What do you pack that makes your trip easier and/or more fun? With all the great travelers that frequent this forum I was surprised that this topic was not posted.

I guess that I will start things off.

-down filled baby pillow for the plane and to use at my destinations

-ziploc bags of different sizes

-small, but bright, flashlights

-protein/snack bars

-small jar of peanut butter or almond butter

-classic children's books for gifts

I would love to learn what other Fodorites bring to make their trip more enjoyable.

I agree that ziploc bags are a must.

I also found that a compass is useful in large cities, especially Paris where the roads change directions and name without warning.

Ziplocks, different sizes, yes.

Zip-out bag (like Baggallini, only I have different brand)

Flashlights - depends on the area visited

Snack bars - always, I am the munchy type. Also a water bottle.

Alarm clock, especially if going on a tour.

Print out of all reservations, several times won arguments in attempts to overcharge my hotel stays. Also I always call to confirm a week or so ahead.

Pack as light as I can to make the trip easier and more enjoyable.

CHOCOLATE! And other assorted nibbles.
Ipod to make the plane ride smoother.
Perfume to cover various stinky odors (had someone with really smelly feet sitting next to me. The perfume helped neutralize the odor.)

A few great books. Traveling is always the time that I try to catch up on all those books that I've been meaning to read.

A hint from a long time cruiser has made our traveling easier... a hang over the door old fashioned shoe bag.. We are able to keep shoes, toiletries,flashlight, clothes pins, first aid supplies, etc. etc. We then roll it up at the end of the trip.. put everything in a large plastic bag and weare ready for the next trip.

Purell

A Miner's light which doubles as a flashlight

A toiletries bag with a hook, just unroll the bag at hotel and voila, all my toiletries in one place

Good book and patience for all the things that could go wrong and do!

ziploc baggies in different sizes are a must as is reading material.

never took a flashlight but always take a very small combination alarm clock/radio which i hope will last forever.

a small calculator to figure out exchange rates if you're mathematically challenged, as i am. as an alternative, you can print out a wallet sized currency converter for whatever country you're heading to.

again, depending on the weather, a tiny purse sized umbrella, about 7" long.

a light, filmy scarf i can put on my head when visiting various houses of worship or around my neck if it turns cold.

printed out information from wonderful internet sites like this one to give you suggestions on restaurants, places of interest, etc.

1. A small can of lysol. Sometimes rooms smell musty or smoky and this clears it out when we check in.

2. I take a foam coozie (those things that hold beverage cans).

3. My Mp3 player.

4. My palm pilot, which has a flash card add in and holds about 40 audio books.

5. My cellphone - which works all over the world.

6. preprinted address labels of friends and family so I just pop on postcards.

7. Slippers or thick socks for running about the hotel room. I am a tad of a germaphobe

8. food/snacks - like zone bars, a bag of cashews, or some such stuff. We keep a stash of these for snack attacks without getting into a mini bar or for being on a tour bus and feeling hungry.

9. Ziplock bags. The freezer kind because they are tougher and hold up well with travel.

10. Small gifts from home to give away to tour guides, bus drivers and others. I take key chains, fridge magnets and such, with "Seattle" scenes on them. People love them.

11. I always take 2 blank greeting cards and 2 BD cards. It never fails when we are on a tour, someone will be celebrating a birthday or an anniversary.

12. A mini recorder, for a travelogue. this has been great, an audio tour that gives me an "in the moment" remembrance of the trip. I can't possibly remember some of the little details, and we get voices and sounds of things as they are happening.

I take a ton of other things, but these come to mind right off the bat.

I forgot to say I also take a sound soother because strange hotel rooms often have strange noises at night.

small flashlight
Swiss army knife w/corkscrew
a couple plastic hangers
ear plugs
sarongs/pareo
phrase book
paperback novel

I have trouble sleeping on nighttime trans-Atlantic flights, so I bring things to help:

Sleep mask

Benadryl (induces drowsiness without sedative hangover)

Lavender-scented gel to dab under nose (lavender is supposed to help promote good sleep; may be psychosomatic, but it works for me)


I also bring:

Purell, as easytraveler does

Cereal bars & water, for when meals are scarce

well i never get to sleep on aeroplanes. i bring my gameboy xp to make my trip easier. on long flights there are sometimes tvs on the back of the seat so you can watch movies or play games.

regarding the flashlight, YES, I always take a small one, so I can make coffee without waking up the person I am traveling with. I recently got a very small travel alarm that that has a flashlight beam built in, handy to have 2 in 1.

inflatable neck support pillow that I use to double as an inflatable hanger (blow up half way, wrap around top of hanger just under the hook, and it provides ventilation btwn. front and back of shirt as it dries)

clothespins, for hanging up wet clothes and closing drapes

plastic sheeting sleeve that I put over the key train/subway maps so they stay fresh in my purse w/all the taking out and putting back in every day.

wet wipes, the antibacteria kind

portable DVD player w/extra battery for long trips, doubles as a CD player for music of the country that we pick up on the trip

american chocolate to give away to helpful people and hotel service people (ghiradelli is my favorite)

small binoculars if going to sporting events.

"No Jet Lag" and Melatonin- worked so well for me together on recent Japan trip, absolutely no jet lag whatsoever in either direction. I am a melatonin responder though.

OTC medicines: imodium, cough/cold, ibuprofen, unisom

I used the prewritten address labels on the recent trip and sent many more postcards than I would have otherwise.

a small tourist language booklet

oh, and i jsut remembered- this last trip to Japan I lined my suitcases a/bubble wrap paper, and I used it to wrap up fragile items I bought there before I packed them deep in middle of my suitcases for the trip home. Nothing came back broken either, and I had an antique ceramic bowl and other fragile stuff I had bought.

When i'm going to the beach i pack baby powder. It makes wiping sand off of feet a breeze. Also, bandaids and a variety of OTC meds.

A fabric softener sheet or two... it keeps the suitcase smelling fresh and if I have static cling, I rub the sheet on my legs and its gone (I keep a couple in my car for the same reason.)

Gotta have paperbacks, OTC meds, LL Bean hanging toiletries bag (always packed), ziplock bags, gum, and a little snicksnack item (preferably chocolate). Oh, a wine opener in that LL Bean just in case!

I like the idea of the ziplock bags.

Critical items:
-snack food (zone or granola bars)
-reading material (I panic at the thought of being without a book to read)
-a small light so I can read on the plane and not disturb my husband (I wish benadryl would make me drowsy - nothing seems to work!)
-a deck of cards
-print outs of travel ideas or photocopies of guide book pages
-a positive attitude!!!!!

I always pack various things for blisters. After being miserable by having a great pair of broken in shoes suddenly give me blisters on several different trips, I finally got smart. I now can treat any type of foot discomfort that may come up.

Also, preprinted cards with our names, pictures and email addresses to exchange with the people that we meet.