Hi ronael,

Honestly, only YOU can decide what is ESSENTIAL. No one here know what you use.

Other than that, obviously, don't take anything in it's original size unless it's a "travel size". Go to a travel store/web site and buy their little sets, or better go to REI and pick up a bunch of their little tubes/bottles make for backpacking. Cost is much less that way and you get all kinds of choices!

Since you are going to be traveling for such a long time, I really wouldn't take anything that you absolutely KNOW you can't get in Europe.

Have a wonderful time, you're very lucky to be able to go for such a trip!

Ugh. Sorry I can't type tonight. It's been a long day!

Bring enough together you through the first days until you can buy larger sizes in Europe. Are you flying within Europe? If so , you'll need to where to the3oz rule if carrying on like we do

Things I wouldn't travel without for that long and would want use of the entire trip would be dental floss, nail clippers, a small pair of scissors, a few bandaids, a good mascara, and some Aleve or Advil. Any other medicine I/we have needed on a long trip, we have purchased at a local pharmacy. Never have gone astray with a pharmacist's recommendation in Europe.

My hairdresser gave me samples of shampoo and conditioner-they take up little space and got me through the first week.

I take solid shampoo bars (LUSH has them) for one; they last a long, long time and are of course much lighter and easier than bottles of shampoo. I use their facial cleansing solids, as well. Bar soap; the little ones that are usually in hotels aren't my favorite, and you can't always count on them. Toothpaste/brush, of course: I like the PearlDrops toothpaste as it's a little bottle and doesn't squish like the tubes of toothpaste do. (Yup, I've had issues with that.) Face cloth (preferably quick-drying microfiber so I can wash and pack it.) Dental floss. Sunscreen. (depends on where and when of course!) Band-aids. A small lotion--preferably something concentrated where a bit goes a long way. Q-tips!

Your mileage may vary, of course, but this has gotten me through a lot of places.

In our travels, we've acknowledged the need for "feminine supplies" - especially the type you are used to.

tC

All good advice.
Love the toothpaste advice + dental floss (never thought of that one!) Thanks Amy!
Yep, thought of 'feminine supplies'. Nothing worse than being caught short.
Any advice on perfume - I'd like to take some only I don't want to pack the whole bottle, it's heavy glass.
We've done up a first aid kit, with the help of a Travel doctor. It contains a range of antibiotics and the like. Fungal cream, ear/eye infection drops, Vicks Vaporub, Stingose, Hydralyte for upset tummys, Panandol etc. Advil is something I will add to it - thanks for that tip Janeyre.
Is it ok to put everything into a toiletries bag? I've noticed that some websites say to put toiletries into a clear ziplock bag. What are your thoughts?

The clear ziplocks are required for your toiletries in your carry-on in the US and in many other places I've been; I'm guessing it may vary by country, but I've actually found it easier in the long run than a toiletries bag anyway. (Oh, and do take extra zip-lock bags! Always useful.)

For perfume, you can pick up the little sample size bottles like this and a mini funnel; there are so many people in the e-tail fragrances business that they should be pretty readily available; don't forget a little funnel if you don't have one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290364357565&ih=019&category=41368&ssPageName=mem_guide:3&rd=1#ht_1641wt_941
Or you could go for a perfume pendant: little bottle that carries a small bit of your favorite fragrance. I usually don't carry it, depending on my soaps/lotions for scent; perfume can get to be a bit much on airplanes, of course.

I do put toiletries in my checked luggage at times; always in a double extra-heavy ziplock, and never full bottles of anything. (For example, I used an all-in-one herbal/tea tree type shower gel/shampoo in Vietnam; it was in a large plastic bottle, but I used it for face, hair, skin, and for washing my clothing. To be honest, my skin looked great by the end, but I was a little tired of the smell of tea tree!)

You may want something like Woolite for doing laundry in the hotel sink at times. I'd kinda forgotten that one as I've been traveling in places lately where, luxury of luxuries, you can get a huge amount of laundry done for about five bucks. But as I'm planning to visit Oz next year, I'd better get the hotel sink procedures ready again.

