Wish you had brought/wish you hadn't wasted space on

1) several scarfs - mix things up a bit and they don't take up any space.

2) travel alarm clock. I use my cellphone and timex ironwatch as alarm, so no need for an alarm clock.

Shoes. I take 2 pairs of comfortable walking shoes and one pair for evenings. Also books. I love to read so just bought a Kindle. I take black and khaki slacks and tops to go with them. I finally figured out years ago that no one knows us and it's not important to load my suitcase with matching outfits and shoes to go with them. I also take a very lightweight travel raincoat which folds and doesn't take up alot of space. I take minimal jewelry and none that I would care about being stolen. If it's summer or fall, I'll pack 2 sweaters--camel and black. Cooler months, I'll wear a boiled wool jacket on the plane to eliminate packing space.

I always take a small pair of binoculars to look at the details of church ceilings and exteriors.

Comfortable shoes/sandals are the most important thing you'll pack, as Katie2 mentions above. I take 3-4 pairs (including the one that's on my feet).

I can't think of anything I've taken that I shouldn't have bothered with, but I'm an extremely light packer.

I make up a little kit of handy things like: earplugs, tiny flashlight, safety pins, bandaids, individual packets of some OTC meds. I also put two plastic hangers in the bottom of my suitcase for hanging damp tops or undies after doing hand-wash in the hotel sink.

I don't take any jewelry, scarves, etc. just a couple pair of stud earrings and my watch. I don't pack guidebooks.

1)There are department stores in Germany and France. I have never left anything home that I really needed and could not replace.

2) No matter how I plan, I always come home with one piece of clothing that I did not wear. All that planning for layering and carrying on, I still pack something unnecessary. There must be a mischievous imp that sneaks this stuff in the bag when I am not looking.

Regards, Gary

To bring: a sweater or fleece, for sure, if you may be going up into the mountains. I didn't bring anything the first time I went to Germany (thinking hey, it's August), and wound up having rapidly to remedy that error in a department store in Munich.

1) I wish I hadn't forgotten to pack the "toe warmers" heated shoe inserts (from a sporting goods store) the time I had to wait in a long line outside a museum in freezing rain in winter.

2)The coiled gadget for boiling a cup of water was a waste of money and space. Couldn't use it with the hotel's disposable plastic cups.

<<. Hubby won't give me the specifics about the trip other than saying we're splitting our time between Paris and Germany>>

Is this some sort of surprise? Seems pretty strange not to know where you're going, if ONLY to be able to plan and pack.

Dressy clothes. I used to take a couple nice outfits, but to my travel of style usually turns out I don't need them.

yes-- dressy clothes are a waste for our style of travel. slobby, no of course not. but dressy, heels, etc, a waste!

I pack several inflatable hangers to use for hanging wet hand washed laundry. They take up no space and I think they help the clothes to dry quicker.

I always take cold meds, especially the chloraseptic type throat lozenges. I remember having a difficult time finding something to soothe my sore throat on one of our trips to Austria years ago. And I always, always take plenty of hand santizer. Since we became vigilent about cleaning our hands, we haven't had a problem with colds while traveling in many years.

Not much that I've ever regreted taking -- at least not since we've become "light" packers. I can't tell you how much crap we use to carry around years ago before we got smart (and older).

Another thing I like to take is an outfit (top and bottom) that I *only* wear in the evenings. It's often no dressier than what I wear during the day. Nice, though, to have something fresh(er) to put on for the evening. This works because I usually return to the hotel room in the late afternoon or early evening to put my feet up for an hour or so and freshen up before dinner and any night activities.

Sorry I thought you said BOUGHT!

I guess the more you travel the less you take! Now I just bring basic black pants, white shirt, couple of tops, skirt and sorry my vice-shoes. Try to limit myself to 3. Mainly accessories to change outfit look. Wish I had brought? Better language skills.

Unless you have very thick, long hair, don't worry about a hairdryer. OR a travel iron.

meds for food poisoning and meds for sore throat. see my entry Ah Provence-ended up in a hospital with a broken ankle that started with 24 hours of food poisoning....
most important-travel insurance.

I carried a tripod once. Toted it for a month and a half. Never used it.

