donlan40

For laundry: a flat sink plug, inflatable hangers, clothespins, stretch clothesline, a large ziplock bag for soaking those undies, a small bar of laundry soap (Fels Naptha) or packets of Woolite, stain remover stick.

For morning coffee: an electric heating coil, cups, instant coffee.

For saving room in that liquids bag: J.R. Liggett's bar shampoo (this really works)

Point It book for those times you can't speak the language. Just point to the pictures to get your point across.

A small notebook to have locals write directions in their language, take notes, keep track of addresses, etc.

EmailKid

JUST SAY NO TO INSTANT COFFEE @:-)

I'd say welcome to FlyerTalk, but looks like you've been lurking for a while

EmailKid

boboqui

Favorite budget travel items?

1. MONEY
2. MONEY
3. MONEY

skaven

A huge second on J.R. Liggett's bar shampoo.

Paul79UF

^

We've done plenty of laundry in hotel room bathtubs and sinks on our long trips. Always a great way to save money.

unleashlife

For budget toiletries, often I go to the front desk and ask for what I need. More times than not, the hotel will have razors, mouthwash, etc, the items that don't come stock in the room.

EmailKid

About those razors ..... don't know where they get them, but they are HORRIBLE They don't shave very well, and can be painful to use, kind of like a regular razor that's been used four times too many

Shaving cream, that's another story

EmailKid

urleandy

For me, there are 4 items that I used to bring when I am on a budget travel. It's my travel sheet, sound generator, Clorox wipes and PROMO COUPONS of course.

urleandy

Im a big fan of travel magazines, books, guide books, gadgets etc. I subscribe to budget travel, and like the lets go series. anyone else? am i missing out on a little know magazine or book?

MojaveFlyer

I carry a spare hangar for those hotel rooms where the hangars are wired down in the closet. I like to let my shirts drip as they dry, they end up less wrinkled.

Hair dryer is great for drying clothes. Stick the end of the dryer up the tube of a heavy sock and watch the steam come out

I also carry about 15 feet of light nylon rope, which is useful for clothes line but also good if you want to tie up a bag of food and suspend it out your window to keep cold, in lieu of a fridge.

Irons are good to dry clothes too. They can also be used to warm bagel / bread. With patience, you can almost make toasted cheese sandwiches

When I traveled on the real cheap in Asia, I carried a 100 watt bulb, as the cheap hotels never had more than 40s.

cheftonio

I'm not sure if this has already been suggested but, like I always tell my friends, bring along an extension cord that can accommodate charging all your gadgets at the same time.

Some hotels provide very few outlets for charging and this can be a problem. Another problem is, some hotel provides very few adapters for guest use. If you have the extension cord that can maybe charge 5 to 6 items, you can just borrow one adapter.

better yet, buy yourself one of those travel adapters. It's cheap anyway.

<3vacations

This hand cranked weather radio.. It has a radio, weather radio, flashlight, is solar powered and hand crank power and has a usb cell phone port for charging http://www.ambientweather.com/emra.html

MIT_SBM

Not exactly an "item" per se but ... Travel Companion...

Both fun and cost effective.

How many deals do you see that are cheap but require "double" occupancy else a single supplement? Well, just bunk with another solo traveler, you say. Er, no thanks, I prefer to choose my own bunk partner - minor things like trust so I can sleep soundly, level of cleanliness, and other benefits ...

EmailKid

Don't get me started on that one

Alas, one of the drawbacks of being a solo traveler

EmailKid

sylvia hennesy

"spare hangar for those hotel rooms where the hangars"

You must be a pilot!