Travel "Yes"s

November 17, 2006

Some of the things we thought would work well actually did… and others we learned on the way. Here are a few thoughts we’d like to remember next time around. If any are useful to you, bravo! There’s some wisdom well won.

Nail scissors Useful for trimming all kinds of things besides your nails…
Flip-top toothpaste Small plastic jar fits neatly into most travel kits, no spill, no mess.
Leg-zip poly hiking pants Wash quickly, dry quickly, work as swim trunks, good for cool or hot weather… best buy all round.
Hand towel Works as a bath towel, packs light and small, and dries more quickly.
Yoga mat Yeah, well if I hadn’t had it, I wouldn’t have had a 30-day yoga retreat this trip. Feeling great.
BIC lighter(s) Local lighters suck. Incense or other combustibles. We did not buy other combustibles, but you might.
Pack umbrella When the monsoon hits, it is vital. Sturdy is better.
Useful Bags Bags are light, and a few different sizes to carry food or keep dirty-clothes are great.
Nylon/poly rope A few yards to use a clothesline in those frequent places without one.
Duffel bag Max is carry-on size (or tied-down to same). Folded in you backpack, use it to bring purchases home.
Qt. Nalgene Nice to be able to carry/mix drinks, like Vita-C drinks, etc.
Expandable Backpack Great to allow the backpack to grow as your belongings grow – or shrink when you swap stuff out to a duffel for travel home. If you can hide the shoulder straps, it makes it easier to get into (and out of) public bus luggage racks.
Skin Cream/Lotion or Stick Think sun protection, and skin repair… small bottle goes a long way. I’ve wanted sunblock a lot – it comes in a convenient stick applicator these days, too – and had to buy a cheaper brand for more money. Skin lotion I have wanted to use a few times, but didn’t buy any…
Lip Balm Great for the same reason, and I did bring that, gratefully.
Antifungal If you are susceptible… heat+sweat+reduced hygiene can bring a rash, and untreated those can get aggressive in the tropics. Better safe than walking funny (which is not at all funny).
Disposable Razor Two per month, depending on orneriness of your body hair…
Kleenex Pocket Packs I haven’t used mine, but could have a few times, when the Hand Method could have been supplemented by the Tissue Method. Some people suggest antiseptic Wipes as a better solution… but they are wet and heavy.
Bandana For light head cover, cleaning up, etc. Could take the place of a washcloth.
Pack umbrella If it is cool at home or on the airplane, a fleece has real value. Had we stopped in the mountains, I would have used it. Fleece can double as a pillow, too – useful and comfy, when wrapped in a cotton shirt or sari
Account numbers You can scramble them with a code… but have them along, so you can easily gain access to your accounts when you need to over the internet.
Small day-bag I had a sailor-duffle style bag, with a drawstring that cinches down, and a shoulder strap which pulls the opening together. Very handy, and I felt safer with it than with a plain bag – nothing a razor wouldn’t get into, of course, but it easily and comfortably slung under the arm and forward for good control.
Spiral notebook 5x8" is a good size, fits in a day bag easily, and a pen clips into the spiral for convenience. Names and addresses, notes… all want a good, collected place in which to follow you home.
Personal/Business Cards A friends gave me cards from the Odonata community – terribly handy, what? It made it easy to leave and take contact information.
USB cruzer This new USB technology allows you to load all of your favorite programs onto a handy memory stick. The size of a baby’s finger, these things give you 2Gb of memory – enough for all your work and to contain a huge number of pictures, which you can download from your camera and carry home with you (what I will do, when I leave my camera with Manny). I run a browser and email clients from this stick – meaning my personal information is never written to the local computers. Too cool. they only work well in the newer machines – but there is always a good Internet Cafe around with better equipment… and that is the only kind of place you want to use, anyway.

03-Travel