My first trip 2 things that I wish I had brought: a small flashlight (we stayed at some gasthauses and in the evenings lights in hallways are set to go off only a couple of minutes after you turn them on) and a corkscrew. We ended up buying one of each and nw I never travel without them.

A very small flashlight (put it in your carryon) is something I always have taken with me. And a corkscrew too.

I have always taken two pair of daytime, walking shoes and one pair of dressier shoes.

Also, a pair of lightweight flipflops have so often come in handy. They can be used as slippers, walking on the beach or just slipping on if you want to run out for a few cups of coffee before showering and dressing for the day.

I always take Zip Lock bags in various sizes for so many uses.

In terms of what not to bring...
I try to never check a bag when I'm traveling to someplace (I'll check if I have to on my return), which means that I can't pack a lot of toiletries. But that's OK, because as part of my experience in a given destination (especially France!) I have a great time heading to a local pharmacy to buy whatever I need. It makes me feel even more immersed in the place I'm in, and I've discovered some great products to bring home!

This is a great topic! I have been wondering about taking a corkscrew for our trip as we would like to do a picnic or two in one of the parks (now that I know you can drink in public places). I suppose I would be able to get one from the hotel but I think it would be handier to have my own. I think I might also throw in some plastic cutlery in a baggie that we can reuse. When we were in Scotland last year we went into a grocery store to buy picnic items but they wouldn't sell us a plastic knife--we could have a spoon and fork but not the knife.

What to pack: I second the recommendation for the inflatable hangars, plastic ziplock bags (never know when they will come in handy - and they will come in handy), the fold up compact duffel bag (I like the bagalini brand - it folds up to the size of a CD, but when opened it can hold all of our dirty clothes for the trip home), flip flops for a comfortable alternative to shoes and to use as slippers, a small corkscrew (we had to leave ours in the Edinburgh airport b/c my husband had it in his carry-on bag) and small flashlight. The other thing I do is rip out only the pages pertinent to where we are going from my guidebooks. Then, each day, I take just the pages we'll be using that day - much easier and lighter to carry than lugging around a guide book everywhere. I know it ruins the book, but I figure I will want an updated guidebook if I ever am lucky enough to return.

Things I've packed and didn't use: The first that comes to mind are the casual skirts I packed for our summer in Europe last year. I thought I would wear the light weight linen casual skirts that I live in at home during the summer. The first day I wore one in Europe, we did so much walking that I rubbed the skin off of my inner thighs (probably too much information, but you asked!) I ended up buying some long bermuda type shorts to wear and wore those and my capris the rest of the trip. I also packed every conceivable over the counter medication I thought we might need which was not necessary - they have pharmacies there! I also brought a travel towel which I never used - much easier to use the towels and the hotel.

Have a great trip!

With regard to Previous post:

Things I've packed and didn't use: The first that comes to mind are the casual skirts I packed for our summer in Europe last year. I thought I would wear the light weight linen casual skirts that I live in at home during the summer. The first day I wore one in Europe, we did so much walking that I rubbed the skin off of my inner thighs (probably too much information, but you asked!)

There is a product sold called "Body Glide" for the friction problem.

Also, tap pants provide comfort under skirts.

And my favorite: skorts.

With regard to something I brought that we really used a bunch:

I bought a small mesh bag at REI, and put a corkscrew, folding knife, mini- cutting board, and lexan cup in it. My husband carried it in his backpack and we used it for picnics on the train, on the Hop On/Off bus, in our room, etc.

