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Travel tips: 10 ways to...

Although there's almost nothing you need that you can't get abroad -- including credit cards -- there are still a few essentials that you don't want to leave home without:

1. A carry-on bag // One piece of luggage in whatever shape and style suits you. It should be big enough for one week's gear -- only. When your clothes get dirty, go to a Laundromat. The bag should conform to airline carry-on regulations so it fits in the overhead bin, but it should also have some give so you can cram it full and check it on the way back.

2. Medicines, glasses // Make sure you have your prescription drugs and vitamins; pack duplicate supplies in both checked and carry-on bags so if one gets lost you still have your meds. The same is true of eyeglasses and contact lenses.

3. Plastic baggies // The usefulness of resealable bags -- for wet swimming suits, beautiful beach rocks, leaky toiletries, dirty underwear -- is unparalleled.

4. Sink stopper // Globe-trotters often need to wash intimate apparel in the bathroom sink. Many hotels, mostly at the high end, have leaky sink drains. If you pack a flat, rubber drain-stopper, you'll be happy even at the Ritz.

5. Sleep aids // Unless you can sleep anywhere, long-haul flights, jet lag and noisy, unfamiliar hotel rooms can turn you into a zombie. To fight travel insomnia, take earplugs and eyeshades. Check with your doctor if you think you need a prescription sleeping pill or want to try something homeopathic.

6. First-aid kit // Bandages, aspirin and antiseptic are the basics. A few other items aren't as obvious: a mini-sewing kit, moleskin for blisters, insect repellent, Tiger Balm (good for achy muscles as well as a smelly loo, when applied underneath the nose) and Uncle Bill's Silver-Gripper tweezers with pinpoint precision to remove splinters.

7. Windbreaker // Something that can keep you dry in a tropical downpour and warm in the Canadian Rockies, when worn with layers underneath. Many companies make these; get an unlined one so it can be wadded up and stuffed into a side pocket of your bag.

8. Inexpensive sandals // Cheap rubber flip-flops always come in handy, whether you're at the beach or showering in a shared bathroom. You can also wear them on the street and pitch them before you leave.

9. Little black jacket // This one's for the girls: Leave home wearing a simple black jacket in a wrinkle-proof synthetic blend and a shawl as part of your travel attire. (Packing them takes up too much space.) The eminently accessorize-able black jacket will be worth its weight in gold, and the shawl can double as a blanket or pillow.

10. A cuppa // Many of us need a jolt of java in the morning, but when it's unavailable, the caffeine in tea is a welcome substitute, and you can almost always get a cup of hot water at a hotel front desk.

[From the Los Angeles Times]

Recommended on Baltimore Sun

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