I cut up an old faded terry-cloth dish towel into about 6 "wash cloths". I use them and leave them behind. - Cheap and works like a charm - was going to throw the dishcloths out anyways.

Next trip, I'm bringing a few pieces of bubble wrap! Some stores didn't wrap china/pottery adequately for our journey home. We ended up having to check a few items in our suitcase because of British Airways strict weight limit. By some miracle, nothing was broken, but bubble wrap would have come in handy.

Birth Control! We may be expecting #4 now.If so we will be proud to give the child an Irish name.

A bar of deoderant soap. Hard to come by anywhere on the continent

My very own bottle of catsup/ketchup!!!

I know what most people forget: An Open Mind. It is so hard to watch all of my fellow Americans acting like idiots when visiting another country. Please, please, please do not ask them to do things like we do here in the U.S. <BR>The whole reason to travel is to experience new cultures. Just food for thought!!

Be Cool, that is very true-nothing like traveling to another country-spending all that time planning,all that money getting ready-then wanting everything to be just like home!That is why, when the room is small, the ceilings are low, the beds are shoved together and we still don't quite fit, I look out the window and have this really big smile on my face-because I am fortunate enough to be able to do what so many people only dream about doing-I am traveling and seeing the world...so I guess that I try not to forget that the one thing I don't want to forget to take with me is my ability to be open to new places and people and thoughts.

becool and justathought, your smugness is showing. That is a real indication of people who are new to travel. <BR> <BR>Once you are an experienced traveller, you shouldn't feel such an urge to correct other travellers and will begin to understand that everyone carries their own baggage and that that is what travelling is all about.

Can figure - man youve got me beat.

DJ... your post made me laugh out loud, thanks. Well, maybe there is a celtic name for "surprise" or "oops" or such for the potential baby #4.

Dear Teacher too, lighten up! You sound like a teacher or two that I have had in the past, no sense of humor, and always ready to lecture. <BR>Try reading it again,this time with something that might be new to you-an open mind-And who is correcting whom? <BR>By the way-I am over 40 and have been traveling since childhood, product of combination Navy/wanderers- at -heart family.You may get off of your high horse now:)

My nightgown! I bought a new slinky nightgown for a trip and forgot it, left it still in it's pretty little girly bag.Every night in that hotel, wearing my husbands tee shirt to bed, I thought about that nice sexy nightgown..although, just between us :) my husband said he didn't miss it at all- <BR>

DJ, it sounds as though your trip to Ireland was inspiring. Good luck and at least you'll have a good story to tell your Irish blessing. <BR> <BR>I will never take my daughter to Europe again without her own bottle of plain yellow mustard.

Looks like TEACHERTOO forgot to take their sense of humor- and someone wants to kick them for not having it:) <BR>

My list of things to do, places to go, etc. in France. I had condensed about 35 pages of information from this site and other sources into about 2 pages of really good information. I didn't remember it until we were in the air. I thought about having a coworker pull it off my computer and E-mail it to me, but then September 11 happenned and it didn't seem like such a big loss.

I meant the INFORMATION SHEET didn't seem like such a big loss.

I know NOW not to forget my mind, my roll of Charmin Ultra, my ketchup/catsup, yellow mustard, ice blocks, zip locks, birth control (don't want anymore of my genes running in the pool!), clothes for all weather occassions, and my sense of humor, though it is so dry ~ I might need some of those wet wipes too. Oh my gosh, I sound like a troll - but thanks to all of you who answered Bob seriously, I enjoyed this post! It WAS helpful ~ even though the teacher one was a little of a gloom if you ask me, which you have not!

I noticed someone already mentioned bubblewrap...which was wonderful because my friend bought a small piece of art..but I brought a small roll of packing tape that really made the difference.

Forget the bubble wrap, it just adds extra bulk. Use laundry! <BR> <BR>And when you pack breakable bottles, wrap them in the padding (bubble wrap, laundry, whatever) BEFORE putting in a plastic bag. If you put the plastic bag next to the bottle, it's nearly useless if the bottle breaks, because the broken glass will cut it.

Lightweight, slip-on fabric shoes. No matter where I go or how well-broken-in my walking shoes are, my baby toes always blister! I ended up buying two pairs of "blister-recovery" shoes while in Portugal- and had, at the last minute before leaving, ditched a very comfy pair from my suitcase (and felt very smug, at the time, about "packing lighter") <BR>ja