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A life changing decision ... but what do I wear?!

DragonflyJane

After months of talking about it, John & I have made the potentially life-changing decision to go travelling for at least a year (primarily around Europe) in a motor-home.

Neither of us took gap-years when we were younger so now seems like an ideal time for us - both his sons are happy & settled with their partners and our parents are still healthy & independant plus we're still young(ish) enough to do it ourselves!!

All being well, we'll be embarking on our adventure in about a year. It's quite a way ahead but I'm wondering if anyone here has done something similar & most importantly - what on earth do I wear???!!!

We are aiming for a 6 berth motor-home so it will have a bit of storage but not tons.

I'm rubbish at holiday packing so a "travelling" wardrobe is going to be really hard for me to put together & I don't particularly want to look like a traveller all of the time!

Any advice would be gratefully received!

General

32 replies

Latest reply was from DragonflyJane

ButterflyLady

(website)

Veteran

I am not good at packing, so I can't offer advice, but just wanted to say .... how exciting!

MNsara

Veteran

That sounds SO wonderful!! I think the limited packing part will be tricky and might require some decisions on what season you'll be where, but what a fun thing to have to plan

Yay for you two That's the sort of thing I just dream about, so I'm thrilled when I hear someone realize their dreams too!!!!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm SO excited for you! This sounds like a dream come true to me.

I hope savvy traveler Sheila chimes in. I've only done a two-month solo camping/photography trip (driving across the USA and back), and I dressed in gear most of the time because I was mostly just hiking and taking photographs. I didn't have to take many "real" clothes. All the same, I probably packed more than I needed, but I only wanted to have to do laundry every two weeks.

Maybe it will help to start with a list of your destinations and activities. Most towns, restaurants, destinations, etc., are so casual these days that you don't need to take along anything fancy for an occasional nice dinner out, etc.

Weather will be a factor, of course. I'm betting you'll need to be prepared for a wide range of temperatures and conditions, so layers will be your friend. I tried to take simple knits with me that could be dressed up a little if need be, and didn't require any ironing or special care -- everything I took could be machine washed and dried.

Whatever you pack, I know this will be the experience of a lifetime! Enjoy!

ETA, one thing I found very useful for "dressing up" an otherwise utilitarian jeans-tee-comfortable shoes outfit was a scarf! I took a couple of brightly patterned, fun long scarves that not only could keep my neck warm on cool nights, but livened up the neckline of a plain tee shirt.

rachylou

Veteran

Wow! That will be so AWSOME. There was an article in Town & Country last year, I think it was, about motor-homing across continent. Sort of a travelogue. I wouldn't do "travel clothes" for a whole year. But everything has to be easy wash & dry.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

What is the climate? You can pack a minimal wardrobe and plan to pick up some things in your travels. What a fun pursuit!

HelenInCanada

Veteran

Sounds amazing! You'll need pieces that can double for comfort and presentation, for sure. Well-fitting jeans with stretch, a non-wrinkly somewhat structured jacket, a few versatile dresses, maybe some scarves, drawstring pants, oh the list goes on. Easy-to-wash and store (handwash, hang dry, fold). Ahhh, I feel so excited for you!

Mochi

Veteran

Oh WOW, Jane! My parents, back in their late sixties/early seventies maybe seven years ago, spent about two years traveling in their motor home. They didn't go to Europe, but they crisscrossed the US and had a marvelous time. If you have any general questions on motor home life, I'd be happy to forward them. The space wasn't tiny exactly, but it definitely required downsizing.

(I know Europe's gas prices have always been exorbitant, and I can't imagine what they're like currently, so you may want to do a comparative analysis of traveling by motor home vs. staying in B&Bs or wherever. Even in the US, these monster vehicles eat up fuel like crazy...I think they were spending $100/day on gas when they were on the road.)

bella

(website)

Veteran

That sounds wonderful. I used to follow this blogger, who spent a good portion of the last year travelling in Europe:
http://the-other-emily.blogspot.com/

You can click on the "in the bag" link on the right to see the whole set of outfits she packed and then click on individual pictures to see how she wore them.

On a different note, I was under the impression that it would be difficult to visit European cities with a motor-home because of logistics, such as parking, etc. What is your opinion on that?

Mochi

Veteran

Just wanted to clarify that these are American RVs and are probably a lot bigger than European ones? In fact I think they call them "caravans" in Europe and it's very popular. I still would want to have a clear understanding of how much I'd be paying, generally, on fuel. But this is obvious so I apologize that you've probably already been considering this. I'm mentioning just to make sure. As for wardrobes, my parents dressed simply and casually. It's funny that at the time they were square dancers, so some of their small closet space was devoted to square dance clothing You'll be carrying four seasons of clothing (unless you stay in the warm part of Europe) so that will be an interesting challenge too.

kimana517

(website)

Wow! That sounds amazing!

