Essentials

Paper and a pen. I keep a journal. When I leave the hotel I always carry a small notebook in case someone doesn't understand what I'm saying (this came in handy in Paris because my French is terrible) but I can spell a few words in French. Very helpful with numbers.

1. camera + extra batteries (because it eats batteries)
2. paper and a pen
3. the key (or keycard or whatever) to the hotelroom

never leave home without:
small flashlight, earplugs, corkscrew/penknife

never leave hotel room without:
business card showing hotel address to find way back!
streetmap, pen, small notebook, camera

Excellent idea about the business card suze.

I'll never forget the time my friend and I couldn't find our hotel room, no problem she thought she had a key. She found out how awkward just having a key was when she approached an older couple to ask in broken Spanish how to find the hotel. The woman was very pointedly pulling her husband away from my friend.
We laughed about what a middle aged temptrest she was the whole vacation.

opps I didn't finish the thought... hotel's business card AND cash enough for taxi fare!!

Never leave home without (items that have not been mentioned)

- spare pair of eyeglasses (even if an old prescription, they can save the day for a while, should current pair get broken and require an optician's visit, which may take some time to arrange),
- prescription medications.

And second the following suggestions:

- earplugs (for me, absolutely always, wherever and whenever I travel!!),
- small led flashlight (it can light the way to the 'john' at night, help to read a clock or watch during the night, and can be so helpful finding things that have fallen, or been misplaced, and even when reading menus in poorly-lighted restaurants, and etc.),
- notebook & pen (more for me, I love to keep notes on what, where, and when, etc.!!).

Great.Keep them coming people.

*absolutely* about the 2nd pair of glasses (or contacts). i can't believe some of my friends travel with only one pair, and they have REALLY bad eyes. at least I could see without my glasses, just couldn't read! i usually take 2 pair, plus prescription sunglasses.

I keep a 'kit' ready-to-go in my suitcase. In a mesh zippered cosmetic case I have: a few safety pins, bandaids, packets of neosporin, packets of Woolite, a small tube of Advil, a couple tabs of Imodium, extra watch, extra pen, and already mentioned corkscrew, small knife, notepad, earplugs, extra glasses. Maybe you do, maybe you don't need these things, but it doesn't take up much room/weight and IF you do, boy these come in handy.

duct tape and hand wipes

I have an internet email account (yahoo), to which I send various documents/links before each trip:

1) color photo of my passport photo page
2) detailed itinerary with addresses/phone/fax of where I'm staying
3) list of names/addresses of people I might want to send a postcard, along with their phone numbers (just in case anything happens to my PDA)
4) an email with a link to my company's web access so that I can get documents and/or work email, along with direct dials for certain people at work (who remembers that stuff?), if necessary when I'm away for a long trip
5) scan of travel insurance documents (if I took it for that trip) and contact information
6) list of credit card company international phone numbers in case I have problems while I'm away
7) phone number and address of US embassy +/ consulate for the country/countries I'm visiting

I also set up, in advance, an "address group" before leaving so that if I'm at an internet cafe, everyone gets the update. Heaven forbid you forget someone and they find out later that they were the only one you forgot!

spcfa ..... great suggestion!! Can't believe I forgot to mention all that personal info stuff!! I take it in paper form though, and absolutely would not leave home without it. My lists contain all the "personal info stuff" needed should we get into any kind of medical situation, financial, and/or whatever situation. It really helped us out once during an out of the country stay, and I've never forgotten that!!

I also send trip itineraries to immediate family members that we wish to have know where we are, and how we can be contacted.

My little travel alarm clock....I hate hotel wake-up calls.

Thanks again. More please.

If it's the kind of trip where I'm staying in one place the entire time & I have a small frig, I take a few kitchen items so I can make food & drinks easier. I pack one plastic dinner plate, some plastic silverware, one small sharp knife, little salt & pepper packets, a few napkins, stainless steel water bottle.

I use Splenda and I can never find it in German restaurants so I carry the convenient tablet dispenser with me.

A small digital voice recorder. Sometimes I'm too lazy in the evening to type or write that day's travel log so I record a few sentences explaining what we did.

A small spray bottle of Febreeze to freshen up clothes or musty hotel rooms.

If I'm changing climates, I always pack an outfit in my carry-on, in case the checked suitcase is delayed. So for a beach/hot weather destination that would include: flip flops, bathing suit, shorts, tank top.

For a long haul flight like going to Europe, I pack 1/2 outfit in my carry-on to freshen up at the airport upon arrival. For that: fresh top, fresh socks and undies. Really makes a difference especially coming off a red-eye.

