jackie

Ok... what's your check list for a month-long trip to Italy..... It seems I have so many vouchers, etc. I'm bound to forget something. And if I don't, it will surely get lost in the first 3 days.... Any suggestions,goooo for it...

elaine

jackie <BR>If you have a lot of papers and want to be organized, try a spiral or 3-ring binder that has or accommodates <BR>pocket pages, or just punch holes in some zip lock bags and put them in the binder. If you organize this by city and maybe even by day, each day you take out just what you need, and carry it with you. <BR>For travel I have a larger wallet than my usual. It is nylon (waterproof), has several sections large enough to acccommodate currencies (more than one type), a passport, tickets/passes, atm and credit cards,and a zippered section for coins. <BR>I'll bet Elvira will have some good suggestions on this; I used to think I was compulsively organized until I read how well SHE does it.

Marion

I do basically the same as Elaine, but would also make 3 copies of the vouchers, tickets, putting one complete packet in each of our 2 suitcases -- in env in bottom, and of course include a copy of passports, just in case. The 3rd copy is left in designated position at home so family can access it if necessary. Yes, I'm cautious!! If the original is lost, you might have to buy a new RR ticket, but a hotel would most likely honor the copy & it should at least be easier getting passport/air ticket replacements.

elvira

I've got a long stay in Paris this year, so I expanded on my obsesssive-compulsive organization (glad to know I'm not the only one, elaine!) <BR> <BR>Anything that has real value (passport, airline tickets, train tickets, money, credit/debit cards) goes in a wallet, into the purse I'll carry everyday. Do not take your Sears card, your library card, etc. - leave them home, so that you have, say, five 'cards' in your wallet to worry about. Don't forget your frequent flier card for your airline, or make sure the reservation already has the number. <BR> <BR>The three ring binder is the way to go, each day indexed, with reservation confirmations, maps, itinerary, etc. for that day. <BR> <BR>I have standing lists for my trips: the absolute list (like passport, plane ticket, etc.), then the clothing list, one for hot, one for cold. Okay okay I'm anal, but I've never done the Homer Simpson forehead-slap because I've forgotten something. <BR> <BR>Yah gotta make lists, doll. You have to make minute decisions (like, where are you going to keep your housekeys all this time? I suggest you take only the keys you need, like house/alarm, and leave the rest of them at home, then find a pocket inside the suitcase, or attach them with a big safety pin). Get a box or something to keep all the stuff in while you're planning (when you get your plane ticket, put it in the wallet, put it in the box). Ditto your suitcase - keep it open and start piling stuff in as you buy it/find it. <BR> <BR>I pack the suitcase a week before I leave - gives me time to chuck out stuff I don't need (I always have too much piled in there) and check off if I have everything. <BR> <BR>I carry a pocket-sized notebook with a list of things I need to get; if I think of something else, I write it down. <BR> <BR>Yes, it's compulsive, but if you're trying to do a hundred things at once, you can't remember everything. Yah gotta make lists! <BR> <BR>

lisa peretz

It's so great to know that I'm NOT crazy. Marion, Elvira, I just read your organization tips and I do the same. I returned from a very successful trip to Florence, Tuscany and Rome three weeks ago and was glad to have my sectioned notebook with my plan fo each day. Logistically, it was awesome. Several times when I pulled it out, especially in Tuscany, travelers actually wanted my info. However, friends at home who witnessed my planning thought I was obsessive!! From now on I'll take that as a complement! I learned a lot from you guys. Thanks!!!!!!

jackie

Thanks to all! You've made me smile at my own tendency to be rather anal about all this planning. I think my friends and family are naturally jealous that I'm going--they resent the time I've given over to "over-planning" -- perhaps the gifts I bring back I will wrap in the pages and pages of info I've enjoyed wading through, and of course, the endless lists.....