What to Bring?

money is useful, or is that part of "etc."

There's a packing section on this forum -- with probably hundreds of posts -- or go to "home" and see "packing light" tips from the RS staff including suggested packing lists.

I absolutely agree about the bear spray. And the tracker.

Must have bear spray. Very useful in Paris. Parisian bears are positively bloodthirsty.
Florentine bears only eat Americans and the occasional Canadian, if confused. Picky, those critters.

I thought you only had to worry about bears in Bern?

I find it's useful to put all my etcs in some sort of suitcase. But that's just me.

Book(s); writing tablet; small foldable map; a plastic bag or two; small plastic bottle for water that also fits a small sprayer to eliminate wrinkles; my research notes (printed and/or electronic); two inflatable hangars and some clothes pins; a bottle cork; spork; some sort of camera/phone; and then we get into the really itty-bitty: stainless steel safety pins (two diaper pins); some kind of wipes for the plane trip; etc., etc. I try to keep my gadgets and cords minimal. My luggage usually comes in at 17-18 pounds in a 5 pound suitcase, so pretty manageable.

I have taken Skin-So-Soft wipes, but not bear spray - yet!

Bottle of wine & corkscrew. Anything else oh well, shops all over.
Love the answers kathy :0 lol
Aloha

Where are you traveling to?

You may also need to get vaccines prior to your trip, depending on where you’re going. Here’s a very informative website: cdc.gov/travel

My etc’s include:
Medications, sunscreen, moleskin, bandaids, small amount of tape, safety pins, small foldable scissors, rubber bands, ziplock baggies (various sizes), and small sewing kit.

Don’t forget your passport if traveling outside your country.

Have a wonderful trip!

Edit to add...
I almost forgot. I always wish I could take my bed and pillows but unfortunately they don’t fit in my carry-on!

Must have my own pillow with its silk pillow cases. At least 2 sets of silverware. A (small) white linen tablecloth for al fresco dining. And the Bud vase. Can't forget the Bud vase. Oh yeah, and a case of Bud from the Duty free on the way over.

Seriously, I've spent the last 30 years trying to take LESS clothes and gadgets. I've got a whole cupboard full of travel gadgets I never use any more (time for a garage sale).

CJean,
If I lived closer to you I’d attend your garage sale!

Lauren, you've fallen into some inside jokes, so don't take it personally.

What to take is an individual comfort-level thing. Like CJean, I try to take less each time. Anything I discover a need for while there, I can buy there. Gadgets I avoid, as I found I would take things I thought I might need once or twice, and ended up never using. You can improvise a lot too. It takes some imagination to realize how little you can get by with.

Other than clothes and toiletries, the things I take include a book (e-reader) for downtime, and an empty duffle bag for things I accumulate during the trip - to be checked on return flight. That's pretty much it. The mysteries of female hair management are thankfully not an issue.

Well, I do manage a pillow in carry on only. I had a favourite 'all the time' pillow that needed replacing, so I cut the old one down to about 1/2 to 2/3 the size and take it in a compression bag. 3 weeks Spain, including pillow all in the suitcase, @ 20 lbs including suitcase weight. But tablet, camera and binocs were in my purse.
Hobbies that require supplies become my etc.
Binocs for birdwatching, small sketch book and 3 colour pencils.

I take all the normal things - money, clothes, electronics. Also ziplock bags in a variety of sizes - mini, sandwich, gallon+ - good for storing snacks, packing still-wet or muddy clothes, protecting a phone from rain, squishing bulky clothes, and a variety of other uses.

But one thing that calms me down if I worry about forgetting things is that all I really NEED is my passportand some way to pay for things. My info - hotel reservations, ticket PDFs, and itinerary are stored online so I just need to find a public computer if I don’t have my phone. If you take essential medications it falls into the category with passport and money. Everything else can be dealt with once you are there.

I once forgot my luggage on a short driving trip (only 2 nights) All I had was my purse with money and phone,no extra clothes or anything. The hotel was able to lend me a phone charger and had a courtesy kit of toothbrush, comb, razor, and toothpaste. I bought underwear and a cheap t-shirt and was on my way.

Bring your sense of adventure, your money belt with ATM cards and a credit card and passport. Pack a light carry on suitcase and enjoy!

Bring your sense of adventure, your money belt with ATM cards and a credit card and passport. Pack a light carry on suitcase and enjoy!

The lighter the suitcase the better. Have a good time.

I bring heroine. A lot of it.

How about a hunky travel partner who can carry things ... I wish!

Lots of funny responses here, but I'll post a "serious" response (not really that serious). My favorite thing I brought on our last trip was slippers. So nice to get comfy during siesta in the apartment. One thing I brought that I never used was a clothesline for laundry days. All of the places we stayed had drying racks (and the warm, dry weather in Spain helped), so just never needed it.

Your question should be more specific; When?, where?, how long?, purpose (business, tour, study)...

I'm heading to Spain this summer for two weeks to rendezvous with my kid who's studying there. I'll follow my packing list which is similar to RS's. I travel light ( small backpack and carry-on). Spain can be rainy and cool in the north, and wicked hot & dry in the south. We will do laundry as we need to in hotel sinks, so we'll pack for 4-6 days.

I always travel with my journal because I love writing while sitting in cafes (+pen,mechan pencil, hi lighter). I have a lightweight clothes line with a suction cup for allowing clothes to air dry. Smartphone (camera, maps, communication, hotel #'s, important apps), back-up battery for my phone, zip ties, a few carabiners/TSA lock/short cable to clip my pack/bag to a chair when I'm eating/reading/dozing, ziplock baggies, headphones, wet wipes, power adapter, empty water bottle, Shave kit.

Happy travels.

Have you researched other parts of this web site to see "RS's Packing List"? That would be a good place to start.

Bring half the clothes you think you’ll need and twice the money.

MorganMurphy yes on the slippers! I just started this last year and it is a small indulgence that makes me comfy in our rental apartments. Only a few ounces but so useful. Otherwise Ziploc bags, the ones with real “zippers” as I can rinse and reuse as needed, WetOnes, Advil, Imodium all hard to find or €€€ in some countries. An HDMI cable to allow us to stream from laptop to TV of an evening.

Also patience and a sense of humor take up no space but return a hundredfold.

Like a toddler, I must be equipped with things to help pass the time; books, crossword puzzles (I tear them from my newspaper and staple a bunch together) and a small knitting project.

One of the posters mentioned a money belt. RS has two...one of them silk, one polyester, which I think is a bit heavier. Is this just a personal preference, or is one better than the other? I assume the silk one is more expensive because it's silk. But is that the only difference? Thanks.

The categories of my packing list (in Google sheets) are clothes, toiletries (dry and 3-1-1,) electronics (aka gadgets,) comfort/safety, and paperwork.