I always bring some empty gallon-sized bags; easy enough to pack, and useful for leftover picnic items or foods bought at markets. Also a couple of plastic spoons and forks; it's amazing that we seem to have uses for them. And a couple of teabags - sometimes there's a chance to have a late-night cup of tea in our hotel room, which I love, and they're so small, that it isn't a big sacrifice of weight.

I have a stash of freebie individual-sized cold and stomach medicines. Yes, I could buy them there, but not if they're needed in the middle of the night.

A small scarf - I tend to get cold (though we travel mostly in May or September/October), and it's nice to have a small one in my pocket.

Booklight, for when I'm reading and DH is sleeping.

Blowdryer - I've stopped bringing one. I would rather be doing anything that drying my hair on vacation, and most hotels have them, anyway.

Jewelry - I always take a small amount, and still don't wear much of it.

Safety pins - I always have them in the bottom of my bag, but I don't know if I've ever used them. Good insurance, though.

Enjoy!

Thanks for all of the notes; there are several things I hadn't thought of.

The trip was a surprise and somewhat of a last minute thought on hubby's part. When we travel in the US I do all of the research and hubby and I look at my research to make final tentative (we're flexible about changing plans due to weather, our moods, a road sign that catches our interest...) plans. Hubby making most of the plans for this trip is a pleasant change for both of us. That said.... I have made a bunch of notes about both countries - a lot of great reading on this site alone! - and will soon leave them on his computer in a place he can't miss!

My first trip 2 things that I wish I had brought: a small flashlight (we stayed at some gasthauses and in the evenings lights in hallways are set to go off only a couple of minutes after you turn them on) and a corkscrew. We ended up buying one of each and nw I never travel without them.

A very small flashlight (put it in your carryon) is something I always have taken with me. And a corkscrew too.

I have always taken two pair of daytime, walking shoes and one pair of dressier shoes.

Also, a pair of lightweight flipflops have so often come in handy. They can be used as slippers, walking on the beach or just slipping on if you want to run out for a few cups of coffee before showering and dressing for the day.

I always take Zip Lock bags in various sizes for so many uses.

In terms of what not to bring...
I try to never check a bag when I'm traveling to someplace (I'll check if I have to on my return), which means that I can't pack a lot of toiletries. But that's OK, because as part of my experience in a given destination (especially France!) I have a great time heading to a local pharmacy to buy whatever I need. It makes me feel even more immersed in the place I'm in, and I've discovered some great products to bring home!

This is a great topic! I have been wondering about taking a corkscrew for our trip as we would like to do a picnic or two in one of the parks (now that I know you can drink in public places). I suppose I would be able to get one from the hotel but I think it would be handier to have my own. I think I might also throw in some plastic cutlery in a baggie that we can reuse. When we were in Scotland last year we went into a grocery store to buy picnic items but they wouldn't sell us a plastic knife--we could have a spoon and fork but not the knife.

What to pack: I second the recommendation for the inflatable hangars, plastic ziplock bags (never know when they will come in handy - and they will come in handy), the fold up compact duffel bag (I like the bagalini brand - it folds up to the size of a CD, but when opened it can hold all of our dirty clothes for the trip home), flip flops for a comfortable alternative to shoes and to use as slippers, a small corkscrew (we had to leave ours in the Edinburgh airport b/c my husband had it in his carry-on bag) and small flashlight. The other thing I do is rip out only the pages pertinent to where we are going from my guidebooks. Then, each day, I take just the pages we'll be using that day - much easier and lighter to carry than lugging around a guide book everywhere. I know it ruins the book, but I figure I will want an updated guidebook if I ever am lucky enough to return.

Things I've packed and didn't use: The first that comes to mind are the casual skirts I packed for our summer in Europe last year. I thought I would wear the light weight linen casual skirts that I live in at home during the summer. The first day I wore one in Europe, we did so much walking that I rubbed the skin off of my inner thighs (probably too much information, but you asked!) I ended up buying some long bermuda type shorts to wear and wore those and my capris the rest of the trip. I also packed every conceivable over the counter medication I thought we might need which was not necessary - they have pharmacies there! I also brought a travel towel which I never used - much easier to use the towels and the hotel.

Have a great trip!

With regard to Previous post:

Things I've packed and didn't use: The first that comes to mind are the casual skirts I packed for our summer in Europe last year. I thought I would wear the light weight linen casual skirts that I live in at home during the summer. The first day I wore one in Europe, we did so much walking that I rubbed the skin off of my inner thighs (probably too much information, but you asked!)

