A Sample Packing List for COS in Israel   

Please allow me to apologize in advance for strange humor on the page. This is what happens when 

you stay up too late editing a web page. I am deeply sorry. Deeply. Really. Never mind.

If you are of the female persuasion, and you can tell the list below was made by a MAN, try the center link above. Also check out the article beneath on packing light.

Vital:

Passport
Drivers License & Credit Card
International ticket 
Domestic Ticket 
Name tag
Luggage tag 
Cash 
Directory of travelers 
Itinerary

Pharmaceuticals:

Vitamins 
Prescriptions (antibiotic, sleeping aid...) 
Aleve/Advil/Tylenol 
Sinus/Cold medications 
Pepto/Tums 
Imodium & Lomotil* 
Antibiotic Ointment 
Throat lozenge 
Cold sore/Mouth ulcer cream 
Sunscreen 
Athletic tape/Band-Aids 
Chap Stick/Blistex 

Personals: SWF seeks SWM who likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain --- oops, wrong kind of "personals". Must get sleep. Bad humor. Out of control. Somebody stop me.

Toothbrush, paste, floss 
Breath gum/mints 
Brush/comb 
Shampoo 
Hair gel/Spray 
Shaving 
Face/Hand lotion 
Nose strips/Ear plugs (for snoring---yours and someone else's!)
Tweezers/Clipper/Trimmer 
TP
Wet wipes
Contacts and solution 
Sunglasses 

Supplies:

One belt pack/fanny pack 
One back pack or carry-on 
One medium sized luggage 
Notebook 
Pens 
Textbooks 
Bible 
Other resources 
Neck Pillow
Snacks 
Flashlight 
Bottle of water 
Binoculars/Camera 
Garbage bags 
Liquid detergent 
coat hangers/clothes line & pins 
AC adapter/Batteries
For this year's OT trip to Har Karkom: Cheap inflatable pool raft to sleep on---softer than rocks! (consider this disposable)

Clothes:  (I know, the briefs are in bad taste, but you have to admit they are patriotic.)

Jacket/Gloves/Knit hat 
Hat/Cap 
Sweater 
4 pants 
4 shirts 
2 T-shirts 
6 underwear 
6 socks 
Bicycle/Hiking shorts 
Waterproof hiking shoes/Boots 
Jogging shoes (backup for boots) 
Folded rain poncho 

Wear:

Glasses/Sunglasses 
Belt 
Watch 
 

STOP . . .
Things you should NOT pack: (especially the pig!)

We would like to personally apologize for the preceding icons depicting a chain saw, marijuana, a pistol, dynamite, our President, and especially the pig. They are in poor taste, and should be removed as soon as you stop laughing. MANAGEMENT

Last Modified : August 17, 2000

            Packing light: It's all in your head

            A travel editor and around-the-world backpacker
                  share their secrets

                  May 7, 1999
                  Web posted at: 2:52 p.m. EDT (1852 GMT)

                  By Jamie Allen
                  CNN Interactive Senior Writer 

                  (CNN) -- You're just going to have to face it. 

                  If you want to travel light and finally enjoy a
                  vacation free of sore muscles caused by
                  lugging leaden luggage from here to Timbuktu,
                  you must learn to leave certain things at home. 

                  And, along with the kitchen sink, those things
                  you leave behind are going to be things you
                  think you need, but you really don't need --
                  things like your third favorite pair of shoes, or
                  that really cool outfit that you might or might
                  not wear, or that three pound hair dryer. 

                  "Overpacking is one of people's biggest
                  (travel) problems," says Caroline Haberfeld,
                  executive editor of Fodor's travel publications.
                  "I think people have separation anxiety from
                  their clothing -- like one piece of clothing is
                  going to make or break their vacation." 

                  Haberfeld says if you want to pack light, the place to start is in your head --
                  come to grips with the fact that you don't need three outfits per day. And
                  plan to wear everything -- everything -- that you pack. 

                  "Don't pack clothes because you like them; only pack clothes you will
                  wear," she says. 

                  Haberfeld recommends planning ahead. Make a list of things you'd like to
                  bring, then edit that list down to half its length (at least). To help cut down on
                  clothes, Haberfeld says to: 

                    choose like-colors to mix and match
                    pick either black shoes or brown shoes to wear throughout the trip,
                  otherwise you'll have to bring matching accessories (belts, purses, etc.),
                  creating twice the weight
                    quit day-dreaming that your vacation will be a fashion show

                  "People get tired of looking at themselves in the same outfit," Haberfeld says.
                  "But they don't really need to change." 

                  Haberfeld recommends you bring, at the most, three pairs of shoes, wearing
                  the heaviest pair on the plane. 

                  And another thing: Why are you bringing economy sized bottles of shampoo
                  and conditioner? Unless you plan to do some serious bathing while you're
                  gone, you can get by with the much lighter travel sized variety. 

                  "You should keep a travel kit that's already packed of travel sized things --
                  Q-tips, toothpaste, moisturizer -- then you don't have to run around doing it
                  all the time. That's how you forget things," Haberfeld says. 

                  Beauty appliances and comfort clothes are another weighty issue, but they
                  don't need to be. Haberfeld recommends calling the hotel where you are
                  staying and ask if they provide: 

                    hair dryers
                    irons
                    robes
                    slippers

                  If they do, those are four things you don't have to bring. 

                  Another idea that might help you get into the mentality of light packing:
                  Pretend you'll be backpacking, carrying every item with you for the entire
                  trip. 

                  Robert Levy is familiar with this. The Atlanta-based traveler has
                  backpacked around the world. He sees packing as a chance for travelers to
                  come to grips with their bare necessities. 
 
 

                   "Overpacking is one of people's biggest travel problems. I think
                        people have separation anxiety from their clothing." 
                      -- Caroline Haberfeld, executive editor of Fodor's travel
                                         publications 
 
 

                  For instance, "You only need one pair of jeans," Levy says. This comes from
                  a guy who spent a good deal of time away from the comforts of a
                  Laundromat. Vacationers on a week-long trip, with or without the benefits
                  of a hotel laundry, can get by with one pair, as well. Jeans are jeans, after all.

                  Other tips from Levy, which echo Haberfeld's advice: 

                  - "Anything you can put on your body, you do ... and you just pack the
                  rest." 

                  - "You always wear your boots and pack your
                  sandals." 

                  - "I wouldn't bring shampoo; I'd bring a bar of
                  soap. I wouldn't bring shaving cream; I'd just
                  use a bar of soap." 

                  - "You really only need a half or a third of
                  what you think you need. If you've got six pairs of shorts you can easily
                  halve that." 

                  The bottom line: Let go of your wants, get in touch with your true needs.
                  Part of the fun of traveling is freeing the habits of home, and it all starts with
                  the stuff you don't pack in your suitcase.