Packing Tips - Essentials of Traveling

What you pack, as well as how much you pack, will be largely determined by the type, destination and length of trip you take. But Innovation Luggage can help you through the frustrations of planning with the following, useful checklist on the bare necessities.

The Basics - What You Will Need
These are the items Innovation Luggage advises you not to forget.

• Travelers' checks - Bring a mix of traveler's checks, a credit or debit card, an ATM card, a few personal checks and some cash. Bring American dollars for situations when you want to change only a few dollars and not an entire traveler's check. And bring about $50 foreign currency for each country you plan to visit, so you can function easily until you can get to a bank.
• Passport - (if necessary) A passport, driver's license, any medical alert cards and one credit card can be kept along with paper money in a belt around your waist, leaving your hands free to take pictures or to handle merchandise. Keep a notebook elsewhere with passport and account numbers.
• Visas - (if necessary)
• Identification - Bring your passport, airline ticket, rail-pass or car rental voucher, driver's license, student I.D., and so on. Photocopies can help you get replacements if the originals are lost or stolen. Carry photocopies separately in your luggage and keep the originals in your money belt.
• Hidden money belt - You could lose everything except your money belt, and the trip could still go on. Be sure your money belt (lightweight and low-profile beige is best) is fastened securely or it could slip off unnoticed (especially if you're wearing a skirt). In addition to threading the belt through the D-rings, knot it.
• Comb, brush, or pick (the smallest you have)
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Dental floss
• Small bottle of roll-on deodorant
• Small bottle of shampoo - (preferably concentrated) Look for sample/travel-size toiletries, or squeeze your regular products into small plastic bottles. Square bottles fit together well, taking up less space and weight than cylindrical bottles. Don't fill bottles to the top if flying because air pressure may cause the contents to expand and explode. These should all be packed in a heavy plastic bag in case of leakage.
• Soap - (bar or liquid) You may not need to bring a bar of soap: most hotels provide a small one. Bring an empty travel soap holder, and just save and reuse the hotel's complimentary bar.
• *Razor - (with spare blades or cartridges stored elsewhere).
• Nail clippers, nail file - As well as clear nail polish and remover if you have weak nails (nails easily get chipped with all the activities and luggage-carrying).
• Small mirror
• Lip balm - A must for long, dehydrating flight and severe temperatures.
• One lipstick/one eye liner/shadow - If necessary. Try for trial sizes wherever possible.
• Sun-block - Bring a sunscreen that doubles as moisturizer.
• Roll of dense-pack toilet paper. - Space saving methods like these should leave your bag only two-thirds full to provide room for snacks and souvenirs.
• Tampons - All feminine products (even many of the same brands) are sold all over the world, but it's easier to figure out how many tampons, pads, or panty shields you'll need in advance and bring them with you rather than having to buy a large box in a foreign country.
• Plastic zip baggies - Use large Ziplock bags or mesh bags to keep items separate and visible, and to keep together what you need together. Also great for saving a little lunch from the breakfast buffet, leftover picnic food, containing wetness, and bagging potential leaks before they happen.
  

Clothing

In general, every piece of clothing should match at least two other items or have at least two uses. Certain items are specific to destination, temperature or season. Use common sense and limit yourself to the bare necessities in these instances.

Optional Items

• Spare eyeglasses, contact lenses - Many find their otherwise-comfortable contacts just don't work for them while on vacation. Bring your glasses just in case. Contact solutions are widely available.
• Prescription for eyeglasses
• Sunglasses
• Sunhat - (not just a visor) Save yourself a headache, or worse yet, a sunstroke.
• Guidebook - Make photocopies or rip pages out from books. Entire guidebooks are bulky and heavy.
• Language dictionary/phrase book
• Maps - Rip out appropriate chapters from guidebooks, staple them together, and store in a zip-lock baggie.
• Camera - If you're not a professional photographer, a couple of throw-away cameras will do. If you are, put a new battery in your camera before you go. Bring a protective and polarizing lens, midrange zoom lens, cleaning tissue and a trip's worth of film. Store everything in a low-profile nylon stuff bag, not an expensive-looking camera bag. Too much camera gear marks you as a typical tourist, giving con-artists the idea you're helpless. What’s more, changing locations becomes a major operation. With one bag hanging on your back, you're mobile and in control -- and less likely to have your luggage and camera get lost, broken or stolen.
• Film - If your sink lacks a stopper, pop a film-canister cap in the drain.
• Mini binoculars
• Magnifying glass
• 2AA flashlight, with spare bulb and batteries - Handy for reading under the sheets after "lights out" in the hostel, late night trips down the hall and exploring castles and caves.
• *Swiss army knife - with corkscrew Great for peeling fruit or whatever else might arise.
• Mini sewing kit - Try on your outfits before you leave to make sure no buttons are missing and things still fit. But bring a needle and thread and a couple of safety pins, just in case.
• Mesh or nylon bags - When deciding what to take with you, anticipate articles that you may want to purchase at your destination. And, always include a collapsible nylon tote bag that will fit easily into your luggage to accommodate new purchases.
• Whistle - For scaring away possible thieves or getting the attention of those you are traveling with when in busy, noisy areas.
• Insect repellent
• Mosquito netting
• Water bottle
• Mini umbrella
• Journal and pen - A tiny notepad in your back pocket is a great organizer, reminder, and communication aid, and an empty book filled with the experiences of your trip will be your most treasured souvenir. Keep a traveler's check and expenses log in the appendix.
• Mini address book - Use it to send postcards home and collect new addresses, though just a square of paper with these addresses will take up less space.
• Envelopes
• Small gifts such as postcards from home
• One or two credit cards
• ATM card
• International Drivers' License (and/or your standard license)
• Wallet Daybags and convertible daybags/fanny packs are also popular, but some women prefer the type of bags that look more like a purse, which sling across your body for safety, and are easier to access than a daybag on your back.
• One small candle/matches
• Sleeping bag along with inflatable pillows for more comfortable napping on trains, planes and beaches.
• Paperback book/cassette or mini-cassette player/recorder - There's plenty of time on a trip to just kick back and relax and enjoy some good reading/music along with the scenery.
• Batteries (AA alkaline batteries are available almost everywhere)
• Foam ear plugs - For noisy train rides or hotels.
• Rubber bands - Roll and rubber-band clothes to minimize wrinkles.
• Hair dryer - Essential in the winter and for those with long or thick hair. And it doubles as a sock dryer! To save money, buy a compact travel hairdryer with a built-in voltage converter rather than buy a converter for your regular hairdryer. Remember to bring a plug adapter. If you must bring a curling iron, consider the cordless ones with canister fuel -- but check with your airline's regulations regarding the fuel. For international travel, it is advisable to take along an electrical adapter kit for your hair dryer, shaver or travel iron. Most European countries run on 220 volts rather than 110. Your electrical adapter kit will not only convert the voltage, but also accommodate foreign plug designs.
  

*Post-September 11 FAA regulations mean you CANNOT bring these items on the plane and should perhaps consider not bringing these items -- or others that pose a potential threat – with you whenever possible to avoid complications when traveling.