There is a product sold called "Body Glide" for the friction problem.

Also, tap pants provide comfort under skirts.

And my favorite: skorts.

With regard to something I brought that we really used a bunch:

I bought a small mesh bag at REI, and put a corkscrew, folding knife, mini- cutting board, and lexan cup in it. My husband carried it in his backpack and we used it for picnics on the train, on the Hop On/Off bus, in our room, etc.

this time i packed lightly ...and hated it ..and to add insult to injury we were charged for the extra bag OH was convinced he was allowed to bring on our final leg with british airways- they allow 23 kgs of hand luggage..i asked twice!!!! and 23 checked but has to be in one bag..we were not overweight but had to pay 64 aud extra for the privilege of bringing home our souvenirs..oh well
i got to moscow and it was 26 degrees..the weather forecast on the net they i had been studying for weeks were wrong and i panicked and if you know moscow there is not really much to choose from in the way of dept stores unless you go to GUM and go designer so with only three short sleeved tshirts and nothing but pants and heavy shoes i was scared id swelter ...i got by...
it got cold and rainy in st petes so i was happy again but by the time wed finished with scandinavia i was so sick of my three knits and three lighter longsleeved tops
shouldve brought more scarves but i thought id buy some..not so
what i could buy in oz for 16 aud was 80 aud equivalent in norway...no sense in buying something made in china anyway
i was quite happy i took only the two pairs of shoes...hikers and some lighter black walking shoes
we didnt go out to any fancy places at night and the hikers were waterproof and did their jov well
i took a chamois cloth to dry my clothes but never used it...i took a light robe but didnt use it because we had our own bathroom everywhere we stayed
i only used my gloves once and felt hat once
i had spare makeup i didnt use
i just made it through to the2nd last day with my 200 ml of shampoo and conditioner and 150ml of moisturiser...one or two of the places didnt provide soap so im glad i had a small cake with me
glad i didnt take my guide books for norway...they have plenty of info avaible...but glad i took one for st petes and moscow
didnt use the swiss army knife but the little cutlery set on a ring was useful and we had plenty of chances to use the melamine cups for coffee in the morning and even on the road when we hired the car
didnt use the torch but id still take it for the car
didnt use the russian dictionary ...i just asked people for an explanation if i needed to know
wish id taken some cds for the car...we had one russian cd that a girl gave me and i almost know all of the words lol..some catch tunes i must say !

decee:

Scotland is really weird about what they refer to as the "knife culture"; it's virtually impossible to buy anything but a standard kitchen knife there now, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had to *prove* to the authorities that you took it directly home and secured it somehow within the bounds of an officially-recognized "kitchen". The only edged "weapon" a kilted man is allowed to carry now is the sgain dubh, the tiny utility blade worn in the garter holding up one of the stockings -- and if that blade is pulled out in public, the bearer is liable to be arrested and jailed!

So much for traditional Scot culture.

Banning the sale of plastic knives -- whether it's actually by law, or just a policy of that particular retailer -- is carrying this policy to an absurd extreme. But that's the way EC policy often works!

One item I always try to remember to pack is a washcloth. Topsheets also seem to be less common in France, anyway, so we may pack one of ours on future trips.

Why would you pack a top sheet?
The duvet has a cover which is changed just a a top sheet would be. They don't leave the cover on for the next guests!

Perhaps imaginaryjazz has the same problem with duvets as I do. Rather than a top sheet, I bring a "Dream Sack" -- a large piece of cloth with two pockets at the bottom for your feet. It rolls up and fits into its own carrying sack and weighs very little. It's advertised to keep you warm on the plane (which it would surely do) but I use it for sleeping on hotel beds instead of smothering under a duvet. After years of being too hot, kicking off the duvet then getting chilled, and starting over, I found this dandy item perfect for me.
The thing I took last trip which I never used was surgical face masks. The swine flu hysteria was at its peak when we left, so we took masks -- just in case. TG they weren't needed. (They probably wouldn't have done much good anyway.)

I've only taken three trips out of the US and just returned from Europe - Germany and Czech Republic. Each time I've over packed. The very, very, very best thing I packed this trip was 2 pair of black Patagonia yoga-type pants and some woolight to wash them with. They are $65 but they are now my favorite thing to wear, the are thin enough to dry over night if the legs are kept apart. http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/womens-serenity-tights?p=21261-0-630.

