For years I would try to write in a journal each day of my trip but found that as the trip progressed along, my writting became less and less. I now carry a very small tape recorder in my purse. As we go about our day, I pull it out and we all take turns talking about we have seen, how we feel about it, etc. One of my favorite tapes is from Rome and my son and I had just walked from one side to the other practically. I asked my son what he liked the best, his response "sitting"!

It was fun reading these suggestions.

And I had to laugh at the black top blue jeans thing. That was my uniform when I went to Europe for 4 months, mostly because it didn't seem too dirty after a few wears. All the clothes I brought fit into two, 2-gallon ziploc bags (only 3 pants and 4 tops I believe. Ew!) So even what started out as new clothes got old VERY fast.

I actually looked pretty gross in Europe. But one thing that made me feel a bit better was purchasing one nice hair accessory. I never had time (or stuff) to do my hair, so having a fun hair clip to pull my hair up made me feel a little more put together. No hassle, no fuss, but I didn't look totally unkempt. Great when you have to get moving to go sightseeing! And it made for a nice souvenir.

When ever we travel we always pack a couple of bars of really good artisanal chocolate to keep us in supply until we find something local.
Strange but true and it has occasionally come in handy... a nice pick me for a disappointing hotel room, a quick snack when lost, hungry and a bit too far from lunch, rescue when stuck on the runway for a couple of hours, or as a gift that you had not thought you'd need to bring, but wanted to offer.
We often include a half bottle of port, too!

Our 2004 month long trip to England & France resulted in many computer print-outs of hotel resevations, car hire, train tickets etc. and I hit on the idea of folding each sheet into a neat square, writing boldly on the oneside what the contents were and then inserting it into a clear CD envelope and sealing it down with scotch tape.
Finally, stringing each individual one together with a bright ribbon.
I could at at instant reach into my purse and flip through until I located the relevant information needed.
No panic trying to find "where did we put the tickets?"!!

Convince me that dragging dead trees around is superior to organizing all of your travel data in a PDA.

So why didn't you tell us this before instead of inflatable neck pillows
( which we wouldn't use in First Class anyway).

By the way, I have also downloaded entire threads from Fodor's into Pocket Word. Obviously, it's better to have notes in a form that can be searched by a program than to carry dozens of printed pages.

I agree with you 100% Robespierre.
Now please tell me what make PDA I should look for. Some must be better than others. I hope to heaven I can operate the thing as you are obviously much younger and clued up. This technical age plays havoc with us old folk.
Thanks again for allerting me to a better way of doing things.

Just seen Areinert's posting and your reply so I'll head for the stores tomorrow. Thanks.

I'm young, and I prefer paper. And I'm in the technology industry, so go figure.

I had a PDA a few years ago...I hated it after a while. It was a Palm, and I am sure they are even more powerful than they were back then. I use a notepad for everything still. It's certainly not as streamlined or as organized as a PDA, but it doesn't crash, and I don't have to worry about batteries running low.

The reason I also loved a notebook while I was traveling was it became a scrapbook of sorts. People I met would write me little notes with drawings, or I would scribble daily thoughts, which would turn into stories that I sent back home. I still have the notebook, and even though paper is easy to destroy, I would be willing to bet that years from now, that notebook will still be around for me to reminiscence over, while my PDA is already collecting dust (I think it's actually broken, who knows.)

Just a preference, I suppose. But I also had a very practical reason for carrying a notebook...I was backpacking and while people may have wanted to steal a PDA, they had no use for a notebook! I knew my information was safe! :)

Message: I'm young, and I prefer paper. <b>I'm young, too (born in '42).</b>

I had a PDA a few years ago...I hated it after a while. <b>The Palm user interface is clumsy IMO. I've owned 3 of them.</b>

It was a Palm, and I am sure they are even more powerful than they were back then. <b>Well, now they are about as powerful as desktops were then.</b>

I use a notepad for everything still. It's certainly not as streamlined or as organized as a PDA, but it doesn't crash, and I don't have to worry about batteries running low. <b>All your data is backed up to non-volatile storage, so even if it crashes or the battery runs down, your data is intact.</b>

The reason I also loved a notebook while I was traveling was it became a scrapbook of sorts. People I met would write me little notes with drawings, or I would scribble daily thoughts, which would turn into stories that I sent back home. <b>I do that wirelessly from my PPC.</b>

I still have the notebook, and even though paper is easy to destroy, I would be willing to bet that years from now, that notebook will still be around for me to reminiscence over, while my PDA is already collecting dust (I think it's actually broken, who knows.) <b>That's a very good reason to carry a small notebook and pencil. And back up your PPC diary to hard copy when you return.</b>

Just a preference, I suppose. But I also had a very practical reason for carrying a notebook...I was backpacking and while people may have wanted to steal a PDA, they had no use for a notebook! I knew my information was safe! :) <b>I carry my PC in my front pants pocket. Anyone who tried for it would set off the nearby alarm.</b> :-D

LOL Robespierre. Yes, youth is definitely a state of mind!

I couldn't have carried a PDA while I was traveling anyway...charging would have been a pain in hostels, etc and I would have been absolutely paranoid of it getting stolen. But perhaps I will take a peek when I am at a tech tradeshow this week to see what's new out there. It would be handy for shorter trips.

And there's no way I could carry it in my front pocket...my pants are usually pretty snug! (not to be confused with &quot;hootchie-tight&quot;) :) I carry a small purse and I am loathe to make it any heavier than it needs to be. I'll have to see how heavy the PDAs are these days. My slim Palm was actually very light, but it was just another thing to carry around. For some reason, carrying around a small notebook doesn't faze me (although it's probably heavier than the PDA!)

Yes yes, I know, I'm backwards. ;)

Travel candle.
Pillow case with high thread count.
Washcloth in ziploc bag.

If I were about 10% more paranoid, I'd get a tethered carrier like Bagpeddler sells on eBay.

Message: Travel Journals I received the best (tiny) travel journal from my daughter last year as we traveled together in Europe. Some of you may already have one but I have to share the website for ordering. www.journalsunlimited.com The perfect size for traveling.

This is response to the problem with blisters from walking all day. Bring two very different types of shoes with you and alternate them every day. Wearing the same shoes each and every day create pressure points on the same area of your feet; different shoes means pressure points are shifted to a different area therefore giving your foot time to recuperate.

NO BLISTERS! I'm tellin' ya, the <b>sports tape</b> is the ticket. I haven't had a blister in the past 6 trips or more. Anywhere you feel a spot being 'rubbed', peel off a small piece of sports tape and cover that spot (every day). It is much cheaper than 'mole skin' and works 100%.