MIKELB

Any suggestions greatly appreciated. <BR>For a five day trip to france, and a six day trip to italy, I have packed the following: <BR> <BR>4 pants, 6 shirts, 1 suit (for nice evening out or something), 2 pr shoes (1blk, 1brn), 3 belts, socks, undies, tees. I have our passports, Intl Drivers License, birth certs, amex, mastercard, Drivers license, photocopies front and back of all of the above, 20 rolls of film (10 per person), 1 cheap camera, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodarant, shaving supplies, etc. <BR> <BR>Tell me what else I need, and I'll check to see if I have it.

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Did you include any medications you might need, especially prescription items, and simple things like aspirin and antacid. Also, search the "Smart Travel Tips" section on this forum and you'll find lots of other hints (like handiwipes - I never leave home without them). Have a wonderful trip. <BR>

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Did you include any medications you might need, especially prescription items, and simple things like aspirin and antacid. Also, search the "Smart Travel Tips" section on this forum and you'll find lots of other hints (like handiwipes - I never leave home without them). Have a wonderful trip. <BR>

Donna

Better throw in the plane tickets (along with photocopies)... How about maps, phrase books, tour guides, spiral notebook & pen? On the first page, note the phone numbers to your bank and credit card providers (the 800 numbers won't work from Europe) just in case. Call your credit card companies and let them know you'll be travelling in Europe. They've been known to freeze your account while trying to verify that you're the one using them over there. Also, highly recommend a raincoat with a hood (which precludes the need for an umbrella) or waterproof jacket, and you might want to throw in a sweater. In the higher elevations and near the water it can be chilly, especially at night. If you're going to be wandering around on your own, a pocket compass is a huge asset. Be sure your toiletries are no more than two-thirds/three quarters full (the contents expand on the plane). Tape the tops, then seal them in plastic freezer bags. Nothing worse than shaving cream all over everything when you open your bag. Best to carry your valuables in an under your clothing security pouch. Leave everything you don't need (including your wallet) at home.

Mary Ann

Hi Mike: You did not mention if you were taking anything electrical, ie sharver? If so, you will need a converter. Also, a travel alarm may be helpful. Shout spots are good too, like handiwipes, only for clothes. If you like using a wash cloth, you might take one, many places in Europe do not use them. A good book to read on the plane? Have a great trip!!!

mikelb

Hey! Thanks. There were a couple of things I left out. I am glad that I asked.

Richard

Mikel, Local currency or an ATM card to get same when you arrive. For the flight, if you're not 1st or business class, eye shade, neck pillow and ear plugs. Also, a phone card with instructions for dialing back home and a translation guide for menu items. The most important thing is a "money belt". Band-aids are good to have. Follow the old adage, "take half the clothes and twice the money" you think you'll need.

April

How about sunglasses, shampoo, brush, hairdryer, Pepto-Bismol or the like, Q-tips, tweezers, small scissors, tape, matchbox sewing kit, laundry soap, maybe a travel clothes line, and an address book of all the people you're sending postcards to. I always take a small pair of binoculars too. Are you taking a good camera as well as a cheap one? If so, take a spare battery. And if you wear glasses, take an extra pair plus your prescription. <BR>

hcw

If you're taking a suit, you might need a tie as well. But unless you're planning on a real high-end night out, you can get by with a sport coat and/or sweater and the pants/shirts you're already taking. And if you have your passport, the birth certificate is unnecessary and better left at home. And my personal indispensable travel item is a pack of granola bars or raisins, which are great to tuck in the bag you carry around all day for when you're starving but don't want to spend time or money on a sit-down snack. Also: a bottle opener/corkscrew & pocketknife (for picnics -- pack in your checked bags) clothes hangers (budget hotels never have enough), clothes pins (also useful for clipping drapes closed so you can sleep later), bubble wrap (to pack fragile souvenirs), empty zip-lock & plastic grocery bags, a highlighter pen (for marking maps), a few safety pins, extra batteries for anything that needs them.

