I like to take a small stereo! One you can plug in and also takes batteries, its great to have tunes in a nice park or hotel parties with new friends! The only tool i take with me is a solid knife.
21
ocohen
The thing that I've found to be invaluable recently are "hosiery bags" -- the mesh, zippered cloth bags that you're supposed to use to wash "delicates". I use one for tops, one for bottoms, one for underwear, one for things I won't need every day (like a bathing suit or leggings that I bring in case I need an extra layer). The bags breathe, and you can kind of see through them, so you don't have to unpack everything to find the other pair of socks.
Bring a small flashlight, and if you can, bring an extra -- I usually find someone to give the extra one to on the trip. And I have a fountain-pen sized monocular that helps me read-street-signs-from-far-away and to see-the-detail-better-at-the-sistine-chapel and figure-out-what-that-building-is-on-that-mountainside.
The only "first aid" like thing that I have just STARTED to bring with me is calamine lotion or some other bug bite anti-itch thing. Seems like I always need it in the middle of the night, when there's no pharmacy open. I just bring a little bit.
I don't bring corkscrews -- I'd much rather buy one en route and have it as a souvenir. Umbrellas, too -- I'll buy a cheap one if I need it and either leave it at a hostel for the next person to use or bring it home as a souvenir.
DEFINITELY bring your sense of humor, an open heart, and an inquisitive mind.
Have fun!
22
drebin8
Don't be afraid to pack less than you need and pick stuff up along the way. I have a regular old ballpoint pen I got in Chile that's one of my favorite possesions now, just for the memory of the 10 minutes it took me to buy because I don't speak spanish and didn't know the word for pen (I had a dictionary but had left it i nthe hostel). Also, even if you can afford to eat out every day, don't. One of my favorite things is going to a grocery store in a new country and seeing all the different foods and products. It gives you a better feel for how the everyday people of the place you are visiting go about their lives.
23
hp2010
steamer trunk
I think of the things i used to pack and never even touched on my trips other that to repack them what was I thinking?
less is more
I'll add one more thing don't take ANYTHING
24
hp2010
opps let me finish don't take anything of sentimental value go buy all new stuff that way when it gets ripped off, you leave it behind ect. you can just move on.
25
joetwinn
Plastic bags - have a big bin liner inside your rucksack so that your clothes stay dry when caught in the rain (having lots of small bags inside is useful as well). The best tip is to have a small plastic bag inside your money belt - it's amazing how much damage two months sweat can do to your passport, and the look people give you when you dig out a slightly damp note to pay for your lunch with.
26
lynnedt
Passport and a credit card and you're sorted!
There are only three pharmacy items I never leave without : High protection sun cream (but I am very fair), plasters for blisters and ant-diarrhea medicine. Waking up with the runs in the middle of the night because of the dodgy street food you ate is not fun.
A lot of good wine is sold with screw-off caps these days....
And as everyone has already said, don't take anything that you'll cry over if it goes missing.
Edited by: lynnedt
Edited by: lynnedt
27
jorgeluis500
My 2 cents:
-Travel as light as possible
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Once on the road, be ready to dump stuff you find useless and to buy new ones if you think they will be fine
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If you're going to be in hot climate, wear light colors
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Be open minded
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Did I say travel light?
Pro tip
Lonely Planet
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