Packing '08
From Macska Travel Co.
Or, How to Pack for a Trip Around the World
Contents |
[edit] Update 2009
This year's packing list will be at Packing '09. I'll again see what I can distill from what we learned, as again learned new things. :-)
[edit] Introduction
We spent quite a lot of time working on last year's packing list, but in the end, we made a few changes and over the course of the trip it turned out that we were carrying too much of some things and not enough of others. In the process of writing this year's list, I thought it would be useful to first go over what worked and what didn't from last year. Therefore, without further ado...
[edit] Lessons Learned In Regard To:
[edit] Packing Theory
Excellent digest of packing theory -- The essential thing here is to learn how to pack light by knowing what you need to take from home and what you can get on the road. Last year, this seemed like sensible advice, but with the falling value of the US dollar, almost everything we need will actually be cheaper at home.
Furthermore, as we discovered, buying medicine abroad in a third world country (Mongolia) is a daunting task at best if you can find something actually worth buying. The United States Pharmacopia still has some of the highest standards for drug manufacture in the world, and when a set of aspirin or bufferin costs under $5 here at home, why try to save some money buying it abroad?
We never did test whether or not rolling or folding your clothes was better. I still prefer folding, but I think as long as you can pack it in without wasted space, it doesn't really matter. In all likelyhood, you will not want to pack your pack so tightly that this is actually a concern because it will be too heavy and cumbersome.
[edit] Planning for Weather
Don't worry about the weather. You can go nuts trying to optimize for a particular climate, but in the end, you will almost always end up wearing your sneakers either because you're walking a lot or because you're trying to protect yourself from mosquitos, so you'll never need your sandals. Pack a light sweater with a collar and an additional rain jacket to block wind and rain if necessary. Don't bother with an umbrella -- the vast majority of the time you will just step inside a little cafe if it rains, and if you absolutely need to walk in the rain, your pants and shoes will get soaked no matter what. An umbrella is just extra weight and offers relatively little protection.
Obviously, if you are travelling in the winter, you will need to pack heavier, but nevertheless, it wouldn't make any sense to pack for the off-chance that there will be a few warm days.
So, don't worry about what may happen. Pack for general trends in weather and always carry something to keep you warm if it gets cold for some reason.
[edit] Last Year's Packing List
We had no problems getting into churches so long as we had pants; some more conservative places may require long-sleeved shirts as well. Our white clothes stayed white, so that was not a problem.
Consider shopping online at Sierra Trading Post, US Outdoor Store.com, Moose Jaw, Old Navy, Target, and naturally, Froogle. Shopping online worked for us.
- Basic Clothing
- shirts: bring more than two. Bring a week's worth; they're light.
- long-sleeved shirt: only if you are planning on attending a formal event. Otherwise, you will not wear it.
- moderately-heavy fleece sweater: a complete life-saver. Sweaters with built-in moisture-wicking and wind protection are even better. If it doesn't fit tight around your neck, have a full-length zipper and two zippered pockets, leave it at home, as it's useless.
- convertible (zip-off) pants: another total life saver. Synthetic fabrics are nice and light, natural fabrics have the advantage of being somewhat warmer, but also heavier. Drawstrings at the ankles, or some kind of hack for this will be a life saver in mosquito-laden areas.
- bathing suit: we never went swimming, and I don't think we will this summer either. It really just takes up space.
- underwear: bring whatever you are comfortable in; synthetic or natural, it doesn't matter as long as you're comfortable. Bring at least a week's worth; females can take even as much as ten days' worth easily because they're smaller.
- socks: again, whatever you're comfortable in. Our synthetic socks were too warm and did not breathe as well as cotton. In our experience, "quick-drying" is a somewhat loaded term. Yes, they dry quicker than cotton socks, but our cotton socks also dried overnight. They certainly don't dry "quickly".
- Footwear
- Sneakers / Running shoes: You will not go wrong with these. Bring a comfortable pair that's broken-in. Do not try to be clever and try to wear your current pair of shoes down while you travel until you feel justified in getting rid of them! I injured my left foot doing that and it was completely stupid and pointless, as I just ended up buying a new pair of shoes when I got back home anyway. You will find it difficult to buy the shoes you know and like abroad.
