I wouldn't travel without it.......
 

What is the one thing you wouldn't travel without, maybe something a little out of the ordinary, let's just have fun with this one.

In 34 years when I have been to many hot countries, like Thailand recently where I had two small showers in 3 months, I always take a telescopic umbrella which takes up hardly any room. I have been in some seriously heavy rain a few times and been glad of it.

earplugs, saves me from a lot of annoyance on the plane and in the hotel!

I always take an inflatable hanger (or 2) for drying blouses/shirts after hand washing. It takes up almost no room. The clothes dry faster, and often the hotel hangers can't be removed from the closet to hang in a breezier place. The metal hangers also might be rusty or dirty, which then gets on your clothes.

a corkscrew!

1. Small compass
2. body lotion (airplanes dry out my skin)

Corkscrews are what my husband looks for as reminders of the trip. Otherwise, they'd be on our list too. We usually bring home 1 or 2 from every trip.

cls2paris, I like the way you think...reminds me of traveling to France just after 9/11...I was carrying a shoulder bag that I hadn't used in a while, and I forgot that I had my Swiss Army knife in one of the pockets. They asked me at security if I had a corkscrew, and I thought, "Oh no!" Needless to say, I had to give up the knife, as I didn't have time to go back and check it.

On a more boring note, I would never travel without my camera and a journal, for complete trip documentation!

- Ditto the small compass, I have one that fits on your wrist like a watch.
- Earplugs
- 100% cotton skirt if hot weather
- journal
- very comfortable shoes
- print-outs of any hotel reservations

A flashlight

I lived in Toronto during the August blackout in 2003. We had to evacuate our building - without even back-up generator light in the stairwells. Descending 20 floors in pitch black was unnerving to say the least. Shopping in a dark (but open) grocery store the next day was amusing (I came home with the wrong flavour chips and decaf coffee - argh). At the time, I travelled internationally a lot for work - and I started think: "Yikes, what if there was a blackout in my hotel room? What if the street I was walking on back to my hotel was very dark? What if, heaven forbid, there was a plane, train or metro accident?

Now I carry a very small, very powerful flashlight with me everywhere.

My Bose noise cancelling headset!

1. Advil
2. My camera
3. Alarm clock
4. My Visa card

So much for one thing ~ hence my screen name.
((c))

passport
sleep meds
earplugs
flashlight
watch
corkscrew

two sarongs

a couple molded plastic hangers
(works better than the blowup ones)

ATM card with 4 digit PIN.

Broad spectrum anti-biotics from my pharmacist.

Swisstool
Duct Tape
Flashlight
Antihistamine
Bandaides
Umbrella

My laptop. I have about a thousand books on it, games, language translation, Encarta which has good maps of the whole world, Word to do some writing, etc.

Beyond the practical things, like Immodium, I wouldn't travel without incense or a scented candle. I can't sleep well in smelly hotel rooms, and having my favorite L'Occitane scent fill the room is wonderful.

Kate- I, too, always travel with a flashlight, and keep it on my nighttable for the entire trip after being in a blackout in the Caribbean during Hurrican Ivan. When the power is out on an entire island- that is DARK!

hmmm here was many good advice. My number one thing must be
1. Visa ( Then you can solve the rest)
2. sleeping mask/ ear plugs
3. vide clothes ( rom for all the great food I'm going to eat during my greek hollyday, i'm now 52 kilo when i come bakc il propaly vil be 57:-) so then its back to the dark bread an water... BUT NOT WHEN IM IN GREECE:-)

Some things from my basic list:

- Earplugs
- Bubble wrap
- extra zip lock bags (good for storing receipts and business cards)
- Journal
- Corkscrew
- travel size alarm clock
- Of course: passport, credit card, ATM card, some cash

Monica ((F))

I always travel with a corkscrew and my set of Riedel "O" wine glasses. They travel well and I always have a nice glass to drink out of.

My sense of humor - indispensable! Gets me through some not-so-perfect days.

I always make room for extra lip balm, tiny scented candle, traveller's first-aid kit, compact umbrella, iPod and compact speakers (instead of alarm clock), plenty of zip-loc bags...and some of these things I wind up not needing, some I always do.

But I'm really lost without a knife. A Clip-it Delica has been a fixture on my keychain since well before the days when you could fly with a knife in the cabin with you if the blade was under 3-1/2 inches. It's so useful that I feel like a hand is missing when it has to be left behind.

After many unsatisfactory replacements I finally found a tiny Eddie Bauer knife with a built-in button light. It goes in a checked bag, of course, but now I have both emergency light and a great little blade in a very compact package that looks nothing like what it is. Wouldn't travel without it.

A credit card sized flat pocket magnifier is handy for road maps and other things with very small print.

Flashlight
Corkscrew

And a little multi-tool (Swiss Army?), which my husband put to good use in taking apart a bathroom drain in Nice to retrieve a contact lens.

(It was the first day of the trip and I didn't want to have to use my extra lenses so soon. The way things were going at that point, I might have been out of contactts by the time we got to Avignon).

Byrd

Oh, and I forgot to add, I now always take one of those flat rubber sink drain stoppers!

Byrd

After our trip to Paris a few months ago, I will never travel without the "Magic Cream."

((H))

Okay maitaitom, I must ask -- what is magic cream? What am I missing?

My primary needs, in no particular order:
Camera with lots of memory
Comfortable shoes
If flying coach (from California it's a long way to Europe) I want my blanket, pillow, and (new) lumbar support. Just bought the lumbar support last week at a travel store and tried it out on a flight and it worked great! It straps around the back of the seat and two or three puffs is all that was needed to inflate it.

great walking shoes; my camera; and Rx's just in case I get sick.

It's not essential at all, but I haven't taken a trip in 10 years without a bag of Twizzlers.

Hehe. I know that's not what you were going for, but they are always with me.

They are great for the flight and while sightseeing.

Hmmm, now I'm trying to figure out how to take all of these cool suggestions in my carry-on and fit in clothes too. ;-)

a sense of humor.

You've gotta tell us Maitaitom - we also want some if it's magic works on:
Getting upgraded on the plane
Getting a suite instead of a room
Keeps re-filling the wallet
Never lets you feel tired or worn out so that when you get home it doesn't feel like you REALLY need a holiday !

SUNSCREEN! Waterproof too, in case I forget an umbrella.

My husband!

"Magic Cream"....not that stuff for pediculosis I hope!

My iPAQ, of course. Why?

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34474486

Also a small "Leatherman" tool.

Small notebook & pens to record experiences, thoughts, etc. Plus, it's kinda fun to pretend to be a food critic taking down notes about a restaurant. Maybe it's all in my head, but service seems to improve when I taste something, then write down a note (usually about something completely non-food related). It's a lovely little world I've concocted in my imagination!

Looking at your watch and writing down something while waiting for the next course seems to have a salutary effect, also. :>