First of two parts

A packing checklist is invaluable for overseas vacation travelers. Scores of articles may need to be included under such categories as documents and materials, travel gear and gizmos, clothing and accessories, health kit, photography equipment and miscellaneous items. I have addressed the stocking of a medical bag in a previous column, so I will devote this one and the next to presenting a comprehensive checklist that will serve the needs of most traditional travelers. Wilderness adventurers, trekkers, villa renters, volunteer vacationers and other special-interest travelers will want to add their own specific requirements.

You won't, of course, need or want to take everything on the entire master list, but reviewing it before a journey may focus your mind on what is essential for your particular trip.

Interestingly, readers of International Travel News cited these items, apart from the obvious inclusions, as the most frequently packed: plastic zip-closure bags, moist towelettes, packets of facial tissue, comfortable walking shoes, fold-up extra tote bag, dirty-clothes bag, extra glasses, extra camera, collapsible umbrella, photocopies of important documents, highlighter pen, preprinted address labels, duct tape and sink plug.

DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS

For the best backup, scan your important documents — passport picture and signature pages, visa pages, credit and membership cards, air tickets, health information, emergency contact lists and the like — onto your computer hard drive as jpg picture files. Attach them to an e-mail to be sent to your address at an e-mail account you normally access while traveling. By doing this, you will have instantly available online the information you will need to act in an emergency, to make contacts, and to expedite the replacement of lost or stolen documents.