Marlena and Kath--

Thank you thank you thank you for your post! My hubby and I leave for our first rtw trip soon, and I just spent some $ on cute-looking quick dry clothes (not easy to find. I checked ex officio), and your post left me feeling justified. :-)

Wasn't going to bring any jeans, but a couple of you good folks suggested a pair. Maybe, they'll make it into my bag.

i'd be a gazllionaire if I had a dollar for everytime i responded to one of these posts, but they are great fun and I learn a lot every time I read them. Here's my 2 cents:

What I wish I'd left behind:
Compression Bags - I've decided these aren't that great afterall. When completely compressed, they are so stiff and awkward that they actuall leave a lot of unused nooks and crannies in your bag/case.

Too Many Meds - Yes, I never did use all those extra meds. When you're toiletries kit is a third of all the stuff you're bringing, you've gone overboard.

Contact Lens - I wear glasses on a regular basis and only contacts when I'm doing sports or on weekends when I want to look stylish. However, when I travel, I bring an extra pair of glasses anyway, so I never use the contacts i do bring. The lenses themself taking up no space, but the bottle of cleanser does.


What I Will Never Travel Without:
Dr. Scholl's Foot Spray - I've written about the magic of this product many times before. Its basically for things like athletes foot, etc. But what it really does is just zap the moisture out of things. When you walk as much as you might do on a RTW trip, your shoes are going to be stinking! And all that moisture? This spray is great for that. In addition, I've sprayed my pants, socks, etc., with it, when I haven't had the opportunity to do laundry and it really helps freshen them up, take out the moisture, and make them wearable for another day or two. Its good stuff.

Tell us more about these cubes! I can see how they'd be nice ... but I can't figure out from the website just how many you would need, or in what combinations, or how many things one cube will hold ...

I'm glad we took three lock'n'lock boxes. These are air and watertight, perfect for all our electrical stuff and our first aid kit etc. Not particularly compact, but if you fill them tight they don't really need to be.

And I wish I had taken one of those sleeping masks that you see on old people. I've been on so many buses where street lamps have kept me awake. Or in hostels where they leave all the lights on and I just can't sleep. The sleep mask would beat nailing blankets to the walls.

I love this thread. I leave in about 3 weeks for a year-long RTW and need to start packing!

For past trips (not RTW, but 3 weeks in India can seem like a lifetime)...

Wished I'd brought / Forgot and regretted at least once:

• sarong
  
• wine bottle opener
  
• and a friend I traveled with coveted my wetwipes in India, perfect for a quick clean up of your dirty self when on an overnight train or after a really nasty bathroom

Bought during a trip and now will always travel with:

• compact umbrella - way better than a hat, keeps the sun off your face and more, keeping you cooler too - used it all throughout India (as many locals did)

Why the F*@#! did I bring?

• longjohns - instead bring wearable clothes that can be layered instead
  
• inflatable mattress pad & sleeping bag - yes, I loved them the 1 time I used it, but the rest of the time it was just bulky
  
• clothesline - bring a length of rope instead, which can be used for other things and is nowhere near as bulky