All good! Extra zip locks is a GREAT idea!
Amy, you're visiting Australia - that is fantastic - you'll love it I'm sure. I live in Australia, in TRUE Australia.....on a farm. It's a wonderful place to live and bring up a family. I'm very fortunate. If you'd like any tips on where to go etc (especially in Western Australia) I'd be happy to help out. If you're backpacking/looking for a bit of work in country WA, a lady who lives near us runs an on farm country backpacking hostel and she even finds the backpackers work. Mostly on farms doing good fun stuff.
Thanks again for your advice re perfume etc.

Kiss My Face makes a shaving cream that is available in a tiny 1.5 ounce container. Since you use just a bit, that small size will easily last a man for two weeks. I like it so much that I also buy it in a larger size and use it all the time. I found the smaller size at Whole Foods.

said before--and again-- lots and lots of baggies with the zip tab. i always tape a bunch of pieces of tape onto a couple of the baggies (one of which i carry in my purse) and i can pull off the tape as needed. also a few pieces of papertape (first aid). speaking of which... we always bring some antibacterial ointment (like bacetracin.) there are several european countries where any antibiotic-- even that which is in bacitracin-- requires a prescription. (we always bring our own antibiotics for long trips.) we also bring antibacterial soap and cut it up into little slices (after microwaving it for a moment) because we like a particular soap. we just use the tiny soaps as we go-- so we don't have to travel with wet soaps. have a great trip.

Hi Ronael, I noticed you said you're Australian. We are too, though we live in London now. I know that travel size toiletries are not always easy to get in Australia so another idea is to take shampoo etc that has only half an inch left in the bottom. It will be bulky but light and you can toss it after it runs out and buy something in Europe.

Don't worry too much about first aid/medications. We've found pharmacies in Europe helpful when we've had to buy things, like cold medication or travel sickness tablets, even though we don't speak the language. It is often cheaper than home too.

Don't forget to pack a soft pack of tissues or small purse packs. Toilets in some parts of Europe often don't have toilet paper so they are handy to have in your pocket. For perfume, I'd try and get a solid type perfume, much safer than a bottle.

Have a great time.
Kay

Hi Ronael, another West Aussie here! Coles do stock some small travel size bits and pieces. They usually have them on the end of an aisle near the toiletries. I purchased a roll on perfume from Cabtree and Evelyn, about the size of a pen, easy to fit in the bottom of your purse.

Priceline also have a range of travel products and small empty containers that you can fill up. I used one for liquid clothes wash for our "smalls".

The best thing that we purchased was a Samsonite toilet bag from Myer (on special) that has a hook. Many places have nowhere to put your bag put we always found a clothes hook, towel or shower rail to hang our bag. Hubby and I were able to use this between us. Worked a treat. http://tinyurl.com/yl4gxdl - luckily ours in plain blue but look just like this.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

hi ronael,

you only need to put liquid cosmetics/shampoo etc. in a clear plastic bag if you are taking carry-on luggage only. if you are chacking your luggage, there are no restrictions, so long as you are putting them in the hold.

if you are carry-on only, within europe you need a clear resealable bag, into which you may put as many 100ml containers as you like. [within reason]. you do not need to put bar soap, roll-on deoderant, lipsticks, etc. in the plastic bag.

a bigger problem amy be that the latest airline trick is to limit the no. of carry-on bags to one. just one. that includes any handbags or [in the case of easyjet] plastic bags with sandwiches in them! so you need to make allowance within any carry-on luggage for your handbag, camera, etc.etc.

this is making travelling with just carry-on within europe a real test of ingenuity.

<<< so another idea is to take shampoo etc that has only half an inch left in the bottom.>>>

Not if you want them in hand luggage where the size of the bottle cannot exceed 100ml

Dayle - You did say travel light - Take nothing except a large dose of broad-spectrum anit-biotics, an amount of severe painkillers and anti-inflamatories. No pharmacy will give you these without a doctors script. (Maybe carry that too as a reference to your medication).
The rest is widely available all over Europe. Even toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deoderant etc.
I love shopping for new and un-recognisable products!

