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Luggage:
Be sure to follow the rules of your air carrier or tour operator when you pack. I normally carry one suitcase and carry on with my carry on being a backpack. Remember, even on some tours, your luggage will be your responsibility. You will be the one who will have to carry it - through the airport, on and off of taxis and buses, up to your room in hotels with no lifts, and just about everywhere else! Be sure you attach luggage tags to all of your luggage. And don't put anything in your checked suitcase you will be needing during your flight or as soon, or just before, you arrive at your foreign destination. It is really difficult to get your luggage out of the baggage compartment of the plane while it is in the air!

Carry-on:
Be sure you put a few things you may need the first day into your carry-on luggage just in case anything happens. (Like you luggage going to Africa instead of England.) You will want to be sure to include any necessary toiletries, an extra pair of underwear, a small washcloth and towel, and any medications you may be taking. You will also want to take along some items for entertainment during the flight — a book or magazine, your camera, some snacks, and your travel journal. Other things I always pack in my back-pack (which is my preferred carry-on piece again) would include a blindfold and soft ear plugs so I can get some sleep during the flight, gum, and at least 2 bottles of water. You will also want to be sure that you have your money belt with those things you need to keep with you — any extra cash, traveler's checks, passport, return airline ticket, and any other items of value or importance.

Clothing:
Watch the Sunday newspaper for about four weeks prior to departure to get a feel for the temperatures you can possibly expect during our trip. You will also want to check the weather channel and the newspaper (or call 1-900-WEATHER) the day before you leave so you will know what to wear on the day of departure. This will give you a rough idea of the climate you can expect.

One of the best ways to be happy when you travel is to be comfortable. Be sure to take items of clothing that you enjoy wearing and that you look nice in. You will also want to take items that wear well, that is, do not wrinkle easily and are easy to clean if you should get them dirty. Take enough clothing for several different outfits by mixing and matching the items you take. Just be sure that whatever you take can be machine washed, can be dried quickly, and doesn't wrinkle easily.

You will probably want to take some jeans, tops and shirts, perhaps one pair of shorts, and a nice pair of slacks with a nice shirt or top to match, or one other nice outfit for special occasions — don't forget, you may want to go out some evening to the theater, or for a "special" dinner or other entertainment. And girls, watch the miniskirts. In fact, don't even take any. Shorts, halters, tank tops, and miniskirts are unacceptable for entrance to many of Europe's historic and religious buildings! Do take a covering for the head and some type of wrap-around skirt.

You should also take an extra pair of shoes with you — or two. It is especially nice to have a pair to change into if you happen to get your feet wet. It does sometime rain, even while you are on vacation in some exotic foreign destination.

Don't forget, the bulk of your luggage is clothing. Minimize by bringing less and washing more often. Every few nights you'll spend about ten minutes doing a little wash if you are unable for some reason to find a laundry. This doesn't mean more washing, it just means doing it a little by little as you go. Bring dark cloths that wash and dry quickly. You should have no trouble drying clothing overnight in your hotel room. And, if you bring your hair dryer, properly wired for European current — of course, it can be used to help dry your clothing.

The main thing to remember is go casual, simple, and very light. For almost everywhere you will be going you can either wear tennis shoes and jeans or slacks with a nice shirt. For dress-up, have a nice pair of slacks or, for the girls, a wrap-around skirt with a sweater. I have even gone to the theater in London in slacks and a sweater. Remember, in your travels you will meet two kinds of tourists — those who packed light and those who wish they had.

For more complete information, see Packing.

Accessories:
Here are just a few items that I think you should not be without while traveling in Europe, or any other foreign destination — a pen or small pencil and a small note pad (Perfect for making notes on places I want to come back to when I am taking a bus tour or something. And, great to jot down some information about the picture I just took so I will remember what to put in the caption under the picture when I finally get the time to place them in my photo album.), a money belt, a small travel alarm clock, a small bath towel and washcloth, and toiletries in unbreakable containers. I like to take some of those "sample" sizes you can find at most large drug stores. In fact, my wife and I keep a box on our closet shelf marked "International Trips" to place items in we think might come in handy while we are traveling. Then, when we are packing for our trip, we take out the items we believe might be nice to have for that particular trip.

Most U.S.-purchased electronic items will need a converter and adapter to work properly outside of the Untied States.  The electrical current in Europe in 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC).  Wall outlets in most of Europe take plugs with two round prongs.  Great Britain (and Malta) use plugs with three oblong prongs.  If your appliances are dual-voltage, you will need an adaptor only.  Don't use 110-volt outlets (those marked For Shavers Only) for high-wattage appliances such as blow-dryers.  Most laptops operate equally well on 110 and 220.  However, I suggest you check with your manufacture before leaving the states.

