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The cameraphones are getting better, but I can appreciate that some with want better quality.

I can recommend http://www.nanika.net/metro/ for getting around local metro/underground systems. Available for free on multiple platforms.

All my devices use SD cards, which helps minimise the media I need to buy. Newer devices are using the new, smaller options, but many of those can fit in an SD slot with an adaptor.

Keep it simple. I really don't think a laptop is a good idea. If you need bulk storage for digital photos, use an ipod. Having done that in the past, I can say that it works well, but needs really reliable means of recharging. Your ipod and camera need to be fully charged when you start. These days, 2GB chips are so cheap, you should just buy a bunch of them and leave the ipod at home.

If you're going to be in cities a lot, I recommend a cheap pda with MetrO loaded on it. It's a fabulous navigator of bus, train, metro, tube, subway systems.

For the rest, I take a Swiss Army knife with bottle opener and corkscrew. Unlocked GSM phone to use with local SIMs. Go to an engineering or surveying supply house and get a small, sturdy surveyor's book with waterproof pages. Take a pencil to write with. That way you can write in the rain, and it will always be raining when you want to write something really important.

When you're all ready to go, be assured that you're taking too much. Several people have said it, "Take half the clothes and twice the money." Remember, anything you really need, they sell there, wherever "there" is. They also sell the local version that is fine tuned for "there." You probably don't need it anyway.

Just want to share my experience with Metro (although this is slightly off-topic).

I use it every time I travel to Europe, and their coverage and update-rate is truly amazing. Specially Paris and most German cities. The "tourist" version of some cities even has the admittance price for points of interest (like museums).

I use the PalmOS version in my Tungsten|W though.

If you're planing a trip to Europe, check the Metro website.

Looks like Google is duplicating the efforts of Métro which ALREADY covers over 300 cities all over the world using your PDA (Palm, PocketPC, MS Smartphone, Symbian, others), and i-Métro for WEB, WAP, iMode.

Not only is Métro more mature, it's completely portable/finished/polished product with a large and stable support base.

I've personally used it to great effect plotting subway routes in my vacations to Tokyo, Japan and NYC, New York.

You mean something like this? I've used it a couple of times on my PocketPC and it was useful.

NYC MTA also has Trips123.com, which although ugly works well enough. And it has the added advantage of keeping up to snuff on transit disruptions and changes (which are a dozen a day lately, it seems like).

I've been using MetrO since 2000 and it was the most amazing tool when I was backpacking Europe in 2001. If you have a palm device or a smart phone and you travel alot you should definitely check this software out!

About a month ago I started using AvantGo on my Palm (Sony Clie, actually) for my 45 minute commute to work.

Syncs with New York Times Top Stories, Business, and Technology news. I also have it syncing with Reuters, which actually gives a better column at times. The coverage is more complete, at least.

Those two channels pretty much fill up my commute. I also have C|Net and a couple of others. More than enough news for most any commute.

It is not perfect, but it is free and it works.

Between that program, Vidigo, Metro, and MBTA on Palm my Clie is a very valuable resource commuting and just going around town.

If only Sony was still making them...