Our data entry clerk filled her water bottle with white rum. I'm sure it make her job more bearable - while she had it. LOL

what i do take/do:
extra clothes in carry-on bag
snacks for the plane
small flashlight
earplugs
valium
sewing kit
extra pair of prescription glasses
phrase book
3x5 notebook

what i don't do/take:
umbrella
rain coat
lock my luggage
first aid kit
journal
guidebooks
maps

DebitNM- I thought TSA locks were only good for travel within the United States, not Europe, right?

more things i don't take:
clothes line
clothes pins
fabreeze
spot removing pens
laundry soap
travel iron
hair dryer
curling iron
ipod
laptop
cell phone

Suze,
Have you never been caught in a rain storm? Do you take some kind of covering or just get wet?
My trip kit is getting more and more basic which results in much less stuff. But my MP3 player is a must and lots of ziploc bags in various sizes.

I always pack a very small but sturdy travel umbrella; actually, one for each of us.

We have been caught without (left it in the room!) and had to buy a more expensive umbrella that broke almost instantly.

I've written this here before but I always pack a little "first class" amenities kit. In it are

earphones for inflight entertainment
earplugs
earplanes
Motion sickness meds
Meds I need for 24 hours
lip balm
nose spray
mints
wipe cloths
hand cream
chewing gum

I have found that I use this little kit on every long flight. It is so nice to have.

what are earplanes?

suze, no iPOD? I already loaded my "Happy Switzerland" CD onto mine in preparation for my September trip. I had to, it was driving my cat CRAZY! You have to love the alphorn. Honestly though, I can't imagine a coach flight w/out it~

earplanes are cheap little plastic gadgets that are designed to relieve pressure on take off and landing. They seem to work.

When I travel to Europe I always try to remember to pack a facecloth. It's useful for on the plane for freshening up, and at the hotels, well, very rarely do European hotels have them.

tuscanfeed and others: I'm not sure what earplanes are either, but as an alternative, here's a tip I learned from SCUBA to relieve the pressure on your ears: hold your nose between your thumb and forefinger, close your mouth, and blow GENTLY through your nose. You will feel a slight pop in your ears. You can also chew gum, or yawn, but this works for me.

I swear by earplanes.
I bring a rain bonnet and coat instead of an umbrella. The last time I brought a little travel umbrella it folded back on itself in the rain and wind.
I think the rain bonnet looks a bit dorky but I'd rather be dorky than wet.

I think one of the best tips I learned was from this forum a few years ago. Bring dental floss...unflavored and unwaxed...for a clothes line, tying shutters closed, emergency shoelaces, etc.

I never thought of using dental floss for anything but flossing my teeth.

I just have a bunch of small bottles for things like shampoo if I am going to stay in hotels or B&B's. Some provide those things and some do not. I also have a small container into which I pour my Woolite, but I understand from reading this board that shampoo packets might work just as well. I also have one of those little wind up flashlights and a clothesline.

When I home exchange, I don't need to bring anything mentioned as they come with the house. Talk about packing light! You don't have to bring a lot of clothes either as you can just do the wash. Absolutely the easiest and cheapest way to have a holiday.

I take a one inch, three ring notebook. I use subject dividers, and use such labels as "OUR INFO" (copies of passports, driving permit), "ITINERARY,"(typed itinerary with air, hotels, and hotel telephone numbers and addresses) "MAPS"(includes Mapquest or viamichellin routes to our destinations, "TRANSPORTATION" (car rental info and copy of airline reservation and a copy of driving rules and signs for the country) and other labels for the individual areas or cities that we are going to, eg "TUSCANY," "AMALFI" (information that I have collected on those areas,) and "DIARY" (past trips to the same area to remember restaurants and places) I've also been known to use the label "SHOPPING" (no explanation) as well. The folder has a pocket and I keep the large maps in the pocket.

Then I move the individual sections for the areas we visit to a small folder to carry around while touring.

We really refer to this folder during the trip and it helps to keep our info in order. It takes a little time, but makes things much easier when travelling.

mvor,

Why bother with a champagne stopper? Every French person knows that a spoon dropped handle first into the neck of the champagne bottle works just fine!

cheribob, I'll try the spoon technique next month in Switzerland! Although, I don't understand the "science" of it, I'll trust you~

I lay sheets of the small sized bubble wrap between my clothes in my suitcase, as well as extra zip loc bags...this came in handy on our last trip to Provence when I was bringing back several decorative bottles of olive oil and vinaigrettes!

I print out business-size cards to carry on our persons at all times, mainly in case we are in some kind of accident and unconscious:

Name: DOB: citzen of:
passport number:
local address: (hotel)
home address:
emergency contact:

traveling with: list your traveling companions, ages, and relation to you, for example, traveling with son John Doe, age 13.

I laminate these cards; everyone gets them. If there is an accident or we are separated, the information on these cards could be invaluable. In the case of minor children I always put the extra line:

"cab fare guaranteed to this hotel."

And I discussed this with the hotel as we checked in. Haven't had to do this in years, never "activated" it, but it was there if we needed it.

Wear a small whistle on a string under your clothing. I actually now have a pretty small sterling silver one on a chain. If you and your child are separated in a crowd, a short whistle is an effective means of finding each other in situations where there's no cell phone signal or both people don't have a phone.

And I always file my itinerary with the State Department. I know many people on this board don't do it and regard it as an unnecessary intrusion of their privacy. I like the idea of someone in a foreign city being able to at least have us on a list of citizens if necessary. Think of all the tourists, travelers, students in Lebanon who needed repatriation to the US.

It's also good to program an ICE # into your cell phone (remember the country code).