I don’t exactly know how many thousands of miles I’ve traveled this year, but it’s a lot. I don’t consider myself to be a professional traveler by any stretch, but I can get through the basics of packing, what to bring, and figuring out logistics on the fly. However, I forgot a handful of things on my current trip that left me in a pinch. I’m going to make a point to hopefully never forget these cruise items again.

1. Power converter

Most cruise ship staterooms have two 120V outlets (North American plugs) and one 230V plug (European). If you have a lot to plug in and you don’t want to pack an extension cord or power strip, consider buying a power converter. It will give you three outlets instead of two. If you need more than three outlets, you are packing way to0 much digital gear! I bought mine for under $15 on Amazon.

2. NyQuil

I came down with a nasty bug on this sailing and it’s my own fault. I’ve been jumping from ship to ship, plane to plane and hotel room to hotel room and not giving myself any time to rest. Usually I pack a bottle of NyQuil with me because sleep is the best way to build your immunity back up. I had to buy a bottle of NyQuil on the ship and it was $19. Yikes! Cost of doing business I guess.

3. Vitamin C pills

Jumping around from public area to public area requires this. You want to boost your immune system up and prevent it from being compromised, which is what happened to me. If you’re not a pill person, you can buy the orange flavored mix that tastes like Gatorade (Emergen-C) and mix it with your water.

4. Water Bottle

Hydration is important but more importantly, drinking clean water is critical to your health. Sure, you can buy bottle after bottle but the issue you will run into is getting to a destination that doesn’t accept that US dollar or a credit card just for a bottle of water. When we were in Malaga, Spain, our tour guide told us to drink bottled water and not tap water.  Invest in a water bottle from that you can fill up on the ship and will last you.

5. Google Translate

The beauty about Google translate is that it operates on your smart device so you can easily download it on the fly with an internet connection. This saved my butt in Barcelona, Spain when I had a toothache earlier this year and walked into a pharmacy. Before I left the hotel (while my phone was connected to the internet) I punched in any possible sentence I would need to tell the pharmacist. I walked into the pharmacy and asked if they spoke English and they didn’t. Luckily I had Google Translate downloaded. I got my pain medication was on my way.

Need a pharmacy in Europe? Look for a store with a little green cross out front.

Have you had any life lessons when it comes to cruising with essentials?

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