Pixiq

If you haven’t left for Photokina yet, here are 10 things you should not leave home without.

1. Voltage converter and plug adapters. Euro juice (220 v) is different than North American AC so, for most things, you will need a converter. The holes in the wall are a different shape too, so you will need plug adapters. Some appliances and chargers handle different voltages by either flicking a switch or they are self-regulated ( if so, it will say something like 100v-240v on the unit). Make sure your device can handle the voltage before plugging it in! Otherwise, you may blow fuses in the hotel and/or have a meltdown.

2. Extension cord. Take a good quality extension cord with a couple of grounded plug adapters. This helps you get more mileage out of your voltage converter and plug adapters. Plus, nothing is more annoying in any hotel than not being able to find a spot to plug in your laptop near the bed. (Yes, this has happened to me before in hotels.)

3. Ziploc® bags. Forget fancy toiletry bags, which are heavy, inflexible and take up room. I pack all toiletries in Ziploc bags (the freezer variety hold up better because the plastic is thicker and I prefer the ones with the plastic slider). Ziplocs also allow me to sort things and keep like items together--hair stuff in one, cosmetics in another, etc. Bigger ones are handy for dirty clothes and keeping biz stuff together. I even sort my meeting stuff by day and put each day in a bag—sort of like having a filing cabinet in your suitcase.  

4. Bottle of assorted over-the-counter drugs. I put an assortment of painkillers, allergy pills, sleeping pills, and cold meds in an Asprin bottle that doesn’t have a child-proof top.  Don’t forget this! Having this has kept me from feeling miserable on many a Photokina trip. Also, if you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, talk to your doctor, or if you already have inhalers, take them with you. You will need them!

5.  Bath soap. If you are staying in a small German hotel and you don’t want to use a hard postage-stamp size bar of soap, take one along. The hotels in Cologne are getting better at things like this, but it still never hurts to carry a spare bar, just in case.

6. Band aids and foot comfort pads if you have sensitive feet. Again, having these things have kept me from having a miserable trip many times.

7. Write the name and address of your destination hotel on the back of a business card and put it in a convenient spot in your wallet so when you stumble out of the airport in a daze, you can just hand it to the cab driver. This assures that you will arrive at the correct hotel. While most native Germans speak excellent English, not all cab drivers do. Many are from other countries such as Turkey and speak only their native language and German.

8. If you are not taking a cell phone because it won’t work in the EU, have some kind of travel alarm clock. I have found over the years that one does not always get the wake up call that was scheduled with the hotel.  I always use a back-up alarm.

9. Finally, never, ever wear new shoes to Photokina. Break them in well ahead of time.

10. If you are taking a laptop, sign up for Skype before you go.