I'm with Tod on this -- one of the treats of travel for me is using totally different products. Even if the products are inferior, it's only for a couple of weeks. And when they're really good, you can stock up on them to take back in your checked luggage.

This is a great idea....

https://www.icklebockles.co.uk/

get these and the you can decant from your big bottles before you go. They have lots of different tops including spray ones and pumps too.....

I always bring along a bit of twine and a few small travel clothespins for drying the things I hand wash.

Good idea about the twine. We always take a travel clothesline and a few pegs as well, very handy for hanging wet washing over the shower or bath to drip overnight. We use cheap shampoo for hand washing clothes.

A small amount of insulation tape can also come in handy to fix things.

Kay

On the topic of laundry, I take the follow:

A stretch clothesline with suction cups on each end. The line is two cords twisted together. Insert small bits of the garment between the cords. No pegs required.
http://www.wideworldtravelstore.com/shop/clothesline-black-elastic-54.html

A rubber sink stopper.

An inflatable coat hanger in case I need to wash something that takes longer to dry or I'm short on time.
http://www.amazon.com/Voltage-Valet-Inflatable-Travel-Hangers/dp/B000BI6DG6

Woolite in foil packets.
http://www.alltravelsizes.com/03-a-05-l.html

If you have sensitive skin like I do, I like to pack those Oil of Olay Cleansing Cloths -- add water and you can wash your face w/o using drying hotel soaps. Plus, no need to put them in the carry-on baggie AND they're nice and flat so packing them is a breeze.

I agree with Narnya on the Oil of Olay cloths being great for travel as well as home. After the face is washed they can be a regular washcloth and then tossed - I am very sensitive to products and have found baby wash (shampoo and body combination) ideal for travel. The fewer products to pack the better-also when purchased away from home more baby products are more likely to be gentle.
I also let my hair grow long enough to tie back or put up and saved lots of time and space by needing no hair products other than the baby shampoo/body wash, a "rake" of a comb, one small brush, two clips and some hair bungees. NO HAIR DRYER! No adaptor. Yay!

If you wear contacts, you can put the solution in a separate baggy and declare it with your other baggy of liquids and they will allow it. In the U.S. the smallest size is 4 oz but they will approve it.

When you need more while in Europe, they do not sell it at pharmacies. You will have to go to stores that sell glasses.

Look for samples in those tiny foil envelopes. Loreal has a lot of them. They're great for travel.

Look on ebay. A lot of people sell their samples there.

Thanks guys - much appreciated. Maudie...Hi there fellow West Aussie! Thanks for the heads up on Coles having sample szd products. You are correct - sample sized anything is hard to get in WA.
Ahhhh...washing line, great idea guys!
First aid is all sorted. Travel Med in Perth have some amazing travel medicine packs. One of which contains the broad spectrum antibiotics mentioned above. No script needed unless you want extras of something. The pack comes signed and authorised by the Travel doctor you see with an appointment for vaccinations etc. It's an amazing service really. I've added a couple of other things eg. fiximol & an antiseptic cream containing lignocaine - with kids in toe, I think we might need it.
I've purchased some zip lock bags as mentioned, just yesterday - now, that was a HOT tip in keeping our bag weight down.
Tod - yes, we're looking forward to that too. Nothing better than coming home with a few 'interesting' products that noone here will have. A trip to the supermarket OS will be an adventure on it's own I'm sure. Can't wait.
With our trip only 6 or so weeks away, I think I'm getting very excited and WAY too organised!
You guys are so... helpful xxx

I also carry two HUGE zip ties (those plastic things that loop around and lock on to themselves) in case the suitcase falls apart somewhere inconvenient, small roll of Gorilla tape, (super strong duct tape), large elastic bands, big safety pins, flashlight for bedside (we were once in a hotel which lost power in the middle of the night---never will be without a flashlight again- couldn't even find the room door), rubber door stop--to prevent the door being opened from the outside while you sleep, knife(if checking luggage), fork, and spoons, immersion coil, plug in strip (then will only need one adaptor), nu-skin--or a similar product for blisters and cuts--hurts but it will protect them from germs, and LARGE department store plastic bags in the outside luggage pocket--in case it starts to pour rain---the huge zip ties go in this pocket, too. We pack in 21 inch suitcases.

