2 adults, 2 kids, 3 weeks, 2 Aeronauts

[ejvc]

Well, we're heading out tomorrow for three weeks of touring through (checks weather again) a huge unseasonable early heatwave of 38C or 100F weather expected for southern Germany and Switzerland, right where we'll be. Hello climate catastrophe, I guess we'll be getting to know you better over the years... my husband is reading up on heat stroke...

At any rate, we've stocked up on water bottles and cut down on everything else so we currently have --

Me with an A30 at 7.4kg (I carry my clothes, the "fun bag" with cards and dice and drawing and painting stuff, an extra pair of shoes, toiletries, tech cords (kindle/watch/phone/HDMI/power bank), coffee thermos, water bottle, food thermos, cutlery roll, cup & plate and of course purse, laundry bag with scrubba, soap, plug and drying line). I've made my own packing cube shoulder bag out of an IKEA packing cube with a strap from another bag, that's what all the fun stuff is in.

My husband with an A45 at 8kg, with his clothes, half of the little boy's clothes, the whole family's swimsuits + two large linen towels (four would be better but...), toiletries including so much sunscreen, first aid kit, cutlery roll, cup & plate, plus phone charger & power bank. He also has charge of the passports and tickets.

My little girl (11) with a Fjällraven Kånken at 3kg with her clothes, a doll, a medium sketchbook, water bottle, headphones, a foldable cup & bowl, a cutlery roll, a pencil case, a phone and charger.

My little boy (6) with a very exciting shark backpack at 2.3kg with half his clothes, an iPad mini, charger, headphones, water bottle, foldable cup & bowl and cutlery roll.

Kids clothes are 3 pair shorts, one pair light long pants, four t-shirts/tank tops, five undies and four low socks, plus a merino wool zip-up sweater in case it turns cold later in the trip ha ha ha and a pair of summer pyjamas.

We have similar clothes - three bottoms, four light tops and a layer, plus I have a big light scarf (also used as a train "blanket" for kids and swim coverup); my daughter has one too. I also have brought a bandana with the idea of soaking it in water if needed OMG. I have two pair of shoes though because I am vain.

Finally we have a food bag (a lightweight ikea one). which has comestibles, an extra water bottle (did I mention the heat?) and a little cutting board, knife, and tea towel.


-- because we are travelling only by train etc we are not bringing rollers as we do when flying since the train stations are absolutely packed with stairs and people, not to mention the cobblestones etc in the towns. We've tried to focus instead on just bringing way less. When I travelled to France a couple of weeks ago I saw that many people were using backpack luggage.

I'll try to send pics. Please send your wishes for cool weather our way.

[Cristina]

Well, we're heading out tomorrow for three weeks of touring through (checks weather again) a huge unseasonable early heatwave of 38C or 100F weather expected for southern Germany and Switzerland, right where we'll be. Hello climate catastrophe, I guess we'll be getting to know you better over the years... my husband is reading up on heat stroke...

At any rate, we've stocked up on water bottles and cut down on everything else so we currently have --

Me with an A30 at 7.4kg (I carry my clothes, the "fun bag" with cards and dice and drawing and painting stuff, an extra pair of shoes, toiletries, tech cords (kindle/watch/phone/HDMI/power bank), coffee thermos, water bottle, food thermos, cutlery roll, cup & plate and of course purse, laundry bag with scrubba, soap, plug and drying line). I've made my own packing cube shoulder bag out of an IKEA packing cube with a strap from another bag, that's what all the fun stuff is in.

My husband with an A45 at 8kg, with his clothes, half of the little boy's clothes, the whole family's swimsuits + two large linen towels (four would be better but...), toiletries including so much sunscreen, first aid kit, cutlery roll, cup & plate, plus phone charger & power bank. He also has charge of the passports and tickets.

My little girl (11) with a Fjällraven Kånken at 3kg with her clothes, a doll, a medium sketchbook, water bottle, headphones, a foldable cup & bowl, a cutlery roll, a pencil case, a phone and charger.

My little boy (6) with a very exciting shark backpack at 2.3kg with half his clothes, an iPad mini, charger, headphones, water bottle, foldable cup & bowl and cutlery roll.

Kids clothes are 3 pair shorts, one pair light long pants, four t-shirts/tank tops, five undies and four low socks, plus a merino wool zip-up sweater in case it turns cold later in the trip ha ha ha and a pair of summer pyjamas.

We have similar clothes - three bottoms, four light tops and a layer, plus I have a big light scarf (also used as a train "blanket" for kids and swim coverup); my daughter has one too. I also have brought a bandana with the idea of soaking it in water if needed OMG. I have two pair of shoes though because I am vain.

Finally we have a food bag (a lightweight ikea one). which has comestibles, an extra water bottle (did I mention the heat?) and a little cutting board, knife, and tea towel.


-- because we are travelling only by train etc we are not bringing rollers as we do when flying since the train stations are absolutely packed with stairs and people, not to mention the cobblestones etc in the towns. We've tried to focus instead on just bringing way less. When I travelled to France a couple of weeks ago I saw that many people were using backpack luggage.

I'll try to send pics. Please send your wishes for cool weather our way.

Wow. I hope you have a great time and that the heat wave is not all that's been promised!

What folding cups and bowls do you have and do you recommend them?

[G42]

With high heat, drink your water, eat a banana, and move nice and slow... no need to rush around - plan plenty of breaks in the shade or inside AC, especially late afternoon.
I don't think you mentioned hats - I hope you all have light, wide brimmed hats

Have a good time!

[Cristina]

With high heat, drink your water, eat a banana, and move nice and slow... no need to rush around - plan plenty of breaks in the shade or inside AC, especially late afternoon.
I don't think you mentioned hats - I hope you all have light, wide brimmed hats

Have a good time!

