What items would you absolutely take on your trip next time?
 

My mom and I are headed to Europe this month and hope to learn from your collective experiences. What little gifts or tip items do you wish you had taken along? Personal items? Clothing items? Are there things that Europeans absolutely adore that we can get easily and/or cheaply and they can't? <BR>Hindsight is 20-20, so we're hoping to see clearly ahead through your eyes!

I was wondering this myself. We have not been to Europe (yet--but we are planning now for this fall or winter). People on this forum have seemed to take the opinion that Europeans WOULD be offended by offering them gifts. My children are amateur stamp collectors (just started @ 2 years ago) so we are taking MANY US stamps with us, in hopes (or in case) our kids meet children there, that they can 'swap' stamps with. We are also taking post cards of our city and state, and cheap 'knick-knacks' (they cost $1-3 dollars each) with our city or state logo's on them...just to give away or exchange. I think it will be fun to interact with foreigners this way. They are not expensive gifts, that are going to overwhelm them, either. We will be hosting the Winter Olympics here in 2002, so we have some items with those logo's (etc.) AND THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO BE collectables...I cannot see anyone refusing them(?) Good Luck and have a nice trip. Please let me know what gifts you take, whom you gave them to, and how well they were recieved. I hope you get many replys to your posting.

Western Europe is pretty sophisticated, so you don't need to hand trinkets to the natives. They can pretty much get everything they need, just like here. The best tip is money in the local currency, just like here. If you are thinking of host or hostess gifts, or gifts to friends living there, you consider the personality of the recipient, just like here. <BR> In eastern Europe, however, you'll find those American greenbacks are always appreciated. American folding $ tips are the best tip. Beware currency restrictions. You'd have to post about specific countries to get the best advice. <BR> If you have English speaking friends, books and magazines in English would be appreciated. English materials are available there, but the selection is horrible. <BR> Have a great trip!

AND, you will more than likely encounter 'hostile' natives of differing opinions...JUST LIKE HERE...

The key is not to take too much. see www.footloosetravel.com for a helpful article on what to take. Its more budget oriented, but still I found the suggestions quiet helpful.

It might help to know where you are going, in order to know what to recommend you take. Thanks.

I like the idea of the stamps; it's a great icebreaker, and children interact on a different plane from adults. Postcards of your area are also good, as well as photos of your home & family. It's a lot easier to show a photo than try to explain "3 bedroom ranch on a half acre". Most of Europe also doesn't have the weather/climate extremes that we have in the U.S. A picture of the New England homestead under 4 feet of snow was very interesting to our friends in London; describing Arizona desert heat to two Parisian women got gasps and oo la la!! <BR>Essentials: enough film. I can buy fuji/kodak film for about $2 a roll in the U.S. It's 3 times that much in Europe (at least it was the last time I looked). Ditto on batteries. About 8 gallon-size ziplock bags. Waterless hand sanitizer and/or wet wipes. Swiss Army knife. booklite/miniflashlight combo (this is the BEST invention). Favorite brand of sinus/cold medicine (yes, Europe has otc drugs that work great, but if you have one you know works, take it with you). At least one extra pair of socks. Another pair of earrings (ok silly but I like earrings and got bored with just two pair). A couple of dumb paperback books to kill time if you're waiting for trains/planes but you won't feel obligated to bring home if you don't read them. Address labels for those to whom you want to send postcards (remember, postage is about $.50, so be careful about promising postcards to the swim team). <BR>But above all else: sense of humor and adaptability (takes up NO room in your suitcase, but if you don't have them... you're weighed down as if you were toting anvils)

I always pack several of the pocket-sized packages of tissues that you can get at the drugstore. I always put them in our jacket pockets and my purse. Most public restrooms in Europe don't seem to have toilet paper and this has been a godsend. <BR> <BR>I am extremely unclear on the concept of taking small gifts to give away. That is why I asked where you were going. We have spent time in several European cities, and I can't imagine giving gifts to anyone. Unless of course, you are staying in someone's home or have friends in Europe that you are going to see.

An easy one: anti-bacterial hand gel. For those moments when you need to eat but can't find a decent place to wash your hands. Call me a germ freak, but I think it's a great invention. <BR>

Ok....now don't laugh at this, but on our last trip to Italy we went with just carry on luggage....I firmly believe in not taking more than you can personally carry, but this time we are taking one extra to be checked...since the days of larger carry on is ending anyway, and it will contain our pillows! <BR>Yes, I said pillows! We will be a month in Italy and I well remember the little pancake pillows! This will do a lot for our comfort and we will leave them in Italy and fill the extra with goodies! Of course we are renting a car for the entire time so the extra will be no problem. <BR>NOW STOP LAUGHING!

Instant coffee is a blessing first thing in the morning, and visine if you are not used to the polluted air of larger cities.

