When I pack to go to Europe , I pack the following things:<BR>my blanket<BR>my pillow<BR>my clock<BR>a candle<BR>water<BR>my meds<BR>my coffee maker<BR>my own tea bags<BR>my own cup<BR>a personal lock for the hotel door<BR>a booklight<BR>a magnifying make up mirror<BR>a small humidifier<BR>a small backpack<BR>locks<BR>books<BR>maps<BR>snacks<BR>an d some clothes.<BR>Hope this helps.

Now YOU are an Accidental Tourist. Macon would be proud!

How many anal retentive people does it take to scrow in a light bulb? Who the @%#* cares!!! You've got to have more serious matters to contend with, don't you?

And another lightbulb discussion rises to the top.

You may laugh but I think it is a good question, so count me into the list. I can't read in those Euro hotels with nightlight bulbs. I am going to buy one over there next time.

Do you leave the lightbulbs in the lamps or do you take them with you and use them for another time?

If anyone is still interested in the original question, my experience is that it can be unpredictable -- that bulb bases and lamp sockets are highly variable in size, so it may be possible that US bulbs would fit (esp. in lamps made in the US but fitted with Euro-plugs). But there are many many lamps made in Europe that US bulbs do NOT fit, as I found to my sorrow when I sent back a lamp I loved to the US (and had fit with a Ameri-plug) and could not find bulbs for it.<BR><BR>I had to wait 17 yrs. for the next trip to Europe to find and buy bulbs to fit it, and you can imagine what they security X-ray machine readers thought when they saw all those peculiar shapes with wires and filaments on the X-ray screen. Yes, I put them in carry-on, not wanting to have someone blow up my checked bag just to be careful.

kathie, lights in Italian hotel rooms are exactly fitted to the expectations of an average Italian (except in a few occasions). We probably have different expectaions about electic lights. You, as an America, are probably used to much more light than we are.

i used to take my own TV to France until it imploded one day in my luggage... I've learnt my lesson so now I take 2 TVs just in case!!

Now that I'm of a Certain Age, I am more bothered by the low light in many European establishments but it never occurred to me to buy and replace lightbulbs. For reading, I carry my own booklight, which has quite an intense light, and I use it even in daylight. For makeup, I figure it doesn't matter that much any more, I'm OLD!