I thought it might be fun to bounce ideas off of each other on what we normally bring when we visit Spain. I'm not sure if this has been started before, but I notice that there are many anxious first-timers who are curious.

I'll add two things that I consider a must have for the type of travel I assume that many of us do (train, bus, etc.):

-multiple packs of the baby wipes; a million uses.

-Swiss army life; works well for peeling fruit on the train and for slicing some awesome queso for your bocadillo!

Anything else?

The Swiss Army Knife is a good idea, but one should probably pack this in the checked luggage instead of carrying it on a plane. When you go through the X-ray Security gate you'll have to show this knife and, depending on security, you may or may not be able to take it on the plane with you.

A few nutty things I take and rarely use are the larger size paper clips to hook together two "meeting" zippers on a backpack/bookbag. Makes opening them by "fast hands" extremely difficult and gives you more peace of mind.

Also, don't forget a couple of grocery-sized plastic bags for either your shoes, dirty clothes, for putting wet/dirty/potentially-messy items. The wet-wipes are always VERY handy on the plane, on hot days, or for hands if you can't get to a restroom to wash before buying a sandwich on the street.

ALWAYS take/carry one small-sized notepad and a couple pens for important notations taken about train/bus times, local bus numbers, to write directions or phone numbers of cute girls you meet along the way. hehehehehee...

A couple larger zip-lock bags are good too. Always, towards the end of a trip I accumulate A LOT of little papers, receipts, flyers/brochures/maps, business cards, etc. and this is good to keep them all together. Take rubber bands too!

I always suggest wearing shirts (at least for men. Women don't need to wear them. heheehe) that have one or two front pockets for airplane tickets just before boarding. MUCH easier than fumbling in a bag to find it and much easier to store the "stub" after walking down the ramp to the plane.

That's all I can think of. Anyone else?? By the way, do those blow-up neck-cushions really help you sleep more comfortably on airplanes??? My sister swears by them, but have never tried them myself. I always giggle when I see someone stand up to get something from the overhead compartment and they still have that silly looking thing around their neck.

Saludos, MadridMan

I agree with MM, also I always carry around with me packs of those toilet seat covers and travel-size toilet tissue rolls. I remember the university in Sevilla NEVER having any (they also seldom had soap or paper towels)!!! Those baby wipes are good, and also maybe those new hand sanitizers that they have now (although some people say that they're bad because they force germs to mutate, they kill germs but not bacteria, etc., who knows).
Sometimes you are on a train or bus or metro and SOMETHING smells nasty, so I also carried around scented hand lotion to hold up to my nose or to put on my hands if that happened. Some people's noses are sensitive to lotion though, so I only used this tactic in extreme situations.

[This message has been edited by ilovemadrid (edited 11-03-2000).]

MM-
When I went to Spain and Ireland over the summer a friend had lent me her neck pillows and I am glad I had them! I got beyond feeling geeky with the neck brace type thing around me, but it really was comfy and they definitely beat the airline pillows. I wonder if those buckwheat filled pillows would be good? Anyone? As far as things to not be w/out, besides little packs of kleenex, spare batteries and film- I've been trying to streamline my traveling lately, b/c I always take too much that I don't use. Besides what's been mentioned already, anything else that you might need can be found wherever you're visiting. Also, it's fun to buy local products (and supports the Spanish economy too!) while you're there. Oh, little portable clotheslines can be handy too so you don't have to hang clothes all over the place if you happen to do some wash.
If you wear glasses, make sure you have a copy of your perscription(as well as any meds, in their original bottles, of course).
I'll stop now.
Happy trails...

[This message has been edited by Jen (edited 11-04-2000).]

Toilet tissue, antacid tablets (especially if you are going to have some of the heavier Spanish meals), anti-diarrheal (Imodium or something like that), lots of film for your camera (it's more expensive there).

Add to the list - an extra camera battery - they seem to die when there is NOTHING around and NOWHERE to buy one! Don't believe camera batteries cost any more in Spain - it's that they die at the worst times.

I made multiple copies of our passport, credit cards and other important documents we brought with us. We left 1 set to my parents here in US and we brought another set with us. This way, just in case any of the originals will be stolen, we have the copies to show or information to give to the Embassy or Consulate or other companies that we need to contact. Or if both were lost in our possession, we can call US and ask my parents for the information we need, i.e., ID or account #'s, telephone #'s, etc.

Of course, you don't keep the original and the copies in the same place. We usually leave the copies in our luggage and the originals either inside our money belts or in the secret pockets of your clothing.

