top needed things to pack

hi, not mentioned the obvious. i think this is sort of a personal choice. here is what i do tho. > make a clear photocopy of your passport, 2 of them. Keep one somewhere in your luggage. give one to a relative/friend over here jic. > pack a change of clothes in your carry on. If all you have is a carry on, then ditch this. > i bring some simple/easy drugs...asprin, tylanol, peptobismol, some ant-acids, OTC allergy pills, something for the trots...I will just use a larger pill container and dump some of them in. > if youre going to ship anything or send anything back, i make some self adhesive shipping/address labels. I sent alot of stuff home and it saved me time writing address. I also bought one of those hand held scales you see in the travel store. when i was in the UK, the price break (more expensive) for shipping to the US was about 2 kilos. I also bought some shipping tape. its small and you can squash the roll flat if you need to. > extra batteries for camera and memory card. > i buy my shampoo overthere since i dont want the liquid hassels at the security. > i also p/u a small duffel bag at REI to use for my dirty cloths bag. it doesnt take alot of space. > i also packed some ziplock bags of various sizes. It comes in handy like when i was in Normandy and wanted to bring back (shhhh) some sand from Utah and Omaha beach. im sure others will chime in.... happy trails.
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Kris, Go to ladylighttravel.com. You will find all the information you need.

Duck Tape. REI has really tiny roles that are perfect for travel.

Copy the front and back of any credit/debit cards you are taking. I keep one copy in my money belt (just incase my piece of plastic get separated from me) and stash a copy in my luggage which I lock onto something big in the room where I am staying. Be sure to notify the issuing financial institutions of those cards of your travel plans and dates and get the name and phone number of whomever you talk to at those institutions. That came in real handy for us one time when Chase tried to screw us.

Really, the only MUST haves are your passport, your wallet (credit card and ATM card), and your tickets. You're talking about Europe, not Outer Mongolia.......if you need something that you forgot, you can pick it up there. Sure, you might not want to spend the extra money to buy a second battery for your camera (or whatever), but you can do it if you need to.

Oooops.....I forgot one more MUST have -- any medication that you might be on. I forgot my meds on a trip to Spain and was very lucky that they were non-prescription items there and I was able to communicate with the pharmacist enough to get some more. I wouldn't want to count on being that lucky again.

The best advice I have ever gotten is to that you will need half as many clothes and twice and much money as you think you will.

Hi, All the essentials I want to say have been mentioned...hidden pocket, passport, etc. But I would surely carry extra batteries for the camera. It's a matter of supplies on hand not just taking time out and expense to buy them there. We can get batteries a lot cheap here than buying them (with the unfavourable exchange rate)at some retail store, unless you're motorised to get you out to discount stores in France or to Saturn in Germany. A pity that Schlecker went out of business.

I agree with Jeff; take about half of the clothes you think you might need. Big mistake to burden yourself with a huge suitcase unless you are taking something in it like a bike that's been taken apart for traveling, or something unusual like that. Or unless you are going on a business trip and will need an extensive wardrobe and dress up attire for evening. Watch the Rick Steves travel video on You Tube titled "Travel Skills", and see shots of people trying to run to catch a train rolling a tremendous suitcase behind them. Also impossible to carry this up the narrow stairs of a B and B. For some people, a good medium size carry on is enough. I agree with Nigel; wear a moneybelt under your clothes. It's the most important item, I believe. It's not to be used like a "fanny pack"; a moneybelt should be hidden. Whatever you do, don't wear a fanny pack. They make you look like a tacky tourist.

In addition to things mentioned above, I have created small sewing and first aid 'kits' for my travel bag. The sewing "kit" is several colors of thread (matched to our wardrobe colors) wrapped around a small piece of cardboard, 2 needles, and some safety pins- all in a small baggie. I've fixed pants, shirts, even an umbrella and a day bag over the years. I also created a small first aid kit for my day bag. It has some assorted sizes of bandaids, some neopsorin type ointment, alchol wipes, 'butterfly' or seri-strips, dental floss, guaze pads,small amount of adhesive tape. I also take a generic meds kit- asprin, aleve, dramamine, benedryl, ormaprazole (hubby has reflux), chapstick and our prescription meds. Sometimes I add nyquil capsules and anti-diarreah meds,sun screen, or other things.
I take a small nail kit- clippers, scissors, nail file, tweezers, and a very small eye-glass screwdriver. It has come in handy for more than a torn fingernail!!! You may not need them on every trip, but when you do, it's nice not to have to shopping for these small things. (I've also started keeping similar things in my purse at home. So when hubby asks "Do you have...?", I can say "Yes.").

