Going in March overseas to spain and France I never seem to have the right thing in my travel bag. Would love a good check list.Thanks

I am not on any medications so no problem there. I do pack Advil Gels, a few bandaides and 2 pair of reading glasses and 2 pair of prescription sunglasses and Kleenex. Guess that is it.

I pack both DayQuil and Nyquil capsules or the equivalent; band-aides, Immodium, at least one analgesic such as Ibuprofen or plain aspirin, antacid tablets, etc. But these listed are my essentials. Having been caught in Berlin once, on a Sunday, with a terrific sinus blockage I will never be without some sort of handy cold symptom reliever/antihistamine again.

I take ibuprofen, decongestant (just in case I get a cold with clogged ears -ouch on a plane), hand gel/wipes, tissues, bandaids, blister pads, zinc lozenges (just in case a cold is starting), cough drops (handy for me or companion), lip balm, suncream and aftersun (burn easily). If tropical locale, also add insect repellant and anti-diarrheals. I may start to bring eye-shades since my last ON flight did not provide them.

Just the basics... Excedrin, Excedrin PM, Immodium, band-aids. Anything else I buy there if I need it.

Here is a good checklist. You can decide what applies to your situation and what doesn't. For example, for France and Spain you don't need anti-malarial meds.

http://www.oratory.com/onebag/popups/what2take.pdf

Acouple of things I don;t see listed - that I have found very handy. A pair of tweezers (great for spinters) and a tiny pair of nail scissors. Also, I always take a small flashlight and a steak knife (packed luggage naturally) - which has always been useful - for fruit if nothing else.

I always have packed in my travel bag:
immodium ad, tylenol sinus, claritan, extra pair of contacts, cotton swabs, moleskin, small scissors, tylenol sleep easy, tylenol, advil, excedrine migraine. You just never know what will happen.....lol I am prepared and I never have to worry about not having the right thing since it is always packed.

I packed Ibuprofin, a few band-aids, saline nose spray for the plane, and in the event of a cold some sudafed and sucrets. I also take vitamins and my daughters prescription bottle.
I do not recommend taking small scissors or knives for that matter- that is a security no no- they will get confiscated during the security check.

I take with me many of the items mentioned above. I also always take a few Benadryl or other medication that is an anti-histamine. I once quite surprisingly had an allergic reaction to something I ate and spent a miserable night with itchy hives and a fever. I was better the next day, but it was an awful night, and therefore, the Benadryl is always with me.

Ever since I read about it (on Fodor's), I take Zicam. First sign of a cold, I spray - and haven't ever actually come down with the cold.

I also take two Duornomyl (French mild sleeping aid) in the vain hope that one day I may sleep on a plane; two antihistamine pills; two ibuprofen; a couple of bandaids; a tiny plastic bottle of Visine; a tiny plastic bottle of Purell; and three pairs of prescription glasses.

If you are willing to confine it to checked luggage a Swiss Army knife or the similar Leatherman or Gerber tool can be a real help, especially the ones with the tweezers, corkscrew, scissors, etc. I've used mine for everything from repairing suitcases to breaking and entering (another conversation obviously!)...once you get one you never want to travel without one.

Intrepid1, breaking and entering?????
LOL. Do explain please!!!

Am sure we would all love to hear your story. But you obviously have lived to tell about it.

St Cirq mentioned <b>Zicam</b>. A discussion on the Fodors Canada forum indicated it was better to use the chewable version than the nasal spray because of this:

http://www.adrugrecall.com/zicam/zicam.html

These aren't exactly health kit items, but I always carry ear plugs and a small flashlight for the bedside table.

Anselm

An Ace bandage.

Wow, Judy, thanks for that heads up.
from that website:

&lt;According to the lawsuits filed by various users of Zicam, it has been known for decades that the use of intranasal zinc causes anosmia and hyposmia (partial loss of smell). Zicam contains zinc gluconate, and the products are administered nasally. In the late 1930s, intranasal zinc solutions were used to prevent polio, but proved unsuccessful and in some instances caused a loss of smell. Despite this seemingly obvious problem, Zicam and other cold remedies containing soluble zinc are not tested by the FDA for safety or efficacy.&gt;

I used Zicam for the first time about a month ago when I got a head cold, and it seemed to make the cold short and more bearable, but of course that's compared to an unknown.
I will switch to the tablet form for travel or for the next time at home.

No wonder I didn't notice the dead squirrel in the trash can last week!

But seriously, thanks for the heads up. Zicam has a half-dozen types of products now from capsules to chewables to nasal swipes....I'll switch to something else!

I want to expand on Elaine's suggestion. Not only is Benadryl handy in the event of an allergic reaction, but like other first-generation antihisthamines, it doubles as a mild sleep aid (in adults). Look for generic diphenhydramine, which is identical but sells for a fraction of the price.

Also look for generic versions of the active ingredient(s) in NyQuil, Excedrin PM, Claritin, and Tylenol Sinus. These brand-name products are expensive gimmicks.

Finally, keep your prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and vitamins in their original packaging, lest there be any questions from officials abroad -- and so that you will have correct dosage information and expiration dates.

Paul Marcelin-Sampson
Santa Cruz, California, USA

Compeed gel bandaids are handy to have in case you get a blister.

Maybe everybody else already knows about these, but I just discovered them recently, and boy, do they work- way better than normal bandaids for blisters.