obscure items that came in handy

I pack very light, so I hardly bring any extra stuff. But, I do bring a small tube of athletes foot cream which we occasionally were happy to have if some toes needed it in the evening.

Oh, and i bring some medical paper tube wrapped around a golf pencil in case I needed the tape during my last trip…and could use the pencil, too!

My first aid kit has, among other supplies, moleskin for foot blisters, bandaids and polysporin antibiotic ointment. I don’t need to hunt them down when the need arises. and I use them all on almost every trip!

Moleskin for blisters, Neosporin, twist ties, dental floss, Slice paper cutter, flip flops, a couple of wash cloths and Zip lock bags.

EDIT: small leather coin purse, duct tape wrapped around short golf pencil, key chain, Kleenex packets, couple of rubber bands, couple of paper clips, ear plugs, packet of gum and 2 small travel flashlights with AAA batteries.

A tiny ziploc bag of table salt to gargle with, to stave off sore throats.
I’ve used it twice now.

I joke that I pack all the mishaps of vacations past.... cold meds for that time in Panama that I was miserable overnight until I could get to a pharmacy in the morning; a tiny sewing kit for that time I ate too much in Turkey and popped a button; an extra shoelace for the trip to Prague when I snapped one. This last trip, it was a knee sprain.... will I carry the Spanish knee brace? More likely, a starter supply of the vacation saving Voltadol gel.

I haven't lost a filling or a crown. Am I overdue? Maybe I'd better start bringing dental fixit kits, just in case! And some ibuprofen, because my shoulders are going to kill me from the weight of my backpack!!

As someone who has bad teeth, I do carry the dental stuff. There’s a lot of crowns and fillings in this mouth and there are a couple of them that I know if they came off I’d be having to find a dentist if I couldn’t put it back on myself so like janodavo I’m carrying poly grip and a filling kit. Knock on wood I’ve never had to use them, but better safe than sorry my theory

I have some basic over-the-counter meds too, but one suggestion for women is one of those over-the-counter UTI pills. That has actually saved a vacation for me.

And this is going to sound strange, but I pack a tiny container of diaper rash cream. If you rub a spot on your body on your feet, your legs, your clothes rub something on you. You will not believe how much better this makes everything feel. I put it on any hotspot on my foot before it becomes a blister. It really seems to stop it from being a problem and reduces the blister risk. It comes in a huge tube so I just transfer a little to a small tub.

I always carry diaper rash cream after a problem years ago on a summer trip to Berlin. It has saved me and my husband on many a trip. I found a box of them in individual packets in a drug store once but never again. Still have a few left.
Some great ideas here, will rethink my kit for our next trip.

This has been a very useful thread. I thought I was well-prepared, but am adding the dental stuff and diaper rash cream. If you have a crown come off and don't put it back on with polygrip, you will likely have to pay for a whole new crown because the shape of the tooth will change before you get to the dentist, and those temporary crowns are very prone to come off.

Travel size duct tape

Salt & Pepper packets picked up from fast food restaurants (for in room or outdoor picnicing.)

Small fan from Muji

We always have duct tape as we keep it wrapped around a water bottle that we take with us. We pack very light, so have never taken a first aid kit, etc unless we are backpacking in the mountains. The dental kit is intriguing. My dentist did give me amoxicillin in case I had any tooth pain for traveling overseas. I have not needed it yet, but won't leave that behind. Every once in a while I will pack a little sewing kit, the kind that hotels used to offer more often. I just toss that in my toiletry bag as it takes up so little room. One thing that I have for just in case is an emergency charger for the phone. I got it in my Christmas stocking a year or so ago, and they are a one time use. I think they came from The Container Store? Anyway, for trips that we will be out hiking etc, that is nice to have just in case and again it is tiny as it is about half the size of the packages of earphones the airlines give you.

Wow. I did not know there was such a thing as an over the counter UTI medication or a temporary filling kit. Good info.

A roll of athletic tape (not first aid bandage tape) has been with me on every trip. It sticks to sweaty skin, and works for blisters, as bandaids, sore spots, nerdy eyeglass repair, and can work as in taping other things together as well. Yes it is painful to pull off, unlike moleskin, but manageable.

Luckily most things that save the day are very small and lightweight. It is easy to pack and carry them. The things listed above are so easy to bring with you they do not even warrant much circumspection if wanting to pack them.

Please share the name of the OTC UTI medication.
I’ve never heard of such a thing, so perhaps not available in Canada.

A couple of years ago I started packing suction cup hooks. It seems like every apartment and every hotel has a glass door or shiny tile, and never enough hooks for our washcloths. I use these and they work great. I have no idea why the description says "glue hooks." They are definitely suction cups, not glue. https://a.co/d/eS5LwmS
Having to take a washcloth is not news, but I like the Ikea ones - they're cheap, thin, and have a loop on them to hang from my hook. I usually take colored ones, but last trip I took a white one as a face cloth and, of course, the final stop we stayed at a hotel and it went out with housekeeping. Oh, well.

** I have read long, passionate debates about pros and cons of washcloth use. It's not my intention to stir that up again! But if you fall on the pro-washcloth side, you might need a hook! **

SJ, AZO has a number of products including test strips for urinary infections. These are the ones that I always have in my carry-on:

AZO Urinary Pain Relief, Maximum Strength Tablets, 12 CT

AZO Urinary Tract Defense Antibacterial Plus Urinary Pain Relief Tablets

We can buy AZO products at any pharmacy [CVS, Walgreens, etc.] in the US. They are also available on Amazon. I hope you can find them.

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-77838/azo-oral/details

Thanks Lindy.

Better to actually get some prescribed antibiotics, I think.

