"Always Pack List"

[melminimalist]

I bring mints everywhere with me for motion sickness too!

Try ginger chews, those are amazing as well for motion sickness.

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[kmw]

Try ginger chews, those are amazing as well for motion sickness.

Thanks, melminimalist! I do carry those sometimes, too, less often because my husband has a tendency to scarf them down (he loves ginger anything), which leaves me running out sooner than expected and therefore turning green at inopportune moments.

Luckily things like Tic Tacs or Starlight mints (aka Granny Candy) don't even register for him!

[kmw]

An item I somehow forgot to include on my Always Pack list: peppermint or Sweet Dreams tea. Not for motion sickness like the mints, but as an end-of-night relaxation ritual to help with sleep. (I'm a bad sleeper, especially in hotels.) Also helpful on long plane and train rides.

Beyond the standard toiletry and tech basics, my more unusual Always Pack items include:

Travel Tray
white noise machine
mini flashlight
headphone splitter
a few binder clips
couple of carabiners
rubber bands
compact foldable shopping bag
plastic bags (zip top and grocery size)
cocoa butter stick
tweezers
mints (for motion sickness)
lemon drops (for dry mouth when water/bathroom opportunities are slim)
microfiber turban towel (unless trip too short to bother showering)
Handeze
measuring tape (when dealing with airplanes)
dust masks
sun umbrella (even though the travel size is frankly pretty janky)
mini notebook
bandana
eyeglass repair kit
earplugs
eye mask

[Kirri]

Curious - why binder clips? And measuring tape for airplanes has me completely stumped!

But your list is so good, I'm thinking maybe I need these two items too, just not sure why....

Beyond the standard toiletry and tech basics, my more unusual Always Pack items include:

Travel Tray
white noise machine
mini flashlight
headphone splitter
a few binder clips
couple of carabiners
rubber bands
compact foldable shopping bag
plastic bags (zip top and grocery size)
cocoa butter stick
tweezers
mints (for motion sickness)
lemon drops (for dry mouth when water/bathroom opportunities are slim)
microfiber turban towel (unless trip too short to bother showering)
Handeze
measuring tape (when dealing with airplanes)
dust masks
sun umbrella (even though the travel size is frankly pretty janky)
mini notebook
bandana
eyeglass repair kit
earplugs
eye mask

[kathryn]

Curious - why binder clips? And measuring tape for airplanes has me completely stumped!

But your list is so good, I'm thinking maybe I need these two items too, just not sure why....

I can't speak for @kmw, but I often have binder clips, too, for paperwork, cord management, sealing snack bags, book marks, etc. They're a good multipurpose tool that doesn't take a lot of space/weight.

I'm also curious about the measuring tape though...

[terayon]

I can't speak for @kmw, but I often have binder clips, too, for paperwork, cord management, sealing snack bags, book marks, etc. They're a good multipurpose tool that doesn't take a lot of space/weight.

I use a binder clip as a stand for my phone (which has a magnet mounted on the case). And I once used a mini binder clip to temporarily “fix” a hole in my clothes... As you say, they are very multipurpose! I usually carry one or two, clipped to the edge of a pocket or pen slot in my bag.

[kmw]

I can't speak for @kmw, but I often have binder clips, too, for paperwork, cord management, sealing snack bags, book marks, etc. They're a good multipurpose tool that doesn't take a lot of space/weight.

I'm also curious about the measuring tape though...

^Exactly. I usually carry 2-4 medium-sized ones and maybe 1-2 larger ones (depending if I'm alone or with the spouse) because they end up coming in handy in all the weirdest ways (like with duct tape, only it doesn't melt in the heat). In addition to Kathryn's examples, I've used binder clips to cinch pants that were too big when I didn't have a belt (though rubber bands through belt loops, I've since learned, are a more comfortable solution), made a makeshift bottle carrier (binder clip clipped to bag strap; keystrap run through holes in wire end of binder clip and through carry hook on bottle, bit like a carabiner mixed with an O-ring), used one to crimped closed a broken toothpaste tube, used one to crimp closed a broken toiletry kit, used one to crimp closed broken zip-top bags, used them to cinch together the handles of multiple plastic shopping bags for carrying,...

If you're somewhere where you're not worried about damaging the furniture (say, an airport fast-food joint, with those impossible-to-scratch tables), you can use the bigger ones to hang stuff off the edge of a table, like a purse or hat and gloves. I do similar at home: the edges of my desk are covered with multiple binder clips, for managing cords and for hanging my headphones and headset. (ETA: Also sometimes handy in hotels with too few flat surfaces, even if you have to clip one to a curtain or door.) I've never tried it, but now that I think of it, you could probably clip one to the material on the inside of a jacket pocket, then clip a wallet or keys or whatever to the metal end, as a makeshift in-pocked security system in lieu of O-rings. (I imagine the material would rip if yanked, but might be enough to deter.) I also keep a couple of binder clips in my car and in my bag for when I'll be traveling in someone else's car to clip to the top of a shoulder seatbelt to keep from choking.

Like Kathryn said, they take up basically no room or weight, and there are plenty of times when I've not used them. But I've always been glad to have them handy when I've suddenly needed one. Binder clips, elastic bands, and twist ties -- ooh! I often carry a couple of twist ties when we travel, too -- get a lot of use in my life.

