My wife and I will be taking our first trip abroad (Paris/Ieper) in a few days and we're not sure what we 'need' to take with us. Suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Terry
What to Pack
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Money belt with passport, credit cards and an index card with important info on it. (ex: contact #s, reservation #s). Copies tucked away in your single SMALL carry on suitcase.
Now some of the other stuff:
Small umbrella, extra glasses, things you NEED, but can only get here.
Thin cotton mix/match quick wash/ dry clothes. Good old broken in walking shoes (check to make sure they aren't on their last "leg")
I can't remember ever hearing a fellow traveler say, "I didn't bring enough stuff"
Men's Travel Packing List
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=1440268
Click on the second one, not sure why it lists twice or the first one doesn't work.
Here is what I pack. The exact items are different because most of my stuff is at least a year or two old.
I agree with the money belt and copies above.
I don't pack an umbrella. I pack a light weight rain shell. If I want an umbrella, I buy it on my trip and bring it home. I have purchased a total of two during multiple domestic and overseas trips, once was when I forgot my rain shell.
I don't pack heavy clothes. Light-weight clothes can be layered for warmth in cool or cold weather. Heavy-weight clothes are useless if the weather is comfortable. If it gets really cold, I buy a knit hat and gloves as souvenirs at a department store.
The goal is not to lug around stuff you don't need or won't use a lot. Don't bring any clothing item that you will only wear one way. Bring mix and match clothes that can be worn with every thing you packed.
I mentioned the umbrella, because it's not only great for keeping the rain off your body and your face, but it works great as your own personal shade place when walking around places such as Pompeii in July. There are lots of travel sized ones now. Mine is 7" x 2" and weighs about 2 ozs. I always carry it in my purse anyway.
I also forgot to mention a small, but powerful pocket flashlight, which I also carry around anyway. I have used it many times.
Yes bring a pocket flashlight. They come in handy for reading the menu/bill in a dimly lit restaurant, for sneaking down the hall to use the toilet at night, to get into your bag after lights out in a hostel, to check out the dungeon of a castle ruin or a natural cave. The new LED models are very small, light and the batteries/bulbs last forever compared to the old flashlights.
Since you can't carry it on, I pick up a swiss army knife on arrival. It comes in handy for a variety of uses. My picnic gear is a plastic fork and swiss army knife. My table cloth is either a couple of napkins or a newspaper.
I also bring the small digital camera. I replace the wrist strap with a thin neck strap and keep it tucked in my shirt or jacket when I'm not using it. Years ago I carried a full set of lenses, SLR body, filters and bags of film on a trip through Asia. I had great pictures. Trouble is so did my traveling companion who brought only a small all-in-one Canon (pre-digital days). Now I bring the smallest camera I can find that has a good set of features and will take decent pictures.
A small spray bottle of Fabreeze comes in handy (you may need to pour some in a travel size spray bottle). A lot of places are eliminating smoking now. In the old days, a visit to any pub or club would leave you reeking. Spraying and hanging your clothes before bed helps a lot. Along that line, a couple of dryer sheets in your carry on helps keep things fresh between washes.