What do you miss when traveling!

When away fromt home I only miss my dogs and cats...and once in a while my bed depending on what I'm sleeping on at the time...Now a more interesting question is what is missed about Europe when back home....I would say almost everything.

I miss my 4 pillows, lots of ice in my drinks, Diet Coke, my kids, my own bathroom...not necessarily in this order. I love going to Europe, leaving for my 2nd trip soon but it's nice to know that I can come home to my own stuff!

The ladies will understand this one: Being able to exercise outside without getting weird looks or unwanted advances. We American girls don't realize how good we have it until the moment when we're jogging past a construction site in Italy (sorry to generalize!) in spandex and a t-shirt. But JB, I totally agree that it's more than worth it for the joys and rewards of travel!

I probably don't realize it so much while we're "on the road," but when I get home and can just jump into my own shower without having to figure out the knobs or where to stow my shampoo and conditioner, I realize that I missed all those conveniences! :)

Emma, that is when one needs to think about blending in, LOL But at least you still have it going on as they say, so enjoy the whistles and stares as you run past those hot blooded creatures lusting after you :-) I can't think of anything that I miss when travelling. Wherever we are, we usually have all and more than we want.

The only things I miss are my bed and my pillow, my shower, and...Mexican Food!...But I love being in Europe so it's all worth it :)

I do miss my own bed. And that's about it. I'm glad to get away from this colored water Americans like to call coffee, glad not having to point out with every order that I don't want a glass full of ice cubes but something to drink, glad that I'm not freezing in yet another too low a/c setting ... I'm certainly not missing the alcohol taxes when I enjoy a glass of wine with my dinner in Europe, don't miss the restrictions of the city bylaw officer while listening to a busker on the streets of Paris or Cologne, don't miss the food regulations while indulging in a gorgeous piece of cheese made from unpasteurized milk ...

Bed, pillows, dog! Also clean laundry after living out of a carry-on suitcase and haven't slowed down to do laundry. Fruits and Veggies. I just don't eat as healthy has I should when surrounded by pizza, pasta, schnitzel, weiners, bagettes, croissants....etc! Which brings me to breakfast. Breakfast is the one meal that I missed the most on our last trip. We ate our free breakfast at our hotels every morning of our 27 day trip and they were nearly identical. Sliced meat, sliced cheese, breads, juices, jams and cereals. If we were lucky - a boiled egg. These are quite fantastic for the first 5 days and after that I would kill someone for some fresh fruit. And the milk...if I wanted to have cereal there was that strange milk that sits out all day warm in the box. I know it is safe. I know it has been heated to kill any and everything...I just can't seem to think of it as milk.

Our 2 cats!

My pillow, absolutely. One of the few things that make me regret my 'pack nothing' philosophy. Pretty much everything else I'm fine without, in the short-term.

My bed, I don't sleep well anywhere else, and probably CNN. Just every once in a while I like to watch something in English on TV.

Ice. Public bathrooms. Cheap (relatively) gas. Ice. Ice. Did I say ice? :)

After the excitement of arrival wears off after a few days, I do start to miss my daily routine. Then I remember - wait! You're on vacation!! You don't have to wash dishes!! Or worry about the cell phone bill!!! Yay!!

JB, that's a difficult question. One of the reasons I travel is to experience the different customs and way-of-life in Europe, so I don't expect things to be like they are at home. However, there are some "little things" that I miss: a familiar breakfast (except in England where I always enjoy the Full English Breakfast or Munich as the Hotel Uhland always has an outstanding breakfast!) - the bottomless refills of a "normal" cup of coffee (although more Hotels in Europe are now providing that) - my Dog. I find that when I'm travelling, I enjoy a wonderful sense of freedom from bills (I pre-program bill payments so those are taken care of automatically) and other daily chores, so I DON'T miss those. Cheers!

I know I am ready to go home when I start fantasizing about being in my own bed.

......I miss brewed coffee........ That reminded me of the poster a while back who recommended taking packets of instant coffee so that you could get a good cup of American coffee in the morning. My big disappointed when I return is how poor (IMO) the general public coffee is and that includes Starbucks.

Ok i'll bite....I miss work?

I miss my bed. At about the half way point in every trip, I find myself yearning to be able to return home just for a night's sleep in my own bed and then resume the holiday. (I do, however, take my own pillow.)

What most everyone states that they miss, I do not. Maybe its because I go in the winter. So that glass of water with ice is not a big deal. I just got back from NYC this weekend and it was pretty hot and guess what was not in my glass of water in every restaurant I went to? ICE. But I did not care. I love european coffee. Yeah, they don't give you the 167 oz cup of coffee but the quality sure does beat the quantity any day. Screens on the window I am sure is a necessity in the summer, but us winter traveling folk do not care if there is a screen on the window. And the same goes for air conditioning. The main thing that I really miss is having feet that do not ache. It does not matter just how orthopedic my shoes may be, but its the amount of walking that gets me every time. No matter how much I prepare for it, the feet ache starting day 2 and keep going until I get home. But I will take achy feet any day if that means I get to travel.