You should go to any large department or beauty store (like Sephora) and buy a makeup kit. I recently bought a Bobbie Brown kit that includes 8 eyeshadows and 4 lip colors. I know other kits will also include blush and powder, some even makeup base. These kits are compact and will not take up much space. Also, try to get a traveller kit for hair and basic skin care. sephora offers many options. I bought some packing cubes from Magellans for an African Safari and they were a great investment.

Last thought--Purex now makes a detergent and softener in one sheet. I have added those to our packing list for the next trip.

If you wear contacts, I'd suggest going with the daily wear - if not permanently, at least for your trip. A 120 day supply (always take extras) is only 4 small boxes.

We take a lot of the above listed items. We travel for 4 to 8 weeks at a time and have to wash clothes, etc. We only take 1 backpack each, laptop case and wifes "purse". We also take a roll of athletic tape, a couple of 2" elastic wraps, a needle and thread package, parachute cord with clothes pins, wash clothes. We also take a couple of really small neosporin packs. It is great for cuts, abrasions and blisters. No one really mentioned mosquito repellent. We take a small bottle. We also take something for skin rashes and itching/whelps. My flashlight is one of those that has a crank and works for 30 minutes per cranking cycle. No need for batteries.

If you are washing clothes, plastic blow up clothes hangers are brilliant By keeping front & back of T shirts (for example) apart they dry much faster Here in Adelaide you can buy at David Jones or a specialist travel store. The brand is Korjo or something like that, and they cost $10-$15 for two. Over many years of travel the blow up hangers have survived as essentials while many other "travel essentials" have been culled in the quest for the lightest suitcase. Happy travels

Coleen61's suggested samples of shampoo & conditioner.
This is a very good idea.

I pay a fortune for a haircut, I feel entitled to ask for a sample of one of their shampoos & conditioners & save them for travel. I also ask at any cosmetics or beauty supply store. Generally they always are higher end brand samples and they can be stashed in the little places in your suitcase (in plastic bags just in case) It felt good to have a really good shampoo product with me that was practically weightless even the small bottes take up too much space.

Ok...major accident report!!!
Thought I was being clever in putting some multi purpose Eucalyptus Oil in a smaller plastic container to pack for situations requiring antiseptic, inhalation, massage oil etc....ummmm not good! The Eucalyptus oil MELTED the plasitc container and it's now gone all over everything that wasn't packed inside a zip lock bag! Now we have an array of heavily Eucalyptus smelling toiletries/first aid gear.
Thank goodness I didn't do this at the last minute - live and learn....
Quite funny though.
Any advice on how to pack polar fleece jumpers - they take up so much room, even though they are very light weight.

Hi Ronael,
chuck out the eucalyptus oil, it sounds like way too much trouble. You will need a lot less than you think and they do have shops in Europe you know

Polar fleeces are bulky but squash down if you put them on top then press the suitcase lid down, you should be OK. Two should be enough, wear one and pack one. They are better than woollen jumpers as they wash and dry so easily. If you get desperate for another warm top while you're away you can always look for one at the market or shop. A new top makes a useful souvenir of your travels.

There are some sort of plastic bags you buy where you put the fleece inside then suck all the air out with a vacuum so it makes the pack quite small. Don't know what you do once you've unpacked the first time though, as you won't have a vacuum in a hotel.

Kay

Eucalyptus is powerful stuff - I used to work in a department store many moons ago and they used to use it for removing the sticky stuff from labels that had been put on shelves and fixtures, and which is almost impossible to remove otherwise. I don't travel with eucalyptus but I like lavender oil to help me sleep. Shame you can't bring little bottles of liquid on the plane anymore, it worked like a charm!