I made sure everything I had went with the black pants. I packed two scarfs and only ended up using a solid black rayon one that easily tied to my purse/waist pack.

I also purchased some packing pouches and packing envelope from Magellans - I loved these and it made keeping a carry on size bag very organized and easy to look through.

To Rachel K: How do you bring home the toiletries that you buy in France if you never check a bag? Do you divide it all up into tiny containrs?

Hi chaucerquest,

Thanks for your question!

In my earlier post I said I never check a bag when I go TO someplace, but will occasionally check it on the way home if I've bought something that really warrants doing so! If I'm traveling domestically, I've actually gone to local post offices to ship things rather than check a bag.

For international travel, what I meant was that I'll shop for all the ordinary sorts of items when I arrive (like toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) Just like in the US, things come in travel-sized containers abroad and cost roughly the same as they do here. What I don't use I usually toss; but if I find a product I really like or know I can't find here, I'll keep it!

An extension cord has come in really handy for me in many hotel rooms, especially in Europe where there usually aren't many electrical outlets. I like to be able to style my hair without being in the humid bathroom. Many times the outlet is behind a dresser or desk, but I can still reach it with the cord. So long as there's a mirror in the room, I'm good to go.

can't live without:
- ziplocks. good for receipts, small change, leftover food... you name it!
- pretzel rods. if feeling peaked, one will make all the difference! also good to break into little pieces and feed to the ducks.
- mints/tictacs/hard candy. sometimes you just need one.
- plastic silverware. usually traveling with kids and needed for pb/cutting, etc.
- peanut butter. we get the little 2 1/2 oz. 'jif to go' ones and for my picky eater, we've a meal. note: need to be put in a ziplock like liquids for airline security.
- paperclips/binder clips. good for marking pages, keeping things together. also can be used to close the bag of pretzels mentioned above!
- booklight.
- an extra pair of socks. love love love saving a clean pair for the long plane ride home!
- ponytails in the carryon bag. never know when needed. also good as rubber bands to keep things together.

leave at home?
- the extra pair of shoes. somehow, I force myself to wear them the last day to justify it, but an easy 'do without'. I find 2 pr. are just fine and don't need a 3rd.
- the skirt. see above. we usually travel with kids and rarely do anything 'fancy'.

how did this get resurrected ?

We can't pack a cork screw since we carry-on, however we always have found an inexpensive one to buy in a grocery store or mini-market.

What I didn't bring and wished I had:

A good supply of Tylenol. I got sick in Provence, ran out of Tylenol, and the pharmacy had never heard of it.

A large supply of the eye drops I use. Ran out one year and had to buy at French pharmacy and they are not the same.

I now bring the over the counter meds and some prescription meds "just in case." One year I brought Ibuprophen that had been prescribed for a tooth extraction. I had no idea whether I'd need it but fell one evening and injured my arm. It would have been hard to find a pain killer at a pharmacy. I returned to the hotel, got ice from the bar and took the Ibu every four hours. By next midday, the swelling had decreased and I could move my arm.

What I always bring:

Two photocopies of the front page of my passport.
A photo copy of my airline e-tickets and I also write the reservation code in a notebook along with my cc companies' phone numbers.

A Swiss Army knife with corkscrew (or similar)

Swiss Army card, tiny, with tooth pick, scissors, tweezers, nail file.

Emory boards because I always break nails when I travel.

A camisole or snug tank top for layering in chilly weather. I need something close to my skin to keep warm.

Bubble wrap for purchased breakables. I bought a beautiful watercolor in Burgandy and used my bubble wrap and clothes to protect it in my checked baggage. Also bought small pieces of pottery in Paris and used the bubble wrap.

A couple of plastic spoons and knives, handy if you buy yogurt or cheese to eat in your room.

zip lock bags.

One book that I intend to leave when I've finished reading it. No guide books -- I photocopy the pages I need and then discard them when I no longer need them.

What I'd brought that I wished I hadn't.

Good silver earrings that I'd bought in Ireland, lost one in Spain. I now take very little jewelry and none that I'd feel bad about losing.

Usually one or two pieces of clothing, last trip a jacket that I never used on the trip so I spent three weeks moving it around in my luggage.

Have a great trip. It should be lovely in Germany and France in October.