Below is a great link where you can find just what you need in the way of converters and adaptors -- along with hundreds of other good travel items.

If you travel as much as I do, check out Magellan's Catalog. From adaptor plugs to wrinkle-free clothing, their award-winning catalog has everything for travelers.

Cameras, Radios, and Such:
If you have a $1,000 camera — leave it home. All you really need is a good compact camera that takes either slides or prints. They are easy to use, lighter to carry, and not near so much of a loss when you leave it on the seat of the train in the Tube under London. When I travel I take my trusty old Cannon that cost me about $40 and buy one of those throw-away cameras for panoramic photos and I have taken some great pictures with them. In fact, one of them won me a first-place prize in a photo contest and a free trip to England! And don't forget to take extra batteries. And, if you will be taking a VCR, be sure to check with the manufacturer about how to properly recharge your batteries overseas.

Medications and Eye Wear:
If you have a prescribed medication, be sure to take a copy of the prescription (Have you doctor give you a copy of the prescription using the generic name of the medication as the brand names vary from country to country.) so you will be able to get more of it if need it. Also, be sure that any prescription medicine you take with you is kept in its original prescription container. Do not mix your prescription with aspirins or vitamins in the same container or bottle. Customs inspectors often check the contents of the container with the labels or prescriptions.

If you wear eye wear, try to bring an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses (or the prescription of them) with you in case you lose them. And, if you do wear contacts, take along a pair of regular glasses just in case you need them. Also, bring along your preferred contact cleaner products. It would be pretty bad to go all that way to see Europe only to be half-blind.

You should also take along any over-the-counter medications you normally like to have. It is sometimes very difficult to find just what you are looking for in some foreign destinations as not only can the name brands be different, but they will also be in a different language.

The Backpack:
You may be asking yourself how you will fit everything you think you will need each day in that backpack. The answer is very simple: bring very little with you. What you should do is spread everything you think you are going to need in your backpack out on the living room floor. Then, as you pick up and scrutinize each item, ask yourself, "Will I really use this snorkel and these swim fins enough to justify carrying them around Paris all day?" Not, "will I use them?" but "will I use them enough to justify carrying them around all day?" Always think in terms of what you can do without, not what you think you cannot do without! And besides, I have always found it to be fun — and sometimes quite challenging — to shop for things I need in some little foreign shop or store.

The "Odds-N-Ends" List:
Here is a list of things you may want to check-off:

Poncho or parka  Those very cheap, thin types that can just be thrown away when you are finished with them.
A good paperback or magazine. Picnic supplies. Just a few small items you can stick into your backpack such as a small can opener, salt and pepper, a cup, a wipe-it, and anything else you think you might be able to use. I normally just take a few wipe-its and my Swiss Army knife.
Zip-lock baggies  1,001 uses! Also, a large plastic bag for you laundry and dirty clothing.
Soap: Just a small bar such as you would get when you stay at a hotel along with the other things I have collected - mouth wash, shampoo and conditioner, and those other little give-aways you find in your hotel room. I also check in the drug store or supermarket for trial size items and that those with me rather than my pound tube of toothpaste! I also pack a small towel and several "throw-away" wash cloths.
Travel information (minimal)  Don't take a lot of tour guides and travel books. Do all of your research before you leave home and then make copies of items of interest or tear out the pages of those things you would like to try and see or visit. You should also take small maps of each city you will be visiting. I sometimes take the maps and reduce them on a copy machine making them small enough to fit into my shirt pocket.
Address list  Don't bring your entire address book, only a list of those folks to which you may want to send a post card or letter.  In fact, one of the best ways to do your 'post card list' is to make labels.  Then, all you have to do is peal and stick!
Small note pad and pen  You will be surprised how important this can be.
Your Journal   Take it and use it. You'll be glad you did! It really helps you make an interesting photo album or scrap book of your trip.

The Test:
A few days before you leave, take this test. Pack your suitcase just the way your want it and your backpack. Be sure to pack completely. Then, wear your backpack and carry your suitcase with you for a day — everywhere you go. Carry it around the house, carry it out with you when you get the mail, take it to the car when you run errands, take it everywhere. If it becomes a pain to you, just think how it will feel after lugging it around Europe or someplace for 15 days. Then — repack!