Lavandula

Why not just use the biggest size snap lock bag that you can find and squeeze all the air out, its works just as well.

The eucalyptus oil melted a plastic container?? Oh yikes.


Get a gallon sized ziplock bag, fold up the fleece so it fits inside. Zip the bag 3/4's closed and kneel or sit on it to squash the heck out of it. Close it the rest of the way and it'll stay small. The one bad thing to this is that the ziplock bags usually have a tiny air leak so the bag eventually grows a bit.

You can try the general store (Walmart, Kmart, Target, etc in the US) to find Space Bags. These are the giant bags that you can attach a vacuum to and suck out the air, but they also make ones that are 1-2 gallon size and can be sealed and then squished/rolled to squeeze the air out. These are thicker than ziplocks so don't leak as much or as quickly.

I use contact lens cases for my hair pomade, Neutrogena towelettes for facial cleanser, tube moisturizer, mini size bottle of eye drops and my must have L'Occitane shea butter hand cream in a tube.

For makeup, I keep it to a minimum and use travel sizes where ever possible.

I am picky about conditioner so I pack a tube of my own.

And for body lotion, I refill a small plastic bottle with my preferred brand.

Ronael,

One specific necessity I highly recommend - moleskin! If you get blisters, band aids will not be enough. Moleskin really pads the blister/hot spot and stays on! Get some moleskin and some tiny scissors to cut it with. You will be SO glad!

Moleskin? What is our equivelent here in Oz?
Over here Moleskins are beige jeans that are worn by farmers when they make a dressed up trip to town!
I'm guessing it's like fixemol?

Ever since getting blisters on a very long bike trip, I carry Spenco 2nd Skin Blister pads. If I am concerned that the pad will come off I use tincture of benzoin (a sticky skin-prep available at some pharmacies) to prepare the area where the blister pad will stick (NOT ON THE BLISTER). That thing will stay on a week!

Regarding the polar fleece-you can buy bags that are similar to the space bags that don't require a vacuum to deflate the bag- you just roll it or sit on it and zip it up. They stay flat for quite a long time. Look in the camping section of your local department store. I took a picnic blanket with us to Europe and it took up very little space.

Since I don't know what's absolutely essential but am always super picky about what I travel with,just to help you know what's available generally in Europe (wait, I don't know where you're flying in from! If you're not American or Canadian this may not matter):

Herbal Essences and Pantene shampoos and products
Soaps are generally QUITE different so if you're allergic to a lot you may want to bring your own. The Body Shop is now popular, and you can definitely find Dove just about anywhere.
And of course Garnier Fructis and a lot of Loreal stuff.
Semi permanent dye in funky colors is harder to find but possible, though I find better quality in general in the US. La Riche is a good German brand available in The Netherlands as well.
Vaseline products are available too. Applicator tampons, sadly are a no.
Aquafresh and Colgate are around, but no Crest and Axe (Lynx in some places) is popular but Secret is not.
Lush however is a GREAT place for anyone who likes all natural products and is allergic to a lot, and is a great alternative, available in most countries....Hope that helps some!

Ronael,

I have no idea what you might call it in OZ. It's a Dr. Scoll's (foot products) item. It's a kind of heavy felt-like product that has amazing adhesive. It doesn't stick to the blister (from personal experience)! Google it and see what it's like.

Even it your shoes/sandals are very broken in, as mine were, the walking and the heat may make blisters.

Buona fortuna

I use the schick intuition razor when I travel. It's slightly large, but you don't have to take shave gel with you because it's already on the blade. My only must haves that I take with me are my face wash and facial moisturizer. I have a tendency to get rashes from anything but my regular products so I make sure I take enough. Shampoo, conditioner etc, doesn't matter to me. I'll use what's in the hotel or try something local.

The rules seem to keep changing but can you take sharp things in carryon now? i.e. scissors, tweezers, razors and so on. Can you replace Eucalyptus with tea tree oil? In England at least that is widely available.

Scissors only allowed if they have round edges.

