We’re now getting back to traveling and we’re heading to Europe in just a few days, so it’s time to pull out our travel packs and take inventory. Our trips are usually from about two weeks to over a month and we always carry an emergency kit. Often the contents can seem trivial but experience has taught us some good lessons.
What To Include
We recommend that you keep an assembled collection ready to go so you don’t need to start from scratch before each trip.
Everybody has their own unique requirements but if you haven’t thought about what you might need while traveling here we offer some suggestions.
Eyeglass Repair Kit – Seems trivial but if you wear glasses and one of those tiny screws comes out and gets lost or a nose pad comes off you could have a big problem. A decent kit takes up no room and costs only a few dollars.
Anti-Bacterial and Bandaids – No brainer here. Again individual packets of Anti-Bacterial and a few bandaids take up no room and cost very little. Throw in a few packets of antiseptic wipes too.
A Miniature Tool Kit – There’s a whole world of pocket multi-tools out there to pick from. My favorite is a capped metal tube that holds a few screwdriver tips, a tweezer and a couple of allen wrench tips that mount on its end. It’s a little bigger that a fountain pen. We’ve stopped carrying those multi-tools in our backpack after TSA has confiscated a few of them. Now we keep one slipped into a suitcase pocket.
A Compact Flash Light – pick out a good one. I prefer one that has a white and a red light because it makes it easy to get around in the dark without waking your companion.
A Small Super Glue – You won’t appreciate this until you need it. Buy a multi-pack and carry one without opening it. If you need it this can be a lifesaver from broken glasses to a loose show sole. Military medics understand the importance of this one.
Odds & Ends – There’s a lot of ideas on add ons and I’ve got my favorites. A small magnifying glass, Q-tips, tweezers, single use eye drops, and a small pill bottle with an assortment of OTC meds*.
I keep a small plastic box ready all the time for a short trip and a larger zipper case for trips of several weeks. It helps to keep them up to date so you don’t have to think about what to take and where it is.
*For meds I include several pills of each that includes:
- Imodium
- Pepto Bismo
- Asprin or ibupofin
- A cough suppresent
- Anti-acids
- Decongestants
Most of this can be collected from your home medicine cabinet. For longer trips we also carry a bigger selection of meds to get us through a case of the flu or an infection and for more information on this CLICK HERE.
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