I picked her up I was amazed. She wore a black jumpsuit, a colorful scarf, a fashionable raincoat, and carried a slightlyoversized purse with everything she needed. That was it. Although our room was a nice one in an above averagehotel, there was hardly enough space to hang my things or stash thesuitcases. My precious Paris time was wasted putting things away,deciding what to wear, and repacking everything.
Advice from Women
Female travel writers can give you plenty of tips on how to pack light. For encouragement and advice, ladiesshould consult the books of Mesdames Dena Kaye, Georgia Hesse, Louise Purwin Zobel, Eleanor Adams Baxel, and others.Some of these books are decades old but the advice is timeless.Another great source of clothing advice for women is on line at JourneyWoman. This is a collection of first-hand reader-submitted comments for countries around the world, with a generous helping for every country in Europe.
Three women wait for traffic to clear before crossing a street in Madrid. If you want to see the sites of Spain in moderate temperatures with fewer tourists getting in the way go in the winter. This was shot in January.
You don't have a scarf yet?
.
has just the thing.
A Report from Stephanie
My then 19 year old daughter Stephanie spent half July to half August 2007 in Italy. She stayed with her aunt in a village north of Milan and then went to the beach and shared a hotel room with her cousin Annaperina. This is a part of Stephanie's report.
"The style in Italy right now is very preppy. Everyone looks like they're going to step on a yacht. Collared shirts, the jacket over the shoulders, and tied in the front. They wear jeans all the time, but only the best...Guess, Dolce, and Gabana...etc. It's like stuck up, but effortless. It looks like it took them two seconds to get ready, but they look good.
"I did not see a lot of speedos, just the old guys...and even less topless women. I think I saw like five and I was there [at the beach] for two weeks. Of course the little girls are still always topless. I hardly ever see a girl under ten with a top on."
An Update from Stephanie
Stephanie made her annual month trip to Italy in July and August 2012 at age 24. By email here is her packing list and commentary.
Hey dad, I just wanted to give you my packing list:
-6 pairs of shorts
-2 pairs of pants
-10 dresses
-5 skirts
-4 nice tops, to go out
-14 more casual tops for during the day and less exciting evenings
-1 pair of leggings
-2 jackets, one windbreaker type jacket and another one is a knit cardigan type jacket
-1 scarf
-2 pairs of pjs
-2 pairs of toms
-2 sandals
-2 pairs of high heels
-2 bathing suits
This is for four weeks in Italy during the summer.
...This is based on where I'm going though, I knew that I would be spending most of my time at the pool and that for about a week and a half we would be going to the beach. I actually bought another bathing suit because I do not think two for ten days straight at the beach is enough. The only thing is that whenever traveling the most important thing is to be comfortable in what you're wearing. I do not mean pick clothing that is physically comfortable (although, you can...I always do when I'm on a long plane ride), I mean pick clothing that makes you feel confident and that you think you look attractive in. Most of the younger generation in Europe just wear jeans, a regular t-shirt, and a scarf with Converse type shoes, which I do not think is very fashionable. It is also important to be prepared for any type of weather. It was raining here the other night and I did not prepare for that. I was just going to wear one of my sandals out with a pair of shorts and a jacket because I hate getting any kind of cloth shoe wet (like Toms or Converse). We didn't go out anyways, but I really only had the one option.
I wrote to Stephanie recently to ask if she would give me the dimensions for her suitcase if she still has it. She replied 'I do not unfortunately — it broke and it was just too big.' I believe it was 29 inches. I do know that it weighed 49.6 pounds on the Delta Airlines scale, just short of their 50 pound limit, and I was the beast of burden getting it to the airport. No wonder that the handle broke off, and good riddance.
My 20 Second Advisory for Mature Women
I get a lot of emails from women complaining, and rightly so, that I am overly male focused when it comes to clothes. Well, I'm a man yes I am, but not Lola. If I was a woman I would pack a couple pairs of black cotton Capri pants, a few white or pastel blouses, a scarf or two for the season, flats and/or sturdy walking shoes. That is for the day. For evening bring a black pants suit or jump suit or dress or skirt/blouse to complement the scarf. You do not need to empty your closet into your suitcase. Mix and match and you'll be fine. Bring no jewelry except the junk you can afford to lose.
If you are under 25 years old you can wear just about anything that you wear at home.
In January these girls posed for me in the Riga, Latvia train station. Notice the things in common, a scarf and jeans, and no tennies. You can roll those jeans up to show off your boots.