I think clothing that is versatile and easy-care would be best. Short-sleeve or sleeveless wrinkle-free jersey dresses that you can layer under/over for cooler weather, stretchy dark denim jeans that can be dressed up or down (oh, and the tights/leggings you layer under the dresses could be worn under the jeans if necessary if you found yourself in unexpected cold), and lots of scarves.

When I travel I tend to take items that correlate to black OR brown. Granted, the longest I've ever traveled anywhere has been 3½ weeks, but that surely simplifies shoe and accessory choices.

Anonymous

What an exciting adventure awaits! Hooray! I hope you post pictures from the road.

nancylee

Veteran

What an exciting adventure! My husband and I traveled Europe for a few weeks during our late 20's and it was one of the best times of my life. A year of traveling sounds like heaven.

My advice is to pack light and try to coordinate items as much as possible. Lots of neutrals that go together, comfortable shoes, a light jacket, a cardi, and accessories like scarves to vary up the look of your outfits. There are some travel catalogs/websites like TravelSmith and Magellan's that sell clothing and handy supplies, but some of the clothes can be a little frumpy so be careful!

Have a great time!

Meredith1953

Veteran

I was in France only for almost a month this last year. I took one pair or dress black trousers, a pair of jeans, one pair of khakis, 3 t-shirts white, black, gray, 2 turtlenecks, gray and black, one black carcoat length trench, 1 gray cotton fitted jacket. 3 or 4 scarfs, black ecco ankle boots, 1 pair of black walking flats. 1 pair of black sandals. 1 silky top and enough undies for a week. That all fit in one of those carry on duffel bags. Worked fine for me. You are going to have SUCH a wonderful time!!!!

anchie

Veteran

Exciting!! And brave Since I am from Europe myself, I am wondering in which season and which parts of the Europe you are planning to visit? Do you have already more detailed plan? If it is a winter season, are you planning for skiing, or maybe a beach vacation during the summer?

DragonflyJane

What a great response so far & some fab ideas - thank you!

The planning is in the very early stages. We're also thinking of breaking up the travelling by "wooofing" which is working on organic farms etc for food & board. We're hoping it'll be a good way to make sure the money goes further plus we'll get to meet lots of other people too.

The initial aim is to motor to Portugal from the UK during March next year as we have a one week slot in an apartment in Alvor every year & we love it. We were thinking of "wooofing" for a couple of months in Portugal or Spain before moving on!

I think in general UK motorhomes are smaller than the American RVs but fuel prices are a definite consideration - petrol/diesel's expensive everywhere in Europe! If we do visit major cities, I think we'd look to park up on the outskirts & use local transport into the centres. We're visiting Seville for a couple of days this year on our way to Portugal (we drive from Malaga) and we're staying in the outskirts but near a train/metro station.

Mochi, I'd be very grateful for any advice your parents can offer about life on the road - I just don't know what to expect!

Meredith, I love your precise list - I'm going to use it as the basis of my packing for my upcoming holiday - it will be great practice! I wonder though if I can have my own van for all my shoes?!

bj1111

Veteran

OMG...i am so envious and delighted for you at the same time! what a wonderful opportunity and decision.

think washable in a sink and dryable hung in the john...just in case.

totally ot, check out the nomads

http://www.theworldisourlobste...../HOME.html

they planned to be away for 12 months. they are now well into their third year.

Louise

Veteran

I'm afraid I can't travel light, I went to my cousins for 3 nights just before Christmas and took a suitcase (think 2 week holiday size!) plus 3 various other bags! The car was full! so I can't offer any advice but what a fabulous adventure x

Elly

Veteran

Very exciting-- I don't know how much this will apply to you because Europe and your own personal touring style is going to impact anything I say.

My own grandparents did something very similar immediately after retiring-- except they drove from CO to Alaska and toured Alaska while sleeping in the back of their minivan! They were gone for 4 months I think. Two people (one over 70, one in her sixties, one over 6" tall) in the amount of space of a queen mattress and two bucket seats!

I lived in a medium-sized American camp trailer (the type you tow behind a truck) that was big enough to have a real "bed" for about 1/3 of the year last year (from -15 F to 95 F). Looking at 6-berth European RVs, I'd say that what I lived in was of a very comparable size, although my trailer is only meant to sleep 4 or 5, but has slightly more "kitchen" than most european models from the looks of it. The trailer originally belonged to my grandfather, who lived there about half the year for several years after he underwent cancer treatment to escape from the cold that comes with living in Colorado.

