Mary C

Actually, walked all day for SEVERAL days - nary a blister.

Amy

Dean!<BR>Wowser, that's a wonderful list to me. I wanna travel with people like that!<BR>(thanks to everybody who responds. Are we brilliant or what?)

Kim

to the top.

ljn

1. Rather than email yourself with your credit card numbers (Security issue!), Email yourself with the relevent 'Report stolen card' phone numbers as if you are travelling with several cards this will enable you to cancel them very quickly if they are lost/stolen. Also could email your passport number and travel insurence booking reference/number in case they are lost.<BR><BR>2. One for the ladies - Buy some Elizabeth Arden '8 hour cream' It is amazing - Will really hydrate your skin on the plane, Soothe sunburnt or chapped skin, Can be used as a face/hand/body cream/Lipbalm - can be mixed in with foundation/blusher for a dewey/fresh look and can be used to keep eyebrows in place - I never travel without it.<BR><BR>3. Avon Skin so Soft cream is an effective mosquito repellent and does not smell 'bad' as many repellents do.(Many americans seem to know about Avon SSS but not so many of us Brits are aware) <BR><BR>4. After reading advice on this board I would always photocopy passport and other important travel documents in case they are lost/stolen. <BR><BR>5. Always put a piece of paper in your case with name and address as if case receives some rough treatment and handles are broken off (Which is where your name & details would be)your case can be returned to you.<BR><BR>6. Bring a Swiss army knife or at least bring a serviceable bottle opener. But pack it in your case!<BR><BR>7. Obvious but important Don't forget to bring your sense of adventure with you, If you don't try something new you will regret it when you return home. Nothing worse than getting home and saying I wish we had......<BR>

Janine

Here's a couple gained from my own travel experiences and working in the industry:<BR><BR>1. ALWAYS get it in writing (bookings, amendments, cancellations, etc.)<BR>Carry confirmations with you.<BR><BR>2. If you ring a company to impart or receive important information, make a note of the name of the person you spoke to. (This doesn't only apply to travel situations).<BR><BR>3. When you check your luggage in, make sure the claim tag is made out to the correct destination. <BR>Keep the claim tag.<BR><BR>4. A brightly coloured sticker or ribbon makes it easier to identify your luggage coming off the carousel (and less likely that someone else will pick it up by mistake).<BR><BR>5. Don't rant and rave if things go wrong. You're not going to win any friends behind that counter, where you could probably use one.

Lynne

1001. Take many more photos of *people*<BR> than places or things.....<BR>l002. Go to supermarkets for the best<BR> souvenirs and gifts.....so much<BR> more interesting than T-shirts!<BR>1003. Get out of the big cities to see<BR> the real Europe.

Mike Miller

Bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap works great for those little items you have to wash in the hotel sink.

muffy

very good ideas.Over the years we have hit on a way to add space in our hard sided suitcase for the souviners we buy by taking along a soft sided folded dufflebag to put dirty clothes in for the trip back home.<BR>A small sample of fabreese comes in very handy.<BR>The empty film canasters make great coin holders for the different coins and keeps them seperate by country.The grandchildren love to see the coins that are so different from US coins.<BR>Happy Traveling

jw

Hello everyone. Great lists, but Lynne, especially the suggestion about shopping in supermarkets for souvenirs! That is absolutely true! They are such interesting places! I remember one year I brought home a bunch of those squeeze tubes of mustard and tomato paste -- a bit heavy though. I'm way over ten words and didn't contribute a thing. Well maybe I can: aluminum foil? I always bring a couple of feet and it always comes in handy, but at the moment I can't think of why. I also bring along a ziplock bag of 100 percent bran and powdered skim milk to help balance all the bread I eat at breakfast in Germany and Switzerland. You probably didn't want to read that tip, but there it is.

Tom

I would add to the advice about passports to also take along a copy of your birth certificate (or make sure someone at home knows where it is). I recently lost my passport in Madrid and the U.S. embassy demanded to see a fax copy of my birth certificate before I could get a new one.<BR>

ilene

1004. SLEEP - i.e. be well rested before you leave<BR>I agree with all the tips about bringing zip lock bags, certain kinds of suitcases, maps, etc. However, please don't be like me and if you are about to go on a trip right when you have been very busy about work, skip the bags, maps, etc. and get some sleep. no matter how ingenuiously you pack, you can't make up lost sleep from being run down once you leave for a busy vacation. Relax BEFORE you go (I like to get a manicure and pedicure) and get a lot of sleep that week and drink plenty of water. The other tips are all great but the most important is to be well rested.

John G

Money, tickets, passport...<BR><BR>Umbrella<BR><BR>Drugs<BR><BR>Th e private phone number of Ivana Trump's yacht.<BR><BR>Toy boy

Barb

1. Bring your own toilet paper.<BR>2. Once you pack, remove 50% and re-pack.<BR>3. Bring a Swiss Army Knife with a cork screw.<BR>4. Liquids must be in a ziploc bag.<BR>5. Learn to say "Hi", "Toilet", "Good bye" and "Thank You" for every country you travel in.

Pat

Hi,<BR>More than 10 words but;<BR>2 people traveling and checking bags should pack 1/2 their clothes in each bag. This way if the airlines lose your luggage, they're only losing 1/2 your clothes.<BR>Happy Travels.

Mimi

1. color coordinate your clothes so you can make more outfits with fewer clothes<BR>2. have a method for identifing your photos - all ruins look alike after 2 weeks<BR>3. check menus posted outside restaurants before entering<BR>4. metro - tube etc. passes are generally a good deal and much easier than buying individual tickets

Ron

If you use an electric curling iron, get one that is feuled by butane instead.

Dean

1. Life is uncertain, eat dessert first. And last too!<BR><BR>2. Be sure to stop and taste the gelato.<BR><BR>3. If you're lost, you're having an adventure.<BR><BR>4. Always stop and listen to street musicians, tip them generously.<BR><BR>5. In Italy, cappucino is drunk before 11 am, caffe (espresso) after.<BR><BR>6. If in doubt about buying something, buy it.<BR><BR>7. You can buy original art cheaper than factory made junk. <BR><BR>8. Eat. Eat some more. Food tastes better over there.<BR><BR>9. You cannot spend too much time sitting watching life go by.<BR><BR>10. You will not regret not seeing that museum, church, ruin

John G

Oh, Pat, don't bring any clothes with you at all! Then you can buy all new stuff while on vacation!<BR><BR>Oh what fun<BR>it is to shop <BR>at Hermes<BR>and Gaultier