Holy canoli, cruisemom, hiltner, eurocruiser, please help

[cruise kitty]

Hi Guys, :)

 

leaving now :eek: & we're trying to really, really keep baggage down, I'm packing my own shampoo & conditioner that I can't do without, however, we're going for almost a month, & I'd like to pack just a travel sized of the following products: baby powder any kind, toothpaste, listarene type mouth wash, to last first few days in Rome, can I buy these in Rome? If I take a month of these it seems silly, I've bought antacids in Rome pharmacys before, but never paid attention to additional products, please advise.

 

Thanks, leaving soon, so may not reply till mid December. :)

[Nigella]

Ok I know I'm not Holy canoli, cruisemom, hiltner or eurocruiser but Kitty, breathe!

You don't seriously think that you can't buy toothpaste in Rome? It's a major capital city not some backwater halfway up the Amazon. :D

Now seriously, yes you can get toothpaste, baby powder and mouthwash there. You can take a look in a pharmacy - green cross outside the front of the shop - but a local grocery store is also likely to have them and often cheaper too. You may find them more expensive than at home though.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[cruisemom42]

You'll have no problem finding those items and more. Leave them at home and pack light!

 

As Nigella says, look at a pharmacy or even a grocery store. I like browsing in Italian pharmacies anyway...

 

Enjoy your trip. :)

[MeHeartCruising]

I will add that you may not always find your desired brand in the stores, or the packaging or even brand names might be different. But you'll find an equivalent to all of these for sure. And in many cases it will be the same product as you would find in the US.

[euro cruiser]

Avoid the pharmacy for these type of items unless cost doesn't matter to you.

 

Most decent sized grocery stores will have them as well as my favorite store in Rome, kind of a discount heath and beauty aids/household goods store in the Ghetto. It's located on Via del Portico D'Ottavia where Via del Tempio dead-ends into it. If you make a google map of the intersection and go to street view you'll see a store with yellow "valances" over the doors. Great store for all kinds of stuff and the best prices in Rome.

[Hlitner]

Holy Canoli? too funny :). As usual Eurocruiser speaks the truth ,so little to add except to have a great trip to wonderful Italy.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

Avoid the pharmacy for these type of items unless cost doesn't matter to you.

 

Most decent sized grocery stores will have them as well as my favorite store in Rome, kind of a discount heath and beauty aids/household goods store in the Ghetto. It's located on Via del Portico D'Ottavia where Via del Tempio dead-ends into it. If you make a google map of the intersection and go to street view you'll see a store with yellow "valances" over the doors. Great store for all kinds of stuff and the best prices in Rome.

 

It amazes me the things you know!

 

I do like browsing in the pharmacies....they have products that promise such amazing results. I always expect to look 15 years younger and 15 pounds thinner after using one, even if it's only hairspray.

Edited November 14, 2013 by cruisemom42

[euro cruiser]

Like so much of what I know about places I've been to, that store is the result of several mistakes. My first trip to Rome was by myself, for a month staying in an apartment in Trastevere. I'd purchased band-aids for my many blisters (I walked everywhere because I didn't speak a word of Italian and was afraid to get on a bus) and paid an absolute fortune for them. Of course, a couple of days later I saw them for half the price in a supermarket and then, the following week, I tripped over the store noted above while looking for some other place. After that I went to that little store first for everything.

Edited November 14, 2013 by euro cruiser

[agabbymama]

OP, take some cough drops. In Italy they don't know Hall's or Vick's cough drops. After our flight I awoke the next morning with a very sore throat. I went into about 3 grocery stores and 3 pharmacies and all they had were some gosh awful lozenges that tasted like crap.

 

I finally found a package at the airport as we were leaving 21 days later to come home. I always pack them now, no matter where I am going.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Hi Guys, :)

 

leaving now :eek: & we're trying to really, really keep baggage down, I'm packing my own shampoo & conditioner that I can't do without, however, we're going for almost a month, & I'd like to pack just a travel sized of the following products: baby powder any kind, toothpaste, listarene type mouth wash, to last first few days in Rome, can I buy these in Rome? If I take a month of these it seems silly, I've bought antacids in Rome pharmacys before, but never paid attention to additional products, please advise.