Martha

Instead of taking your address book, why not use your computer to pre-print mailing labels to take along. Then, you just peel off a mailing label to stick on a post card and save the time of writing out an address. I've found this method to be a real blessing - especially if you have a lot of folks expecting post cards from abroad. <BR> <BR>Martha <BR> <BR>

Bob Brown

I took along a small bar of my favorite bath soap. I know, the French don't seem to use it too often, but my travel buddies appreciated it. And, the above lists are excellent. <BR>However, I found Snickers bars available in Switzerland!! <BR>You might carry along an immersion heater, or buy one once you arrive, so you can boil water. I am not sure what the conventional wisdom is on drinking the tap water in Italy, but I often found it to be heavily laden with chlorine. So boiling it drove off the smell and taste and reassured me that it was ok. Of course you will need a little something to heat and cool it in. <BR> Unless you are going on a business trip, you may be a little over clothed. I took less than what you list and found that I did not need it all, and I was packing for hiking and restaurant dinners. <BR>Remember you have to haul that stuff about. Take the "tote test". Take all you have packed, and then take a walk with it for about 500 yards and see how it feels. You don't need the birth certificate -- it has no status in Europe as far as I know -- so your passport and drivers license are your ids. <BR>If you are going to be outside for long periods, I also suggest sun screen. I burn easily, and have had one too many skin cancers removed. <BR>I also recommend strongly a debit / check card in addition to your normal atm and charge cards. I hit a situation in Switzerland where, as near as I could tell, my debit card would get out currency but my regular ATM card balked. <BR>I do carry an emergency reserve of American Express checks just in case there is an ATM problem, as happened to me once in Zurich at the airport. The ATM was out of order, my train was leaving in about 10 minutes, and I was hungry. So I cashed a check at the bank, ran into the market, bought something to eat, and headed for the train. <BR>As one final item, I find a pocket knife with a couple of tools on it to be handy. Never know when you might have to cut something or do a quick repair. <BR>And if you take any narcotic type drugs, it might be prudent to have a letter signed by your doctor listing the drug and why you have it. I have never had any problems with those kinds of inspections. Perhaps some of the others could comment on that aspect of European travel.

Glenn

I will second what Martha and Bob said. Print out addresses on computer labels if possible. This saves time and you know who you sent cards to so you won't leave anybody out. Bob suggested a swiss army pocket knife, I don't travel anywhere, including to work without it.

Joan

An extra pair of contact lenses if you wear them. <BR> <BR>Rather than remember most of what these people have mentioned, leave most of it home and PACK LIGHT!!!! You will not regret anything more than a heavy bag to carry. You're not going to the middle of the desert. You can buy whatever you need if you need it that badly.

greg

You take lots of cloth. I took less than one half of what you listed for a trip twice longer. Even then, I thought I took too much. <BR> <BR>We took tiny bottles of Purrel waterless handwash which saved us from having to go to pay restrooms just to wash hand. Unlike handiwipes, it does not generate trash. <BR> <BR>Also if you use washcloth in shower, you have to bring your own, with a plastic bag to put it in your bag when wet. <BR> <BR>For bathroom kit, we found one that hangs on a hook worked better than one that required counterspace. Very few hotels we stayed had any counter space to speak of. We had one with hook and another one without usually ended on top of the toillet tank.

elvira

I go nowhere without about a half dozen ziplock bags..as mentioned, they are great for the wet washcloth, to cover your camera on a rainy day, to pack up debris from a picnic. I bring back bottles of olive oil, etc. and seal them in the bags (re the exploding shaving cream). I also found the bestest invention: a halogen booklight/flashlight combo. Folds up to be used as a flashlight, opens to form a booklight that can set on a desk. Lightweight, and for all of us who've dealt with 1)no reading lamp of any sort in the hotel room and 2) the hall/stairwell light that shuts off on its own, the flashlight/booklight combo is a godsend. <BR>Swiss Army knife, small sewing kit, small roll of duct tape, a couple of rubber bands, ditto safety pins, and... <BR>EXTRA SOCKS. Oh yeah diarrhea medicine; one REALLY doesn't want to go looking for this when one needs it....

Laurie

I never travel to France or Italy without my wine opener!!!

