2 months in Eastern Europe - What to bring?!

Hi there!

So my friend and I are all booked for our two month trip to Eastern Europe this summer (Rome to Berlin through Bulgaria, Romania, Poland etc).

Anyway, we want to travel 'fairly' minimalist, as in we're only bringing one backpack each & carry-on. So I was wondering what people could provide in terms of advice on what to bring?

We want a hairdryer, but we're not sure if it would be easier/cheaper to buy a small travel sized one here at say Wal-Mart or pick one up when we get to Rome.

Same with any cold-medication = Benelyn, Dimatapp, Cold FX, IB Profin...

We'll be picking up shampoo, soap, facewash etc when we get there, is there anything we should be aware of - like will we need bug spray once we arrive?

Any Help is GREATLY appreciated.

Optimally, I would just skip the blow dryer. However, if you really need/want one, I would just grab a travel-sized one, but make sure it's convertible to 220 voltage (most are). You could get one in Rome, but it would be harder to find a smaller one, which means you'll be lugging around a full-size appliance. I got mine at Target years ago and don't even bother bringing it any more, but it still works fine and dries just as quickly as my regular one.

With regards to cold/headache medication, if you're prone to them, you may want to bring a small container with you, but remember that you can buy that stuff in Europe if you need it. I would recommend having something on you, though, just for convenience sake, even if it's just a couple of tablets. I once had to travel through the streets of Toronto late at night looking for the all-night pharmacy because I didn't bring anything with me for a headache.

I gave my daughter a package of travel-size OFF bug repellent packets when she went to Guatemala this past year that came in handy. I got them at Target - the packets come in containers of 25 (or something like that), and are very compact. They work like wipes - you just wipe them on your skin and they repel mosquitoes, etc.

Depending where you stay at, you might not bring the hair dryer. If you stay in hostels, they are a must though. So grab a travel size one.

DO bring your cold medicines! they are not the same as you are used to and you'll have a lot of problems getting what you need. It happened to me in Budapest and i live right across the border lol so if you need ANY pill , grab it wt you in a container...it's safer for you.

no bugs...nothing to worry abt that. they spray in the summer so no mosquitoes either...soap, shampoo and a sun screen are a good idea though. again, it depends a lot where you stay at, but those are personal items i believe you don't want to share lol

enjoy!

....and don't forget tha bulletproof vest

LOL @ Andrei!
it sure made me laugh