- Toiletries: Choose containers and tubes that have twist-on caps, not flip-tops or pop tops. Twist-on caps will withstand much more abuse without busting open. You can put all your stuff in a waterproof container for safety if you like, but if you're careful with your bag you'll be fine. In all truth, you don't even need a toiletry bag as you can just keep all of your stuff in your backpack.
- travel towel: it'll never be the same as a big, cotton towel, but it works extremely well in a pinch. It will also tend to acquire a funk while travelling that will be difficult to get out. Still recommended, nonetheless.
- silicone-based shaving cream: I like the Edge or Gillette brands. Small size, works great, lasts forever.
- travel bottle of shampoo: the problem with travel bottles is that they're too small. A small, common bottle of your favorite shampoo (with twist-on cap!) will work fine. It's heavy, and you can buy shampoo almost anywhere, but you don't always know what you're getting.
- travel bottle of conditioner: some people will want it.
- toothpaste: just make sure that it has a twist-on cap. Buy this at home, as you have no idea what you can find in foreign stores.
- deodorant: I like the stick variety. A total necessity.
- razor and spare blades: if you're going for a short while, you can skip the spare blades and the little razor handle holder, which will save a little weight.
- floss: do it, it's good for you. Floss can also be useful as a string in a pinch.
- nail clippers: necessity.
- toothbrush: find some way to keep it covered or it will get your pack messy and the brush will deform while getting shifted around. I don't recommend keeping it with your water bottle.
- washing line: this was immensely useful when we did our own wash. However, I strongly recommend just getting your wash laundered if you can. First, it's cheap. Second, it will save you two or three hours. Third, if you don't have access to a washing machine, it will completely wear your hands out washing clothes by hand. (Yes, I have first person experience. In a hotel bathtub in Omsk, no less.)
- Weather Gear
- travel umbrella: don't bother, it's not useful; see above.
- sunglasses, with case: some people like them, some people don't. Feel free to bring a cheap pair you won't mind losing on the train.
- sunscreen: doesn't need to be waterproof, SPF15 is enough. Sunscreen is really like condoms: nobody likes using them, but nobody complains when they do their job, either. Use it.
- bandana: wind and sun protection. I never brought a bandana, but I did use a handkerchief as a bandit mask in a sandstorm in the Gobi desert while crossing into Mongolia from China. It wasn't perfect, but it helped a whole hell of a lot!
- chapstick: you will need it somedays, either because of the wind, the sun, or the surf or whatever. A small tube is fine if you don't lose things.
- Food, Water
- spoon, spork and/or knife: A small teaspoon is fine in a pinch. Plastic silverware is abundant, so you are only likely to need this if you routinely shop at grocery stores (good idea -- it's cheap!) Still, it's not very heavy and takes up little space.
- water bottle: a controversial issue. Nalgene bottles are no longer hip, as the clear kind are made with Bisphenol A which is suspected of causing chronic toxicity in humans after repeated long-term exposure. I recommend taking a small water bottle anyway, because you will help to cut down on plastic use around the world, and I always like to have water around when traveling around cities or hiking, especially in the summer. A 1 liter bottle is too big, in my opinion -- a half-liter bottle would be enough for a morning jaunt for one person, and then refilled.
- water bladder: I carried one around the world and never used it. It's mostly useful if you're carrying your pack, which you'll be doing as little as possible, and hence, it's useless. Leave it at home.
- plastic bowl: useful, you might think, but I used it once during the course of a three month trip. I'll be leaving mine at home. Somehow there was always a container if you needed one, and sometimes you just didn't need a plate at all.
- Utility Equipment
- compass: never used it. Aside from the problem that geographic north and magnetic north are different spots (but cities are usually aligned to geometric north), it's just hardly ever useful. It's not important what the cardinal directions are but where you are or what intersection you're at.
- utility knife: I like my Victorinox Swiss Army knife. It's a little heavy, but it was tremendously useful for cutting things open, unscrewing things, opening wine bottles....