Friendly Helpers
Pack light girls. Yes, you can. Yes, you must.
In fact it is more important for women to pack light thanfor men. Remember — if you pack it you carry it, you burroyou. And if you have too much and some helpful stranger offers togive you a hand in a train station or tourist office, chances are nine outof ten that he is helping himself. You might have nothing left tocarry when he is done with you.
You wonder why a guy would steal awoman's suitcase? He probably has a girl friend who would beoverjoyed with some American clothes and toiletries. This dude would be the hero of the month. If yoursuitcase takes a walk, I hope that you didn't hide your money andpassport in it; cash, I.D., and clothes — what a score! This scenario is from the 1987 edition of my book "How To Europe" and is almost identical to a scene in the movie "French Kiss." In fact this story plot is the basis for a good piece of the film, produced 8 years after my book. It looks like the script writer read my stuff. Some of the rest of the movie is also pretty good. Kevin Kline plays a very believable French cad, and during the scroll sings a very respectable version of "La Mer," the original French version of "Beyond the Sea" made popular in the USA by the great Bobby Darin.
By the way, when the friendly helper is done with yoursuitcase, you might look to see if you still have a purse. One ofhis buddies standing nearby probably picked that off as the firstcavalier distracted you with his charming accented English. Thisscenario sounds a little harsh but this is the real world, not thefantasy feely-good world created by most travel writers. Seechapter 8, Pickpockets in Europe: They're Everywhere, for advice on avoiding Jesse James and the bandit gangs. They are everywhere you want to be. That is their team job. The scoundrels rarely work alone.
BUSINESS WEAR
Casual is not cool.
No Dockers in the Office
Americans traveling to Europe on business must wear theirbest. Impression is critical in doing business overseas. If youwear khaki Dockers to work because they are socomfortable, put them aside for your trip. A dark plain lightweight wool suit will be accepted for alloccasions. Use it for after work social events as well. See what the network news anchors wear. Do not wear brown or patterns unless you are a university professor.
The Tie Is the Thing
White shirts are fine and are always OK. You'll see many men wearing colors. I prefer a sky blue. Ties from the top fashion names, or knock-offs, are the order of the day.
Women on Business
Ladies, please please please leave your Madeline Albright suits athome. Better yet just throw them in the trash. Those tight pastelskirts and jackets are screaming yuk, absolutely horrible. I can't even put the real words into print. Hillary Clinton and her pastel pants suits are just as bad.
I recommend that you wear a loose fitting black pantssuit, a few of your best silk blouses, a couple of splashy scarves, and maybe a pearl choker. Be feminine but be modest. Have a look at Dr. Condoleezza Rice and what she wears. She looks right sharp all over the world, and presents an image that all Americans can really be proud of. She is cool. Imitate her and you won't go wrong.
Bring only the jewelry that you can afford to have stolen. Repeat. Bring only the jewelry that you can afford to have stolen. You have read the stories of Hollywood bimbos more than once.
BEACH WEAR
Speedos had been the tradional beach wear for men in Europe. Younger fellows have taken up with California surfer style trunks which they wear over the speedos.
Women normally wear one piece and two piece suits as in the USA. However a significent percentage of women leave the top half of the bikini at home. Topless girls are everywhere. And the tonga is popular, showing 99% of the derrière and leaving not much to the imagination.
To leave even less to the imagination and not wear anything go to one of the nude beaches. Going naked is allowed on designated coastal beaches and inland waterways throughout Europe. This is usually posted "naturist" accompanied by the local word for beach.
LAUNDRY
Unfortunately, you do have to wash your clothes whiletraveling. There are several ways to get it done. In packing light you need only 3 days worth of everything plus the clothes on your back. This means a laundry job twice a week.
Hotel Service
In standard tourist class hotels you rarely see a laundrybag, a normal item in American motels. When I have found thelaundry bag in Europe I almost used it for something else afterreading the prices. It would be cheaper to buy new clothes atAmerican prices, but you won't find American prices in Europe. Ifthe hotel does not have a cleaning or laundry service, the deskclerk will be able to direct you to a dry cleaner or laundromat.
If you are on an extended business trip you probably mustuse the hotel service because you do not have time to do ityourself. Some miserly Dilbert managers will single out this itemon your expense report and try to disallow it. Stand your ground.
When having dry cleaning done, make sure that cleaning isdone and not just pressing. Write down the native word forcleaning. If there are spots or stains, point them out to theattendant. Spot removal can't be guaranteed because the spot may bedue to loss of dye rather than misdirected spaghetti sauce or wine.