For me, personally, I could easily keep several weeks of clothing in one of the two small closets. It wouldn't have been too difficult to share the closet with a S/O. There was plenty of storage for bedding, linens, kitchen supplies, and food. I think where storage really would potentially get tight is storage for gear and hobby supplies. A year is a long time to be without that stuff, and there will be downtime. My "hobby" stuff could be accommodated, but if my (imaginary) SO had a similar level of "stuff", more camping gear, ect. it could become a storage issue, as well as just a general space issue (if one of you is working at the table on something that has to be spread out a little, the other better feel comfortable hanging out on the bed or outside, otherwise it can get cramped--- meals have to be easy to prepare, prepared outside, or you need to stop almost all other activity in the trailer to have space to prep/walk). Kinda like living in an efficiency studio together with no free floor space and low ceilings. I would personally recommend checking out Airstream trailer forums-- in the US we have a large group of people that live in Airstream or other trailers and it amazing how they work things out!

Elly

Veteran

Depending on what your RV shower/bathtub is like, or depending if you can find room for a large tub to wash in outside and have a place to line dry outside--- I actually wouldn't recommend doing too much handwashing. If you are in a cold area, you don't want to increase the humidity inside the trailer if at all possible because just breathing with the unit shut up tight against the cold can create condensation issues since insulation is not the best. Nothing is worse that waking up with your ceiling raining on you! Likewise, unless you are in a hot dry area that you can leave all the windows open in or have an AC running, I wouldn't want to increase the humidity in the heat. Handwashing outside in a campground that you feel safe hanging clothes outside on a makeshift line is ok-- but I lived in the desert and still had issues getting my damp shower towels to dry inside the bathroom of the trailer unless I could leave the windows and vents open (no rain, no suspicious people, while parked) and I didn't even shower in the trailer. It would have been ok for clean t-s and undies emergencies, but I wouldn't plan on it unless your in a remote area where facilities are not available, or you have access to an area you feel safe drying outdoors.

That said, things you can't wash are pretty much negatives too!

qfbrenda

Veteran

http://theviviennefiles.blogspot.com/

I don't know anything about your style. The blogger at that link is very classic and that may or may not work for you. But the principles she uses in putting together small groups of clothing are great. She chooses a small number of colors and picks accessories that go with those colors for the maximum mix-and-match potential. I hope you can get some good ideas from her.

That sounds like an amazing adventure!

Anonymous

http://theviviennefiles.blogspot.com/

Try this blog I linked to. She posts capsule wardrobes all the time and European holiday capsules especially.

If I won the lottery, buying an RV would be the 2nd thing I would do....the first would be to quit work

Sounds amazing

Anonymous

Oa, didn't realize I duplicated a previous post

Vicki

(website)

Veteran

I am just writing to say how excited I am to hear about your life-changing decision! What a thrilling plan you two have and it sounds like you are choosing to do this at a very good time in your lives. Bella's link was really good; I just took a look at it! The woman is stylish and elegant and her wardrobe pieces seem to mix and flow quite nicely.

FWIW, here's a link on 25 ways to wear a scarf in a short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ture=email

Here's a video on wearing six items for 30 days:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07.....ef=fashion

The last is an article with a packing list of what the writer would wear on a two-week vacation midway down in the story:
http://trueslant.com/caitlinke.....r-30-days/

This will all be very exciting as your plans develop for your upcoming adventure, DragonflyJane.

Jonesy

Veteran

Wow, how amazing! No advice on packing, just wanted to chime in and say Yay for going for it!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Like Jonesy, I'm just chiming in to say what a KILLER experience!

Isabel

Veteran

Oh how wonderful !!! Yes, NOW is the time.

DragonflyJane

Hello everybody, I've been laid low with a horrid bug for the past couple of days.

Thanks for all your comments & also all your great links which I've been furiously bookmarking!

I'm still evaluating my own style direction so I think these stylish bloggers will prove really inspirational. I'm hoping not to spend all my time in vest, cargo pants & flip-flops!

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Personally I think it sounds like a good opportunity to shop the continent!

Not so much in the sense that you will want to hit ever Carrefour in Spain for pretty much exactly the same kind of stuff that you can buy anywhere else, but it might be nice to get a small thing -- a scarf, a bag, a piece of jewelry, etc -- from each major destination as both a souvenir and a way to extend your wardrobe as you go along.

DragonflyJane

Great idea Mander - I like it!

I bought a new scarf today & told the husband it'll be a really good travelling companion as it folds up so small!

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