For all but a few of the OTC medications we use frequently, we took too much. We threw most of it away except for a small supply to lighten our load. I listed the original amounts we took with us. My original thinking was that I didn’t want to have to deal with the hassle of communicating in a different language, especially if more personal problems arose, but I’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. I brought stuff I’ve never even used at home! It really is not needed. There are pharmacies worldwide. For example, when I had an infected cut on my hand, it was easy enough to communicate, in limited English, to a Czech speaking pharmacist to get an antibiotic ointment.
All but one sent home; my allergies have not bothered me at all on the road.
Very important especially when our health insurance does not cover pregnancy!
Very important for use when – and not if – you get an upset stomach/diarrhea. We usually try to let the problem run its course, but we’ve taken this on travel days or when we just can’t take it anymore.
Pitched. Vitamins are really heavy! I’ll work on any nutritional deficiencies next year.
Yet another method to thwart migraines, but I pitched them. I’ll experiment with them next year.
Band-aids are another when and not if item. We use them mostly for blisters, so I picked up special blister relief ones at some point. At the beginning, we replenished our supply fairly often, but now that our shoes are broken in, just a few suffice.
This was a welcome donation from our friend in South Korea. For some reason, insects love me. I currently have just shy of 20 mosquito bites from the South Korean mosquitoes. Itchy.
I admit it; I am a shampoo snob. I miss my fancy non-sulfate Alterna stuff I brought at the beginning. It lasted for almost 4 months! I bought some Italian shampoo and conditioner at a Polish salon, but it wasn’t any better than drug store stuff, so lately I’ve been sticking to whatever I can find in the drug store. I am partial to Dove. The world seems to like Garnier, Loreal, Head and Shoulders, and Pantene.
Despite Sean’s persistent efforts to get us to switch to a 2 in 1 formula, I have prevailed in carrying a separate conditioner. While I would love to lighten our load, my hair is really dry and gets too knotty if I don’t separately condition.
We’re partial to Dove sensitive skin. We haven’t found the sensitive skin formula anywhere, but have found regular Dove with ease.
I could have skipped the extra cartridges; seems that Venus is worldwide. I found one in a small town in Slovenia after I left my razor behind in our hotel and one in Ireland after super glue would not fix the handle after it snapped in two.
While some people make do with conditioner, my sensitive skin would never allow that. I just finished the original King of Shaves gel I brought last month (it lasted for 5 months!) and found some more in Ireland. It is hard to find, but it is a great travel item because a little goes a long way and it comes in a squeezable tube instead of a can.
A woman of a certain age can’t let wrinkles progress during the trip! I ditched the eye cream early on because it turned into a weird consistency, probably with the heat. I bought all over face cream from a woman’s cooperative in Morocco that I use at night. Good for me, good for them. But it is almost gone, so I may let Sean talk me into just carrying the moisturizer with SPF. It is a little harsh to use at night – yes I know I am a horrible backpacker – but even I recognize that it is kind of ridiculous to carry two separate moisturizers.
Being out in the sun all of the time, this is a very important item. Plus, my skin is dry, and some of these climates just make it worse. I’ve only had to replace this item once. It was difficult to find a formula for sensitive skin with SPF, but I did it. The replacement is almost gone, so I’ll need to go on the hunt again. So far, not so good.
I read online about travel make-up tips, and most of them suggested a regime with more make-up than I wear at home! I ended up going mostly with what I wear at home – Laura Mercier loose powder (which is, as I suspected, messy to travel with); Laura Mercier secret concealer; a handy container with a mirror and three square inserts of makeup from Bobbi Brown: 1 cream colored eyeshadow, 1 brown colored eyeshadow, and 1 blush; and Laura Mercier Eye Basics primer. After debating buying travel brushes, I just ended up bringing my regular MAC make-up brushes, but I did buy a Sonya Kashuk retractable powder brush at Target that is compact. All of this fits in one extra-small Eagle Creek zipbag, so I figured it was not too bad. I don’t wear make-up everyday, especially not in the super hot countries, but it is nice to have.
We usually just use shampoo now.
Again, my skin is way too sensitive to use soap, so I lug this along. I love this stuff so much, that I had my friend bring me a replacement when she met up with us in Ireland.
It was hard to choose an all-in-one, miracle product, and I don’t think I ultimately achieved such a thing. I ended up bringing Alterna Smoothing Lotion, because it can be applied wet or dry, and I figured reducing frizziness with a little control was most important. Without blowdrying my hair, any volume is a lost cause anyway.
Easy to find – even for sensitive skin – but you should know the world likes roll-ons instead of solids, if it matters.
Very important – many bathrooms in the world skip soap.
These are very helpful in windy areas for keeping hair neatly back.
This is what I originally brought. Unless you are partial to a certain type or brand, it is probably better to just bring a couple and buy them as you need it. Most of the world seems to use o.b. tampons, so you should probably get used to using ones without an applicator at home. On the plus side, they are tiny and light to carry!
We didn’t really need this until South Africa, so we bought it there.
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