Hostel "Service"
If you are using hostels as you travel, for the economy or the camaraderie, you are likely to find a washing machine in a side room. This will be one of the most convenient and cheapest opportunities for washing your clothes. If you are traveling in high season you may have to wait in line to use the machine.
These facilities will be strictly self-service. If you do not understand the workings of the machine, ask. If you put your stuff in and come back six hours later you can expect to see your clothes dumped on any adjacent table or chair. Someone else needed to wash. Do likewise if you need to, but ask the manager first. Just because the machine has stopped does not mean that the wash is finished. It may be on one of its pauses.
Before starting ask what the fee is if it is not posted. You may or may not need to furnish your own suds.
The washing machines in my Riga hostel were the most modern Europe has to offer. However, the dryer was more traditional. The wire hangar saves plenty of energy. Latvia and the other Baltic countries are great places to visit because everything is still so inexpensive.
Laundromats
Public laundromats are usually attended, sometimes are coinoperated, normally have restricted hours, and are typically closed one or two days aweek. European machines are smaller than American ones and take one houror more per load. Part way through the wash cycle the machinepauses for an extended soak.
If you allow the laundromat to dothe wash for you the attendant will set the temperature dependingon the color of your clothes. Attendants follow the rules on themachine, period. Your permanent press white shirts will probably beboiled and returned as permanently wrinkled. I suggest that you doit yourself in a coin machine. If you can't read the directions,ask around to see if someone speaks English. If that fails, watchthe others. Temperatures are in Celsius, a.k.a. centigrade. Forinformation on Celsius see chapter 27, Europe's Metric System.
The price of one load of wash can be three dollars or more.Detergent will be available, either in single load sizes from acoin automat or free from a soap tub in the laundromat.
Dryers are similar to ours so you should have nodifficulty. Dryers normally run on a ten minute cycle and the costis reasonable. You'll probably have to come back every ten minutes to feed and start the thing again since many will not run multiple times with extra coins.
Lonely Planet is the only guide book series which locateslaundromats in the major cities. Use their maps and legend to finda place to wash your clothes. You do not necessarily want to askyour hotel. The manager may direct you to one of his associates orsub-contractors. That is not always your best deal.
Wash Basin or Bidet
It's the old fashioned way. If you do not want to go to alaundromat then you must scrub, soak, rinse, wring, and hang to dry.
Many hotel rooms in France are posted, "Do not washyour clothes in the room, and do not eat in the room" — freetranslation from le français (French). My theory isthat if no drip marks or crumbs are left on the floor, the spiritof the hotel keeper's request is honored. Hand washing clothes inyour room will certainly save you money, will probably occupy less ofyour time, and will relieve you of the uncertainty of delay due tosometimes service. Picnicking in your room has exactly the same benefits. See chapter 15, Eating in Europe: Travel on Thy Belly.
Instead of doing your laundry in the wash basin, use thebidet. A letter from a reader asked if thisis sanitary. The bidet is clean so why not? You can let yourlaundry soak for a while and still be able to brush your teeth andwash your face.
Wring out yourunderwear and hang it over the usually present radiator. It will bewarm and dry by morning. But dust off the radiator first. And dothe wash early in the evening since the heat is often turned off atnight and then comes back on for a few hours in the morning.
One challenge for the scrub-it-yourselfer will be in hanging your clothes if they are still dripping. This applies to slacks, skirts, shirts, blouses, and other outer-wear. Inflatable hangars are ideal for drip dry shirts and blouses. If you have no bathtub or shower in the room, use anewspaper to catch the drips. Sometimes a bit of ingenuity will beneeded to figure out what to tie your line on. Some rooms arealmost impossible. Strapping tape can sometimes come to the rescue. See chapter 6, Pack Light Field Test:Travel Europe in Comfort and Style.Take your wash down in the morning so that the chambermaid doesn't observe. You do notneed a confrontation with the hotel keeper. If your clothes are still damp just hang them in the closet, if there is one.
In the Bag
There are times when you just do not have enough time in one place to wash out the undies. Say you have to catch a train or drive to the next city pronto. No problem. Put your small stuff in a two gallon ZipLoc™ bag with a packet of Woolite™. Add water. Zip it up and shake it around a bit. You can let them soak until you find running water again to rinse them out. Then hang to dry.
On the Floor
Do not leave your clothes or anything you intend on keeping in a bag on the floor of your hotel room. Housekeeping hires from the bottom of the grade card. It is possible, even likely, that anything on the floor will be viewed as trash and thrown into the dumpster when maid service enters the room.
