Edit: meant to say one not obvious (ie cellphone, passport, charger etc). Something you consider a hack.
Zyrtec and Benadryl
I actually forgot to add Sudafed. I take it a couple of hours before the takeoff and descent. Otherwise I get bad pressure pain in my ears.
I bought Ear Planes that you put in your ears prior to takeoff. They are supposed to help with the pressure. Haven’t used them yet but others swear by them.
I used them when I flew with an ear infection and they really helped.
I would add Neosporin ointment. Helps with cuts and minor infections and virtually impossible to get without a prescription in Europe and elsewhere.
I also carry liquid bandage in case there’s something that a regular bandage won’t address well enough
Add a couple of packets of Pedialyte powder. Great for if you get dehydrated from illness or exercise.
I was on a family trip with about 8 adults. And my travel pharmacy was raided relentlessly.
I didn’t mind, but by the end of the trip I was like … “you’re all adults right?”
I carry nearly the exact same stuff.
Sleep medication
I'm generally ok with sleeping...but definitely should be added if you have an issue.
Rx or OTC? If OTC, I’d be curious to know what worked for you.
Those are rookie numbers. Ask an over-50 about that full medical case! 😂
Add large spectrum antibiotics aswell, if traveling to a wilder place
Antihistamines for days. Prevent common allergies and stop bug bites from itching.
WATER and snacks
Something thats overlooked a lot, I carry an extension cord. Older hotels often don't have outlets near your bed.
I bring a small night light for the bathroom for similar reasons. I hate turning on a light in the middle of the night, and if a sliver of light can help me find my way, it's gold.
I bought a long cord power strip for this very reason.
Yes, this with usb outlets combo.
Slides or flip flops
Wine bottle/can opener
Laundry bag
Toiletry bag
I like to bring a diesel generator & a power distributionion unit
I bring a power strip.
I do this too but its less than a foot long and has surge protection because the outlets for hotels are usually hard to reach but I already have long charging cables.
Duck tape/ zip ties/ or wire.
That’s all highly suspicious!
Bleach, rubber gloves, mask
Old carpet, quicklime and a shovel?
Flashlight, phone on airplane mode and shoe covers.
No white vinegar? :-D
No foldable shovel lol!
TOOLS. TOOLS. DUCK TAPE, ZIP TIES, AND GLOVES. I HAVE TO HAVE MY TOOLS.
Spare underwear. Never know how quickly that street food is going to run through me.
My ex-partner used to bring old underwear that was ready for the trash, and would discard it after wearing. It backfired one day when we were checking out of a very fancy hotel in Venice and the housekeeper came running out with his ratty underwear all wrapped up in tissue paper because she thought he’d left it behind.
I wanted to push him into the canal.
Going on a three day trip means I’m packing 10 pairs of underwear in case I shit myself 5-7 times
No joke though I always pack double the amount of underwear I will need for a trip. I’ll rewear the same five pieces of clothes for two weeks but I want two pairs of underwear per day at least. No idea what that’s about.
when you’re traveling you’re probably walking around and doing activities, likely sweating way more than you typically do at an office job or something.
I’m the same way I’ll pack extra
And socks. Clean socks for every day plus extras.
Phone and...
Spare phone.
My old phone is just sitting in a drawer. Why not throw it in my bag?
We depend so much on our phones while traveling. If mine were to be lost, or just stop working for no reason (this has happened to me before!) having a backup would be important.
I dropped my phone in the Amazon River. I wish I was kidding.
I brought a really old phone as a dummy in case I got robbed in some sketchy parts of Colombia which was my next stop. It barely held a charge on its own but that thing saved my life. I don't know what I would have done without it. I was able to contact people, figure out what to do, and get what I needed for the next part of my journey (I had to buy a new phone in Peru).
That saved my life. I never travel now without a decent backup phone.
ideally, my wife!
I mean. This is cute as hell.
I also choose this guy’s wife
where we going?