Thank you for the Baggallini recommendation, Attnymom. I just ordered one online for an upcoming trip. eBags has a 20% off sale today and tomorrow, if anyone else is interested.

The one thing I did not bring on a solo trip to England was my ATM card! I must have left it in a coat pocket at home, without realizing it. I had to go to a bank and take a cash advance on my credit card, which must have cost dearly. Luckily, I had a small amount of pounds and an oyster card with some amount on it, so I could last a day or two until the banks were open.

Ha. Didn't look at the date of the original post. It's true Germany and France will be lovely in October, but the poster went in July. I hope she had a good time.

Such a lot of good information. I have certainly used this site and thank all the people who had provided information which I used in my 5.5 week trip to northern Italy (still getting over the long flight home). Zip lock bags and stuff sacks are essential. We also use the vacuum bags for our clothes - reduces the size of the pile and keeps them waterproof in case of rain or an accident. We do check our luggage and take small torches, swiss army knife with corkscrew, a couple of paper clips and a couple of small fold back binder clips. DH has a beard and must have his sharp scissors so checked luggage it is.

I did miss not having a pair of sandles when the weather was warm and we were not hiking a Roman road somewhere. Having your feet tied up in runners for 5+ weeks is tiring. Took our thongs (flipflops, jandels) but hardly used them. Did take travel towels but did not use them. Face cloth essential as few apartments provide them.

Took photocopies of essential maps and my own typed notes of what we wanted to do and threw them out as we went along. Took an EPC but failed to take a modem as we expected easy access to Wifi - but not so. Took my notes on a thumb-drive and updated them where necessary on the way.

What I missed was hand cream. I could not find it in supermarkets and what I did find was overpriced. Here in Australia you can purchase a large 1L jar for just a few $. Took sanitizing water free hand cleanser but did not use it at all. We had packed warm clothes, but the weather was unseasonably warm across the north with Milan having temp of 25 - 28C and Venice 24 - 26C. As we left each place the temp changed and it is now 13C in Milan! We used to travel with a stay sharp knife in its scabard but with restrictions we now leave it at home. The Swiss Army knife does most jobs.
Usually pack 2 plastic bowls and a set of cutlery. Did not take them this time and picked up a plastic mug in McDonalds -came in handy. Always take a few bandaids, ear buds, cotton balls, throat lozengers, dettol cream and deep heat cream for aching muscles and backs. I also pack a washing bag in a zip lock - rubber gloves, pegless clothes line, a couple of pegs, chux wipe. I purchase washing powder/liquid when I get there and leave what I do not use. Used to take a couple of wire hangers to dry shirts but no longer do so but may take the inflatable hanger next time.
We take 2 pairs of trousers bought from Snowgum or Kathmandu with lots of secure pockets and 3 changes of underwear including what we wear. 2 - 3 changes of shirts/tops depending on the weather and one fleece jacket, which doubles as a blanket in the plane since the blankets are not sufficiently large or warm. Sometimes a pair of warm socks both for the plane and as bedsocks. Took a warm hat and ear warmers but only used them briefly on the glacier walk. The sun hats however were well used.
The binoculars and tripod only got used occasionally and were only extra and unwanted weight. Dont carry jewellery but usually buy some costume jewellery while I am away. I don't like the travel cosmetics so save my cleansers and toothpaste so that only 50ml or less is taken. If there is still a bit left over, it can be disposed of at the end of the trip if space is warranted. Travel insurance essential.
Took an extra bag which folded into the checked luggage and then used to carry the extra thing collected along the way.

Things I will carry next time are bubble wrap (forgot it this time) and a couple of strong envelopes to post cards or other things.

I realize that the OP has completed trip but I find this all very helpful.
I agree with Rasputin1, bubble wrap.
You can't always find a pharmacy so I take a "kit" of OTC medications. Pharmacies are expensive there and sometimes the formula is different.Two things that I add that haven't been mentioned is a tube of cortisone and a travel size dental kit (sold at big chain stores).It has a tiny tube of temporary filling, saves a lot of pain until you can get to a dentist.

We took a spring trip to Mittel Europa, and the weather was pretty good except in Budapest. I wish I'd brought silk long johns.

I just purchased a small compass, since I enjoy walking but got terribly lost on my last trip. I made a list on which I reminded myself to bring a paring knife and a spoon. (I always check luggage, so this isn't a problem.) I sometimes have fruit and cheese or yogurt in my room instead of eating at a restaurant. This is because of those times I've become lost and have walked for miles.