If you are using an i-phone, make sure you have the flashlight app on it. Mine comes in handy all of the time. I take my battery charger and akkus, so I don't have to buy batteries all the time or take a big supply with me. That is pretty wasteful. Chargers go in carry-on, so I can charge things at the airport, or on a train, and as someone else mentioned, you don't want these in your suitcase in case it gets lost. A messenger bag, worn cross body will be far better than a back pack. Leaves your hands free, and you don't have to worry about anyone getting into it or leaving it on bench or floor somewhere. Get one that has a flap that folds over the entire bag and that fastens at the bottom.

Meds, passport, money, documents should be in your carryon, never packed in luggage that you may need to check. One thing I attach and put a copy of inside is my local address (hotel) and contact info in case the bag gets lost or misplaced, but I haven't checked a bag in years.

THANKS ALL!! Photo copying documents is a great idea..I guess I was thinking more of the things you don't normally travel with, like a special plug or special atm card for use over there. Have read many say tweezers for atm machines in case cards get stuck. I take it that there are UPS places to send home trinkets bought--good to know!! I keep reading about pick pockets & purse snatchers--fanny pack a must or small backpack ok??

" I keep reading about pick pockets & purse snatchersfanny pack a must or small backpack ok??" Actually, my recommendation would be a cross body "messenger bag style" of bag - safer than a backpack, and more useful (and more fashionable) than a fanny pack. How much pickpockets and purse snatchers are a problem will depend on where you're going and where you're coming from certainly the problem exists in the US too, though distracted tourists are always more at risk, anywhere in the world. As always, be aware of your surroundings and minimize your distractions, but don't let your worry get in the way of enjoying yourself. As for things like tweezers in case your card gets stuck in an ATM.......do you carry them at home in case your card gets stuck? Why would you think it's more likely to happen there, and if it is a common occurrance, don't you think someone nearby would help?

You won't need a "special" kind of ATM card for Europe. Your regular ATM card will work just fine. If you search this forum for "chip and pin" you'll learn that Europe uses chip and pin credit/debit cards now, which is a technology that's still hard to find in N. America. But stores will take your "swipe strip and signature" credit cards. The places you probably can't use your regular credit/debit cards tend to be automated gasoline pumps, and automated ticket kiosks (my friends said the ones in France were a problem). I would never photocopy my credit/debit cards, front or back - you're in deep do-do if those copies fall into the wrong hands. Just make a note of the phone number(s) to call in case of loss/theft/transaction denial. I scan my passport info page into a pdf file and email it to myself, so it's accessible from any internet-connected computer in the world. I often prepare a single document with my flight, hotel and other itinerary information. I email it to myself. I've also sent it to my Kindle account so it's on my Kindle. Now that I have a smartphone I can just download the document to the phone from email. Best advice I ever got was: Take a suitcase full of money and a pocket full of clothes.

Have read many say tweezers for atm machines in case cards get stuck. I must say that's a new one on me. I can't see tweezers getting enough purchase on a slippery plastic card in a machine to be any help. The trick is to use atms attached to or inside banks during banking hours - then in the extremely rare occasion of a problem staff can help. I take it that there are UPS places to send home trinkets bought There are some Mailbox Etc shops about and while UPS and TNT do provide a service there are not regular locations for dropping off packages. Don't be surprised when you have to mortgage the house and sell your first born to pay for the charges. It isn't cheap to express (there's no slow service) to the US. I keep reading about pick pockets & purse snatchersfanny pack a must or small backpack ok??
If you use the term "fanny pack" in Europe and especially in the UK you will draw attention to yourself. It means something different - something quite intimate. Also "bum bags" as they are referred to are absolute pickpocket magnets. They shout out loud to be taken, and often are. All your valuable papers, passports and deep storage money and cards should be in a properly used moneybelt or similar. If you draw attention to yourself you may have pickpocket problems in crowds and on and around public transport. The whole idea is that pickpockets pick on the most obviously vulnerable, the most unaware of their surroundings, the most ostentatious. Your job is to blend into the background and make sure if somebody's belongings will be taken they will somebody else's.