This is all great advice! I never leave home without a sun hat once the days get long.

Heatwaves in Europe are really dangerous because a lot of places just don't have AC so it's hard to find relief. Even in museums. (I imagine this is the basis of @ejvc's concern)

If it were me I would take a city by city approach and search/post on various travel or expat forums to see where you might duck into for a cooler couple of hours.

You might end up doing different stuff than you planned but it could bring pleasant surprises. Are cinemas airconned, for instance? In Cologne there is a fantastic pool/thermal baths a bit of a trek from the city centre on foot but it is so worth it. Other cities probably have similar.

Good luck!

[ejvc]

Hi, we are back and had a great time! Everything worked really well. I lost a hat and bought a new one in Switzerland, we visited swimming pools everywhere, we drank great wine, we visited friends, we oohed and aahed, we got really good at picknicking, one day we took eight trains and none of them were late, I met my one year old niece for the first time, and it was awesome. We had to hide indoors mostly in the worst heat, but we lived through it. It was nearly as hot back home here for the last few days but we can swim in the river where the water is always cool.

Packing worked great (I only brought one pair of shoes in the end). Most valuable probably the Scrubba wash bag and twisted elastic drying line, it was really easy to do the washing we needed to do.

[rivermead]

We also travel as a family of four with two young kids (8&9). Your list looks great. I have a couple questions about your picnic setup, because I have never been quite happy with our picnic logistics and would love to hear how you think through it
1.) What plates do you use?
2.) Why do you pack cups and plates in each person's bag instead of the food bag?
3.) Did you use cups in addition to water bottles, or instead of? I have always tried to do water bottle only, but then when I am really trying to push fluids and get juice I wish I had cups. (it is just so fun to try all the fun local juices)

[AlaskaGirl]

Greetings,
Have you seen the collapsible camping cups? Outdoor stores like REI carry them. I like the silicone ones. They fold flat, less than an inch high. There are also plates with a lip, which I find helpful for picnics.

Public Service Announcement:
Water bottles must be thoroughly washed every day if used for anything besides water. If there is any sugar content in the drink, bacteria or mold can develop and may cause a very unpleasant illness. I speak from experience.

Canteens and water bottles are designed for water. When used only for water, they can be used several days between cleanings. I've gone a week without cleaning, but I definitely prefer to clean my water bottle more frequently. My coworkers sometimes go much longer between cleaning.

When access to cleaning facilities is unavailable (camping or some military assignments), swishing a cup of alcohol for several minutes can sanitize a water bottle. Vodka is great for this. I've used rubbing alcohol, but let it dry thoroughly before use. The cap, lip, and mouth-hole are especially prone to bacteria growth, so make sure the alcohol contacts these parts.

Good luck! elisa

[sturbridge]

I have a Wildo folding cup. They come in 2 sizes, the large one can double as a bowl. https://www.wildo.se/products/the-orignal-fold-a-cup/

But I usually just use a stainless stell water bottle for whatever beverage I have.

[Cristina]

Greetings,
Have you seen the collapsible camping cups? Outdoor stores like REI carry them. I like the silicone ones. They fold flat, less than an inch high. There are also plates with a lip, which I find helpful for picnics.

Public Service Announcement:
Water bottles must be thoroughly washed every day if used for anything besides water. If there is any sugar content in the drink, bacteria or mold can develop and may cause a very unpleasant illness. I speak from experience.

Canteens and water bottles are designed for water. When used only for water, they can be used several days between cleanings. I've gone a week without cleaning, but I definitely prefer to clean my water bottle more frequently. My coworkers sometimes go much longer between cleaning.

When access to cleaning facilities is unavailable (camping or some military assignments), swishing a cup of alcohol for several minutes can sanitize a water bottle. Vodka is great for this. I've used rubbing alcohol, but let it dry thoroughly before use. The cap, lip, and mouth-hole are especially prone to bacteria growth, so make sure the alcohol contacts these parts.

Good luck! elisa

That is a top tip! It will have to be 120 proof vodka to do a decent cleaning job (60% alcohol is the threshold; you’ll notice Purell, etc are all 60%). Now if someone could sell small camping bottles of 120 proof vodka that would be a niche worth filling!

[aedifica]

That is a top tip! It will have to be 120 proof vodka to do a decent cleaning job (60% alcohol is the threshold; you’ll notice Purell, etc are all 60%). Now if someone could sell small camping bottles of 120 proof vodka that would be a niche worth filling!

That's useful knowledge! I had no idea. I went looking for more to read about it and this was the first article I found: https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/...nt?oid=1395764 (Somewhat disturbing about the mouthwash!)

[Cristina]

That's useful knowledge! I had no idea. I went looking for more to read about it and this was the first article I found: https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/...nt?oid=1395764 (Somewhat disturbing about the mouthwash!)

Wow, agree about the mouthwash!

[Rei]

That's useful knowledge! I had no idea. I went looking for more to read about it and this was the first article I found: https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/...nt?oid=1395764 (Somewhat disturbing about the mouthwash!)

it's good to be informed, thanks
about mouthwash: for daily uses better grap an alcohol-free one, in my area I was kind of surprised that all mouthwashes were alcohol-free (through it makes sense)

[aedifica]

it's good to be informed, thanks
about mouthwash: for daily uses better grap an alcohol-free one, in my area I was kind of surprised that all mouthwashes were alcohol-free (through it makes sense)

I use an alcohol-free fluoride rinse instead of a mouthwash, because I have never been able to stand the feeling of alcohol mouthwash--it feels like it's killing every cell in my mouth. Now I feel lucky that I already don't use mouthwash!

[haraya]

Eeek, agree about the mouthwash! I’ve never been able to stand the alcohol-based ones either.