A classic
I'm already taken
The thingiest thing
Because she probably packs everything you need 😜
Speaking from experience as a wife
we actually travel enough that we mostly just leave the bags packed, just add some clean clothes
I’ll start: mine is a compression bag which allows me to pack and compress clothes down so I can take lots more than would typically fit into my carry on case.
I can’t travel without an eye mask.
I still don’t understand how people only travel with a carry on. My bathroom bag and shoes would easily take up half or more of a carry on sized bag. Any longer than a weekend trip and there’s no way I’m fitting everything I need.
My guess is people don’t pack extra shoes and possible rewear the same clothes?
Strategy. I put out my initial clothes/outfits I want to wear and then I cut that in half (sometimes I do it again if I have too much) and then I edit the remainder to mix and match. Don’t play the “I might wear this” game… no you won’t. If it does not go with at least 4 other items you have planned don’t bring it. Color is important. My base is dark so I can rewear items. You have to be okay with rewearing outer clothing. One pair of pajamas (you’re not getting dirty sleeping). I pack a lot of underwear and only 2 bras- one sport and one normal +whatever comfy one I wear on the plane. Depending on where I’m going minimal socks if I can wear sandals I do to save laundry. Makeup, hair and toiletries are very sparse because I’m not doing full glam on vacation, you don’t need a lot to look put together, leave the full arsenal at home. Shoes are tricky depending on where you’re going and what type of vacation it is. My usual: 1 pair of walking/athletic shoes, a pair of casual sandals and a pair of nice shoes or sandals for nice dinners/events (you should be able to walk in these comfortably). I look for shoes without heels so they can pack easier. I’ve always used our hotels laundry service and it’s not as expensive as you think. Works great. I went to SEA for two months with a 22 inch carryon and a small backpack. I did everything from jungle trekking to a black tie wedding all with that one tiny bag.
Limiting shoes is huge. I love that white sneakers are in fashion with everything; it makes it a lot easier. Also, toiletries are smaller if you're packing for a carry-on because you can only bring small bottles. I plan out my outfits, so I'm not bringing anything extra. If it's a long trip, I definitely rewear things and bring a small detergent pack to wash a couple things in the sink mid-trip. If it's a vacation where we'll be walking a ton, I don't bring workout clothes/shoes. Packing cubes also help you fit more stuff. Overall, thinking through each item like "do I NEED this" is helpful too. Like it might be nice to have two different jackets for different outfits, but I can get by with one and will survive.
To me the juice isn’t worth the squeeze if you’re going on a long trip. I have no issue checking a regular sized suit case. I also use travel sized toiletries but I still would find trouble fitting everything inside a carry on. It really all depends what kind of trip it is and for how long.
I used to check a bag until I had to wait in a 2.5 hour line to check it once. Never again. lol.
I used to check a bag until I went to Italy, there was a strike, and I didn’t receive my luggage for five days.
I used to check a bag until I arrived in Venice at 9pm, on my period, and my bag did not. Nothing was open by the time I got from the airport to my accommodation. A handsome man in a speedboat brought me my case the next day at 1.30pm
The laundry detergent sheets are fantastic for travel and don’t hog space in your liquid bag.
1-2 pairs of shoes max, and we wash clothes on the road, yes
I only pack one pair of shoes and obviously I wear one. I take only very small toiletry items / travel sized ones.
I’ve become one of those minimalist travelers and it’s awesome. Never have to worry about lost luggage, bag checking lines or lugging a bunch of stuff around while on the move. I just take a 30L backpack. My toiletry kit is minimal and I just take travel sizes of everything. I generally have one pair of sneakers or hiking shoes that I’m wearing while traveling, one pair of sandals (doesn’t take up much room), and one pair of ankle boots for going out to clubs and whatnot. I use compression cubes to pack my clothes down to nothing, and it’s mostly clothes made for travel so they can be worn multiple times and don’t smell. They also dry quickly so washing them in the hotel sink is no biggie. So other than undies and socks, I don’t need too many multiples of anything. Still have room for laptop, iPad, Kindle, water bottle (in an outside pocket), snacks, headlamp, chargers, medical stuff. I dunno, I just love traveling this way once I started and got the whole packing system down to a science. I feel so much freer.
zofran and immodium
Zofran has saved me more times than I care to admit 😂
Omg yes. Traveling right now. Last night I woke up so nauseous and threw up and put a dissolvable Zofran under my tongue and instantly saved my night sleep.
