10 Things I Can’t Leave Without

“Be Prepared.” - Robert Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys
Everyone has their list of favorite traveling goodies, the junk that’s packed regardless of where one’s going. It doesn’t hold for something like a campout or backpacking trip, but I usually depend on having the following items around when poking around in unknown parts of the country:

1. AAA/Auto Club Map: Murphy’s Law requires that your phone, laptop, and GPS go on strike at exactly the same moment. So, in case of a technological emergency, don’t go anywhere unfamiliar without one of these. One can easily be tucked into a carryon bag.
2. Student/Teacher IDs: I never find a good discount until I leave my proof at home.
3. Purse-Sized Photo Album: Like to collect postcards? I discovered years ago that granny brag-books will prevent these souvenirs from getting damaged in transit.
4. ESV Journaling Bible: Keep up with a daily reading and journaling at the same time…although often there isn’t enough room for the latter.
5. Loose Change/One-Dollar Bills: Even in a credit-card world, tipping and coin-only machines are still with us.
6. Ibuprofen (also found in Advil and Motrin): The number one pain reliever for menstrual cramps actually handles motion sickness quite well, in my opinion. Dramamine and Bonine, my dad’s choices, never worked for me. I carry a bottle with me at all times.
7. Purse-Sized Umbrella: It always seems to rain when I don’t have one. And retail stores never seem to carry any out of season.
8. Toshiba Mini-Notebook: I can’t believe how light it is! And easy to unpack and repack, a real plus when dealing with the TSA security check at airports.
9. DVF Luggage: Cute, stylish, and practical. And inexpensive too when you grab up a discontinued design.
10. Digital Camera: I’m currently in the market for a new one. Any recommendations?