Caitlin

Film. Bring a lot more than you think you might need; it's twice as expensive in Europe, and also can be difficult to find higher than 200 ASA.

Karen

I'm here to tell you that you can live without much! My suitcase was lost on the way to Rome last year, so I was without it for six days of a 10-day trip. I was lucky to be travelling with two friends more or less my size, but I wore the same clothes over and over, refusing to let this ruin my visit, and had a great time anyway! The only things I'd really worry about forgetting are tickets, passport, and money (or credit card).

Susan

This is probably going to sound obvious, but if you wear contact lenses, make sure you have them with you! I rarely wear my contacts - I usually wear bifocal glasses, but when I go on vacation, particularly to an area where I know I'm going to be snorkeling or swimming, I want to wear my lenses. On a trip to Belize (destination chosen because of the snorkeling), I discovered that I had brought the wrong case - the empty case. Luckily my husband had a dozen pairs of the disposible type of lenses with him - I took a look at his prescription and decided I could make do. And there was a bonus - if I wear only 1 lens, I can see distance, but I can also read!

tom

ditto Susan. I bring TWO sets hard contact lenses, one in my eyes, one spare set. I also carry a couple of soft disposable lenses, as a backup to the backup. <BR> <BR>When vision is as bad as mine (20-200), a lost lens (or two) ruins everything.

Jerald

DEODERANT SOAP! They don't have it & it is evident they don't use it!

Vanessa

Kleenex in a ziplock bag. It definitely comes in handy. Gum for the plane, don't forget your brush. I bought a small travel brush, but was wishing for my regular size round brush once I got to Paris. Don't forget the electricity adaptors. My friend was in charge of buying one for us for our Paris trip (for a hairdryer), but she accidentally bought one that was only for use on smaller appliances like an electric razor. We went for a week without a hair dryer, which was really an inconvenience.

Diane

Bubble wrap for those delicate purchases you're bound to buy.

Bob

My wife starts keeping my underwear that is ready to be thrown out and I take that to Europe with me. Wear a pair one last time and leave it behind in the trash. Beats lugging the dirty stuff around. <BR> <BR>Travel shops now sell small zipper bags in different sizes. You can put all your socks in one, shirts in another, etc. That way your bag never gets too messed up if you are packing and unpacking. The small zipper bags keep it all organized. Zip-locks can do the same thing, but the tear. <BR> <BR>Spare camera battery for sure. <BR> <BR>If you have a Palm Pilot or similar PDA device put all your reservation info and confirm numbers on this. Save carrying around all the paper. You can also put reminders of specific things not to miss in different cities. <BR> <BR>If you buy posters, etc. take a cardboard tube with you to roll them into for trip home.

Bobbi

A small, solar-powered calculator to convert prices. It's nice to know what you are paying for stuff especially when you're on a budget.

Steve

The first post that mentioned blisters reminded me of what I discovered years ago as a beginner jogger. Adhesive tape (not bandaids) taped directly on the blister-prone part of the foot is much better at preventing them. Blisters are caused by friction; adhesvie tape stuck to your skin means no rubbing (friction) on the skin itself.

wes fowler

Denise, <BR>There was a posting here about two years ago similar to yours that prompted a tremendous number of responses and suggestions of "what to bring". While I didn't respond to the posting on Fodor's, I did correspond directly to the writer suggesting that if he really intended to pack all those suggested items, he should think in terms of a U-Haul truck (large, not economy size). <BR> <BR>Of all the items listed above, three make sense to me; film, batteries and old throwaway clothing. Nothing else I saw listed can't be purchased in Europe. (Europe has come a long way in the last few years; most of the streets are paved; there's electricity available in most places; flush toilets in a lot of places too - eccentric flushing, but flushing nevertheless; Woolworth's is a German company; I tell ya it's amazing how American Europe has become - you'll even find shopping malls - in Brussels, Milan and Paris, for example.) <BR> <BR>Buy your stuff in Europe. Buying everything from headache remedies to toilet tissues to clotheslines to plastic bags and all else you might need will expose you to a Europe most tourists are afraid to explore. You'll gain tremendous insights into the way Europeans live, their fads and perceived necessities, their costs of living and their daily rituals.