 

Thanks, leaving soon, so may not reply till mid December. :)

 

As everyone else has said, you'll be able to buy what you want. Perhaps not always the same combination of brand and whitener or sensitivity or mouthwash OR... but something perfectly acceptable.

 

The Italian word for toothpaste is "dentifricio." (den-tih-free-chee-o) But don't worry if you forget this word. The people who work in the farmacia in a major city like Rome will likely include one with adequate English language fluency. And, if all else fails, there's always pantomime.

 

On our first trip to Italy, before I knew a single word of Italian, I had to pantomime squeezing toothpaste out of a tube and then brushing my teeth. No one would have awarded me any Oscar for that performance, but the employees clearly understood what I needed and they smilingly helped me with the purchase. I've never forgotten the Italian word for toothpaste from that experience. (I'm laughing as I contemplate how I'd pantomime mouth wash. I'd definitely need sound effects for that product.)

 

If you have a huge list of products, you might want to shop at a grocery store where the items are on display and you can help yourself. Many farmacia are quite small and keep only one of two of any particular item in stock on a shelf out of the sight or reach of shoppers.

[slidergirl]

It amazes me the things you know!

 

I do like browsing in the pharmacies....they have products that promise such amazing results. I always expect to look 15 years younger and 15 pounds thinner after using one, even if it's only hairspray.

 

Oh yes!!!

 

I always just wait until I'm where I'm going to be to buy toiletries (except for my contact solution, which I've never found). If it's a supermarket (like Coop), you'll find a section with all that stuff. Pharmacies are indeed fun to browse in, but I rarely buy in there. When I came down with the nasty flu in Germany, I had no trouble going in and finding some good cough syrup and cough drops. When we trained over to Paris, the little market and another pharmacy kept me in what I needed to keep feeling better. When in doubt, look for Riccola drops - best things around!!!

[cruise kitty]

Thanks so much for the replies, everyone, especially the tip about pharmacy vs shop, I've almost always purchased in pharmacies in Europe because they are so easy to spot.

 

This is our 4th trip to Rome, & I knew I would find toothpaste, but powder, not sure if this is an american thing or not...:) looking at the giant pile of this stuff on the guest bed, I'm leaving it all behind, & just taking one travel size for DH & I t share first few days, then I'll shop before we head to port.

 

Still taking my own shampoo & conditioner though, I think the ladies will understand & forgive me. :D

[lisiamc]

There are a few things that are difficult to find or not quite what you expect. Antiperspirant, for example, is tough to find, although deodorant is readily available. I haven't seen Vaseline or any other petroleum jelly ointment anywhere, although I think it might exist. Many prescription medications are given as injections rather than tablets. And when I say injections, I mean that the pharmacist will give you a vial and a syringe, and you get to do it yourself or find a helpful friend. Something to consider if you lose your medication and need a refill!

[euro cruiser]

If there are OTC medications that are particularly important to you, I'd take some with me. Several members of my family suffer from various digestive issues and they don't leave the house, even at home, without some Imodium. I sometimes get hit with nasty sinus headaches so I never travel without my stuff for that, because when I'm suffering I don't want to be wandering around a strange city looking for relief.

 

The other stuff, however (shampoo, etc.), I pick up wherever I happen to be.

[NCruiser2012]

We ran out of Sudafed while in France. I took the empty package with me to the pharmacy. The pharmacist was able to quickly find the equivalent and was able to warn me that their version was twice as strong as what we had brought from home. She spoke excellent English, but the package would help if there was a language barrier.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Another thing I found out was that there were no washcloths provided in our bathroom linens in Rome. I forgot to pack my poof for bathing/showering. I looked everywhere for a poof but could only find a sponge to use in the bath that was fairly inexpensive.

 

Next time I would take a washcloth or a poof.

 

I always take plenty of over the counter meds such as aspirin, Advil, Gravol, Imodium, that sort of thing. And an antihistamine.

Edited December 5, 2013 by fuzzywuzzy

[maryann ns]

Washcloths are not commonly provided in Europe (or China, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina or Peru).

[TMLAalum]

Washcloths are not commonly provideed in Europe (or China, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina or Peru).

