There are all kinds of travel tips available on the web. Here are some I found useful on my 13 day trip to Italy.
Take luggage that is not full - you may want to add things on your travels (I added olive oil, limoncello, and candy). (I saw lovely kitchen towels and I thought they would make wonderful souvenirs, but they were made in India, Bangladesh, etc. Seemed to defeat the purpose!)
I need, at most, five outfits, color coordinated. (I wore red/white/black - with an extra pink shirt for variety when I wasn't wearing the red Scottevest.) I took five sets of sox, underwear, and shirts. Also a suit and an extra slacks. Hoodie, Scottevest, fleece. Also a hat, and I wished I had worn the hat on the plane over, since the kid soccer team filled the plane, and they played with their tablets all night, and with their reading lights on, the screen would flash in my eyes. Got smarter on the way back, and that worked well when a seatmate decided to read a magazine when I wanted to sleep. (I did not want to use a sleep mask, because I feel claustrophobic when I can't peek.)
Some essentials that I was glad I had: Scottevest, Walkstool, fanny pack, Healthy Back Bag, carabiner, hat, hoodie, clothespins and cord (I used shoelaces from the dollar store), sanitizing wipes, lots of plastic bags and baggies. I did not need the corkscrew, but I would probably take it anyway. I took flip-flops, ballet shoes, wore Keds, and had loafers. I did not need the loafers, but if I had gotten wet shoes in the rain, I probably would have been glad I brought them. Small notebook and lots of pencils were great to have.
This Scottevest has 20 pockets.
When this picture was taken, pockets contain:
ipad
earbuds and earplugs
cell phone
chargers for camera, ipad, cellphone
wallet with driver's license, credit card, ATM card
passport
ticket folder
money in three separate compartments
sunglasses
two cameras
altoids
hard candy
water bottle
It's a bit bulky, but it meant that the weight was on my shoulders, not my hands/arms.
I chose this jacket because the shoulder and sleeves are detachable, converting the jacket into a vest.
I found it comfortable in temperatures from 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also water repellant and can function as a rain jacket, windbreaker. If it only had a hood, it would be perfect!
Walkstool:
This made it so much easier on the trips to Paestum and to the museum. There was lots of walking, but then long pauses to listen to information about the buildings or items. A quick sit, and I was good to go.
I took this picture in my hotel room in the Grand Hotel Cesare Augusto.
The tile floors are pleasantly cool and easy to keep clean.
When closed the stool measures 15 inches and weighs 20 ounces. I attached it to my fannypack with a carabiner. That way I was hands-free.
The stool is 18 inches high when the telescoping legs are opened. (They do make larger ones to suit bigger people. See Amazon, but they are sold by several companies at varying prices.)
Snacks: A friend made muffins for me to take. Boy, was I glad to have those! The airport food really did not appeal to me, and most of the airplane food was grim. I also had pretzels,
homemade Altoids, hard candy, candied ginger. At breakfast in the hotel, they always had cookies, I usually scarfed a few and put them in a baggie in case I got peckish later. (Some were lifesavers on the return trip, where again, the airport food was not appealing, and the airplane food was grim.) On days of "on your own" meals, I also made a little sandwich in case I decided not to go out.
Bathroom stuff: I was surprised that you need much less than you think you do! I packed a one ounce container of my favorite shampoo/bodywash. I figured I could always use the hotel soap when I ran out. I was amazed that I used less than half the bottle. Who knew? I took a three ounce container of dish soap to use for laundry. I used less than half of that, and that included washing slacks a time or two, as well as the shirts and underwear. I was surprised that I used less than one ounce of lotion. And I did not have to carry the weight of more shampoo/soap/lotion. (or the weight of extra clothes!)
Carryon Bag:
There are a few essentials that must be in your carry on bag:
meds
snacks
change of socks, underwear, shirt
(swimsuit if that is part of your plan)
minimum bathroom supplies
baggies and plastic bags
passport, money, travel docs
chargers for any electronics (your toys won't be of any use if you can't charge them)
plug converter for foreign plugs
I may add to these travel tips, so you might want to check back. . .