this time i packed lightly ...and hated it ..and to add insult to injury we were charged for the extra bag OH was convinced he was allowed to bring on our final leg with british airways- they allow 23 kgs of hand luggage..i asked twice!!!! and 23 checked but has to be in one bag..we were not overweight but had to pay 64 aud extra for the privilege of bringing home our souvenirs..oh well
i got to moscow and it was 26 degrees..the weather forecast on the net they i had been studying for weeks were wrong and i panicked and if you know moscow there is not really much to choose from in the way of dept stores unless you go to GUM and go designer so with only three short sleeved tshirts and nothing but pants and heavy shoes i was scared id swelter ...i got by...
it got cold and rainy in st petes so i was happy again but by the time wed finished with scandinavia i was so sick of my three knits and three lighter longsleeved tops
shouldve brought more scarves but i thought id buy some..not so
what i could buy in oz for 16 aud was 80 aud equivalent in norway...no sense in buying something made in china anyway
i was quite happy i took only the two pairs of shoes...hikers and some lighter black walking shoes
we didnt go out to any fancy places at night and the hikers were waterproof and did their jov well
i took a chamois cloth to dry my clothes but never used it...i took a light robe but didnt use it because we had our own bathroom everywhere we stayed
i only used my gloves once and felt hat once
i had spare makeup i didnt use
i just made it through to the2nd last day with my 200 ml of shampoo and conditioner and 150ml of moisturiser...one or two of the places didnt provide soap so im glad i had a small cake with me
glad i didnt take my guide books for norway...they have plenty of info avaible...but glad i took one for st petes and moscow
didnt use the swiss army knife but the little cutlery set on a ring was useful and we had plenty of chances to use the melamine cups for coffee in the morning and even on the road when we hired the car
didnt use the torch but id still take it for the car
didnt use the russian dictionary ...i just asked people for an explanation if i needed to know
wish id taken some cds for the car...we had one russian cd that a girl gave me and i almost know all of the words lol..some catch tunes i must say !

decee:

Scotland is really weird about what they refer to as the "knife culture"; it's virtually impossible to buy anything but a standard kitchen knife there now, and I wouldn't be surprised if you had to *prove* to the authorities that you took it directly home and secured it somehow within the bounds of an officially-recognized "kitchen". The only edged "weapon" a kilted man is allowed to carry now is the sgain dubh, the tiny utility blade worn in the garter holding up one of the stockings -- and if that blade is pulled out in public, the bearer is liable to be arrested and jailed!

So much for traditional Scot culture.

Banning the sale of plastic knives -- whether it's actually by law, or just a policy of that particular retailer -- is carrying this policy to an absurd extreme. But that's the way EC policy often works!

One item I always try to remember to pack is a washcloth. Topsheets also seem to be less common in France, anyway, so we may pack one of ours on future trips.

Why would you pack a top sheet?
The duvet has a cover which is changed just a a top sheet would be. They don't leave the cover on for the next guests!

Perhaps imaginaryjazz has the same problem with duvets as I do. Rather than a top sheet, I bring a "Dream Sack" -- a large piece of cloth with two pockets at the bottom for your feet. It rolls up and fits into its own carrying sack and weighs very little. It's advertised to keep you warm on the plane (which it would surely do) but I use it for sleeping on hotel beds instead of smothering under a duvet. After years of being too hot, kicking off the duvet then getting chilled, and starting over, I found this dandy item perfect for me.
The thing I took last trip which I never used was surgical face masks. The swine flu hysteria was at its peak when we left, so we took masks -- just in case. TG they weren't needed. (They probably wouldn't have done much good anyway.)

I've only taken three trips out of the US and just returned from Europe - Germany and Czech Republic. Each time I've over packed. The very, very, very best thing I packed this trip was 2 pair of black Patagonia yoga-type pants and some woolight to wash them with. They are $65 but they are now my favorite thing to wear, the are thin enough to dry over night if the legs are kept apart. http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/prod...?p=21261-0-630.

I made sure everything I had went with the black pants. I packed two scarfs and only ended up using a solid black rayon one that easily tied to my purse/waist pack.

I also purchased some packing pouches and packing envelope from Magellans - I loved these and it made keeping a carry on size bag very organized and easy to look through.

To Rachel K: How do you bring home the toiletries that you buy in France if you never check a bag? Do you divide it all up into tiny containrs? ;)

Hi chaucerquest,

Thanks for your question!

In my earlier post I said I never check a bag when I go TO someplace, but will occasionally check it on the way home if I've bought something that really warrants doing so! If I'm traveling domestically, I've actually gone to local post offices to ship things rather than check a bag.

