An ereader continues to be a wonderful way to bring a pile of books, and now that I'm unhooked from videogames I don't bring a laptop anymore, which saves a lot of physical and mental space.
I pack a sewing kit, and have used it on trips.
Sunglasses and half a towel (I like the scratchy brown ones from Basic Training, and to save on laundry I cut the towels in half and sewed up the cut edges vs unraveling), per The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Being okay with asking strangers for help/advice/guidance (listen to your internal alarms and bs detectors, obv).
Auxiliary cable so you can listen to music on the rental car speakers without giving up a bunch of data over Bluetooth.
Consider giving microfiber towels a try:
https://www.amazon.com/GEAR-AID-Microfiber-Travel-Camping/dp...
They are lightweight, roll up to a compact size, absorb a lot of water, and dry fast.
- Bring a VR headset and a nice pair of headphones (airpod max work well) then download Big Screen VR and a few movies.
- Bring a Nintendo switch for some gaming
- Bring an M1 iPad Air with movies downloaded.
- Bring a nicely sized battery pack for all these gadgets.
- Get some cardio in the day before, or morning of, your flight. You're much more likely to enjoy sitting for hours if you're physically exhausted.
- Bring an eye cover and (if you're like me) a strap to keep your jaw shut when sleeping. For some reason when I fall asleep, my mouth wants to open (gross).
Take very little clothing with you when travelling internationally. You don't want to be seen wearing 'tourist clothes' at your destination which will advertise to every crook in sight that you are a target.
I used to take maybe two sets of clothing, because I knew that I would almost immediately buy clothes from the local foreign supermarket. Those clothes are a souvenir of your trip as reminders for months or years afterward, but more importantly you will be wearing what 80% of the people around you are wearing. Which means you just blend into the scenery with everybody else. Much safer that way.
Money. Never use those stupid travel cards that you pre-load with currency. Invariably, they will end up with small amounts of unusable cash that the banks really enjoy. Do the same thing by pre-loading your ordinary credit cards with money before you leave home. Draw out foreign currency whenever you need it at the local foreign ATM. You should have at least two credit cards. If your cards run low, top up your credit cards with online banking.
Have two phones. Keep one for incoming calls from home, unless you're lucky enough not to need that. Buy a cheap pay-as-you-go SIM for local use in that foreign country.
If you're American, learn to use your 'inside' voice, not your 'outside' voice. Your words should not be audible more than 10 feet away in shops and restaurants. Even better if the people at the table after the one beside you can't hear your words.
Learn 'Good Manners words'. So words for 'hello', 'goodbye', 'please', 'thank you', etc. Learn when they are used. So in Paris you would say to the shop-girl 'Bonjour Madame' when you enter the shop, and 'Merci' when you leave. If you don't do that you will be considered 'Pas bien élevé' (Badly brought up, uncouth).
Medications. Take sufficient with you when you leave. Enough to last the whole trip until you get home again. Some simple items can be bought without prescriptions in foreign countries, but even then you might be permitted to buy only a few tablets at a time. Best to go prepared beforehand.
Above all, don't expect foreign countries to have things or do things like at home. They won't. Instead, enjoy all the little differences. They'll be the things you miss when you return home again.
- Bring two types of credit cards from two bank accounts. If one has issues, you're not SOL.
- Pack ear plugs
- Retractable cables are great