Weird! Gotta link for that?

you're so funny, voyd - "got a link for that?" what an e-kid you are!

i've been using that stuff since i was a kid (mom's a health NUT), it is really great for travelling - but even though they advertise that you can use it for toothpaste too - DON'T! cooldice was right, it leaves a terrible aftertast that just won't quit. someone else mentioned it too, but the peppermint one will burn your genitals if you use it there(i don't think it burns that bad, and i'm, ahem, open...my boyfriend won't use it there though)

castile soaps
i did find a link, but you can get it at most any health food/natural store. wong made a whole post too about how weird the text on the bottle lable is - very heavens' gate, ahha. fun to read anyway.

i recommend peppermint, almond and lavendar - my favs!

i've never used any of the bladder style water systems, though a lot of my friends use them exclusively. i'm not really sure why, but i've always had kind of an aversion to them.

they seem like a good idea, though: more volume, less likely to get lost / left behind, and, in a way, less conspicuous. i think maybe they seemed too flashy or something.

great tip, tho!!!

link

LOL i've never had it burn my genitals ... beyond recognition!

seriously, though, whenever i've used the peppermint in a ...sensitive place... it's been a little intensely minty, but never painful.

actually kind of refreshing and pleasant.

how's that for too much information?

ok, i had to share this direct quote from the website:

We have said before that Dr. Bronner's Soap has never spent a dime on advertising, just relying on word of mouth. According to Ralph Bronner, this gives them a competitive edge because it keeps their cost down, allowing them to buy the finest ingredients such as lots of essential. peppermint oil for their most popular Peppermint Soap - which according to one happy customer, "Makes me feel like I put a York Peppermint Patti in my underwear." (Now that's tingly!)

http://www.drbronner.com/story.html

sorry to have to break this to you all, but here's my list (not including clothes)...

personal care:
tweezer
toothbrush
toothpaste
dr. bronner’s soap
face soap
lotion
nail clippers
nail file
nail brush
sunscreen
comb
brush
hair ties/clips
body scrubber
hair grease
q-tips
dental floss
chapstick
tampons
shampoo and conditioner
herbal deoderant
face lotion
powder
cotton pads
wet wipes
anti-bacterial hand gel
razors

misc. stuff:
sarong
clothes line
door stopper
watch
calculator
notebook
pens/pencil
pack towel
camera
film
woolite
passport
two copies of passport
student i.d.
safety pins
toilet paper rolls
packable tote
daypack
needle & thread
good book
deck of cards
handkerchief
extra ziplock bags, various sizes
fan
lighter
flashlight
flat rubber drain stopper thing
a few feet of twine
travelable candle
underwater camera
umbrella
waterproof passport thing
mp3 player + cd

first aid kit contains:
lavendar essential oil, tea tree oil, dramamine, ginger pills, immodium ad
aleve, bandaids, emergen-c, nyquil caps, cough drops, alcohol pads
neosporin, benadryl bite relief and blister pads

I carry pretty much all the same things but I do keep a couple of things I did not see listed:

* 2 Ace Bandage wraps
(the coble stones will kill your ankles trust me this is a must)

* 1 knee brace the ace bandage one
(If you played sports like me especially football and baseball you will thank me for this)

* A box of loven wrappers is a must!!!!!

Mikie

What's a Loven Wrapper?

travel size bottle of fabreeze.... it saved me when there were no laundry places in site....

my panisonic d-snap... it doesnt require you to download software... just uses a cable and then you drag and drop the pics from one of the computers drives.

I'll think of more later...

Urban Dictionary:

Loven Wrappers- The one item to protect unwilling men from becoming a daddy. In another words a CONDOM! LOL Sorry the word condom is so boring I try to never use it....

Mikie
:cheers:

Hmmm... aren't there any laundrymats in Europe? I would hate to part with my jeans.

LOL, well that makes sense...loven as in Lovin? :whistle:

Too hell with it Ailyzon, I'm bringing my jeans and that's just the way it's gonna be. Well, I'll probably only bring one pair, but that's about all I wear anyway. As long as they're dark, I wash mine maybe once a week. Of course, that IS in my normal, convenience-ridden daily life, so we'll see how clean they stay tromping all over foreign soil. I read somewhere that wearing jeans and a T-shirt instantly labels you American, and I wonder if it's true. Anybody comment?

But seriously... would they have washers and dryers in the hostels or anywhere? How much would they be anyhow? I realize that a backpack worth of clothes isn't that much to put in the washer and dryer, but surely some people wouldn't mind adding their clothes and splitting up the cost either. It can't be more than a US quarter..... right? If it's insanely over two bucks for washing... and another two bucks for drying... then I would consider washing and drying my own clothes, how inconvienent.

Are American's famous for jeans and t-shirts? Good question. Are we?

I dont think thats true... I saw most young people wearing t-shirts and jeans... in every country I went to. Now besides england I do think we are famous for our baseball caps! Even though when I was in pamplona I got mistaken for a local more times that I can count (and thats not just cause I was drunk and dont remember most of the night :unsure: ;) :lol: j/k)...and I was living in my cap!

this is a good topic, what else besides the t-shirt and jeans do you guys carry in your bpack?

ok, I just read ALL the other posts and saw that people carry TONS of stuff in their backs, gee, you guys have things there I've never thought of!!!

one thing nobody has mentioned yet (which I'm sure you all have it) is: flip-flops for the showers... I heard it can get pretty gross....

Also, allergie medicine

ooh, yes-- it is definitely WAAY more than a quarter! Of course it depends on where you are but generally speaking the laundromat prices are at least the same as here and frequently more. I paid anywhere between 1.75 euro and 3 euros per laundry load, plus about 1 euro for 20 minutes of drying.