Pack light! That is my best packing tip and I tell it to everyone especially the people I travel with since I want no part of helping people carry heavy luggage. Take the smallest suitcase you can. Think about what you really need to take with you to enjoy your trip.

When most of us travel we spend the night in several different cities which means hopping on and off trains and buses where you have limited luggage storage. You constantly have to lift your suitcase to put it in the overhead compartment. Many hotels have small elevators or no elevators so you are lugging your suitcase up and down stairs or trying to squeeze into an old elevator made to fit one or two people with no luggage. Don’t even get me started on trying to haul big suitcases over the bridges and up and down the steps in Venice.

I have lost count of how many times the airlines have lost my luggage over the last few years. I never check luggage anymore. In the past I have been stranded for days without my luggage.

Twice in the past year I have made it halfway to my destination only to be dumped in a city not of my choosing but very thankful to have my luggage with me.

Why pay the fee to check luggage? Save your money and treat yourself to a good meal in Italy.

Here is how you pack light for your trip to Italy: