A lock for your caps!

outlet converters!

1. Don’t take anything you have to plug in
2. Failing that, look for dual voltage stuff and adapter plugs
3. Take a converter only if you utterly fail at 1 and 2

what about like rain covers, or you can get these locks for your bags, also do i need a cammelbak, or any type of bladder for my pack

A working bladder for the alcohol you will drink. Not one for your back.

Honestly, the best 5 bucks I ever spent was on two &quotacking cubes". They’re sold in most stores that sell backpacks. You roll your clothes up real small and put them in the cubes, and they really help keep your stuff in your backpack organized. They saved me tons of time in repacking and refolding stuff.

Go to www.ricksteves.com On the "grafiti wall" there is a clickable link to something like "items you can’t do without". If you read that list, and if you take to heart what people say here, then I suggest you take a U-haul trailer with you.

My advice is to take some exstra money and buy the stuff you didn’t know you needed….in Europe, when you find out you need it. Otherwise, you will end up packing around a ton of uselss s-h-i-t you wasted your money on in the US.

Has anyone ever estimated the number of beers they could have bought with the money they used to buy stuff before the trip they hardly needed?

Have jotted down some things for you…some you may not really need to carry all over, but would really come in handy.

Swiss knife
Ear Plugs
A journal (big one so that you don’t run out in between)
Extra film rolls
Candles

malanuj

Candles? That’s a new one….

I also like the backpack covers as well, but they are not totally neccesary.

I took a thin cable lock to lock my bag to the luggage rack on the train, I find it helps keep a little peace of mind when nodding off on the train.

Malanuj,

I love my Swiss Army knife … but I had to throw one away after a dissagrement with airport security. I am not talking about the big ones with all the features, I use the little 2" keychain model. I still was not allowed through security and ended-up holding up the line behind me.

So, I wouldn’t recommend trying to travel with one.

You can bring a pocketknife…you just have to put it in your checked baggage. If you are a carry-on only person then you will have to buy one when you get there and give it away when you come home. Ours have been indispensible for market bought foods.

just a couple small things:
camping spoon and utility knife/tool (self-catering necessities)
watch w/ alarm or small travel alarm clock
earplugs (esp. if you plan for hostels and sleep light)

Oh yeah, I "borrowed" a small knife from a rest stop buffet in Austria partway through my trip, and kept it in my daypack. It was useful for making sandwiches on the go, and stuff. At the end of my trip I left it in a hostel in Dublin.

As for the Swiss Army Knives, they are a big no-no in hand luggage on airplanes. Check it or lose it.