Wow, what a concept! Thanks sandy-b.

One of my favorite travel hints that I learned on Fodor's is the Ziplock washing machine. Take a large ziplock put in the clothes and squirt of soap (or shampoo) Shake it, dump water, shake it, dump water, add water and shake again. Easy.

Lsky, I quite agree with you that "I'm also not a fan of a lot of things that have been made for travel. It's cute in the store but much of it is only one purpose on the road."

My surprize item in the suitcase is... FOOD. Not that I don't enjoy trying new things (I do!) or that I didn't look forward to other tastes when I lived in a little mapdot (I did!) but packing my own really helps with breakdowns--mine or my son's. We've used it
when we arrived in Chicago and he was all keyed up from sleeping on the plane but I needed a nap from keeping him on the seat
when I got a flu in Boston and didn't want to move
when we were surprized by sore closures on Sunday in Tahiti and couldn't get groceries
tones of other times.

We usually take pretty prosaic stuff--pb, if we can get it through sec'y, mac&cheese mix, baby carrots or broccoli to steam in the room...

I always pack an extra duffel bag. My husband and I love to shop when we travel, and I got tired of trying to make twice the stuff fit into the same bags we came with, or paying to ship items home. Now that we have kids, the extra bag often serves as a laundry hamper when we don't have time or access for laundry.

My husband has a "man purse" for the plane that unfolds to be a duffle bag. It's come in handy and useful on the plane for those little things; book, passport, vit c powder and earplanes.

So many good ideas! Mine is not a necessity, but it always keeps me happy when I travel, especially if any hotel or experience does not live up to my expectations. The Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York sells a package of two plastic flower vases. They fold flat as a Ziploc bag, weigh nothing, and can accommodate a small bouquet. I always take one along in my luggage and treat myself and my companion to inexpensive blooms from the nearest flower stall or market.

I loved the Cooper-Hewitt! The museum and the gift shop. Sorry for the off topic reply, I couldn't help myself :)

Found them!

http://www.cooperhewittshop.org/?pat...d=3&itemid=181

That wouldn't do anything for me, but you've given me a fantastic gift idea for a friend who really hates to be without flowers. Thanks poetess for mentioning this item.

My all time favorite, can't go on any trip without item is a beach towel. Not one of the super sized ones or super fluffy, just an over sized towel. I carry it on the plane. I use it as a neck roll, a pillow, a blanket,cover for my head, back support, a towel, a ooh "I'm not laying on this bedspread" protector, extra pillow booster, etc., etc.
The towel has hundreds of uses in cars and on long bus trips too.

I have a towel that lives in my car. You just never know when it will come in handy.

Unexpected- because I am not a girlie girl and don't bring many toiletries, but my indispensible item is a cosmetic bag from Mary Kay. It has 4 quart sized clear pouches that velcro onto the case, which rolls up and can be stashed anywhere, or hung with a hook in the bath.

What I like is the 4 removable pouches...I fill one with the gels/liquids, the pouch is conveniently quart sized and clear, since I always carry on. (I always sail through security with it, but have a regular quart bag in there in case security insists I use an "official" quart bag) I seperate this and carry this on on top for quick inspection.
Another pouch is my first aid/medical kit and the other pouch is non liquid toiletries and the last is for a hair brush, toothbrush and other stuff you wouldn't want leaked on!

Once I am at my destination the pouches to pull off and I leave one in the bath and one at the vanity/desk (I usually share a bath with 1-3 other, so this allows me to get some things done and free up the bath)and I put the medical kit in my day pack. It's one area where I don't want to spend a lot of time getting ready and carrying stuff around, and this little bag is packed and always ready to go!

About the extra duffle bag. We always used to have one that folded into itself and it went in the bottom of our suitcase. Then used it for coming home, or as stated above, for dirty laundry. BUT, now we would have to pay as much as $50 as extra luggage to get it home! We may go back to shipping things home. When we did that in Vienna it was only $40 for a nice sized box. 'Course that was 6 years ago!

I always buy flowers for my hotel room. I just use an empty plastic water bottle or beer or wine bottle.

imodium

Toilet roll, universal sink plug, ear plugs and sleep mask, duct tape (wound onto a pen), hand cleanser.

Well there's a few things I always pack, but not really in the "unexpected" category:
Small flashlight, corkscrew/knife, ear plugs, bandaids, safety pins have all come in very handy at one time or another.

I always pack enough medicine to last the whole trip, tylenol, benadryl, cough drops, immodium, advil, cold medicine,mylanta, tissues, antibacterial wipes, mouthwash, etc.. It came in really handy when I traveled to Italy and Egypt while my fellow travelers were running to the nearest pharmacy!!

1) 1 simple molded plastic hanger
2) fold flat vase
3) bandanna
4) a roll of 2" clear packing tape in simple dispenser
5) Mole skin sheet (not the foam style)
6) GOOD blunt point scissors (Gingher craft 5" my fave)
7) a couple spring clips ( called bull dogs, I think)
8) flat sink stopper
9) pashmina

These items never come out of my suitcase when I get home - I may have to replenish but they are always ready to go. They take up virtually no space - vase and hanger flat in luggage lid, pashmina in my handbag and all else in a zip-top plastic sandwich bag.

A suggestion (from experience) re the bandanna: make it a red one. If it necessary to use it for an injury, blood doesn't make a scary statement and is less frightening for children.

A suggestion re beach towel mentioned earlier: Currently Target has 100% cotton almost beach sized towels in the "Dollar Spot". Solids and bright stripes, light weight but absorbent, $2.50. Dries relatively quickly. Takes up very little space.

Solid shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, perfume etc. (www.lush.co.uk have a great range.) They are much smaller and lighter than the bottled versions and last much longer. (I only take carry on when I travel so they make life much easier.)

love the idea of the balloons. That will be on my list for our next travel. Duct tape is always in my suitcase - it even fixed a tear in your clothes.....