Word of the Week

A "culture bag" - or Kulturbeutel - sounds like it might contain your opera glasses or ticket stubs from all the museums and concerts you've ever visited.

Actually, it's much more banal. A Kulturbeutel contains your toothbrush, shower gel, shaving cream, hairspray and any other toiletry item you need to pack when you sleep away from home.

The word stems from the Latin cultura, which can refer to care and grooming, among other things. Even in English, being "cultured" evokes not only images of opera glasses and expensive champagne, but also fancy coiffes and carefully manicured fingernails.

While every traveler may have a toiletry bag, its contents vary greatly from person to person. What's in yours? Send an email to feedback.english@dw.de or a Tweet to @dw_culture and tell us one thing you absolutely can't leave home without unless you've got it in your Kulturbeutel.