Do you have anything you must take

tea bags, kettle and lately a hot water bottle. I also take ALL my pills and ON the plane. After that something to read.

pashmina, socks for the plane if it's summer and I'm barefoot, kindle and hair straighteners

Can't leave the house without a bottle of water; if going away - i-pad, mobile phone, camera, electric toothbrush + chargers, thongs (flip flops) for visits to loo on 'plane - always have bare feet and don't want to get them wet - you know what I mean; eye drops, specs, large pashmina and small, lightweight brolly.

Umbrella, Tegan? I once forgot to take my raincoat to Mull! You'd think that someone born and bred in the West of Scotland would have a raincoat welded to her back.

Oh, raincoat. Only once went away without one and it was to Kefalonia and I have never experienced rain like it. Cost a fortune to buy one over there as well. I couldn't do without tea; coffee perhaps but not tea. I can't move in the morning till I've had a cup [well, I have to move to make one but you get my drift].

Always used to be a new book, now its a fully loaded Kindle, wonderful for travelling, and my faithful Filofax which has my life in it!!

Pain killers, tweezers, phone charger. Oh, & Tenas! No-one else has listed them so you must all have superior bladder muscles!

I would not take teabags on holiday .

Really could not be bothered , if they are not provided I go without .

Most of the things already mentioned except the tea bags. I also take copies of our passports, which I keep separate from them, a list of important numbers in case of emergency, already typed labels for postcards and a 'mugging purse' which has a small amount of appropriate currency plus a couple of out of date credit cards.

wisewoman I have just the type of bag that you are looking for. It came from Lakeland and is a zip bag (they are sold as a batch of three different size bags as far as I remember) and they have a mesh front. Just the right size to hold all those uncontrollable chargers and leads. Unfortunately the Lakeland website has been down for a couple of days otherwise I would have given a link to the item

Same as many others with chargers for phone and cameras. Tea bags are essential. We have been known to take Shredded Wheat and Vegetarian meat alternatives when self catering abroad not knowing if they did tinned pulses etc. All tooth pastes, shampoo, lotions and potions etc.
Don't trust "abroad" to sell the ones you want.

A neck pillow and small towel for my back so it will move next morning. I sometimes have to beg a spare pillow to this end as well.
Spare glasses, walking poles. hand lens for geology. bags for bits of rock which then sit in my garden shed untouched.
I once went camping and backpacking in Europe with DH with just a big rucksack each all our essential camping gear. Our clothes were minimal and my shoes were a pair of Walking boots and a pair of flip flops. It was wonderful.
wisewoman I agree with you about the wires and charger problems.

Hot water bottle, my own hairdryer as hotel ones are usually rubbish, the usual collection of chargers, and of course the dreaded medication.
The hot water bottle is an absolute must, compare it to a fav.teddy of a child, this is the woman who took said bottle to the Caribbean I didn't use it but it was there......... just in case! Also find it comforting if the back plays up.
Having read that most of us take Kindles, mobile phones etc. go back 20 years, what could we not do without?

My thyroxine pills, lap top, mobile phone, chargers, depending on length of trip book or books haven't acquired a Kindle yet, make up and perfume.

Teddy bear first and foremost. After that iPad, iPhone and chargers and always a hairdrier. I once got caught out by a hotel that was advertised as having a hairdrier in every room. It didn't, but the local mini- market piled em high and sold em dear.

They used to do that on flights over 2hours on BA but not any longer. I think they may still on long haul

Singapore Airlines keeps giving me a little pack of toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste in a nylon bag. I showed it to security on my way back from NZ and they laughed!
I think Manchester security were one of the most officious. Geneva seems quite relaxed.
I have to be careful when entering NZ - they are very hot on anything that might bring foreign spores into the country. I nearly got fined $NZ400 because I forgot that Singapore Airlines had , stupidly, given us an apple about an hour before we landed at Auckland. I mentioned this on my next trip, and the stewardess made an announcement warning everybody to be sure to declare any food, etc.

A whole bag of electrics. Battery charger for scooter. Spare battery and charging station.chargers for iPad, iPhone, kindle, camera and not least my hair wand.
A few strings of pearls (well a girl can't go anywhere without them) makeup,torch, medications and toothbrush!

The security staff at Manchester Airport took a minute pair of tweezers off me once. So don't count on it, Greatnan. I forgot to add that I rarely go anywhere without my hairspray. My Kindle and phone can use the same charger - thank goodness for mini USBs - though not at the same time!

A torch. Having been in an earthquake which happened in the middle of the night, I now always take a torch, even in UK. Plus all the other stuff already mentioned.

Oh; spent a couple of weeks driving round Europe giving the kids the 'Grand Tour' and forgot to take dental floss [though, looking back, not sure why I didn't just buy some ].

Oh, yes, tweezers - nothing worse than feeling that little stiff hair on your chin which your fingers can't get out!
I asked about taking them in my hand luggage last time I flew, and was told it would be O.K. It did seem ridiculous to suggest that I could overcome the cabin crew with a pair of tweezers! I think some airport staff got a bit over-enthusiastic about security.

Tweezers. But I can't take them this week as we are only taking hand luggage on our trip to Rome. I will look like the wild man of Borneo on my return!

If going abroad tea bags and travel kettle.

As a PS to my last post, wouldn't it be good if someone would invent a soft bodied box with spaces for plugs and wires to keep them all together. Also I forgot to mention my iPod and charger - another wire.

Moisteriser and tea bags. the tea bags you get in most hotels in this country and abroad, even good ones, are the cheapest possible and are disgusting,

Oh, and my pain killers. I get migraine. Having once been caught out with migraine and no pills, never again.