An OTC option is Emetrol. IME, works well for food poisoning.
What’s zofran? I’ve never heard of it!
Zofran is an anti nausea prescription med
Chapstick, AirPods (music and podcasts) and wired earbuds (entertainment system).
Wet tissue
Melatonin! It helps me fall asleep easier when there's a big time difference. Melatonin was my life saver when I traveled to Europe. That, and Ibuprofen.
One thing I neve travel without is my Kindle. it's my portable library, ensuring I always have a good book with me no matter where I go
Was going to say this.
I have two small screwdrivers on a keychain (like this) in my backpack and they have come in handy more than a few times for random things.
You haven't been stopped by security for those?
Had a set of hex wrenches for my tripod in my bag. Was just transiting through New Delhi (not even entering the country) and security confiscated it.
My Kindle and a reusable grocery bag.
One thing? My passport..
The most important item for me (besides the basics - money, phone, clothes and camera) are noise cancelling head phones.
It is pretty awesome how much I can relax when I can tune out everything around me. What kind do you have?
Bose QuietComfort 20
Portable chargers
Ayr nasal gel. I apply some into my nostrils before the flight.
Just learned something new. Had a terrible sinus infection that I just got over last week. Thank you kind stranger
This is my new must have after traveling in April—used a nasal spray gel before the flight, and it’s the first time I didn’t come back with a sinus infection!
That’s great news! I love that we have this platform to share with each other.
I learned this trick from a nurse! Never fly without it.
Extra pair of glasses (for those that wear contact lenses, pack a spare pair)
I wear contacts daily - but not overnight - and I am fairly blind without them. So I always have my glasses and a spare set of contacts in my carryon.
Face cream that I put on prior to boarding a plane. Especially if it’s a long haul flight
And lip balm
Yup, I learned this the hard way. When you're traveling, you're probably not staying as hydrated as you do at home. Always carry lotion and lip balm for dry skin and lips. One time, I was eating at Five Guys, and my lips got so dry they cracked and bled. With all the bloody napkins, it looked like a crime scene lol. Also remember to stay hydrated!
Yessssss I feel so much better when I do this
Phone, passport and credit card
Besides the obvious (phone, medications, headphones, iPad, ID, cards/cash), gotta be my trtl pillow. I actually can sleep on a plane with it but never without it.
Wet wipes!
Sea Bands. Only thing that keeps me from getting sick.
I love traveling but the actual travel part of traveling hates me🤢
Scopaline patch is a miracle
I started traveling with a decent Bluetooth speaker (Bose pill speaker) a year or so ago. I travel for work, and it makes my hotel rooms more pleasant and less lonely.
I would say "chilled mind". Travelling can turn super frustrating for me especially the long flights and all the hassle comes with it. If I don't keep myself calm it can easily ruin my trip.
A spoon. Sometimes you just need to eat a quart of cookies and cream ice cream after a long day on the road.
No joke for a long time I carried a fork knife and a spoon in my toiletry bag because door dash never came with a fork …
haha I always have a set of plastic silverware in my personal item
As long as I have my passport and phone I can go anywhere. Your phone is your communication, your boarding pass, your hotel booking and your credit card.
My wife hahahaha she’s not a thing obviously, but I hate traveling by myself for work purposes lol I still ask my wife to either fly with me or if our schedules are an issue then to meet me at the destination.
