5. Ramen noodles. When you need a hot meal fast, there isn't much that's better.

6. Instant coffee. A necessity for caffeine addicts, and it's good to have a stimulant available for emergencies.

7. Wild edible berries. Learn to identify a few, and you'll have a nutricious excuse for a break along trail.

8. Instant sports drinks. Pour a little in your water bottle and shake. Replacing electrolytes doesn't get more convenient.

9. Instant refried beans. When you want sustained energy, eat beans.

10. Your favorites. Having your favorite foods can help salvage a rainy backpacking trip spent in tent.

Always consider nature of trip when you choose your backpacking food. Hot meals are much more important in cold climates, and convenience is king, if you want to make miles. A bottle of rum might even be appropriate, if it's a trip wih friends.

No vacation is perfect. Inevitably something will go wrong. Aside from real tragedies (which, fortunately, are rare) most vacation hassles are about inconvenience, bad weather and minor mishaps -- all temporary, none life-changing.

Predicaments such as delayed flights, sold-out attractions, small injuries and unexpected downpours can ruin your vacation if you allow your inner brat to gripe and grumble over every annoyance.

Instead, try this: Take a picture. Capture mishaps. They may turn out to be your most precious and amusing memories.

I recall a sweltering summer day many years ago, when we ran out of gas on highway because my husband was sure we had enough to bypass one rest stop and get to next. He was right - almost. We made it just past sign that said, "Fuel, Food: 2 miles." Instead of yelling at him with a thousand I-told-you-sos, I wish I had taken a picture of him standing in front of that sign, apologetically holding an empty gas can. It would have been perfect souvenir from our trip.

If you happen to encounter frustrations on your upcoming vacation, get out your camera and take a picture. Looking through lens will give you a less emotional, more objective view of situation. Plus, you’ll have a souvenir that will later remind you that crises have a way of working themselves out.

Copyright Pauline Wallin Ph.D., 2005

-------------------------------------- Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. is a psychologist in Camp Hill, PA, and author of "Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for Transforming Self-defeating Behavior" (Wildcat Canyon Press, 2004)

Visit http://www.innerbrat.com for more information, and subscribe to her free, monthly Inner Brat Newsletter.