^TM

PACKING THE UNUSUAL

 Excerpt from Margo Classé's
Hello Italy! An Insider’s Guide to Italian Hotels

Before going on your trip to Italy, you should make sure to pack all the necessities. Here are some necessities I bet you never thought of from Margo Classe’s, Hello Italy! An Insider’s Guide to Italian Hotels.

Apple slicer/peeler

Fruit makes a great snack. Assume the fruit has not been washed and you have no place to wash it. The slicer and peeler are handy when you are traveling on the train where the warning signs over the sink say “Do Not Drink the Water.”

Batteries

For alarm clock, radio, flashlight, camera and tape recorder.

Cable lock

A lightweight adjustable-length cable lock. Great for locking your bags on trains and ships. I travel alone by train to do my research so I lock my bags to the overhead rack.

Clothesline, clothes-pegs, sink stopper and soap

Take advantage of those sinks and don’t forget the soap suds!

Earplugs

A lifesaver when your roommate’s snoring becomes unbearable.  They also come in handy for those rooms that sound like they’re in the middle of a highway.

Facecloths

Italy’s hotels do not supply them.

Flashlight (purse-size)

You never know when you will need this.

Guidebooks

Travel guide (your favorite), language book and, of course, do not forget this one! (We use a miniature Italian/English dictionary and/or a European-language translator that also doubles as a foreign currency converter.)

Handiwipes

You can never pack enough of these.

Highlighter

Handy to use for highlighting maps and sections in your travel guide.

Magnifying glass

Great for reading maps.

Mosquito spray & citronella candles

Window screens are rare. A definite must for the summer, especially in Venice.

Night-light (international voltage)

Comes in real handy when you are trying to find your toilet in the middle of the night, especially if you change hotel rooms as often as we do.

Notebook (small, spiral)

Perfect for recording your memories. The notebook also comes in handy when negotiating room prices and taking  down train information. I also pack a microcassette recorder to record my trip.

Novels (paperbacks)

They help pass the time when you encounter the  inevitable long train lines. When you finish reading them, give them away to other English-speaking tourists. They are five times their cost in Italy. It’s a great way to introduce yourself.

Photocopies

Make copies of your passport, credit card numbers (including their domestic and international numbers in case they are stolen or lost), a record of travelers checks and airline tickets. Leave two copies at home with friends/family and take two with you.

Plastic baggies

Small, medium and large. To be used for carrying food, dirty clothes and brochures you pick up along the way.

Pre-printed address labels

Makes your life so much easier when you can just stick a pre-printed or handwritten address label on a postcard to friends back home.

Prunes

Fiber is not big on Italian menus, and all that pasta does not exactly help your digestive system. Sometimes it needs a little assistance. Whatever works.

Reading light:

Perfect for reading books on the plane. Also, not all  hotels have overhead reading lights or they are not bright enough. I recommend the Light Voyager Booklight because it is convenient to pack and gives off a lot of light.

Security undercover wallets:

Invest in a deluxe undercover wallet that  is worn underneath your clothes. They come in different shapes and styles to be worn around your waist, shoulders, legs or neck. Buy whatever is comfortable for you but get one. Look in the introduction under BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE UNITED STATES to get more information on pickpockets.

Self-adhesive labels

Stick small labels (1/2 x 3/4 inch) on used rolls of film to identify the city you are currently shooting. This will assist you when you develop all those rolls of film and cannot remember which city you were in when you shot the pictures.

Survival kit

 Combination of rubber bands, safety pins, sewing kit, bobby pins, transparent tape, pens and Band-Aids.

Toilet paper (1 roll)

 European toilet paper has become a lot softer, but it may not always be available when you use the public toilets. There are times when you have to pay for sheets of toilet paper in public restrooms and sometimes a pack of tissues is just not enough. Some toilets on trains don’t have toilet paper.

Toilet seat covers

When you finally find a public toilet bowl that has a seat on it,  you may not always have the strength to bend your knees and hold yourself up. After hiking for 5 hours, a friend of mine did not care what type of disease she caught from sitting on the toilet.

Umbrella (collapsible)

Just when you think you don’t need one, it rains.

Utility web straps (3/4 x 24 inch)

 Great for tying your jacket to your  purse straps.

Vaseline

Use it to rub on the bottom of your feet to cut down on friction and to avoid getting blisters from all that walking on cobble streets. Add blister/corn pads and inner cushion soles to your list.

Water bottle carrier

So you can always have fresh water handy.

Wine bottle opener/corkscrew

We eat a lot of our dinners on late-night  trains and a bottle of wine complements the meal. We also like to bring a bottle back to our room at night. Also carry a set of camping utensils.

To read more of Margo Classe’s traveling tips, contact

Margo Classe
Wilson Publishing
5554 Spokane Street
Los Angeles, CA 90016-3121
Tel: (323) 939-0821
Fax (323) 939-7736

http://www.helloeurope.com Publisher of guidebooks to affordable hotels under $100 a night for two in Italy, France & Spain.

Edited By Shekeria Brown

Back to TravelLady Magazine