Thanks folks. Keep them coming.

My MIL always carries spare underwear in her hand luggage just in case the bags are lost. If they get lost for a long time the airlines often hand out a free t-shirt and some toiletries (Lufthansa used to do this, anyway) but you are stuck with yucky underwear for the next few days until your bags get delivered.

Lavandula

I always have tue following;

1.Panadol (you can never read what your taking in a foreign country)

2. Hand sanatizer (to kill all those germs from the hand rails etc)

3. A book (you never know when you will be stuck in a airport, train station or tourist attraction line)

Im loving this forum. Great ideas people!!

Hey spcfa...Try printing names and address of friends on labels so when you do send postcards, you already have the label and you just stick it on. I have done that in the past

Hi Shar - yes, my SIL turned me on to that trick about 10 years ago, and I do take the labels. But I really like having that internet-based back up of everything Just In Case! Good travel planning (kind of like good survival skills in general) is all about being able to navigate contingencies like a 007. It should look effortless but be based on excellent preparation!!

Things to take:
eyeglasses, extra contact lenses, bandaids, tylenol, benadryl, hand lotion, vaseline, hand sanitizer, immodium, mouthwash. I always have the card of the hotel with the address on it. This really came in handy when I was in Italy trying to get back to my hotel from the metro.

Also take your eyeglass prescription in case you lose or break your glasses while traveling.

Also, if you take any medications, be sure you have the generic name in case you need to replace them while out of the country. Alot of US brand names aren't used outside of the US.

Rather than a prescription, I just take a 2nd pair of glasses.

"if you take any medications, be sure you have the generic name in case you need to replace them while out of the country"

That's a definite to do for us - the two of us carry a good amount of prescriptions, and all are needed on a daily basis. We always carry the 'info, fact sheets' for each with us on every trip out of the country (these are supplied by the pharmacist, with each and every prescription when filled, and they indicate the generic and brand names of the drugs, use, side-effects, and etc.).
Wouldn't leave (our Canadian) home without them!!

An addition -- I mentioned taking a 'spare' pair of eyeglasses in an earlier post -- but I always take the prescription of the current pair as well ... when travelling out of country, especially for some time (i.e., more than a week or two).

An optician can 'read' the prescription from one's glasses, but if the glasses have been terribly broken or lost, the prescription is the ticket to new ones!!

Great post!
I always pack a sharp kitchen knife, small plastic chopping board and keep unused plastic cutlery from the flight. That way if we just want a snack meal without having to sit in a restaurant we can do this in the hotel room.
Of course these are not in my carry-on luggage. Di

Maybe some of you can afford to have a SECOND pair of $400 glasses on hand, but I can't. So, I carry my prescription and hope to goodness I don't lose or damage the glasses I have.

bettyk .... I'm with you. My present glasses just cost me in excess of $900 (Cdn$) ... and there's no way I could afford, or want, to buy two pairs at that cost!!!
The second pair I always take away on trips, is an 'old' one -- it will work to get me by if needed -- but I always have the current prescription on-hand as well -- and hope, like you, it will never be needed!!!!

Thanks people keep them coming.

Sorry I didn't mean to offend anyone. Yes I do have two pair of prescription glasses, plus one pair of prescription sunglasses and I take all 3 when I travel.

Not offended, suze. Just my reality.

"didn't mean to offend" ... none taken here either. But with my 'complicated & expensive' prescription, I was just stating my reality as well.

bettyk~ I guess then I misread your tone when you wrote "Maybe some of you can afford to have a SECOND pair..." that sounded like you think I'm rich or something. Not like I'm driving a BMW!

Let it alone, suze.

I never travel without:

- painkillers (I have a bad back and am prone to migraines)
- travel umbrella
- ebook

I take my most recent "old" pair of eyeglasses. I also use these in the pool or ocean so if there is a mishap my current pair are safe. Also "hard" eyeglass case for extra care.

Great.Keep them coming.

Never leave home without:

1. Camera gear which also includes extra battery and charger, lots of film disks.
2. Prescription meds.
3. Extra pair of glasses which are older model than my current ones but the prescription is about the same. They are in a hard, protective case as mentioned by debsnj.

Never leave the apt./hotel in vacation destination without:

1. Camera gear-same as above.
2. Small, light weight map of city. Love the Knoff Mapguides.
3. Address of apt./hotel just in case we get lost and need help to get back. We have only used this once in China as harder to find English speaking help there- especially in smaller cities.