Razors with old style blades cannot be carried on - the kind that can be taken out and used as a weapon.

Tweezers we have not had an issue with.

And things change often so check the TSA website before you go.

BTW, I really like Vichy products, widely available in Europe.

The best website I have ever found for packing light is RickSteves.com. He has some great ideas about really paring it down. I enjoyed having to go into the drugstore or pharmacy in Europe and having to figure out what I needed. The pharmacist was extremely helpful and I got some items that I wish I could find back in the US. PLAN to run out of stuff, it's part of the trip!

Whatever magic potions you decide to carry, do follow the good advice of packaging them in small containers. Then put the containers in small zip-top bags, even if destined for checked baggage. The bags prevent leakage and can be stuffed in crannies of your suitcase to save space. Toiletry cases, though convenient in a hotel room, can be bulky and awkward.
Another tip mentioned above is essential: Take your own wash cloth since you are unlikely to find a face cloth in many European hotels. A zip bag for the damp cloth makes it easy to pack.

"We've done up a first aid kit, with the help of a Travel doctor. It contains a range of antibiotics and the like. Fungal cream, ear/eye infection drops, Vicks Vaporub, Stingose, Hydralyte for upset tummys, Panandol etc. Advil is something I will add to it - thanks for that tip Janeyre."

I'd skip all that if you need any of it they are readily available at pharmacies, most often without Rxs

Ha ha ha. Why pack anything when everything is available?

I bring some advil and something to help me sleep the first night. I also bring moleskin or another blister product. other than that I love the pharmacy visit.

Kerouac -- with you on that one!

Several years ago, my husband got stung by a bee in Honfleur. We went straight to the pharmacy and the pharmacist sold us a wonderful product that took the sting and the swelling down quickly. No way would we have travelled with anything that would've taken care of the problem so effectively.

Paule

I agree that you need to take very little. As someone said, favourite brands of sanitary products for any women in the party--tampons, etc.

Small shampoo and conditioner. Soap if you tend to be allergic.

Antibiotic creme. The rest you can buy when you need it.

3 1/2 months! Wow, that's great!

The OP first posted this six months ago - I wonder if the trip has happened yet?

Anyway, for those who are still interested, in England there is a pharmacy chain called Superdrug where they sell loads of travel size items.

I have tons, yes tons of travel size Shampoo, Conditioner, Cream and small soaps from all our trips. I'm bringing most of them to get rid of them on this 2 months trip. I think it easier for me to bring the little bottles instead of carrying big bottles, so I can get rid of the weight once used.

pooky - I do that.

DH thinks I'm mad - now I can tell him I'm not the only one.

OK, I am one of those who has always followed the "don't worry about it, you can get anything you want in Europe" mantra. Until my most recent trip, when I got a bronchial infection. Fortunately, I had packed a Rx dose of Bactrim (which I have always packed, and never have used before). Unfortunately, I had not packed throat lozenges or cough syrup, and when I woke up at 3 am coughing my guts out in a tiny town in Italy, 'twas not fun. Even finding cough syrup at a Pharmacia the next morning was a hassle, because they don't stock it out on the shelves like we do, so you have to ask/explain, and you don't get to look over the products.

I also ran out of a feminine product that I use. All I can say is Good Effing Luck shopping for stuff like that in a foreign country. I will never again travel without extra x.

Just sayin...

