We're going to be in Europe for 2 weeks (St. Paul's to St. Peter's) in July. We are going to try to pack light which means having to wash some things along the way. Idon't have a problem handwashing some things, but it would be great to know there are other options. With our schedule I'd like to know if there are any laundry options in Lucerne, Venice or Florence. Any other input about this tour is also welcome!

Hi Jenice,

Well, July will be a very " hot" month to travel to Europe, especially Italy.
There are not a lot of options doing your laundry, and if there are, the cost is very high. I personally did a lot of handwashing daily ( hotels fees could be also very expensive ), try to get the clothes made of a light material so they can dry up easily. Don't forget to pack some detergent.

Regards !

My wife and I have taken two tours with Cosmos and have found no easy way to do laundry. Your days are full and laundromats hard to come by. Last year we tried disposable underwear and found they worked great. As others have said you can get two or three days out of tops and slacks. Every one else on the tour will be doing the same. Just mix and match and the ladies can use some scarves to lend changes to their wardrobe as needed. I would recommend practicing some hand washing in your bathroom sink while at home. Do this at about ten in the evening as this is the time you will likely be doing it. Things will have to be dry enough to wear or pack by six in the morning. See how long it takes to dry things and what they look like afterwards. Pack things for a few days and see how they come out. It will be much better to see what works and does not work at home then on the road.

Dave and Katie
Sitka, Alaska
cannonisle@alaska.com

Thanks for the tips. I saw the disposable underwear on a travel store site and think we may give that a try. My goal is to buy very lightweight tops and lightweight cotton capris/skirts so that they would dry in an overnight period.

We were away on tours for 8 weeks last year and handwashed the whole time. You get into a routine of doing it everynight, you can't leave it a day otherwise there's no room to hang it. Take a clothline with you as only a few hotels have one in the bathroom. I found one that had suction caps and hooks (the suction doesn't always work and the hooks were a life saver ), we also took a couple of blow up coathangers, especially good for quick drying of shirts. I found that any washing that didn't dry overnight was OK packed in a plastic bag in the suitcase and pulled out as soon as we arrived that night and rehung. Hvae a great trip.