How are you getting all of THAT in your bag?!: Part 2

In the previous post, I showed a bunch of stuff scattered all over my bedroom floor and called it "what I can't live without when I travel".  Now, a week later, I realized I left some stuff out.  Can't believe it, can you?  That's a lot of crap!  Here's the picture of the basic stuff that I posted previously.

I keep a shoe box in the closet with travel items.  This really helps when it comes time to pack for a trip.  Advance preparation is the difference between panic & pain or smooth sailing with a smile.

Now we can get into some of the fun stuff, but I really think I'm going to need another post to cover toiletries.  Yikes!

I did not take a picture of my laptop here, but I would include it at a conference because I type way faster than I write.  Basic electronics include an external charger, my tablet, and my phone.

I included my expired passport here, but I guess it probably should have gone in misc.  This would be a good time to point out that your passport must still be valid 6 months after your return date.  Don't get to the airport and make this mistake in the security line.  Back to electronics.  It's smart to buy a universal adapter if you're traveling abroad.  This way if you visit multiple countries or travel in the future, you are not back in the luggage aisle looking for the one that works for that particular country.  Always try to make everything you use have a dual purpose.  (Except your underwear.  Seriously.)  Another thing to mention with an adapter is that unless you get one that is also a converter, you might have issues with your electric razor, hair dryer, curling iron etc.  My daughter and her friends almost caught their room on fire.  Luckily, they only blew out the electricity for the entire floor of the hotel.  Don't let this be you.

Your external charger should be able to power your phone or your tablet.  Make sure to look at the amperage.  Most that you buy at the check out will not provide enough power to charge your tablet.  I use my tablet quite a bit on longer trips for reading on ebook apps, watching movies and looking up stuff for the next day.  I won't be bringing it to Cuba because it is a poorer country and we will be there less than a week.

The velcro strips are neat because I don't have to fool around with twisty ties or knots in my charger cords.  They run about $2 in the sewing aisle at Walmart, otherwise they can be priced quite a bit more in electronics. When it's time to leave your hotel room, make a point to grab your charger.  This is always the first item people leave in their hotel rooms.  Trust me, I have a box full of them in our lost & found.

Next stop is the medical supplies.  Oh man, hold on to your hat.

The generic pills are pretty much for everyone else (The Hubs takes excedrin, kids take tylenol or advil, etc).  I also carry immodium, tums, decongestant, allergy, fiber pills and motion sick pills.  This usually covers the all around "my fill-in-the-blank hurts".  That bottle underneath with the green lid has bobby pins & hair ties.  If my hair springs loose from its various constraints, it is truly an emergency.  Right next to that is a little tube of non-medicated eye ointment and chapstick.  The plastic jar with the blue sticker is a non-scented muscle rub.  I also carry afrin.  Sometimes I have trouble clearing my ears and a couple of squirts of Afrin will clear them right up.

The purple extra pill box is for other prescription pills that I only take when necessary.  Labels with the medication name to cover the days ensures that my whole bag is not filled with a bunch of pills that I may or may not end up needing.  I also carry my regular pill box.  Once a month, I sort my pills & supplements into boxes like this.  There is no thought involved in taking meds this way.  When I'm ready to start packing, I grab the containers with the appropriate amount of days plus a couple of extra, and I'm ready to go.  I also carry a list from the pharmacy of prescribed meds so that if questioned, I can prove I'm not a dealer!

Next to the pill boxes is the essential oil inhaler and a bag labeled Comfort.  This bag has just in case feminine items, an eye mask and ear plugs.  On longer flights, the airline usually gives you complimentary ear plugs, ear buds and an eye mask.  I have smaller ear canals and a funky piece of cartilage that makes wearing average ear plugs difficult.  I keep an eye mask for just in case because I like it dark when I sleep.  It could be four o'clock in the afternoon,I've been in between places for 32 hours and the person sitting next to the window is trying to pick out cloud formations.

In the above picture is a little kit that goes everywhere with me also.  Different size bandaids, gauze, wipes, antibacterial ointment in small packets, fingernail clippers, sewing kit, scissors and a jump drive.  The container is from a travel first aid kit which was a joke & had practically nothing in it.  When we travel, no matter how short my nails are, I consistently break a nail on luggage and need those clippers.  Also someone didn't listen to the All Knowing Tour Leader and wore new shoes and needs a bandaid.  Someone else ate more than they should have on the trip and popped a button on the way home.  I back up my important home files on the jump drive and encrypt it.  This gives me peace of mind that if there's a lightning storm at home, I haven't lost all of my work files.

In the very first photo above are snacks.  If you are on tour with a group, you may not be able to get the bus to stop when you have a sugar crash.  Even when traveling solo, it's a good idea to pack snacks.  Having a granola bar can help get you to the next meal time when there's no convenience store in sight.  I also carry hard candies.  These help with blood sugar and dry throats from exhaust, allergies and a/c.


Not pictured in the Great Packing List of 2017:  a travel pillow, compression socks, a portable scale and a microfiber towel.  These items are essential to me for any trip longer than two hours.  If you are flying less than two hours, you usually only have a half an hour of steady altitude.  My problem being that if I sleep during ascent or descent, I don't clear my ears and end up with a massive earache so I only sleep if travel time is longer than two hours.  I appreciate the compression socks as I get older and prefer not to have cankles getting off a plane or even a long car ride.  Don't pack the neck pillow unless you have tons of extra room in your bag.  If you are buying one, make sure you get the one with the little strap that will connect it to your carry-on.  I can't sleep comfortably with just one pillow so my travel pillow helps with that issue.

The microfiber towel is a great item because you never know when you're going to stop on the side of the road at that beautiful little beach at sunset or that fabulous hidden waterfall off the beaten path.  I've also read that not every guest room in Cuba offers towels and I don't prefer to drip dry.

When the road has ended and it's time to make the journey home, you will probably have accumulated more stuff than you started with. Most airlines allow you one checked bag, sometimes two if you are traveling to Australia or the Orient.  The weight limit of the checked bag is 50 lbs.  Trust me, they weigh it every time.  When you finally get to the ticket counter and you discover that your bag is overweight, your choice is to pay for the extra weight (up to $10 per pound over) or try to move some of your items to your carry-on, or pay for an extra checked bag.  This can be a nightmare.  You think fifty pounds is quite a lot, but when you add two bottles of wine to said bag, we enter a whole nother ball game.  It's much easier to know the weight of your bag before you get to the ticket counter.  You can find these on Amazon for about $15.

The final packing items that I am going to write about today are extra bags.  This might sound kinda silly at first, but hear me out.

Imagine you are going to your hotel pool.  What are you going to carry your stuff in?  Are you taking everything out of your backpack just to go to the pool?  How about the village market?  These shopping bags take up no room whatsoever and can come in handy!  The trash bag is to separate your dirty clothes from your clean clothes.  I don't really care to have Hubs' smelly socks wrapped around my clean shirt.  The extra ziploc is for your wet bathing suit.  Pretty smart, hunh?!

Stay tuned for next time, folks, and we will talk about toiletries.  Hasta la próxima