Kelly, I am with you! We have travelled in the summer, but I still didn't get bent out of shape over ice. I wonder why so many Americans have to have ice in their drinks? I have noticed this even in winter here. I have friends who would come in from near blizzard weather, and when you offer them a drink, they would say, "wait, where's the ice?" It's winter for heaven's sake people! :-)

I really miss padding downstairs in my pjs (or whatever) and making my espresso/latte...BEFORE my shower, hair, makeup, repacking, taking down the laundry from the night before...I Just Want My Coffee While I'm Still a Bit Sleepy, People! Not after I'm as presentable as I'm gonna get.........I do enjoy getting away from the 'ice cube pushers' in the USA, though. I don't need them unless I've got a sprain or heat exhaustion...Too Cold!!!

Why do people have to have ice in their drinks?? Why, it's because we LIKE having ice in our drinks! It's a preference kind of like cream and sugar with your coffee. I don't like to drink coffee, my morning caffeine comes from Diet Coke with ice. I don't drink or smoke and that's my thing. That is why I miss ice and Diet Coke when I'm in Europe. But I will take a day w/o Diet Coke there over a day w/ Diet Coke here. By the way, I know they have DC over there, I just don't like paying 4 euro for a bottle that sells for a buck here.

Americans have been trained to like ice by purveyors of crappy drinks who use the ice to mask the subpar taste. Kind of like they trained Americans to like "American lagers" like Coors Light by feeding them watered down bootleg beer during the Prohibition. And that's why all of those beers have to be served ice cold, too.

Hail to Claudette! It's also WAY easier to say no ice here than it is to get your waiter or whoever to bring you ice after you've been served without it while traveling. Not sure why, but often when I ask for it prior to being served, my request is simply ignored.

Eileen, you always make me laugh! :-) If we don't get an apt, I try to get a hotel room with small refrigerator and tea/coffee maker. That way I don't have to go downstairs for breakfast all dressed up.

Without a doubt, the things I miss most are my two cats. I will rush home from the airport just to see them as soon as possible when I land in LA. Oh, and I miss working out in my 50-meter swimming pool. I always have a lot of kinks to work out when I get home.

Had to really think about this,, and all I could come up with was my pillow, and having easy assess to laundry. I always get hotels with A/C.. so don't miss it. I always buy some Diet Coke at the grocers and stock my mini fridge in hotel( oh,, and almost always get a hotel with a mini fridge) I don't care about ice too much,, I am surprised if I get any,, so its not a big deal. Depending on who I have left at home,, I miss some people,, LOL

I like lots of ice in my water too and I don't think water is a crappy drink. In fact, it's known to be good for you.

Americans like ice not because we get served crappy drinks but because we have always had ice. Previously, European refrigerators were very small with no freezer to speak of while American refrigerators, and their "icebox" ancestors, were big with large freezer areas. So, ice was easy to get. It was also a way to cool off before the days of a/c. My grandmother would tell me how, in the summer, they would all gather in the kitchen, open the "icebox" and that would help to cool off the room....... Today, some people like ice, some don't. Customs vary from country to country. If you prefer one over the other, that's fine, it doesn't make one better than the other......Of course that doesn't go for those who think everything "American" is crappy.

Cracking me up Eileen! I am that person that also refuses to get "dressed" before coffee. I have learned to take nice lounge wear to Europe and I always wear that to breakfast and coffee in the hotels. I am never awake enough to see if anyone cares. :) I am surprised that so many people miss the coffee from the US when in Europe. I am in heaven with coffee in Italy and France. In fact, I always make a french press of coffee at home, or even the Bialetti espresso. I love European coffee! I miss my bed the most when I am in Europe. I have yet to find a comfy bed over there. :)

To add to my earlier reply, one other thing that I REALLY miss when travelling is a decent English-language news report! While many Hotels have CNN and a few have BBC, they tend to repeat the same regional news stories over and over and don't really provide a good blend of current news. Travelling this year, the news was dominated by the World Cup, which got to be a bit annoying after awhile. While it was nice to see part of the games, I could only tolerate the drone of the Vuvuzelas for short periods.

I miss my dog and the chance to be "lazy". With the cost per hour, I can't afford to just relax and take the afternoon off. Being retired means I don't have to follow such a frantic schedule at home.

1. my dog 2. decent pillows 3. hearing English once in a while

As far as the ice goes, I don't use it at home, so I don't miss it. I remember my mother telling me about traveling to Spain in the summer and drinking lots of Sangria because that was the only drink she could get ice in. At least, that's the story I got....

I absolutely love European breakfasts from all the great bread to the cheese and meat, but after traveling for a couple weeks I really miss just plan old cold cereal and COLD tasty milk.

