Travel list

Never leave your passport with someone who says they need to hold it to guarantee a car or whatever. Leave your driver's license.

1) Earplugs - great for the plane and for sharing rooms with snorers, thin motel walls and late-night discos next door to the motel. I have several sets with me, one in my pants pocket.

2) Wintergreen lifesaver mints. I never leave home without them. They are a natural stomach settler. I use them on planes, buses and crazy taxi rides. And I eat them other times too.

3) Mint gum - same thing - settles my stomach. Gives my mouth something to do when I am nervous.

4) A jacket. Even going to the tropics you can get cold in places.

5) An umbrella. We carried one in Paris and didn't use it, carried one in Costa Rica and used it every day.

6) Camera, flash cards, battery charger. Self-explanatory. (And now I just carry my iPhone and charger.)

7) A small notebook - I use this as a journal to list things we've done, write down people's names and info, motel directions, etc.

8) Flip-flops. Nice to have in places where there is a communal shower like hostels or field stations.

9) Plastic bags - different sizes. I put my garments in zip-locs because I don't want the airport apes touching them. I take a few extra to bring home treasures like seashells, etc. I took a lot of small ones to Germany in 2014. I made a lunch every day from the breakfast buffet at hotels - we saved on having to buy lunch!

10) Book of Mormon, Reader's Digest, a paperback book and crossword puzzles. I'm ADD so I have to have something to occupy me and sometimes I just want to read a little and not get into a compelling book.

11) A flashlight - I bought a small one and keep it near me at night. Sometimes I wake up and don't know where I am or if others are in the room I don't want to turn the light on. I have a headlamp for camping.

12) A water bottle. A must-have.

13) Two extra pair of reading glasses and an extra set of contacts. Two cheap pair of sunglasses.

14) Snacky things - fruit snacks, granola bars, almonds, gummi bears - my standard fare. Sometimes you just don't know when you are going to get to eat next.

15) Journal and pen. (I don't take my regular journal abroad but I carry a smaller one to take notes in, then I write in my regular journal when I get home.)

16) A hat - I usually take a ball cap for bad hair days, last day on a long plane trip, etc.

17) A little bottle of Rolaids, fiber tablets, stomach and pain meds, etc. besides regular meds.

18) When packing clothes I usually count how many days I'll be gone and take half that many shirts. Depending on where we stay I can wash things out or wear things twice. I do like one pair of socks for each day but I've gotten by with less. And I take at least two pair of pants - jeans and a nicer pair. Mix and match tops, one skirt for church or dinner, GOOD WALKING SHOES - A MUST! And a jacket - already mentioned.

19) Addresses of people I want to send postcards to.

20) Headset for the plane - sometimes they charge you to have one. I have tons and take two in case one set doesn't work.

21) Inflatable neck pillow for the plane.

22) Small pack of wipes for when you can't clean up properly.

23) All the usual bathroom stuff in 3 oz. or smaller bottles. I take them in my carry-on along with a change of garments and a clean shirt in case they lose my luggage. You have to put the little bottles in a quart-size zip-loc so it can be pulled out at security.

24) I don't wear a lot of jewelry or metal to go through security. I also wear comfortable shoes that are easy to get on and off.

25) Passport, travel itineraries. Leave a copy at home. Some say you should carry a copy of your passport photo page with you but in a different place from your passport in case you lose it. (And leave a copy of the contents of your wallet at home - xerox both sides of all cards you take.) Make sure your passport is good six months past your travel date if you go to certain countries.Have credit card phone numbers with you separate from credit cards so you can call the company if it gets lost or stolen.

26) Sunscreen - we like Bullfrog because it's clear, goes on easy and doesn't hurt your eyes. (It has to go in checked luggage because it's over 3 oz.)

27) Electrical adapters for the country you are going to. You might want several if you have a camera battery, computer, etc.

28) An extra bag or duffle to bring home souvenirs. You might have to figure this in to the amount of allowed luggage. We usually don't buy that much abroad anymore.

Call your credit card companies before you leave to tell them you are traveling. Some credit card businesses will freeze your card if it is used in a foreign country without them knowing ahead of time. AND get the PIN numbers for your cards!

When planes land from traveling internationally they have to incinerate all leftover food and drinks. Ask a flight attendant near the end of the flight (after the last food service) if you can take a bunch of items. Fill your boys' pockets. Tell him/her you know they are just going to incinerate them and you want to save them from dying a burning death. (It's so ridiculous but it's policy). 

Check all around your seats and in seat pockets before de-boarding. I lost a great England travel book because I was so groggy getting off the plane I didn't notice I'd left it behind.

Adapting to the time change. Try to take a couple hours nap when you first get there if it's during the day, then get up and stay up until 9 or 10 at night then take a melatonin. If you get there at night just take melatonin to help you sleep that night. We did this in England and we weren't tired at all the whole time we were there!

I saw some cool kid tattoos that are temporary for travel. See http://www.safetytat.com/

When you go some place to sightsee always pick a place to meet if you get separated from your kids and talk about it before you head out. I tried not to get too paranoid traveling with my kids and the first big trip with them was to Taiwan when the girls were 19 and 16. We just always stayed together. Except for when they wandered down the escalators at the Taiwan airport and I told them to stop wandering off because I thought they were going to get kidnapped. And on the little Tahitian islands they could go off on their own because I knew they really couldn't get lost. Ahhh, memories.

I carry an across-the-shoulder bag with a wide strap and a front zipping pocket for my passport and travel papers. It's easy to get in to. There are passport covers now that have metal in them for the newer passports that have electronic chips in them. The metal makes it hard for thieves to scan your info. I don't have one because I think the risk is low that will happen.

In Sweden we were alerted by a store clerk that there were pickpockets around. If Riley carried his backpack with expensive camera gear, I walked behind him. We were told to carry wallets in front pockets or pockets that zipped. Or use a small lock on backpacks - kind of a pain but thieves have gone through backpacks of unsuspecting tourists. Never flash money. Be careful at ATMs. Oh, and when Andrea was on a bus in Guatemala once her friend's purse was cut open while she sat there and the thief took everything out before she stood up. So be aware and pay attention! Kind of takes some of the fun out of traveling but we can outsmart those crafty knotheads!!!

Make sure you have fun - that's the bottom line. And make memories. And take pictures. I've been told to not post ANY photos while on a trip or someone could look you up and rob your house. Wait until you get home.