Susan

Large zip-lock bags - useful for storing dirty clothes, bottles that might spill, and other things you'd like to keep separate from the rest of your stuff. <BR>Travel-sized tissues. Several of them. European toilet paper generally has the consistency of grocery bags. <BR>Have a great time!

Richard

!!!!!!MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! <BR> <BR>This poor person is gonna have so much stuff to carry that they wont have room to buy stuff to bring home! Italy is a country which is still on this planet and has many of the same conveniences we have here at home including colgate toothpaste, antacid, asprin, deodroantand even clothing!! If you forget something or need something buy it in Italy! Not only will you get to try a new "Italian" product but you will feel like a local when you brush your teeth with "MARVIS Denti Bianchi e Protetti"!! Just one tip, to buy health & beauty aids in Italy you can either go to a "Pharmacia" wherever you see the universal red cross or to a local "supermercado" for basics. Pharmacias can be more expensive because they are like a specialty store. <BR> <BR>As far as compasses, raisins, granola bars, bottle openers, handiwipes, wash cloths, tweezers, small scissors, tape, matchbox sewing kit, laundry soap, travel clothes lines, booklight/flashlight combos, sewing kits, small roll of duct tape (?), rubber bands, safety pins, etc, etc, etc., leave this stuff at home, if you need it ask you hotel or stop by a market! <BR> <BR>I like the idea of bring half the clothes and twice the money (but I warn you, clothes in Italy are expensive!) <BR> <BR>When you get to Italy you can do laundry, most hotels dont charge too much for this (laundromats are nonexistant in Italy so if you want to do it yourself, do it in Paris!) <BR> <BR>One other tip.... I always leave room in my luggage to stuff a collapsable bag in the top, that way you can shop and fill up the extra bag as you go!!

Richard

!!!!!!MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! <BR> <BR>This poor person is gonna have so much stuff to carry that they wont have room to buy stuff to bring home! Italy is a country which is still on this planet and has many of the same conveniences we have here at home including colgate toothpaste, antacid, asprin, deodroantand even clothing!! If you forget something or need something buy it in Italy! Not only will you get to try a new "Italian" product but you will feel like a local when you brush your teeth with "MARVIS Denti Bianchi e Protetti"!! Just one tip, to buy health & beauty aids in Italy you can either go to a "Pharmacia" wherever you see the universal red cross or to a local "supermercado" for basics. Pharmacias can be more expensive because they are like a specialty store. <BR> <BR>As far as compasses, raisins, granola bars, bottle openers, handiwipes, wash cloths, tweezers, small scissors, tape, matchbox sewing kit, laundry soap, travel clothes lines, booklight/flashlight combos, sewing kits, small roll of duct tape (?), rubber bands, safety pins, etc, etc, etc., leave this stuff at home, if you need it ask you hotel or stop by a market! <BR> <BR>I like the idea of bring half the clothes and twice the money (but I warn you, clothes in Italy are expensive!) <BR> <BR>When you get to Italy you can do laundry, most hotels dont charge too much for this (laundromats are nonexistant in Italy so if you want to do it yourself, do it in Paris!) <BR> <BR>One other tip.... I always leave room in my luggage to stuff a collapsable bag in the top, that way you can shop and fill up the extra bag as you go!!

wes fowler

Mike, <BR>There is one rule to follow regarding packing. PACK LIGHT! Imagine that you have arrived in Paris at the Gare d'Nord early in the morning after a sleepless flight. There's torrential rain. Traffic is horrendous. The Metro and cabbies are on strike. Your hotel is either 8 blocks east or 4 blocks west of the train station. How far do you want to hump 3 belts and 4 slacks along with the truckload of oddments recommended above? Consider, too, that other than the hotel desk clerks, no one in Europe is going to see you in the same outfit twice. PACK LIGHT! Cut back on the clothing you've indicated, add an electric current convertor and prescriptions(if necessary) and a Swiss Army knife or the like, preferably with a corkscrew. One of my traveling friends, a female who travels extensively, has an interesting approach. She packs stuff that's on it's last legs: either out of style or wear worn. Wears it once or twice then throws it away. Either buys a new wardrobe piecemeal or has lots of luggage space for European purchases.