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.

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