Recommendations you can check.
American travel writer and broadcaster; runs Rick Steves' Europe and writes the guidebooks, packing advice and travel-tip articles on ricksteves.com.
10 things
Olay's Daily Facials 5-in-1Other Olay
Disposable washcloths that pack dry but lather up when wet (such as Olay's Daily Facials 5-in-1) are another option; cut them in half to make them last longer.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
MoleskineOther Moleskine
Use a sturdy journal designed to last a lifetime, rather than a floppy spiral notebook. A great brand with a cult following among travel writers is Moleskine.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
MephistoOther Mephisto
Mephisto, Ecco, and Rieker look dressier than sneakers, but are still comfortable.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
EccoOther Ecco
Mephisto, Ecco, and Rieker look dressier than sneakers, but are still comfortable.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
RiekerOther Rieker
Mephisto, Ecco, and Rieker look dressier than sneakers, but are still comfortable.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Shout wipesOther Shout
For a spot remover, bring a few Shout wipes or a dab of Goop grease remover in a small plastic container.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Goop grease removerOther Goop
For a spot remover, bring a few Shout wipes or a dab of Goop grease remover in a small plastic container.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Money beltOther Rick Steves' Europe
Money belt. This flat, hidden, zippered pouch — worn around your waist and tucked under your clothes — is essential for the peace of mind it brings.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234). The item links to his own shop at store.ricksteves.com, so it is recorded as an endorsement of his own product.
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Small day packOther Rick Steves' Europe
Small day pack. A lightweight pack is great for carrying a sweater, camera, guidebook, and picnic goodies while you leave your large bag (with most of your belongings) at the hotel.
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234). The item links to his own shop at store.ricksteves.com, so it is recorded as an endorsement of his own product.
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Bose noise-canceling headphonesHardware Bose
These are a must for listening to music, tuning in to audio tours, or simply drowning out whiny kids on the plane. (I never travel without my noise-canceling Bose headphones.)
Rick's Packing List, bylined “By Rick Steves” on his own site. The page carries no publication date; the date used is the most recent Internet Archive capture confirming this text was live (20260826230234).
2025-02-07·ricksteves.com ↗
Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.
The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.
A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.
The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.
What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:
Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.