Never Leave Home Without it!

If all went as scheduled, I am back home again.  I am checked in at Rome, cleared security even the psychological screening.  Yes, May was a busy travel month, Chicago and San Francisco on work, then Italy for two weeks of vacation.

There are a few things I never leave home without.

My travel vest.  It has pockets for everything I need, wallet, phone, keys, even my Kindle.  I started out with a cheap safari vest I bought at Disney, and a few years ago I bought this one from an online travel specialty shop I found in the Sky Mall catalog. .  It is specifically made for travel out of a modern synthetic fabric.  It has plenty of zippered or velcro pockets.

A phone, I don't make a lot of calls, but having a phone with global service has helped me out of a tight spot when traveling a couple of times.  Of course these days, it is also a camera, music player, file storage, GPS unit, compass, how did we ever leave home without them?

A camera. At one time I owned literally a bag full of professional cameras, four or five cameras, and a dozen lenses.  These days, it is a good, compact digital.  It has a nice lens, wide angle to telephoto and tons of storage - the card will hold about 6,000 images at maximum resolution. I also carry two backup batteries for it.

A messenger style bag.  I almost always check bags when I travel.  And occasionally bags  miss a connection.  So I carry a fresh shirt, undies and a back up toiletries kit in my bag on the plane with me.  In a pinch, it will get me through until my baggage catches up or I have time to shop.

I carry a couple of USB chargers, a couple of sets of earphones, and cable adapters that experience has taught me I may need.

My Kindle, I can carry a dozen books for a few ounces.  Text to speech allows me to listen if I don't feel like reading.

Glasses, a back-up pair of bifocals, and a pair of distance glasses.  I sometimes carry sunglasses, but not often.

A travel document case, with frequent traveler member cards, a backup credit card or two, back-up cash, and my passport card.  The passport card only works for border crossings in North America, I couldn't get into Europe with it, but in a pinch, would likely get me back in the country coming home.  My global entry ID card - another back up ID.

A neck-pillow, eye mask, and ear plugs for airline flights over about 4 hours.

What do you never leave home without?