31 Days, 1 Bag

On a short trip to France a few years ago, we found ourselves on a train platform clutching reserved seat tickets for car No. 12 from Paris to Avignon, but the train rolled into the station with only 11 cars attached. We waited for assistance, but none came, so at the last minute, we tossed in our carry-on bags, leaping in seconds before the train took off. With heavier luggage we never would have made it. We vowed then and there to take only carry-on bags whenever we could.

Last spring we were headed for 31 days in Italy, our longest trip ever, driving over 2,800 kilometers with seven overnight stays, including a central two-week idyll in a rented Umbrian villa. Could we manage it with just one carry-on each?

Manage it we did, and we learned a few lessons along the way.

Rental car lots are distant, trunks are small

At the Milan Airport, we wheeled our bags the requisite long distance to the rental car lot, through a tunnel, along a moving sidewalk and then out to the huge lot, where our luggage fit perfectly into the covered back compartment of our rental car. We were delighted since we wanted our bags to stay covered in the car, making us less of a target for thieves. European cars do not have American-sized trunks.

Small hotel; no elevator

Our usual search for atmospheric hotels made this one in Soragna perfect in every way but that. Up two daunting flights of steps we went with our carry-ons, no problem.

In Cortona we wound our way up a steep, curving road to find our hotel perched on the edge of the hilltop. An outside helper guided us to the car park, around a few corners and several blocks away. We trundled our luggage back to our lovely hotel to discover that when they filmed "Under the Tuscan Sun," all the movie stars had stayed here, including Diane Lane and Sandra Oh. Did they have to park around the block, too?

Elevators in small European hotels are tiny

If there is an elevator, you can fit in either the luggage or yourselves -- not both. With carry-ons we made it in two trips, one for ourselves and one for the luggage. This gave us time in Monteriggioni to climb the ramparts before a delicious dinner.

Villas rarely come with staff

Our gorgeous rented villa in Umbria was a restored 13th-century lieutenant's guard tower, a very tall structure with about 50 winding stone steps from the main level to our tower room at the top. We got our luggage up and down just fine, and settled in for two weeks. We explored Umbrian hill towns, ate superb pasta, browsed craft and art galleries, cooked in our well equipped kitchen and lounged on our own loggia overlooking an Umbrian valley. As an idyll, it was perfect.

Lucca is a walled city with narrow and busy streets. Here our small hotel was on a high-traffic street with no pull-in parking. When we stopped to unload, cars immediately backed up behind us. We hurriedly dumped out the luggage to the sound of honking horns before I drove to the hotel's locked yard down the street.

There are some places you can't take your car

Our final luggage test was yet to come. On an underground walk through an ancient Etruscan cave, my mate bumped his knee badly. By now we were jumping on and off ferry boats in the Cinque Terra, where no cars are allowed and you get around only by boat, a little train or by walking a fairly rough path between these five towns perched on cliffs and virtually dangling over the blue Mediterranean. Our hotel was high up on a cliff, as well. Fortunately, there was a miniature taxi to take us and our (little) bags up there.

Expect the unexpected

After the knee injury, we needed a wheelchair for the big airports in Milan and Amsterdam. Because the suitcases were small, my partner was able to hold his bag on his lap as I toted my own. Once again, less luggage made it possible.

Overall, we loved traveling more as Europeans do -- lighter, simpler and less ostentatious. We were more independent and fit in better as we checked in or out without mongo luggage loads attracting attention. It takes planning but it is well worth it.

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE Open up that one roller bag and find out how it held enough for a month.

1. Your carry-on bag can be no larger than 29 linear inches; the standard 22-incher meets that requirement if you don't stuff it to the max. We each carried a shoulder-bag for money, passports and sundries.

2. Build your wardrobe around one primary color (black, brown or navy) with one secondary color (gray or camel) that matches everything.

3. You will have to do laundry. I, however, have given up understanding the endless cycles of Italian washing machines and go to the "lavanderia" where my clothes come back one day later wrapped in pink tissue paper. Going to the laundry is cheaper than having the hotel do it.

5. Leave showy or expensive jewelry behind; I take one pair of earrings, one costume necklace, a substitute wedding ring and a cheap watch.

6. Two pairs of shoes -- walking shoes for every day and slightly dressier black walking shoes for evening (cobblestone streets mean no stilettos). Wear one pair, pack one. (If you need sandals, make them lightweight.)

7. Pants or slacks -- pack two pairs and wear one -- or substitute a skirt or shorts depending on your preference and time of year. (For evening, I often take another silky pair of black pants that roll up into a ball.)

8. All-weather jacket and a small travel umbrella (the best ones are at the Triple AAA store or Magellan's online).

9. For evening: men -- one sport coat/blazer, one dress shirt and one tie; women -- the aforementioned black pants and one black top. (Europe can be more formal than the United States.)

Other items:

•Seven underpants, two bras for women, seven pairs of socks, one set of pajamas or nightgown.

• Small computer or Kindle, packed in shoulder bag or purse.

• Fit your liquids into a one-quart plastic bag; don't exceed the three-ounce limit -- use travel sizes for shaving cream, perfume, makeup, etc.

• Sun hat, sunscreen, sunglasses.

• Travel alarm.

• Camera and batteries.

• Small flashlight (church interiors can be dark).

• Money belt; unfolding bag for purchases (Baggalini has a good one).

• Cell phone, set for European reception, or rent one.

Merle Minda