A follow-up to my comment above about not photocopying your credit/debit cards: I just now called and asked one of my credit card issuers (Amex) what info they need when you call to report a missing/stolen card. The customer service rep I spoke with, said they'll ask for your social security number if you don't have your card number at hand, and will also ask security question(s) to confirm your ID and locate your account. She recommended that when traveling outside the US, to make a note of the international number on the back of the card that you can call collect from abroad, as well as the US-based toll-free customer service number. Based on a quick online search, it appears that VISA and MasterCard also do not require your card number to report a loss/theft, and will ask for information to confirm your identity and locate the account. Thus there is absolutely no need to carry around anything - except the cards - bearing your full credit/debit card numbers. In case of trouble, you will only need the customer service numbers for each card issuer.

We've been in a situation where we've arrived in Europe - and our suitcases did not. We had to do without for 10 days. It definitely gave us a very good idea of what are essential items and what are things you can do without or easily replace once you've arrived at the destination. As we were travelling in the middle of winter the must have items were the right shoes. Husband had to buy new ones in Germany (he was wearing only slip-ons during the flight) and fortunately could do so easily as he has pretty average feet. But I was glad that I did not have to spend my vacation time hunting down the right footwear for my kids and myself. While hubby was shoe shopping, the kids and I enjoyed the Christmas market instead! Make sure you have your camera AND chargers, batteries and memory cards. Those take a lot of time to replace as they might not have the correct ones in the places you plan to visit. And you definitely want to have a good camera that you know how to operate. We had cameras and other electronic gadgets in our carry-ons but most of our chargers in the checked-in luggage. Big mistake! We were not able to find the correct chargers for our video camera even though we had locals helping us - and of course everything closed up over the Christmas holidays. I'm not going to talk about passport and money, that's a given. Only to make sure you have at least two different bank/ATM/credit cards with high limits for eventualities. The airline did eventually reimburse our expenses but our entire cash vanished within 48 hrs of arriving ... Everything else is secondary.

Like Beatrix, I traveled to Europe a few years ago and my airline lost my luggage for the whole 2 weeks of my trip. I learned pretty quick that I could get by with only my passport and money (though it wasn't pleasant). But I did have my camera and my journal - those to me are the second tier of essential travel items. Also wear a moneybelt for your passport, extra cash, credit and ATM cards, and other important materials. If you are pickpocketed, they will only get your daily money allotment and nothing else. Don't worry too much about that. Just be aware it can and does happen, and prepare yourself accordingly. Keep a hand on your bag in crowds, esp. on subways, and pay attention to your surroundings. My preferred day bag is a cross-body messenger bag - I like the ones made by LeSportSac because they're lightweight and wear like iron.

So, there was all the controversy last week about the new TSA rules specific to knives and length of blade, but apparently, some obscure rules around the length of adult toys were also proposed. Jay Leno joked about it, but it's evidently true...there is some sort of length limit. I wouldn't normally care, but someone here on the Helpline attached a TSA photo of a passenger's bag going through an x-ray machine as part of a story about security a couple of years back. Anyway, right out there for god and everyone else to see was a fairly sizeable toy. Everyone here noticed it, but nobody mentioned it for like half a day. It was hilarious, and made me think that an adult toy is a "top needed thing to pack" for some folks.

Carry-on - passport - credit/debit cards - any medicines you know you'll need during the trip - bring at least a few extra days worth since you never know when something might delay your flight (ie Iceland volcano in 2010) - change of clothes for at least one day, preferably two - don't forget sleepwear! - anything valuable - electronics, jewelry, sentimental items - anything you'll need in the first 24-48 hours of your trip - ie - if you're arriving in Siberia in winter, bring your snow boots onboard with you Either carry-on or checked as space allows
- first aid kit - tailor to what you might want/need but some ideas are bandaids, neosporin, disinfecting towelettes, tylenol, dayquil/nyquil, otc sleep aid, anti-diarrheal - you can find all of these things (or their equivalents) in Europe, but I've found that the last thing you want to do when you're not feeling well is to try to find a pharmacy and then try to explain what you need when the product may be called something different or not exist in the exact same form I'm not sure tweezers would help with a stuck ATM card as I think it usually pulls it further in if it eats the card. When the ATM ate my debit card in Germany, I had to come back the next day and get it from the bank since they only emptied it once a day. Wasn't a problem for me to stop by again, so I didn't push the issue.