Something useful, depending on where you are staying, is a tote bag that folds up- use for grocery shopping or a beach bag, or just a large bag instead of a small handbag. And I usually have some tissues packs.
I also posted a previous thread regarding the fixed-price boxes from La Poste to send home anything not needed or too large to pack.

>>1: What do you wish you HAD brought (other than more money)?

antibiotics (I caught the flu and got really sick)

purelle / antibacterial wipes (didn't bring enough and I was living with a flatmate who constantly had staph infections)

coffee maker (too expensive to buy there, too heavy to bring)

packing material - bubble wrap (mailed my stuff home, bought wine bottles which needed to be wrapped, expensive to buy there)


>>2 - What did you lug that you wish you hadn't wasted suitcase space and weight on???

skirts
socks
other clothes (didn't really need that many)
jewelry (waste of space)
packets of ramen and canned tuna which I didn't eat
magazines (didn't read)

Wish I had brought: My preferred feminine hygiene products. Most stores were closed on Sunday so I had to take what I could get, and it wasn't what I liked to use. Nuf said.

I like to take a small fold up umbrella - good for rain and also for very hot weather.

A filled prescription for a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Ibuprofen - we found out the hard way that in Italy it is very expensive to buy and we were both having trouble with sore knees, hips etc. Not so in France, where is was quite cheap.

I also take Yoga pants - they take up next to no room in the luggage and are so lovely to change into at the end of a long day.

I do pack my hairdryer - I have quite unmanageable, fine hair and hotel hairdryers just don't do the job.

What I don't take - no more than 3 pairs of shoes including a pair of sandals if it's summer.

The first thing that comes to mind are at least two pairs of walking shoes. If one gets wet, you have the other. I've also found that sometimes just switching off shoes from day to day can help with leg/knee/feet soreness, oddly enough. This last 3-night trip to London - I had 4 pairs of shoes.

A couple of things that I was really glad we had packed on our last trip to Europe were

1. a power board- sounds weird but we only needed 1 adaptor for 1 power point & then we could charge our cameras, netbook, phones, kids' ipods etc together.

2. In addition to some instant coffee tea etc I also packed some packets of 2 minute noodles, individual packs of cup of soup, single serve packs of cereal & a carton of long-life milk.

After some long flights & arriving late at night when we weren't sure what would be available if we were hungry these were really handy especially for starving teenage kids.

3. some way of keeping a duplicate of digital photos. We put all our photos on our netbook most nights but I also copied everything to a USB just in case

4. a few of the pegs with a hook on them- (the ones that look a bit like a question mark). They're very handy to hang washing even if there isn't a spot for your washing. They'll hook over door handles, wardrobe rods or just about anywhere

I always pack a change of underwear/socks in my carry-on, just in case we get stranded somewhere on the trip over. This has happened to me twice where we've been stuck for two days without our luggage, and I've never regretted it!

Jeni

I'm a very light packer, but so glad to have brought:
ear plugs
ginger - worked wonders for motion sickness/nausea
umbrella
mints
copies of passport, drivers license, credit cards

Wished I had packed:
great hand and body lotion - like the poster above said it is tough to find. my skin was SO dry!!

I also bought some light makeup with SPF in it. I tried to bring as many dual use products as possible to save space.

I keep a quart sized ziploc in my linen closet with some moleskin, a few bandaids (with antiseptic), a few envelopes of TheraFlu, a few Pepcids, a few GasX strips, a couple of Imodium tablets and a handful of cough drops. It goes into my bag each time I leave the US and every time someone in my party needs something out of it. Either there are blisters from walking...too much wonderful food...or the beginnings of a cold. I always have just enough to get through a crisis until a pharmacy can be located. It works for carry on as well as checked baggage.

The only two things I make sure I have is Imodium and Cold EZE. Cold Eze is a miracle. It stops colds and sore throats so you don't have to use other cold remedies. Europe has everything. They have cremes, toothpaste, asperin, Panadol (Tylenol, shampoo, moleskin, bandaids, etc, etc, etc.

One way I lighten the load is when I'm finished with a book, I give it to the hotel so they can put it in their book trading shelf and someone else can enjoy it.

I once neglected to take an indigestion remedy with me. That was a mistake. Hard to mime...