What do you never travel without & what do you tend to forget to pack?

Hello, I did once also forgot to bring a jacket, brush` and cellphone. We were on our trip and driving to this remote destination, and I realized on the drive that I forgot those items. Well, the only item that really bothered me was my jacket, actually both our jackets that I forgot to pack. I was hoping & praying it wasn't going to rain, or have cold weather. Luckily though the owner's of the cottage where we were staying in had provided us with his & hers heavyweight jackets which was nice. Also because it was a small touristy town/village there weren't any other clothing shops for miles, so we were really lucky we had coats there.

archie0, Oh you're another one of those minimalist, organized & efficient packers.;) I need to take tips from people like you, because I always overpack, pay for it and the husband get's really upset with me about it. I also tend to take way too many shoes along too, very rarely practical as I always try to "blend in" like a local wherever I travel & don't want to be mistaken for being a tourist. Again, I paid for that on my last trip, because from all the endless walking I did my feet were literally killing me. I was covered with bruises, bunions, blisters and was hobbling along the streets. I had to go to a spa for a few feet pampering services.

I guess you are a typical guy if you're fairly low maintenance when you're packing. :)I should try to think the way you do, that is if you forget something you can always but it in your destination. I've tried thinking that way but I inevitably think that well, my new destination might not have what I'm looking for so I have the tendency to overpack. I really paid for it on my last trip though, I paid something like 5x more in levies. :( I will never overpack again...

I once forgot to pack my contact lenses, well actually I had an extended stay somewhere and ran out of lenses. I tried to get them shipped over however the time difference would be too long. I went into various optometrist places in the new destination and even though I gave them my prescription that I had written down, they wouldn't accept it because it was missing some number that we don't recognize in Canada. Well, I tried to call my old Optometrist's office in Canada to get them to revise my prescription over the phone, but the assistant kept saying that was fraud and she wouldn't do it for me. I finally had to go for an eye exam in my destination in order to buy contacts. Next time I'd definitely buy extra contacts because you never know...

I've forgotten to take soaps along too which can be a nuisance I find. Well, if you're staying in a hotel, they tend to have certain generic soaps there that I don't find very interesting, so I get really annoyed if I forget soap, just like perfume or other personal items. I always make a check list too but I still forget things or misplace things in my suitcase never to be seen again.

That can be kind of scary if you forget your meds, well I won't say that I forgot my meds before, but I had an extended stay on one of my trips and wound up staying much longer than the 2 wks I was supposed to stay there. So, I didn't have my meds and I suffered because of it. Another note to self: always pack extra medication. Now with all the rules & regulations we have today when we fly, do you keep your medication in your carry on bag, suitcase and do you also have a Doctor's note with it?

I haven't forgotten it in a while, but when I did it was while I had no one to "steal" it from... I've actually given most of them to Goodwill or something like that throughout the years.

Hi reinydawn, If I forget my lingerie when I'm on a trip, I just steal one of my husband's t-shirts or tank tops and sleep in that. Sometimes it's just kind of a pain to go shopping for one item isn't it?

Oh right I forgot about contacts too, solution and an extra pair of glasses, and you can never go wrong with money. :)

Yeah that is really annoying traveling without a toothbrush-hate the feeling of unclean teeth...And I've traveled without those hair scrunchie things before to tie back hair. I just thought of another thing: those ziploc bags that you use to store little items in-they're great for travel.

Yeah, I guess that could be a problem if you don't have pants. ;) Oh that's another one I usually pack along-cell phone charger even though not every cell phone works in every destination unfortunately...

Well I don't really think about even bringing my cell phone or charger around if I'm just going to be in some remote village in the middle of nowhere. I figure who would phone me?

If I go to the villages, often do not have a suitable charger.

Hey Akuler, You know there are times when I travel that I don't even bother to bring my cell phone or even charger for that matter, because I admit I am one of those people who are really terrible about calling other people back. I always miss phone calls, or misplace my phone. If I were going to be "impractical" I'd say the solution for me would be to have an extra cell phone that I keep in a suitcase for when I travel. Not! ha!

I think I would probably have a heart attack if I traveled and left my purse behind! Do you find you have a tendency to overpack way too many shoes? Shoes are my weakness and I don't know how to downsize, I love them all...

I never take a camcorder but will take my camera, film, etc. You're so right about the socks!!! I usually wind up buying socks in some little open air market.