Just purchased two Pacsafe Anti Theft shoulder bags, one for me (the CitySafe 200) and one for my husband (the Metrosafe 200). Very reasonably priced at Wayfair.com (around $60 each and free shipping). http://pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&activity_id=182

Found the Overland Equipment donner bags for $32..they look to be great across your body bags & can hold water/hard glasses case & still have main compartment open for shopping items!! Again thanks all for your replies.

Kris, you've got the suggestions for passports/credit cards/ debit cards etc, so you are covered there. My one MUST have is a Cotton Sarong. My girls and I have pretty ones, my husband has a very plain one. It can and has been used as :a blanket, a beach towel, a skirt, a dress, a window shade,a top, a table cloth, a scarf,a floor mat, rolled as a pillow,soaked in water and draped over a bad sunburn, bunk bed privacy screen in a hostel, rolled as a turban for head protection in the desert, shower cover up in hostels,shoulder covering inside churches, folded as a seat cushion, thrown over a picnic to keep flys off, shower curtain......the list is endless. A good sarong will last you Years and take up about as much space as a T-shirt.
My wallet, my passport and my Sarong and I'm good to go!

I see no need for those PacSafe bags. I have everything that's too valuable to lose, hidden in a money belt or similar thing, under my clothing - if it wasn't left at home to begin with. I once bought a small PacSafe shoulder bag and used it on one trip. But I donated it to a charity shop after I got home. The problem with those steel-reinforced shoulder straps is that they WON'T break if someone grabs your bag. If you're carrying it cross-body and somebody pulls hard on it, you are more likely than not going to be injured. Even if it's just on your shoulder, you could be hurt by that. You could also be accidentally injured if your bag gets snagged on something, and instead of the strap giving way, it's one of your bones or some ligaments that takes the damage. There is NOTHING I carry in a day bag while traveling that's worth my being injured. I can see that having a cut-proof bag could be a good thing, but the cut-proof steel-reinforced carrying straps are just more danger than they're worth to me.

Note to self....leave adult toy at home (ok,I don't really have one-but that thought made me chuckle-thanks) Love the uses for a sarongthis I do have & never would have put it to use like you haveAWESOME!! My purse arrived today..think it's perfect. Small enough not to be a pain, but expands to 4.5 inches wide so having a sweater rolled up in it will fit (I tend to be cold in resturants or museums)with room to spare. Water bottle pocket on side is greatbought a reuseable one to fill. Raided med cabinet at work to cover all needs (no, not stolenI did tell bossman, I'm just not that kinda gal)..even bio-freeze packets for sore joints!! I've learned to pack less from previous trips, so I'm good there & have called the others going about sharing items instead of each of us taking them same one. I am going to get a plug adaptor, but otherwise I believe I am good to go. LOVE this site & am very appreciative of eveyones comments & helpful hints.
SAFE & HAPPY TRAVELS TO ALL :)

We always take "Forever New" laundry soap. I get it at Macy's, lingerie dept. It is wonderful for all clothes. It is a powdered soap. I use it for all travel and at home for delicate fabrics. It is easy to use. The clothes do not get so soaped up either. The clothes rinse out well. I also take fold up sponge hangers. I bought them at "Magellan.com". "Magellan" is a travel store. The hangers fold up in the suitcase. We wash our clothes in the bath tub or a large sink. Then we roll the clothes in our bath towels to get some moisture out of them. Then we hange them up. I also take a few other hangrs and put clips on them to hold out pants. We also take a rubber sink stopper. You can buy one at the market or at Target. Many sinks/bath tubs overseas do not have stoppers.

Kris, I think you will find that none of the museums or restaurants are going to be air conditioned, or if they are, not any where near the temps that they are in the US. Being too hot is more of a problem, though you don't say where you are going, it just isn't very hot anywhere right now. My guess is that after a day or two, you will probably find you can leave your sweater at the hotel, or will be wearing it while you are outside.