BUYING EUROPEAN CLOTHES
Buying clothes in Europe can be a challenge. Clothing iscut differently, partly for style and partly to fit the build ofthe average citizen. This varies considerably from country tocountry.
Size Conversion Tables
Take care in using the clothing size conversion tablespresented in travel books. Tables differ. Sales clerks are seldomknowledgeable or helpful on this. They know less about Americansizes than you can learn about European sizes. Size tables areposted in some of the large department stores, though in somestores I have seen conflicting conversion tables for American toEuropean sizes on the wall and on garment packages. I have boughtthe same size under shorts with the same brand name in two differentEuropean countries. One was loose and one was tight.
The True Test
If you buy clothes in Europe, have yourself measured by acompetent salesperson, if you can find one. Measurements and sizes will be incentimeters. See chapter 27 Europe's Metric System: Travel with Grams, Meters, Liters, and Centigrade if you slept through my math class and do not know about the metric system. Men's shirt sleeves are measuredfrom the shoulders, not the spine. Also try the garment on.Ascertain whether or not it will shrink when washed. Cotton itemspurchased in Europe will probably shrink. Buy something a size too big.
Long dark coats are favored in Norway. This is Oslo in January and way up north at about the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, but there is no snow on the ground. The Gulf Stream keeps the climate temperate throughout northern coastal Europe.
For a bit of insight on hot and cold, drips and wind see Travel Weather in Europe:They measure it differently.
HAIR
Although it is not something that most of us pack for atrip, hair is an important part of your wardrobe in the context ofyour appearance.
Men
The long grizzly look is characteristic of laborers anddopey students, just as it is in the United States. Before you go,get a haircut. Short hair is much easier to take care of, animportant consideration while traveling. But, do not get a militarytrim. That's too short. If you get a full head shave you may be mistaken for a bar bouncer. However, real bar bouncers may regard you as a punching bag.
The morning shave is probably the one thing most men wishthey could do without, but it might be better to continue shaving.Beards invoke suspicion in many people (e.g., customs agents andairport security folks), fear in some (e.g., young women), and instantdislike in most of the rest (e.g., hotel clerks and maitres d').You do not need hassles and rejections from these folks while youare traveling. I met the scorn of some Dutch girls at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on my 2015 summer trip. Ouch. I shaved the beard off that night using my favorite "shaving cream," vinegar. See the multiple virtues of vinegar in my Personal Care Items chapter 6.
But then again, wearing a beard saves time and trouble in the morning so make your own call on this. Try to keep it neatly trimmed if you have a beard. I have had a beard for many years, on and off.
I'm preaching on this site about not wearing Levis, keeping your hair trimmed, and controlling the facial hair. This shows me in Buda overlooking Pest, Hungary circa 1989. It looks like I am a sinner. Mon Dieu! No wonder that the security guys have been giving me a pat down at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport for decades. The strap of my day bag is visible and my video camera in my right hand is ready to roll for any action that comes along.
Women
Traditionally, European women do not shave their legs. But theyseldom show much leg (except at the beach) since their dresses and skirts overlap their boots. An American woman traveling in Europe couldeasily escape the regular leg shaving. In addition, many European women do not shave under their arms. These traditions are crumbling and women generally shave these days. Whether or not to go traditional is a matter of personal taste.
A few people who have read this paragraph have gone ballistic, accusing me of saying that European women do not shave their underarms and legs. And some European women have emailed me to the effect that women in the next country do not shave but the women in their country do shave. That supports my observations – some do and some do not.
Here is something that I don't know anything about. A reader, Jennifer, wrote recently: "My daughter found that almost all of her friends from London and other European cities did not shave their legs, they exfoliate. I have done it for years and can't tolerate stubble now."Further comments from the fair side of the human race are welcome.
And finally, some American women do not shave their armpits. To illustrate, Joan Rivers appeared on the Johnny Carson show a number of times. On one occasion in 1986 Joan was recapping her attendance at Madonna's wedding. She mentioned that Madonna raised her arm and Joan had a look. She told Johnny "I thought Tina Turner was under there." The whole interview was a scream, one of the funniest shows ever. See it on YouTube at Joan Rivers is Hilarious on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. It is a tragedy that Joan died. She was a genius of comedy and never hesitated to speak her mind.
WHAT LUGGAGE?
How do you select luggage for your 'pack light' trip? Best Luggage for Europe: Get Wheels and Let It Roll gives my recommendations based on years of European travel.
