Vacation! Woo hoo! Getting away from it all, relaxing, seeing new things – what’s not to love? Well, a few things — often as a result of forgetting to pack some of the essentials we’re all predisposed to forget. Double-check your suitcase and make sure you don’t leave home without these babies, the 10 most-forgotten items when packing.
Sunglasses
It may be dark and wintry where you’re living, so you haven’t gotten into the habit of throwing your sunglasses into your bag. But when you’re living it up on the beach, you’re going to want to hide those eyes so nobody can tell when you’re ogling the eye candy – er, I mean, protect from sun exposure.
Battery-operated electronics
These are the things that you take for granted at home, but totally forget to bring when you leave. For instance, be sure to pack a battery-operated alarm clock so you don’t end up sleeping away your entire vacation…unless that was the point, in which case, by all means go ahead. You may also want to throw in a flashlight (really, you can never go wrong with a flashlight) or extra batteries for your camera.
Chargers
Great! You’ve got your phone, e-reader, iPod, computer, and electric razor. But you forgot to pack any of their chargers. Meaning you’ve got all of your electronic luxuries for approximately one day before they lose their charges (less if you run them dry on the flight over). Bring those chargers, along with an outlet adapter if you’re traveling to a foreign country so you’re able to actually plug them in.
Drugs
No, not that kind. I’m talking about prescription drugs, your preferred pain killers and headache meds, your sleeping pills, and the like. You’ll also want to be sure to bring things along the lines of contacts, contact solution (and back-up glasses!), lotions and face cream. And ladies – pack some of those suckers you’ll need if it ends up being that time of the month when you’re abroad.
Sunscreen
If you’re one of those unfortunate souls who sunburns if you so much as look at the sun (although really, everyone should wear sunscreen, whether they burn or not!), do NOT forget to pack your sunscreen. It’s often extremely expensive in tourist towns, as they’ll assume that most tourists will pay almost anything to stop the burning agony, so you should definitely bring some from home.
Razor
Unless you’re planning on staying au naturel your whole trip, pack those razors to keep things smooth. Most airlines will now let you bring regular razors on board, so no worries if you’re not planning on checking a bag.
Rain gear
You’re probably hoping you won’t need it, but in case you end up in the middle of a downpour, it wouldn’t hurt to have a hat and poncho in hand just in case. Especially since you probably didn’t pack enough shirts to soak through one each time you step outside.
Headphones
That 10-hour flight will be a whole lot more bearable if you don’t have to use cheap airline headphones to listen to music, and you won’t end up with a headache from trying to listen so hard. Also, they’re a necessity for family vacays – particularly ones where you’re going to be in a car with the extended family for days on end…
The just-in-case stuff
This is the stuff you probably won’t use, but will be SO happy you have if you do end up needing it. This includes Ziploc bags, pens, rubber bands, tape, band aids and anti-itch cream. Take a walk through your bedroom, bathroom and kitchen and throw in anything small enough to carry that you think might have some use someday. It’ll be worth it in the end.
Enough underwear
Did you pack 10 pairs of underwear for a two-week trip? Throw in 10 more. Somehow, you’ll always need them. Just trust me.