Bose sleepbuds, it's a shame that they don't make em anymore - like having earplugs + a white noise machine. Truly magical for noisy hostels
Try the Anker soundcore sleep a10 or a20. No ANC but the isolation plus white noise are great. Plus you can play anything from your phone via BT, and set them up to detect when you fall asleep and switch to white noise automatically. I love that because I like to fall asleep to podcasts but use the white noise to mask my husband’s snoring. Theoretically if you don’t need a mic, they can be the only earbuds you take, since they’re fully functional aside from not having a mic. I’ve also heard ozlo sleep buds are good but haven’t tried them.
Apparently some ex-employees are resurrecting them!
https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/22/23837206/ozlo-sleepbuds-bose-sleep-earbuds
Duct tape and a few ziplock bags.
Hope.
Cash
A small pair of scissors. You will use them. Trust me.
A puffy jacket. It’s a blanket, it’s a pillow, I can stuff the pockets and use it as an addition to my carry-on. I don’t care how hot it is, I’m bringing my jacket.
That’s a good shout! I always worry about being too cold as well but don’t want to bring loads of things so always a cardigan and puffer jacket that squishes down to a very small ball
I recently learned the hard way why you should always travel with a jacket, no matter what the forecast looks like in the area you’re traveling through. My husband and I got back from a month long road trip a few days ago, and for the first time on any of our trips, I decided to free up some space by leaving my jacket at home since the area we’d be traveling to first was expected to reach well past 100° F while we were there. Well, that place was so hot it was almost unbearable, but it turns out that the forecast for the towns we’d be stopping through had changed since I had checked it just before leaving. For about a 300 mile stretch, every place we stopped had thunderstorms that came on very quickly, and the temperature when from about 110° F to 50° F. I absolutely love the cold so it didn’t bother me much, until it started raining. That rain felt like something was throwing shark pieces of ice at me, and I found myself to be a bit miserable because my dumb ass purposely didn’t bring a jacket. I am never making that mistake again lol
Anger issues #billburr #kiddingnotkidding
Besides passport it has to be my neck pillow 🙂
For me, it's two things: my tablet for movies or books and really my number one: Purcussion message gun. This helps when I start to stiffen up from sitting for long periods of time. Makes it that I don't have to get up and walk around.
By choice: Chargers, meds, headphones
By chance, but it always happens: diarrhea (which is why I always bring my meds)
hand sanitizer
Moleskin. Getting blisters is the worst and it works way better than bandaids.
handheld fan at ALL TIMES!! i sweat like a hooker in church
I have a “bathroom bag” ready at all times. Toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, razors, Advil, etc. I also have a makeup bag, where I keep my spare makeup and cycle it in to my daily makeup. Makes packing much easier - and it’s comforting to know that if I had some sort of emergency, I can grab those bags plus spare underwear - and I’m good ! I thought everyone kept a travel bag packed - until I found out my best friend didn’t. And packs full sized bottles of everything when she travels!
Collapsible fork, spoon, and butter knife in a little hard case. As someone who stays in hotels a lot of the year, nothing is worse than when deliver forgets utensils.
Black tape to cover all the annoying pilot lights on a/c, tv, cable, router, light switches, etc. Binder clips to hold curtains closed. Folding hangers to dry clothes.
That isn't obvious? A white noise machine that's half the size of a can of Red Bull. That's less obvious? Hidden copies of my ID/passport and a spare credit card.
My travel bidet
Pls tell me more
Just check Amazon… basically a squeezable water bottle with a spout to wash your butthole after a #2. Toilet paper just spreads it!
ear plugs
daily meds..
My hat and a tiny tin case with small items like debit cards, health insurance cards, pocket money, etc.
Eye mask, Benadryl, white noise, blister patches
My towel.
Swiss Army Cybertool, so useful it's worth checking a bag.
A usb powered compact bug zapper and light, screens aren't a thing in Europe.
A usb fan, you don't know you'll need it until you do.
Vent clip phone holder, makes Waze much easier to use in a rentacar. Maps.me loaded on the phone also, handy when you don't have a connection and does a great job of figuring out local transit systems or walking trips.