Grandchildren. Morning coffee while reading the newspaper first thing. Grandchildren. I do miss ice in drinks but it is not such a biggie that it bothers me all that much. Following favorite sports. With all of that though, when I am away from it all for a couple of weeks reading no newspapers, watching no sports and very little news and with no computer with me I get home and think that it was really nice and refreshing to just get away from those things I miss and find out they are not as necessary as I make them out to be. Well, all but the grandchildren.

My bedroom, bathroom, closet, computer and my washer and dryer...... Oh and, of course, my jeans and shorts. :)

Exercise. As one poster already pointed out exercising in public really isn't something Europeans do. My Euro neighbors think my mountain biking around the neighborhood is "interesting". To Beatrix: My husband is Canadian. He'll tell you Canadian coffee ain't much different from American coffee. And he doesn't even drink the stuff!

My dogs and my cat.

I am one of those who miss ice and really, really COLD water. Nothing is more refreshing to me. Hubby misses sweet iced tea. Of course he misses that even when we travel in the US. Most places he has to add Equal to unsweetened tea. He swears that adding the sugar right as the tea finishes steeping makes it taste different. (I don't drink tea, but he swears no one makes it better- isn't he nice). He also misses American news- CNN, Fox, MSNBC, all of them. I don't miss them!!!!

Ok this is going to sound strange, but I miss my morning workout. I know I get plenty of cardio with all the walking, but it's the way I start my day.

Toni, I too miss the sweet ice tea and your husband is spot on about when to sweeten the tea. Never as good if you have to add sweetner at the restaurant.

My kids! Although usually some of them[INVALID]at least one[INVALID] join me somewhere along the way. One of our daughters is in Venice this very minute after having been in Croatia and Slovenia the last 3 weeks.

I always miss Mexican food...I always go out to a local taqueria as soon as we get home...I've been doing this for over 40 years.

Hot sauce....my hometown newspaper...ice cubes on demand (from refrigerator).

I now live in Europe. What I deeply miss from US (though from a resident, not longer just tourist, perspective): (1) cheap gas/car/parking. We are ripped off for gas here to pay for subsidized train systems just 10% of commuters use on a daily basis; (2) bigger houses where it is the norm each bedroom to have its own bathroom; (3) supermarkets and strip mall stores opened 7 days a week and opened late at night; (4) automatic transmission for cars; (5) amusement parks of respect

I used to miss fruit and raw vegetables when I travelled anywhere...but now I regularly stop at grocery stores or markets along the way and buy a couple of apples, oranges, grapes and carrots.These will keep in your bag for a day or two. Nice way to supplement the breakfast bread and cheese!

OMG! I forgot my kitty-cats! (shhhhh...) Oh NO, they're COMING....aarrrghhhhh....

Nothing! Nada. Nothing bothers me, I'm too happy to be traveling to miss anything. However at two weeks I do start getting anxious...can't really explain it.

Definitely my bed and ice. I struggle with insomnia at home, so imagine how hard it is to sleep in strange, sometimes uncomfortable beds. I like my drinks either hot or cold...nothing in between. I absolutely cannot drink water that is not ice cold, even in the dead of winter when I lived in Maine! Those are the two material things I miss the most. Of course, I miss my kids and my dogs. I also miss Diet Coke (with free refills) and Mexican food, but to a much lesser extent.

I'm with Grace. I miss nothing, well..... except water pressure in the shower. But that's it!

Tex-Mex food; people speaking Texan; my grandson. Unfortunately, also in that order.

I missed my cat and my slippers.

I miss water fountains in public buildings. They are tough to find in some places, especially in Paris. Oh, and the showers in Europe have never impressed me, even the expensive ones. When a British friend came to visit, his opinion of America improved a few notches when he experienced our water pressure.

I miss Lizzie, Bob, StevieNicks and Santino. My dog and three cats. The list of what I miss when I get home is much longer.

Brad- you jogged my memory. I, too miss water foutains. Being able to stop and get a sip (or more) of water basically whenever you want without having to carry a bottle or stop at a cafe/pub/resturant/store is a blessing.

Pets, family, and friends...and doritos with a big jar of homemade spicy salsa.

I always miss my cat and my own bed, but the thing I really start to miss after a while is the rest of my wardrobe!

I miss my dog....and cleaning up the gifts she leaves for me in the backyard... ;)

I miss being able to turn around in showers without turning off the shower with my rear end!!

Yes, grandchildren. I agree Lane that it is very difficult being away from them since in Seattle I live so close to my granddaughters and two daughters. It helps when my daughter will post some photos for me to enjoy while using the hotel internet and before leaving on my trip, I recorded on my cellphone, my 3 year old telling me a story. I would play it now and then while in Italy and it brought some joy. I had a fabulous trip but I missed my granddaughter the most.

Ice in my drink and 7-11.