Hi... what tips or ideas or special things do you pack when you leave on a trip.. the one I do now ( after hearing it from a fellow passenger at airport) bring plastic bags, all sizes... great for wet clothes, packing sunscreen in... bringing home beach sand for my collection ! Special shells.. anything !! We use them all the time .. what are you thinks that are good tips for all !!!??

A small candle in a tin with a lid. It's great for smelly rooms, power outages, or even a romantic evening.

Just don't forget matches or a lighter.

Wine opener!

That too, No_name, but don't forget the beer bottle opener as well!

My mother also always brings those wine stopper things in case she doesn't drink the whole bottle. I never have to worry too much about that!

Benadryl....hey you never know!

I thought this was really cool...I bought my husband a pair of reefs and there is a bottle opener built into the bottom of the shoe. One less thing to pack!

Annabel - what kind of Reefs? That is a great idea!

Dayquil and Nyquil - if I take it I don't need it. If I don't take it, I need it and can't find it anywhere (or it's $30 for two days' worth).

Tylenol - same reason.

Flip flops.

Umbrella.

Tote bag.

Baby stuff is a whole other topic! It seems the older they get, the less stuff they need, though.

ear plugs

prescription medicine

charger for cell phone

passport if needed

And along those lines, Cantstayhome, how about Immodium? Who really wants to go too far away from a toilet on an Immodium-finding mission when you really need it??

I have a whole bunch of things I bring...
- A few granola bars so I stay out of the minibar at night.
- 2 Shout Wipes
- A pumice stone. Sandals in the city = very UGLY feet!
- A baggie with several dry drinks... a few packets of instant coffee, a few tiny tubes of Crystal Light, a few envelopes of cold brew tea + a few packets of sweetener.
- A snack baggie with individual salt and pepper packets
- 10 produce bags (clean from the roll at the store... they will give them to you free)
- A lint mitt I bought in the Pet aisle at the store. It is just a flat piece of that red material that gets lint off your clothes.
- A flat, soft dispenser of disinfectant wipes. I empty half of it so it lays flat.
- A basic first-aid kit with alcohol preps, bandaids, antibiotic cream, all in little flat blister packets
- My 'pillfold' which is a little pill wallet I got at Wal-Mart. It is about 3x2x1 and has a bunch of little compartments. I carry Advil, Tylenol, Excedrin, PeptoBismal, prescriptions, sinus meds, Immodium, Vitamins, Tums, etc...
That's all I can think of at the moment. Crazy, but all this takes very little room.
All this stuff takes very little room.
For long trips I carry a medium size bottle of 3 parts ultra concentrated laundry soap with 1 part fabric softener for hand washing.
I am the go-to person for people that travel with me. I am almost always prepared for problems.

travel addict - so right! I used to include it, but mine expired and I threw it away (having been fortunate enough not to need it after adding it to the kit). I'll be going to CVS right now to replace it, lest I forget!

Oh! I forgot earplugs and Lunesta!
And I have the tiniest umbrella.
I use a hotel umbrella if available because most hotels I stay at offer them and they are bigger than mine.
Since I travel for work, I carry multiple chargers, batteries and cables.

I always take a night light for the bathroom. And our pillows from home with crazy pillow cases on them so we don't forget them. Extra plastic hooks to hang over the door to hold things.

And always the wine opener.

Just a wine/bottle opener.

*insect repellent
*sunscreen
*lightweight disposable rain ponchos (under $1 at WalMart)
*swimsuit and clean undies in carry-on in case luggage is lost
*sunglasses
*wet wipes or wet wash cloth in baggie
*extra baggies
*small garbage bag for wet clothes or dirty laundry
*cell phone chargers
*small waterless antibacterial cleanser
*anti-diarrheal med
*pain reliever
*collapsable or foldable luggage/duffle in case you plan to bring home more than you left with (WalMart sells the duffles that zip up and Samsonite makes bags that zip and fold up very small)
*bandaids and/or new skin
*antibiotic ointment
*extra batteries and/or charger for electronics

An open mind and a little extra patience so you don't blow a gasket when confronted by the stinking, farting, drooling, snoring, boring, self righteous finger wagging, seat kicking members of the travel universe.

I always bring some kind of itch relief...bugs love me.

I usually bring two or three cameras -- an SLR for hiking and sightseeing, a point-and-shoot for nights out, and a disposable waterproof.

LOL, obxgirl.

(Just book the same flight as I, darlin, for the "seat kicking members" always sit behind me and then you will be saved. Seriously, EVERY time, my husband just looks at me and shakes his head for it is my curse!)

Too funny, mille grazie for my morning giggle!

Duct tape, wrap some around a pen or a sharpie.
Lysine- take some at the first tingle of a cold sore and it will zap it.
Notebook and pen.

Do you guys have space for clothes after packing all this stuff?

In Italy I bought (and still travel with) a pair of pliers. Every time I get my suitcase off the ramp I find my zipper pull tab thingy twisted. I have to straighten it out with the pliers in order to open it.
Pliers...go figure