- short length of duct tape: never used it -- I would leave it at home. Some kind of tape is usually not hard to find in stores.
- First Aid, Sleeping Aids, and Mending Aids: Buy your drugs at home -- see above. Having said that, let me note that I schlepped our little pharmacy around the world last year and we literally used it once. Partly, this is because we never needed to: we each got sick only once and were never struck with a bad case of traveller's diarrhea. Second, I prefer to not take pills unless I know I need to. Third, the one time we bought medicine in Mongolia, it was because I didn't pack any cold meds. All in all, I think it's difficult to predict what you will need while travelling, unless you know that you have specific problems. Ergo, we'll be taking only two sets of drugs: antibiotics for bacterial food poisoning / severe diarrhea, and allergy meds. I figure anything else we may need such as throat lozenges we can get out there or make due with something local.
- Therefore, we will be taking:
- band-aids: just a few are enough; bring some different sizes and try to find a small baggie or plastic case for them as they tend to fall apart.
- three-month supply of the pill
- anti-histamine pills (e.g., Benadryl): you would be well-advised to test out several different allergy drugs at home and figure out which ones actually work for you.
- antimalarials: obviously, whether or not you need these depends on where you're going. Take a look at our Inoculations page for all of our research on what malaria drugs to take. We have to take malarone, which is not covered by Kaiser, Blue Cross / Blue Shield, or United Health / Student Resources.
- antibiotics: only for bacterial food poisoning or severe diarrhea. I've had bacterial food poisoning, and trust me, antibiotics are wonderful.
- small sewing kit: a length of strong thread, a needle, maybe some spare buttons. You know, I never used it. I'll probably downsize to just a little thread, a needle, a pair of buttons and five safety pins.
- two set of earplugs; foam, self-molding. Buy them at home, they're hard to find abroad. They can be a life-saver when you need some peace and quiet.
- And will not be taking:
- cold/flu pills with decongestant
- throat lozenges (these are also heavy!)
- antiobiotic ointment (e.g., neosporin?): never needed it.
- anti-diarrheal pills (e.g., Pepto-Bismol in pill form)
- simple cotton sleeping sack: never needed one. I guess times have changed. Especially if you book ahead and find yourself good hostels, it's not hard to find clean, cheap, safe places.
- Therefore, we will be taking:
- Entertainment & Electronics
- camera: with charger, spare batteries, and USB cable. SecureDigital cards are incredibly cheap now, so go ahead and bring a few GB's worth of storage. You will never regret having extra space.
- travel tripod: small, useful, and a total lifesaver in dark situations. It's annoying to carry around, but man, sometimes it's the only way to get the shot you want.
- headlamp: I think the only time we used our headlamps was in a Mongolian ger. Realistically, I think I'll leave mine at home this time.
- cell phone: we should've brought these the first time! We got separated in Switzerland and these would've saved us a whole day's worth of agitation and worry about wondering where the other one is. A good, used quad-band (worldwide-compatible) GSM cell phone runs about $25 on eBay, so it's really a no-brainer. Make sure the phone is unlocked and comes with a travel charger and good battery. Buy SIM cards locally on the cheap. Just being able to send a text message to someone else when you don't know where they are can fix everything!
- travel alarm: watches have them, phones have them, computers have them.
- pocket calculator: you don't need it, trust me.
- mp3 player / radio: your choice. Just remember that it needs batteries, will make you an easier target, and is the kind of thing that might get stolen.
- laptop: OK, this will sound stupid, but I picked up a very light (2.3lbs), small laptop in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, and it made a humongous difference. First, we were able to get on the web wherever there was an access point and make free calls via Skype, as well as check email. Second, I was able to rig a little system to backup our pictures to the laptop and then to my home server, which meant that we didn't worry about losing our pictures if something happened to the cameras or SD cards. Third, we kept track of our accounting and journal on this little beauty. I will be bringing it again.
- Containers
- backpack: more than anything else, make sure that it's comfortable and fits you well. I think it's worth spending $200 on a backpack that fits you well. Second, make sure that you think it's light. You will not regret spending that much.
