Peter_S_Aus

I am heading to Venice on 23rd September, staying for seventeen nights. If you are checking a bag, take a decent sharp knife. I have found that knives in rentals are mostly pretty ordinary.

Other than that, I'm throwing a pepper grinder into the bag, a few other condiments, the usual chargers for phone, ipad and kindle. A decent map of course, and in Venice you really need it.

My solo trip is for the Architecture Biennale, and it will be happening while the OP is in Venice. The main venues are the Giardini and Arsenale, but there are others dotted all over Venice.

There is something on Certosa, and that is where the kayak tour departs from, so it is a chance to see part of Venice that few tourists visit.

NewbE

I find it odd that so many of you carry extra stuff when the smartphone you already have will do the same jobs: flashlight, camera, maps, watch...

I suggest having multiple adapters handy. It's convenient to have one for each device, and they can get lost. (I had one die on me recently, first time ever. )

annhig

Does this suggest that you don't believe there are any? Of course there are. The one I'm thinking of is just behind Santi Apostoli church, steps off Strada Nova, a very beaten path. I suggest you step off "the tourists streets" even a little. You never know what you may find. >>

there's also one on campo Santa Margherita and another between the Rialto and the Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo - just put "hardware stores" into google maps. there are also shoe shops, chemists, supermarkets, a department store, and at least one shop selling linens and towels...but sadly every time I go the tourist tat shops are more numerous, replacing the shops selling things that Venetians need to buy.

dshapero

All,

Thanks again for all the help, to say we are excited is an understatement. Aside from all the other stuff, it being Italy, it being our 25th, it's also the first real trip without our three kids since... (hmm, actually might be our honeymoon).

@Peter_S - we arrive in Venice on the 18th and leave on the 23rd, would love to meet up if it works out, though it sounds like you are there for work. We head off to Florence on the 23rd around noon, but we could delay a bit - I am sure there are a few trains.

Dave

KyraS

I know a phone can be a map, but I prefer paper maps and don't always use my phone when I travel. On our last trip, I left my phone in a dresser drawer in our apartment for the entire three weeks, even on days my husband and split up. On the previous trip, I didn't even take my phone. I imagine I'm not the only one.

I always put a few binder clips in my carry-on bag. They can be used to hold paper together, or to clip curtains shut, or as makeshift clothespins for laundry, or a clip for an open bag of potato chips/crisps, and take up less space than a clothespin and are stronger.

I rarely (never) use them at home, but always travel with ear plugs, and that includes the plane. I also never go anywhere without a stash of various over the counter meds. Yes, I know I can buy things elsewhere, but don't want to waste time looking for the local equivalent of loperamide hydrochloride when I really need it. So there is always some in my purse or pocket. I have a tiny, flat, rectangular plastic box I got at the Container Store, or someplace similar, that holds a day's worth of prescription and OTC meds that slips into my travel purse.

In relevant locations, I always have a paper copy of the local transit system map on me.

And I'm another person who packs Ziploc bags and I always find a use for them.

I don't have a Kindle or iPad but I am a reader, so I take disposable books. These are paperbacks bought very cheaply at used book stores or library book sales and ones I won't mind leaving behind when I've finished reading them. I also tend to buy books so I leave space in my bags to bring them home.

Like another poster said, the items I don't use or wear are usually the ones added to my bag after it was packed, often an item of clothing thrown in a moment of panic. Or clothing items that I didn't try on before I packed them (that was frustrating as it was an avoidable mistake).

Hope you have a great trip!

HappyTrvlr

We always pack a few stoppers for wine bottles.

NewbE

<On the previous trip, I didn't even take my phone. I imagine I'm not the only one.>

No, but you're one of the very few, these days. As I said, my phone is a flashlight, a camera, an alarm clock, a calendar, a note taker, a reminder, a research tool, a record keeper, and oh yeah, a communication device. And it's tiny, and rechargeable. A traveler's best friend, surely.

Ditto hauling books. I prefer reading books and magazines in paper at home, but an e-reader is far more convenient for travel.

Peter_S_Aus

For the OP, d shapiro, I'm afraid that we will miss each other, as I arrive in Venice on 24th September, mid afternoon.

My interest in the Archi Biennale is purely recreational. A mechanical engineer, retired from a career in the water (aka sewage) industry.

Have a great trip, and enjoy your kayak adventure.

annhig

Ditto hauling books. I prefer reading books and magazines in paper at home, but an e-reader is far more convenient for travel.>>

agreed, NewBe apart from guide books which I find really hard to use on a kindle. a paper copy is a lot easier to navigate.

And thanks to whoever said that the Michelin guide to Scilly is just out - I'll have to try to find it.

Hobbert

I always bring a thin scarf. Usually a plain black cotton one does the trick. Great for the plane ride and useful to have in my bag if we want to go in a church and I'm in a tank top.