Packing For A Trip
The number-one rule in packing for a trip, unless you have hired several football players to carry your gear for you, is to pack lightly. You will be moving your luggage into the trunk of your car, out of the trunk of your car, through the airport, off of the luggage carousel, to the train station, to the bus stop, onto the bus, off the bus, back two kilometers because you overshot your stop, up six flights of stairs, and onto the dresser.
While this might be great exercise, you might rather save your energy for the activaties of your trip!
Absolutely
Here are things that it is difficult to imagine not packing:
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Contact lens equipment and spare glasses
Makeup
Razor
Hair care equipment (brushes, comb, blow dryer)
If you are doing a low-budget trip, you should also bring cleansing products:
Soap (in a plastic bag)
Shampoo (or shave your head and use bar soap)
Towel
If you will be looking at ceilings (like on a castle or church crawl), bring a small mirror so that you won't strain your neck. Clothes
Take enough underwear for one week, or for the length of the trip plus two days, whichever is shorter.
Plan on inclement weather. It will happen, and everybody there will say, "Oh, it almost never rains like this! This is very unusual weather." In particular, be prepared for it being colder than you expect. A polypropelene shirt is a wonderful thing to take traveling with you: it is light, very warm (even when wet), and dries quickly.
Miscellaneous
If you are doing any sort of sight-seeing, take some sort of small backpack or fanny pack. You will want to carry maps and perhaps guidebooks, water bottles, sunglasses, and so on.
Earplugs, chewing gum, food
These can make your plane trip much more enjoyable. Aside from being noisy and prone to pressure changes, airplane cabins are very dry, and you will tend to dehydrate if left in one long enough. The gum helps with depressurization, and airline food is, well, about as good as airline food.
:)
Rosie & Andre