 

Pack some of your older, worn washcloths for trips abroad. Or TJMaxx/Marshall's sells 6 packs of washcloths for @$5. I bring one for each accommodation (or more, depending on the length of stay at each place) & leave those I've used behind.

[ducklite]

OP, take some cough drops. In Italy they don't know Hall's or Vick's cough drops. After our flight I awoke the next morning with a very sore throat. I went into about 3 grocery stores and 3 pharmacies and all they had were some gosh awful lozenges that tasted like crap.

 

I finally found a package at the airport as we were leaving 21 days later to come home. I always pack them now, no matter where I am going.

 

Not Hall's or Vicks, but Ricolla (Riccola?) were readily available I grocery stores.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

Edited December 5, 2013 by ducklite

[fuzzywuzzy]

Pack some of your older, worn washcloths for trips abroad. Or TJMaxx/Marshall's sells 6 packs of washcloths for @$5. I bring one for each accommodation (or more, depending on the length of stay at each place) & leave those I've used behind.

 

They don't have washcloths in Cuba either. Why is that I wonder? What do people use to clean themselves in these countries?

[ducklite]

They don't have washcloths in Cuba either. Why is that I wonder? What do people use to clean themselves in these countries?

 

They do have them. They are considered personal like a toothbrush in that you wouldn't share it with another and would carry it with you when traveling.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[cruise kitty]

Hi,

 

Thanks again for all the tips/advice!

 

Things that we bought along the way: ibuprofen (for this you have to go to a pharmacy, (at least in Paris you do) no medications, (even over the counter type) can be sold at regular stores. Baby powder was no problem, it was Johnston's just like at home. Could not find rubbing alcohol, & forgot to ask at the pharmacy. Toothpaste was easy, one thing we liked about it was that it was not as sweet as most U.S. branded tooth pastes. Could not find listerine or equivalent. Regular mint type mouthwash available, but next time I'd pack a couple of extra travel sized listerines.

 

BTW, our hotels in rome & in paris supplied wash clothes, maybe because they were U.S. based chains? Waldorf & Hilton.

[rocklinmom]

As a contact lens wearer who uses saline solution twice a day, I am hoping that I will either a) pack enough of the tiny 3 ounce bottles of it allowed on the plane or b) be able to find some to buy if I do run out of it while we are in the Med for 14 days. I was in England about 15 years ago and ran out of saline solution and what a pain it was to buy! They said I had to have a prescription from an eye doctor and go to a pharmacy - luckily I found a sympathetic pharmacist who sold me some without the prescription. I have never forgotten that, so I am hoping that it will be easier now to buy things like that! As others have said on this thread, I will for sure be packing basics like Motrin, cough drops, Imodium, etc.

[lisiamc]

I don't wear contacts, so I can't give you the full scoop, but I was standing in the front of an optician's shop in Abruzzo last week waiting for a friend, and they had a huge display of contact lens care items including saline solution. Since they were out on open display where customers could just pick them up and take them to the till, I don't think a prescription is required. I'm sure I've seen them on the shelf in UK pharmacies such as Boots in recent years as well.

 

And since 100% alcohol is sold in most grocery stores, at least in our part of Italy, rubbing alcohol/surgical spirit ought to be possible without prescription as well. Or possibly the 100% stuff might make a good substitute! :D

[ducklite]

As a contact lens wearer who uses saline solution twice a day, I am hoping that I will either a) pack enough of the tiny 3 ounce bottles of it allowed on the plane or b) be able to find some to buy if I do run out of it while we are in the Med for 14 days. I was in England about 15 years ago and ran out of saline solution and what a pain it was to buy! They said I had to have a prescription from an eye doctor and go to a pharmacy - luckily I found a sympathetic pharmacist who sold me some without the prescription. I have never forgotten that, so I am hoping that it will be easier now to buy things like that! As others have said on this thread, I will for sure be packing basics like Motrin, cough drops, Imodium, etc.

 

 

Are you planning in going carry on only? If you are checking bags, there is no limit on size if liquids in checked bags. Also contact solution is considered a medical need, and therefore also immune from TSA requirements in bottle size.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...