As for the measuring tape, I started carrying one when we were stressing about carry-on size and weight limits a few trips ago. Though our bags were kosher on the way out, I was afraid they wouldn't be on the way back, and I'd watched in sympathy a couple of times where people were at the airport having to dump all their belongings on to the floor to re-pack them because of carry-on limits. Since our measuring tape takes up no room and weighs nothing -- I should probably specify that I'm talking about a soft, bendy, plastic/fabric measuring tape (rolls up a little bigger than the size of a quarter), not a hard, stiff, metalish tape measure -- I threw it in my purse at the last minute on the way out the door, and man, it turned out handy. We were able to use it to measure our bags before heading home on our return trip, so I knew how we needed to redistribute things into our various bags before we left for the airport. But we also ended up using it while traveling when we saw a cool wall decor thing and small cabinet that we were really tempted to buy. After a prolonged yes-it'll-fit/no-it-won't back-and-forth, remembering I had a measuring tape helped save us from buying something that would fit neither in our suitcase nor in the spots at home they were meant for. From that moment, it became a part of my weighs-nothing/probably-won't-need-but-never-regret-having travel arsenal.

[bbcamp]

I have two master lists, one for summer, one for winter.

Most of my "always take" items are pretty standard, but there are a couple of things on my list I don't see on some of the others:

--I always take a set of silkweight long underwear.even in summer. they make great pajamas, go under a shirt when the hotel A/C is too cold during conferences, and are lifesavers if I ever catch the flu.they weight next to nothing and take up very little space.

--I'l bet somebody else listed this and I just missed it, but I always take a hank of parachute cord. I'm not a survivalist or afraid of the zombie apocalypse, but it is just so darned handy. I often use it as a clothesline, once needed to tie a bag shut (broken zipper--long before my Tom Binh days), have improvised carry handles for a largish box, have used a piece for a shoelace, and I sometimes just play with a piece (I have a knot-tying app on my phone).

[Kelly S]

I always travel (by air) with sea-bands. They look like wrist bands and but they have these little accupressure "nubbins" that are supposed to alleviate motion sickness. They work well for me, though I'm not sure how much is accupressure and how much is mental/placebo. They also helped a lot when I was pregnant and had morning sickness (many years ago).

[BWeaves]

Try ginger chews, those are amazing as well for motion sickness.

I bring candied ginger for motion sickness. Or as a snack, whatever.

[Cristina]

I bring candied ginger for motion sickness. Or as a snack, whatever.

How long do the effects last for you and how long before travel do you have to eat them? I never heard of ginger for motion sickness but I love ginger and I don't like wasting a 6 hour Dramamine on a short trip.

[BWeaves]

I haven't done any kind of exhaustive study on candied ginger. I usually snack on a few pieces when I get settled in my airplane seat or about 1/2 hour before take off. Since it's not medicine, there's no side effects other than eating too much sugar. So, if I want some more, I'll eat more. I tend to eat more after about 4 hours.

Here's the People's Pharmacy's take on it:

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2005/10/18/ginger/

It's a preventative. If you're already motion sick, it won't help.

[Cristina]

I haven't done any kind of exhaustive study on candied ginger. I usually snack on a few pieces when I get settled in my airplane seat or about 1/2 hour before take off. Since it's not medicine, there's no side effects other than eating too much sugar. So, if I want some more, I'll eat more. I tend to eat more after about 4 hours.

Here's the People's Pharmacy's take on it:

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2005/10/18/ginger/

It's a preventative. If you're already motion sick, it won't help.

Thank you, that link was really helpful! I'll take any excuse to stock sweets in my Cubelet, especially since I only developed motion sickness recently and I don't have a lot of strategies yet.

[kmw]

--I always take a set of silkweight long underwear.even in summer. they make great pajamas, go under a shirt when the hotel A/C is too cold during conferences, and are lifesavers if I ever catch the flu.they weight next to nothing and take up very little space.

--I'l bet somebody else listed this and I just missed it, but I always take a hank of parachute cord. I'm not a survivalist or afraid of the zombie apocalypse, but it is just so darned handy. I often use it as a clothesline, once needed to tie a bag shut (broken zipper--long before my Tom Binh days), have improvised carry handles for a largish box, have used a piece for a shoelace, and I sometimes just play with a piece (I have a knot-tying app on my phone).

After my recent trip experience, I'm definitely going to be packing long underwear more often. And great idea with the paracord! I know next to nothing about it, but it makes so much sense.

I always travel (by air) with sea-bands. They look like wrist bands and but they have these little accupressure "nubbins" that are supposed to alleviate motion sickness. They work well for me, though I'm not sure how much is accupressure and how much is mental/placebo. They also helped a lot when I was pregnant and had morning sickness (many years ago).

I tried those on a whale watching trip once. It did not end well. (Bleargh.) Glad it worked for you, though!

[kmw]

I haven't done any kind of exhaustive study on candied ginger. I usually snack on a few pieces when I get settled in my airplane seat or about 1/2 hour before take off. Since it's not medicine, there's no side effects other than eating too much sugar. So, if I want some more, I'll eat more. I tend to eat more after about 4 hours.

Here's the People's Pharmacy's take on it:

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2005/10/18/ginger/

It's a preventative. If you're already motion sick, it won't help.

Interesting link -- thanks for it as well. Dramamine worked when I was younger mostly, but now I just end up motion sick AND super dopey and dragging. Mints are easier to acquire, but I may need to start a secret medicinal ginger stash that my husband doesn't know about. (No joke: just the other day I watched him consume nearly a whole bag of candied ginger. Something about it really tickles his lizard brain.)