Because of this Forum, I pack an Ace Bandage, to ward off evil spirits that can cause sprained joints. Folks here reported that Ace Bandages are very difficult to find in Europe.
I also carry an rx of antibiotics and pain killers, (in addition to denture glue,) to ward off evil spirits that cause dental infections.
I firmly believe that if one is prepared, one will never have to use the intervention! Good luck to us all!

I guess medically related. A nightlight so I am not awakened with a bright light at 3 am when spouse uses the bathroom.

SJ, just to clarify, AZO is pyridium which used to be obtained by prescription, only, to treat the pain from UTI. Pyridium is now sold over the counter. It is used in conjunction with antibiotics to treat the UTI. I've had very painful UTIs and have blessed having AZO until I could get to my doctor for the antibiotics.

An empty business sized envelope carried in my purse to hold receipts collected along the way. I learned this after having to clear up a CC over-charge after returning home. (I knew that receipt was somewhere......)

Also very handy to have all the extra hotel and meal receipts readily available in one place to upload to SAS Airlines for reimbursement per EU Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 when my plane was canceled.

So many good ideas here! Adding Dental temp filling kit, yikes that would be unpleasant.

I always carry kinesio tape, like the athletes wear, LOL. I pre-cut it for achilles tendon pain, about 8" strips. I run it from under heal up to the back of my knees & lasts 4-5 days before it needs changing. (If you actually want details, because there are specific ways to get it to stick longer & you have to stretch it along the way, & how to keep ends from coming off, just reply below.) After years of trying different brands, this is what I use - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037J0U4C/ref=syn_sd_onsite_desktop_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&pd_rd_plhdr=t&aref=WzquBv4kF3

It's been said before, but there are a few items unavailable in Europe without a prescription - Pepto bismal (chews) & Thera-flu come to mind. My first aid kit weighs almost nothing, so it's worth it for the peace of mind.

What great information! I will definitely be adding to my first aid kit. Fortunately most of these items are small and of little weight. Thank you!

A batch of small change and coins of the local currency, especially during my visit to China. Their electronic payment is very popular, but there are always times when small amounts of cash are needed.

I had my hand slammed in a door in Europe last year and needed something to help with both pain and swelling. I was very surprised to find that Ibuprofen needed a prescription. So now my first aid kit always includes Motrin, as well as Excedrin Migraine (because I get headaches out of nowhere, often in the wee hours of the night).

That's strange about ibuprofen because it is available over the counter in the EU. But you usually have to buy it in a pharmacy and not a grocery store. And sometimes you have to ask a pharmacist.

I hope it never comes in handy, but we've started taking a small (4 1/2 x 2 1/4 x 1 inch) carbon monoxide detector / alarm. Runs on three small AAA batteries, weights next to nothing, and available at Home Depot.

One never knows about the condition of the heating systems. Espicially with older buildings.

I always bring a 32 oz Cambelbak and enough Crystal light sticks to last the week ++. And I also bring Sweet & Lo just in case I need it for a coffee.

Great topic and I love some of these responses. I always pack electrolyte packets or discs. The brand I like is called Nuun.

In the diaper cream category I'd suggest specifically A & D ointment. (Fyi, just found generic a&d ointment in the elusive tiny packets on amazon) brand name med pride

For years, traveling with my mom, i carried a tiny eyeglass repair kit because the screw holding her ear piece disappeared into thin air as we were boarding the bus........

Harrison Clark, yes, I like to have some Euros handy for giving to street musicians.

Fun thread! Like *CWSocial * my extra items were inspired by not having them on a prior trip. In addition to many of the items noted above, I keep a "fix it when it breaks" kit in a small container that includes: needle and thread (in colors to match outfits), safety pins, buttons and snaps, small binder clips, rubber bands, eyeglass screwdriver and extra screws, tiny roll of gorilla tape. I've been able to MacGyver quite a few interesting snafus with those things.

Hydrocortisone cream AND antihistamine pills.

Last year I had knee replacement surgery and went to respite care after.

My normal vacations are centered around genealogy research and many times involves going to old churches, church yards, cemeteries, historical markers out in the boonies, woods, swamps. So my toiletries kit always has a tube of anti-itch cream.

While packing for after surgery care, I decided that I needed to purge my toiletries bag and since I wasn't going to be out in the boonies while recovering from surgery, considered taking out the half-tube of Cortaid-10, but didn't.

Thank Goodness I didn't. My second week in respite, I broke out in hives. Went to my GP the next morning. He prescribed 2 different types of antihistamines and a steroid pack. I asked about what to put in a travel OTC kit besides the anti-itch cream and he said I should also have pills, like Benedryl.

The 2 pills he prescribed were generic Zyrtec and generic Pepcid. I need to ask him again about what to put in a travel OTC kit for this. Benedryl or Zyrtec and Pepcid or ???.

Benedryl - ain't just for sniffles and sinus crud.

So now, I permanently have a tube of hydrocortisone cream AND antihistamine pills in my OTC kit.

The little eyeglass repair kits are a must!
No need to buy them from opticians as they are found at most dollar stores.
I’ve got one in my everyday purse as well as in my travel kit, in a drawer in our den, in the kitchen junk drawer, in my office and in the car.

If you're looking for travel sized items, I've found this company to offer just what I needed in many cases and have purchased quite a bit from them:

http://www.minimus.biz

Yep, oral benadryl ( i think they also sell ointment under same brand)
But remember that benadryl is the exact same drug used in over the counter sleep aid, so it may make you groggy , but at bedtime or international flight time thst might be a benefit!!!

Posted by doric8
Yep, oral
benadryl ( i think they also sell ointment under same brand) But
remember that benadryl is the exact same drug used in over the counter
sleep aid, so it may make you groggy , but at bedtime or international
flight time thst might be a benefit!!!

If it calms the itch of a hives breakout, I don't care if it makes me sleepy!