For international travel, what I meant was that I'll shop for all the ordinary sorts of items when I arrive (like toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) Just like in the US, things come in travel-sized containers abroad and cost roughly the same as they do here. What I don't use I usually toss; but if I find a product I really like or know I can't find here, I'll keep it!

An extension cord has come in really handy for me in many hotel rooms, especially in Europe where there usually aren't many electrical outlets. I like to be able to style my hair without being in the humid bathroom. Many times the outlet is behind a dresser or desk, but I can still reach it with the cord. So long as there's a mirror in the room, I'm good to go.

can't live without:
- ziplocks. good for receipts, small change, leftover food... you name it!
- pretzel rods. if feeling peaked, one will make all the difference! also good to break into little pieces and feed to the ducks.
- mints/tictacs/hard candy. sometimes you just need one.
- plastic silverware. usually traveling with kids and needed for pb/cutting, etc.
- peanut butter. we get the little 2 1/2 oz. 'jif to go' ones and for my picky eater, we've a meal. note: need to be put in a ziplock like liquids for airline security.
- paperclips/binder clips. good for marking pages, keeping things together. also can be used to close the bag of pretzels mentioned above!
- booklight.
- an extra pair of socks. love love love saving a clean pair for the long plane ride home!
- ponytails in the carryon bag. never know when needed. also good as rubber bands to keep things together.

leave at home?
- the extra pair of shoes. somehow, I force myself to wear them the last day to justify it, but an easy 'do without'. I find 2 pr. are just fine and don't need a 3rd.
- the skirt. see above. we usually travel with kids and rarely do anything 'fancy'.

how did this get resurrected ?

We can't pack a cork screw since we carry-on, however we always have found an inexpensive one to buy in a grocery store or mini-market.

What I didn't bring and wished I had:

A good supply of Tylenol. I got sick in Provence, ran out of Tylenol, and the pharmacy had never heard of it.

A large supply of the eye drops I use. Ran out one year and had to buy at French pharmacy and they are not the same.

I now bring the over the counter meds and some prescription meds "just in case." One year I brought Ibuprophen that had been prescribed for a tooth extraction. I had no idea whether I'd need it but fell one evening and injured my arm. It would have been hard to find a pain killer at a pharmacy. I returned to the hotel, got ice from the bar and took the Ibu every four hours. By next midday, the swelling had decreased and I could move my arm.

What I always bring:

Two photocopies of the front page of my passport.
A photo copy of my airline e-tickets and I also write the reservation code in a notebook along with my cc companies' phone numbers.

A Swiss Army knife with corkscrew (or similar)

Swiss Army card, tiny, with tooth pick, scissors, tweezers, nail file.

Emory boards because I always break nails when I travel.

A camisole or snug tank top for layering in chilly weather. I need something close to my skin to keep warm.

Bubble wrap for purchased breakables. I bought a beautiful watercolor in Burgandy and used my bubble wrap and clothes to protect it in my checked baggage. Also bought small pieces of pottery in Paris and used the bubble wrap.

A couple of plastic spoons and knives, handy if you buy yogurt or cheese to eat in your room.

zip lock bags.

One book that I intend to leave when I've finished reading it. No guide books -- I photocopy the pages I need and then discard them when I no longer need them.

What I'd brought that I wished I hadn't.

Good silver earrings that I'd bought in Ireland, lost one in Spain. I now take very little jewelry and none that I'd feel bad about losing.

Usually one or two pieces of clothing, last trip a jacket that I never used on the trip so I spent three weeks moving it around in my luggage.

Have a great trip. It should be lovely in Germany and France in October.

Thank you for the Baggallini recommendation, Attnymom. I just ordered one online for an upcoming trip. eBags has a 20% off sale today and tomorrow, if anyone else is interested.

The one thing I did not bring on a solo trip to England was my ATM card! I must have left it in a coat pocket at home, without realizing it. I had to go to a bank and take a cash advance on my credit card, which must have cost dearly. Luckily, I had a small amount of pounds and an oyster card with some amount on it, so I could last a day or two until the banks were open.

Ha. Didn't look at the date of the original post. It's true Germany and France will be lovely in October, but the poster went in July. I hope she had a good time.