A Few of My Favorite Things (When Traveling)

<Cathy>  There is so much thought that you put into packing for a trip like this, but its hard to know if we've under or overdone it along the way.  We did manage to put everything we needed for two months into two rolling duffels (and under the weight limit...by a smidge), but there are a few things that have been really invaluable to have.  Move over Oprah, here's MY list of favorite things...

1.  Packing cubes.  Thanks to a collection I took up from my mom, sister, and sister-in-law, we each have our own packing cubes for all our stuff.  I never used them before this trip (which looking back seems insane) but they have literally saved hours in the unpacking/repacking category.  No more rummaging through a big bag to dig out one pair of shorts and leave everything else in a complete ball.

2.  Uber cars.  Way better than taxis to get to and from locations in every country we've visited so far.  No wonder the French taxi drivers are protesting - Uber is a winner in my book.  Clean, fairly priced (even inexpensive), convenient.  Here's how it works.  You open the Uber app, share your destination, and you can see how close a driver is to you plus the estimated cost.  Click book and you receive a confirm of exactly who is coming to get you (license plate/picture).  When they pull up, they already know where you're going - no language barrier issue.  When it comes time for payment, just hop out and go!  Uber has your credit card on file so no need to pull out any cash upon arrival.

3.  Carabiners.  These simple marvels have been terrific when you need to hang a hat/umbrella, bag from your purse, dangle a water bottle from your airplane seat, hook bags together, hang something up in a bathroom, etc.

4. Small reusable bags that fold up into the palm of your hand.  Great way to haul the goggles and sunscreen to the pool, carry groceries back to your place, you name it!

5. e-books.  Beats the heck out of lugging paperbacks around.  Plus the local Hennepin library system works pretty slick and you can check out books even when overseas.

6.  Pashmina.  Small item that doubles as an airplane blanket, sweatshirt, pillow, plus fashion accessory.

7.  Small headlamp.  Strange right?  But the power has gone out at each place we've stayed and it made navigating in the dark a bit easier.  Probably don't need it in Europe, but in Asia its kept the boogey man away many times over (and fewer bruises and stubbed toes too).

8. Rome to Rio app.  Tells you how to get from one place to the next - on foot,  car, metro - with costs for each transport mode.  Works in all cities.

9.  Travel pillow.  We have these great pillows (ThermaRest) that compact into little cylinders, but when unrolled, have been great when an extra bed pillow or a little more comfort on a long plane ride was needed.

10.  Good company and a sense of humor.  Don't leave home without it!

<Derik> (all apps are Ios)

11. The App Tripit - extremely valuable for importing and maintaining track of flights, accommodations etc - incredibly helpful to upgrade to the pro version for a big trip as it tracks flights, connections times and gates etc.

12.  Here - the app - really nice for offline maps and navigation if your iphone isn't connected to a local network

13.  xe currency converter app - very helpful when you have 10 different currencies to play with.

14. AirBnb - We used 7 different airbnb apartments/homes and had a positive to amazing experience with all. From an amazing house on the Ocean in Bali to a great apartment in the center of Rome within walking distance to all.  Highly recommend for not only cost savings but a more authentic experience.

15. Bring a headlamp/good flashlight - You never know when the power will cut off (cambodia/bali etc..) or you will have to look for something dropped on the floor of a dark plane cabin and need light.

16.  Luggage locks - simple and easy but adds a level of security to your personal items while checked in on an airplane or in your apartment.

17.  Register your trip with the US State Department to receive updates from the locals you are going.  We were fortunate enough to miss the volcano eruption in Indonesia by a few days that ended up shutting down the Bali airport for 72 hours.

18.  Tripadvisor app and website  - while not completely comprehensive and  reliable, it does offer a nice overview of a location with regards to things to see, places to stay, and restaurants.  The ios app also offers an offline mode when connectivity gets tough.

19.  I recommend getting a local sim for your unlocked iphone/phone when you get to location and need any kind of connection.  While counting on wifi is usually ok, there are times when you just need to make a call, get a map, or need directions and there isn't an unlocked wifi point anywhere.  Prices ranged from $4 in Cambodia to about $40 in Switzerland.  I read Tmobile has a free roaming deal in over 100+countries but at 2g speeds - worth looking at.

20.  Keep track of and verify upcoming flights.  A month before our London to Amsterdam flight I found out that the airline changed the time.  It wasn't by a few hours but by 24 hours.  Not great.  Check those flights.

21. Google photos Ios app - Cathy and I both use our iphones as our cameras so we installed the Google photos app.  It is new and really slick.  Open the app and your photos upload - easy and brainless.  Google makes it very easy to search for a given picture by any number of ways.  It also added a peace of mind knowing that if we lost our phones our pictures were already backed up.