....NJmaria

[This message has been edited by NJmaria (edited 11-06-2000).]

hooo..I second that about the passports/documentation. When we went to Barcelona for a visit we were walking back to the car and we noticed that our stuff was laying all over the street. We actually followed a trail of our bags, clothing, and other stuff back to the rental van. The rear window had been broken out! Turns out some Morrocans had done it and a trustworthy store owner nearby had heard the commotion and ran over to stop them. He owned a tourist sword shop and actually chased them off with a sword! He told us all about it when we returned. The theives left the Lladro we bought from the factory earlier that day (much cheaper there) but made off with my backpack including my passport. I know...VERY dumb to leave that locked up in a vehicle but I didn't even realize it was there. So we ended up at the US embassy waiting to get faxes back from our US relatives to prove who I was...this occurred up to just about an hour before our departure flight!!! My family was seriously thinking that I would have to stay in Spain and they would have to leave me till we could get the proper documentation returned to them! It was a nightmare. AT the last second we got the info and they escorted us to the airport so we wouldn't miss the flight. It was a huge mess that took up an entire day of our trip (we were dumb enough to wait until the last day to get the paperwork figured out) and was seriously embarrasing.


Leche

[This message has been edited by Leche (edited 11-06-2000).]

I have to third the copies of the passport. I always carry a photocopy and give one to my parents, just in case.

I always take a notebook for sketches, journaling. I filled up a whole book the year I was in Spain and had so much fun reading through it again a few months back. I only wish I had written more.

For clothes, a fleece vest, windbreaker and some long johns. I don't like being cold, and hate having wind rip right through my clothes. Lots of socks, and band aids for blistered feet..

I'd have to say a first aid kit is very important. You never know when you will need small band-aids, or some pills to cure what ails you.

As for the passport issue, I like to scan a copy of all the important documents and send them to myself in an e-mail. That way I can have a copy somewhere I can retrieve.

Wow, what a SMART idea, to scan the important dox, send them as an email and be able to access them anywhere in the world!! would have never thought of it, but i am going to send myself if not a scanned version, a numerical one... What do i bring? why, a plastic corkscrew in my purse (metal would get confiscated), for those spontaneous bottles that get consumed in hotel rooms! I also bring: a small collection of every med I might need; a portable umbrella; earplugs; ziplock bags (essential!); left over pesetas from the year before, along with maps, addresses, etc; half the clothes I thought I'd bring; really comfy broken in shoes. If you plan on going to the beach or are staying in a pension/hostal: bring a towel. You'll be glad for the extra. Bring one you can just leave when you go home. Also, i ALWAYS bring small bottles of shampoo, lotion, some hotel soaps, a mini bottle of dish washing liquid: these are often essential. And a sponge. NOT KIDDING!! For washing dishes in apartamentos. that's it!!!

One thing that i´ve bought to my trip to Spain and i think it´s very nice is a "traveler´s diary". It has lots of useful informations, check-list, places you HAVE to go and of course lots of lines to write all about the trip.

In addition to almost all of the above, I carry at least two swivel-necked plastic hangers: great for hanging laundry to dry. (Cheap hotels tend to have wire hangers, and expensive ones tend to have hangers that can't be removed from the closet.) And if you do find yourself in a wire-hanger-only hotel, it's nice to have a decent perch for more fragile items. Also, Woolite and a small sewing kit.

Masking tape has many uses, including emergency repairs of all kinds. I've even used it to hold my camera together when I lost a critical teeny-tiny screw.

Couldn't agree more about carrying extra camera batteries and film. They're usually more expensive in Spain, and if you're in a small town, they may not even be available, especially for you SLR users and slide shooters. Lens tissue is essential, even for point-and-shooters.

A travel iron. Rarely necessary in the U.S. because just about every type of lodging provides an iron and ironing board. But in six trips to Spain, staying in all types of accommodation, I have never found these in my room. (Then again, I've never stayed in an American chain in Spain; maybe they provide them.)

Plastic letter- or legal-size envelopes are ideal for protecting and organizing all the brochures and other papers I tend to collect. Staples sells them in multi-color packs.

Lest you all believe that I travel extensively with a member of the Swiss National Guard, I'll correct my post:
I do NOT travel with a Swiss Army LIFE, but rather a Swiss Army KNIFE.

And yes, MM, I do pack it in the checked luggage. My sister isn't quite so bright though...she came into Miami from Buenos Aires with a 6-inch gaucho blade in her carry on...