Christmas wish list ideas

Hey all. DH and I are going on our first Med cruise next May celebrating his milestone birthday, our 25th wedding anniversary, my birthday and Mother's Day! While we have cruised a lot and traveled a lot this will be a different animal than what we are used to.

We are fortunate in that we don't NEED anything for Christmas so I thought I'd reach out to you all and see what your favorite gadgets/clothing items/etc are to take with you when traveling, especially internationally.

We will have 2 long transatlantic flights, a 12 day cruise and a few nights in a hotel on either end.

We both have iPads, I have big noise cancelling headphones, we will use our phones as our camera (even though DH has a really nice Nikon D80-just too big to schelp and carry although I'm sure we will regret afterwards not having it!). I've been scouring reviews and when folks list a great gadget I make a note of it but want to make certain I'm not missing the next best thing!

Any suggestions are helpful!

Thanks!

first class air seats ;)

We did our first Med cruise this past September. As you have done, I scoured the boards for recommendations and tips, and ended up with a few great suggestions, but also ended up buying and taking things we didn't need at all! Because our trip was fondly dubbed The Voyage of the Ruins, we knew we would be exposed to a lot of heat & sun, so our hats got a lot of use. Just remember to take them off every now & then when you have pictures of yourself taken. :D Also, insulated water bottles with some sort of strap to make them easier to carry. International plugs came in handy... not so much for the ship but definitely at the hotels. Also, quality headphones for the flight... helps block out noise. As for what was unnecessary, we purchased travel blankets and pillows for the long flights. We flew American Airlines and they provided clean blankets & pillows (sealed in packages). Isn't planning half the fun? :p

I like to take a battery-operated candle or tealights for the stateroom- whether you have an inside or balcony. They add a little atmosphere, and safety at night if someone needs to get up. Enjoy celebrating! :)

Congratulations on your cruise and your milestone anniversary.

I really would take the camera or get a point and shoot one such as a Lumix Camera.

Keith

Congratulations on your cruise and your milestone anniversary.

 

I really would take the camera or get a point and shoot one such as a Lumix Camera.

 

Keith

Yes take the camera. With an extra memory card. I have watched people taking pictures with their phones wondering how sorry they will be when they could have had pictures like I was taking with my camera. It is a shame to do a once in a life time trip and end up with crummy pictures.

Buy something like a PacSafe bag to keep your valuables safe. I have the back pack, the purse/wallet thing. I also have a wrist band that I love. I use it at Disneyland all the time. Holds credit cards, money, etc. Slips under your long sleeves. These items are designed to make it hard to cut into or off of you. Check out their website for more ideas. http://www.pacsafe.com/

Highly recommend the plug adapters and the converter.

New light weight suitcases.

Maybe a few Euros in his stocking for easy use once you land.

Congratulations on all the Happy Events you will be celebrating.

Few cruise ship cabins have clocks so you may wish to bring a travel alarm clock. LL Bean has a compact, lightweight clock I've found very dependable.

Some strong shoes for walking around on hard/cobbled streets...I don't know what brands you have in your home area... I wear soft leather uppers and a thick sole for city sight seeing.

A wide scarf or stole, which can cover you in religious buildings, but also can shade you if you're standing in the open, listening to a guide.

With several iDevices, that all charge with USB, I'd recommended a charging hub. Especially a multi-voltage one for travel. We have two, one for US only and one with changeable plugs for travel. And we have traveled with both at times :) Everything charges with USB these days.

This is the one we have. It's been to Ireland and on two cruises: http://www.amazon.com/Riin-4-Port-Charger-Adapter-Samsung/dp/B00K64Z0PU

Thanks for the ideas! Always open for more!

@LHT28- I wish we could do first class! I was able to get exit rows at least!

@notentirelynormal-thanks for the link. I've got a nice cross body travelon bag that can hold my iPad and other stuff but will check out pacsafe for DH.

@borasue-I hear you on the hats! I don't know that we have a single vacation picture where I don't have hat head! Good idea on the after bottle.

@sail7seas-we've got the clock. Had to buy that once we stopped sailing in suites on HAL and never knew what time it was!

@keith1010- I will try and talk him into the camera and I do have a nice Canon point and shoot.

@jocap-we have a great store here that sells good walking shoes. That's definitely on my list! I don't want to wear my running shoes!

Take a look at Otterbox 1000 dry boxes. Good size for id, cash, and a small point and shoot camera (cannon elf).

If you are doing the ruins, the cooling towels proved to be well-worth the few bucks we spent on them. They're small and you just toss it around your neck. I couldn't believe how they helped. If I could have carried a suitcase full of those and set up shop in Turkey, I could have made enough to pay for the trip selling those things. ;):D

We will be there in May-will it be that hot already? (We live in Florida so are used to heat)

Yes, it can be very hot in May, the more so the further south you travel. The sea hasn't warmed enough for serious swimming, and there might still be a rain shower, so a cheap poncho is advisable.

The other thing is- if you're going to be viewing ruins, the stones are often white which give off heat- and there might be marble floors, hot and shiny. There's little shade in some of these places- think Athens and Ephesus. You really need to be covered up.

Has anyone mentioned a world wide adaptor yet? Ships run on 220 volts, so even if you're on one which has 110v in the cabins, there will be a useful 220 socket hidden away...and the adaptor may be useful for you in the hotel. They're quite cheap.

Enjoy! :cool:

, there will be a useful 220 socket hidden away...and the adaptor may be useful for you in the hotel. They're quite cheap.

Enjoy! :cool:

Agreed. On our first European cruise, we neglected to bring an adapter so our two nights in Rome prior to the cruise, we couldn't charge anything. Digital camera ran out of juice early on day two, so we have virtually no photos of Vatican/St. Peter's. They are quite cheap.

We also always bring along a couple of "electronic candles" for atmosphere (since you can't use the real thing). Nowadays there are lots of options available, and they've come down a lot on price. Can help set a romantic mood.

How about packing cubes? Have you ever tried those? We have used a few times now and really like how they help us organize our packing. You can even pack stuff just for your pre-cruise hotel and never have to dig through large suitcases. Just unzip, pull out your one or two needed cubes for the hotel, and zip up and forget about your suitcases for a couple of days.

I would say not to worry about bringing the big DSLR camera. You are going to the Med where there are millions of photos available of every ruin around. Lugging around that big equipment for you to take a mediocre picture (unless you are a real professional photographer) then leave the added weight at home and buy some nice postcards and just take your personal snaps on the phone. Phone cameras have come a LONG way and are always at your fingertips.

Things I loved collecting are small travel sized beauty items. Right now is the perfect time to collect them as many big beauty retailers have holiday sets that have items perfect for travel.

You can also ask for itunes gift cards so you can download books for the long plane ride.

These are great suggestions! I love the iTunes gift card idea but I'd use it for movies! Also never thought of the packing cube idea.

I'm off to Amazon to research!