- Ditto on the pillow. I took my down pillow which compacts nicely when I needed to pack it. Used it on the plane for additional comfort. <BR>- I always take bubble wrap for those breakable purchases. <BR>- Those little rubber earplugs for the plane or noisy hotel rooms. <BR>- Light slippers. I hate walking on those cold tile floors either in the room or the bathroom. This works well for the states too.

<BR>Never leave home without those pocket size packages of kleenex. Either the t.p. is non-existent or of a waxy paper consistency. And Daniel, thanks for reminding me of the bubble wrap! Very helpful when bringing home those breakables. My other suggestion is for any Positano visitors or any small towns that may not be as well lit when the sun goes down - a small maglite flashlight. At night, it gets very dark in Positano. Yes, may sound silly, but there's far fewer street lights & when climbing the stairs (either up or down) to your hotel, you don't want to miss a step! <BR> <BR>P.S. To all the travelers taking their pillows, do we also bring along our blanky ??? <BR>[JUST KIDDING!]

As a previous poster said, it all depends on where you are. We took along a little flashlight and found it very useful getting back to our apartment, which was set back off the street and well surrounded by shrubs. I always take my electrical converter kit for very small appliances like my electric razor and a small travel size hair dryer. However, if I do much European visiting, I may just get a European model of all of it. Some have suggested about 7 feet of strong cord and 6 clothes pins. The ear plugs are a great idea; I think I would have survived Hotel Welcome Inn in Zurich in a much more charitable mood had I had some. (Street noise was bad and we had to keep the windows open because the room was so hot -- even in October.)Or perhaps a small portable, batter-powered tape player with a few hours of your favorite sound tracks. <BR>And for me, my German and French dictionaries plus my 5-language Franklin translator so I can check out food in Italian and Spanish. (One guy I know thought he would be smart and not let on that he did not know what the French words meant. So he just pointed at the menu. Seems like he ended up with <BR>escargots and cervelle -- snails and brains.)

Amy, yours is one of the most challenging posts I've read. I reallywish you would explain this gift notion. I travel regularly in Europe on business and have lived in France for a number of years (but no longer) and have trouble understanding what your intentions are. <BR>Certainly, there are rules for giving gifts in every culture. If you cross those, you will offend. There is also the burden of being American; some may disagree, but it's my experience that the average European believes that Americans look down on them. If your gift-giving could even inadvertently convey that, you will have trouble. <BR>If you have a compelling reason to give gifts go ahead, but I can see no advantage: it won't make friends more readily than a smile, and will provoke anger/hostility in some. <BR>As to what to take with you: I bring a small bottle of Woolite to wash out my socks and underwear if I'm there more than a week. Also, a dictionary devoted to menu items is very useful. Finally, I wouldn't go anywhere without the appropriate Michelin red or green guide. <BR>

to Cheryl on the concept of small gifts to give away: <BR>When I have traveled via railpasses, spent many hours with strangers, when it was time to say goodbye after exchanging advice on the area or the USA for hours a small token gift was appropriate. One trip took ten Olympic pins that said Atlanta 1996 with me to give away, it was welcomed and certainly not likely to be available for the upcoming event was on the other side of the ocean. Salt Lake City pins may be good for next year. Certainly visiting someones home ia a completly different topic. Stangers have given me stationary with sketches of the local area they come from on the cover. Thought this was a good idea. Next time may take notecards that show the ocean, lighthouses, or other New England scenery. Goes along with post card idea stated above. <BR>Also travel with ear plugs and eye mask on all trips to avoid noise and daylight on planes, and hotels as needed.

I was in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for a month last Sept/Oct and the ONE item that I will never leave home without again is a washcloth (in fact, several washcloths).

Balance Bars! All of you who are traveling with people who have to eat every two hours, make sure they carry a supply too! At least to get through the airplane trips!

I am NO expert, since I have NOT been out of the US (yet) but, I have been doing research for a trip to Paris/Normandy/Rome for eight months (and our trip is still @ eight months out) and I have heard/read: <BR>1) An Umbrella is a must! (especially in the Spring and/or Fall). <BR>2) Light luggage WITH "Mix and Match" clothes (assorted combinations of ALL MATCHING colors/colors matching) to cut down on the amount of clothes that you have to 'Lug' around. (Levi's are heavy) <BR>3) Wet wipes and kleenexes. <BR>4) Extra passport photos and Xeroxed copies of passports; to be carried by someone else, in their luggage (in case one of you gets yours stolen). <BR>5) Comfortable shoes (double ditto) <BR>

Mountaineers/hikers have a list called the 10 essentials. Here's mine for travel: <BR>- small flashlight <BR>- duct tape wrapped around a pen <BR>- earplugs <BR>- small inexpensive walkman <BR>- notepad to go w/duct tape pen <BR>- handipack kleenex <BR>- Swarmy knife that has scissors <BR>- ziploc bags <BR>- plastic waterbottle <BR>- travel alarm clock <BR> <BR>Be aware that if you take the wet ones or the waterless hand sanitizer you will also need a bottle of lotion, because the active ingredient in that stuff is isopropyl alcohol which is incredibly drying. <BR>Hope that helps.