Firestick with VPN installed. keep up with the news from back home.
Refillable water bottle
Binoculars
Found the birder?
CPAP
Phone, passport.
Xanax and sleeping pills.
Passport 😀
Phone, passport, credit cards, zofran, Imodium. With those I should get through an immediate situation and have money to get what I need.
Contacts/glasses, sunglasses, one light/comfy layering scarf that can double as blankie, water bottle, ibuprofen, chargers & headphones
Passport
Phone/Charger
Wallet
Ibuprofen, chapstick, deodorant, baby wipes.
Obvious answer passport.
Real answer phone. Almost any problem can be assisted by having a phone with an Internet connection.
A fan! I need that noise to sleep and no apps I've tried work anywhere near as well.
Earplugs/eye masks
Passport, credit card, phone.
Three: Aquaphor, rubber bands, small tube of hand cream
Manta sleep mask, side sleeper edition.
Portable bidet
Soap leafs, handkerchief and pack of tissues/toilet paper.
my glasses
My pillow. It’s king sized and weighs about three and a half pounds. I don’t care. A good nights sleep is important. Most hotel pillows are shit.
HAND SOAP! Hate hotel bar soaps with a passion.
My patience lol.
Sleep mask with bluetooth speakers. Never know when the hotel room is going to be excessively bright at night, or there's going to be obnoxious noise that I need to drown out with white noise.
It was expensive but I bought this shawl thing that the fabric is spf 50, can be used as a scarf, shawl, blanket for the plane, head cover, tie around your waist for a skirt, sit on at the beach, etc.
Wet wipes. I need my wet wipes.
For certain trips I started taking a small collapsing duffle bag in case I do any shopping or bring home too many souvenirs. Then coming home I shove all my clothes in the duffle, check my carry on, and go on about my life. This has really come in handy when hitting up all the European Christmas markets.
Aero press. I am into good coffee.
I travel with my aero press and hand grinder but not on business trips. I trust there’ll be good coffee somewhere!
Yup. And a pound of Peet’s coffee. You’d be surprised how hard it can be to find a good dark roast in many countries
So beans and hand grinder too?
No, but I go to good coffee shops and get them to grind their best beans for me.
Tooth brush
My soul
White noise machine and a compact tea kettle when traveling in the US.
Noise canceling headphones, comfortable outfit and shoes, portable charger, backpack (with important docs, spare undies, wipes, deodorant, etc), and possibly my neck pillow (a GOOD neck pillow will literally change your life. I’m OBSESSED with mine)
Whats your neck pillow?
Headphones and a Water Bottle.
Footwear options for my problematic feet.
Headphones and backup Headphones
A long scarf or pashmina for cold planes and overly air conditioned restaurants.
Allergy medicine
Hand sanitizer
qtips, bandaids, ibuprofen, and those eco-laundry detergent sheets (portable and you can do laundry in the hotel sink if needed).
The best sore throat meds that i got
Eye mask!!
Ear plugs
One quarter pound of olive loaf, an air horn and a spinning bow-tie in case of a flare-up.
None of these are allowed on Naked and Afraid, btw.
For obvious reasons.
Silicone ear plugs
Aside from the obvious, O'Keeffe's working hands. Seems like almost every time I travel overseas (sometimes domestic too) I get really irritating painful cracks in my thumbs or my cuticles get all messed up and it's the only thing that helps. One trip I feel like I went to the ends of the earth to find it. Now I keep it in my travel bag at all times
Meds, external phone charger, 2 credit cards
American here: my Schwab and Fidelity atm cards. Benadryl because you never know what new allergy might develop.
My phone , wallet and charger . I try to rember the charger
Spare underwear always and air pods always always always
Portable white noise machine.
Water filter
Contact lenses AND glasses
My portable pharmacy: a few ibuprofen, chewable Pepto Bismol, Immodium, a couple bandaids, Sudafed to relieve ear pain, Tums, eyedrops for dry eye.
Edited to add a couple things I forgot.