Comments on tips from Jon:
Ziplocs: I thought I stumbled on this by myself. Who knew it was so common! It is a great way to keep things sorted and to squish down clothes.
Good luggage: I also bought an Eagle Creek duffle (ORV Trunk). It set me back a pretty penny, but it is lightweight to start and held an amazing amount of “stuff”. I will forever love my ORV. My fiance has the Victorinox 26″ XL Standard Traveler; nice balance and good wheels, but less storage capacity.
Taxis: Worth every penny.
Water: I wish I’d thought to bring my camelback. I was forever looking for markets to buy bottled water at a reasonable price.
Proper attire: I’m a big fan of wool sweaters & socks and lightweight insulating layers. Wool doesn’t have to be bulky and itchy. A couple quality pieces are worth the cost.
Noise cancelling headphones: I actually have this very cheap set ($15) from Koss http://tinyurl.com/okkdj. Not noise cancelling, but the soft ear cushion works just like ear plugs. I get great sound on planes and they are good for sleeping too. I have two sets. The older set (5 years old) is much sturdier than the new set.

few things:
1) always sign up for a frequent flyer account with the airline you’re flying on (or use your number from a partner airline). those miles will add up, and even if you only plan on flying them once, the gate agents will usually treat you better if you’ve got an account with them.

2) save hotel toiletries. when you’ve got a pretty good sized bag of them under your sink, take them to a local women’s shelter.

3) if you can help it, DO NOT CHECK LUGGAGE. i’ve carried a 14 day trip in a carry-on (including 3 suits and 4 pairs of shoes) - it’s possible.

4) i always try to do overnight transatlantic flights. i’ll sleep on the flight (as much as possible) and then stay awake until around 8 or 9 the next night. never had a problem with jet lag. haven’t figured out a trick for the way back, though.

– I usually only take what I can carry on with me (my luggage travels more than I do if I check it).

– Unless spoken to, keep your mouth shut at all times when going through US customs. People who work US customs are angry angry people.

– Like safe sex, your computer should be protected at all times from viruses on the plethora of wireless connections you will encounter while travelling; make sure your computer has a condom (and a lock). Also, sometimes a PDA / cellphone combo is a better thing to bring than a laptop.

– The world is full of Internet Cafes.

– Bring a cell phone charger regardless of how short your trip is (you’d think that I’d remember this after forgetting it so many times… nope… once again for my last trip I forgot my phone charger.)

– Go with the flow. I call this entering travel time or whatever time. Nothing ever goes smoothly - but if you go with the flow things work out in the end.

Welcome back and I can wait to see all the Holland photos. I love the Dutch — they are consistently great people…

We spent 25 days abroad last summer and everything I needed fit into a medium hiking backpack. I used Zip Loc baggies and we did laundry in the sink.

A couple of pairs of khakis, a skirt, 3 shirts, a jacket and a sweater, and some awesome shoes got me through 7 countries.

Rick Steves was my hero in planning the trip. His guide books are worth every penny.

Don’t ask those “bling-bling you from Canada? I love Canada! Yayy Canada! Hello hello!” dudes in Paris who sell tourist shit on the street for a photo with them, because they will kiss you on the cheek and it will be a bit creepy, as I can attest to.

Also, don’t ask middle-aged Florentine men in a little street band for a photo with them, because the keyboardist will insist you sit on his lap and put his hand around your waist and it will be a lot creepy, as I can attest to.

..I guess just don’t ask random people for photos with you, is what I’m trying to say. Yay for being such a worldly-wise Canadian teenager! I’m doing my country proud. I tells ya!

Even if you’re very sad to leave, you shouldn’t cry about it, because if you cry whilst going down the funicular in Capri, people who are going up will look at you oddly.

You also shouldn’t start to cry, again, when your waiter in Rome is taking away your plate, because said waiter will be quite alarmed and drop your plate on the table and run away to the kitchen.

Anyway, I’m glad you and Heather had such a great time in Amsterdam. Travelling is so enriching and I think that I would count my two weeks in Europe last year as the most defining, uh, two weeks of my life.

That might work in Amsterdam, but don’t drink lots of water when you’re in Paris. ‘Cuz there are almost no public restrooms. And if yo’re lucky enough to find one, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right change to pay for it. (Now that I wrote this I realized that guys probably have no worries about full bladders in France ‘cuz they can whiz in street corners like the locals)

And for sure don’t drink lots of water if you’re traveling in China. The bathrooms there aren’t nonexistent, but they are so gross that you are more likely to lose your lunch in them than actually being able to hold your nose long enough to pee.

always carry a bottle of pepto pills (not chewables). your small intestine will thank you for it. especially after the schezhuan hot pot.

advil - veeeery important. you can’t get an asprin in many countries without going to a pharmacist. and the pharmacist is always closed when you need that advil.

your luggage should be able to witshand a drop from a four-story window. if you don’t think it can make it, better buy a better bag.

quality footwear. you don’t need a lot of it, but make sure you have one pair of shoes that you could use to walk across a desert. the bus breaks down, and you might have to.

synthetic fibers. wash fast, dry fast, and cool fast.

india? china? se asia? bring some purell.

italy sucks.

if you travel in the third world, one day, guaranteed, you will become violently ill. accept it. and be prepared. a cycle of cipro, some pepto, and a roll of toilet paper. don’t leave home without them.

ipods save you life on long bus rides, in airports, and on transcontinental flights.

sleep on the plane. ambien rocks.

roller bags are great for airports, but honestly, a good backpack uaually trumps it for wandering around european cities with shitty sidewalks and cobblestone, and anywhere where you might encounter dirt.

italy sucks.

scan your passport and email it to yourself and your parents.

email yourself you contact list in case you lose your rollodex. this list includes your credit card phone numbers so you can cancel the cards before that bastard pickpocket from rome gets the chance to use them.

don’t lose your glasses.

don’t bring anything you can’t afford to lose or break.

get a USB key and a flickr account. you can back up your photos online as you go.

try to get the exit row.

talk to kids.

learn how to say “excuse me” “thank you” “hello” “good bye” and “do you speak english?” in the local tongue.

drink the beer.

don’t drink the water.

never, ever, ever trust anyone who approaches you in a place of public transportation.

and italy sucks. but go there anyway. you’ll love it.

And, as is evidenced by the following tinyurl, always do this when traveling with your husband who’s in the process of waiting for his green card and has one, only one, all important travel document that ALLOWS him in and out of the United States, holy jesus do you need the travel document pouch then:

http://tinyurl.com/84ggj