Hi everyone....I am the original poster & have been on our trip. We came back just 6 weeks ago......had the most fabulous time, even though we did get way laid with the volcanic activity in Iceland.
Just wanted to let you all know what worked for us as far as my packing of toiletries/beauty products etc.
We are a family of four & travelled for 4 months in the end....and this is what I packed & made good use of. I had everything in a medium sized (24cm x 26cm x 14cm) soft Deuter toiletries bag (the bag itself was brilliant. Lots of pockets, elastic holding straps to secure everything on the inside & a detachable mirror inside. It also had a hook so that the bag could be hung in the shower or onto the back of a door):
multipurpose cream cleanser (Cetaphil) can double as soap in emergency 50mls
multipurpose moisturising cream (Cetaphil)Good for face + body 50mls
sml tinted moisturiser with an SPF of 30+ 50mls
small mouthwash 50mls
1 toothpaste in a sml squeezy bottle (not a tube!!) with a good lid!! Nothing worse than toothpaste over everthing!
4 regular toothbrushes
2 pkts tampons loose in a zip lock bag in the front pouch (when we were in less affluent countries - these got used. Westernised countries I stocked up again!)
mini travel fold up hairdryer in a soft mesh bag from kathmandu.com - this was brilliant!!
4 sml pkts scented soap leaves from Evelyn & Crabtree (a treat!)
4 individually packaged travel sized soaps & a little tiny plastic container to keep them in once wet!
2 each of travel sized shampoo/conditioner all in one
fold up travel hairbrush
1 travel sized hair gel eg 50ml
2 small sample sized perfume (20mls each)
sml pkt cotton buds
1 sml mulitcoloured eneutral smokey eyeshadow
1 lip balm
1 light plastic shower cap
1 sml good quality roll on deoderant
2 emery boards and small nail clippers
zip lock bag containing enough clothes washing powder for three washes.
another zip lock bag containing 4 pegs and a tightly wrapped 4 meter length of thin cord to use as a makeshift washing line
4 bobby pins & 4 elastic hair bands
3 best quality razors
Very small travel sewing kit + tiny scissors
Sml tube baby nappy cream - good for chaff, burns, sore lips, sore bottoms, very dry skin!! Everything really.
4 Kathmandu microfibre mini travel towels!!! These things are absolutely amazing. Fold up into nothing & store in a soft mesh bag and seem to dry by themselves.
All of the above kept us going for a fair while before we had to worry about shopping for toiletries. It was nice not to have to worry about it initially. Whenever we had to replace anything, it was usually only toothpaste, mouthwash, washing powder, tampons, razors. And to a lesser extent shampoo/conditioner. Soaps were readily available at the occasional hotel we stayed at - take any extras. Everything else lasted until we got home. You'd be amazed at how little moituriser you actually use. There's no point in taking whole bottle away.
On another note, before we went away, I had a doctor prescribe for us an emergency antibiotics/travel medicine kit. This was the most fabulous thing to have on our travels. It had pills and potions in sample quantities for every ailment known to mankind! Believe me whe I tell you that we used most things. The only time we visited a doctor whislt we were away was when my daughter ended up with sore ears from a plane flight. This travel first aid kit was kept in a zip lock bag in the bottom of our suitcase. I kept a small one in our hand luggage for emergencies when we couldn't access our luggage eg out for the day or on the plane. We were never questioned about the contents of either of these first aid kits.
Anyway, hope this proves helpful to anyone who like us, had no idea of how to go about packing for this length of time.
All the best x

Ronael: No matter how logical and obvious any given item you mentioned may be, it's still so great to have it all in one itemized list like this with the exact amounts. Thanks so much for putting this together. I'll put a copy in my travel folder for sure. From now on, I won't have to sit down and think about it each and every darn' time I pack -- and inevitably forget something! (I realize much of this stuff can be found, but I do hate to spend precious sightseeing time at a pharmacy, etc.)

My pleasure

bookmarking

Thanks so much for posting your list, which I've saved (we're going in September). I'm curious about the travel medical kit that you got from your doctor. Can you give some more details, please? If I walk in and ask my doctor for this, are they going to have a clue what I am talking about? Or is this something that you and your doctor consulted on together and he/she was willing to go along with it? Did you have a separate prescription for each item in case you were questioned about it at customs? I apologize in advance because I probably sound terribly naive!!!! Thanks... Leslie

Thanks for posting your list!

<<<It had pills and potions in sample quantities for every ailment known to mankind! Believe me whe I tell you that we used most things.>>>

Can you remember what some of the items were?

Ronael, great list. How about a trip report?

How BIG are your shoes? Are you planning on taking more than one pair? You'll save a LOT more space when you figure that one out than you will by nickel and diming yourself about some toiletries IMO.