- day pack: messenger, book bag, whatever you like. You'll be using it all the time to carry stuff around cities. Packs that let your back breathe or have some kind of support are nice so that tripod you're carrying doesn't dig into your back.
- leg wallet: these are little wallets that strap to your leg and let you carry your passport, spare cash, ATM cards, etc.... We found some for $20 and they were extremely useful. It's not a really a safety issue, since we felt safe everywhere we went. Leg wallets take a little getting used to (and they're quite warm, also), but they never fell off (it does take a little practice figuring out where you want to carry it), and we never lost anything that we carried in them. We'll be using them again.
- Reading, Information, & Documents
- printout of our entire Wiki: used it once. Will probably go without this year.
- pair printouts of Embassy locations and phone numbers: never used it, but will do it anyway as a backup.
- printout of city histories and descriptions, gleaned from the web and guidebooks: barely used them and heavy. It's much more convenient to just get it all from the web on the go.
- reading material: never needed it.
- combination lock with wire loop for fastening backpack to bedframe or whatever. We never needed this..., although we should have taken a little lock to use with lockers. Locks are annoying because they're heavy, but sometimes you need them.
- notebook with pen, pencil and eraser: useful for all kinds of things.
- passport: if you are a citizen of multiple countries, I recommend you still only take one passport. First, if you lose one then you've only lost one, but second, if you have two and your traveling companion has only one, that might look weird to a border guard.
- student ID and ISIC: student ID's are good for museum discounts; the ISIC is formality.
- driver's license
- credit card and debit card: Ensure that you've called your credit card company and bank and let them know that you will be traveling. Otherwise you may end up visiting Kyoto only to spend your time frantically making calls from the post office to get your card working again. Please avert your little ones eyes so that I can tell you clearly: bank and credit card company call centers are complete clusterfucks of mediocrity and will inevitably fail to rectify your problem the first time you call them. Save yourself the time, money, hassle and misery and take care of it from home.
- copy of certificate of all vaccinations: we never had to show this, but it can't hurt.
- copies of all important documents, including visas and visa support documents. Kat will carry one set and I'll carry the other.
[edit] Packing for '08
We'll be working in Geneva for the first eleven weeks of the summer, so I'll break the packing list down into three areas: living in Geneva, specific items needed for the Geneva portion, and specific items needed while traveling. Before we take off for this summer's travels, we'll pare down some of our items and take a smaller subset with us.
[edit] General Packing
For all items here, there may be much more extensive discussion of pro's and con's above.
- Basics
- 10 sets shirts, socks, underwear
- 2 pair zip-off pants
- 1 dress shirt with nice sweater
- 1 fleece sweater
- 1 bathing suit
- 1 pair sneakers
- Toiletries
- 1 travel towel
- 1 small bottle silicone-based shaving cream
- 1 tube toothpaste
- 1 stick deodorant
- 1 razor and set of replacement blades
- 1 roll floss
- 1 pair nail clippers
- 1 toothbrush
- 1 washing line
- 1 dish nivea creme
- 2 bars soap (unscented soap can be hard to find!)
- 1 comb
- Weather Gear
- 1 small tube sunscreen
- 1 thin rain jacket
- 1 light hat
- Utility Equipment
- 1L white Nalgene water bottle
- 1 small teaspoon
- 1 Swiss Army knife
- 1 small, keyed padlock
- First-Aid
- 4 assorted Band-Aids
- 1 set anti-histamine pills (diphenhydramine -- Benadryl -- works for me)
- 1 small bottle ibuprofen
- 1 small set sewing kit
- 4 pairs foam earplugs
- Electronics and Other Gear
- camera, charger, 1 spare battery, 1 spare SD card, USB cable
- 3 european-style plug adapters
- tripod
- laptop, charger, spare wireless card
- headphones and funky adapters for plane ride
- Carry-Alls and Comfort
- 1 large traveling pack
- 1 smaller day pack
- 1 suitcase
- 1 leg wallet
- 1 travel neck support pillow
- Documents and Currencies
- 2 sets embassy locations and phone numbers
- 1 notebook, pen, pencil, eraser
- 1 passport(s)
- 1 student ID and ISIC
- 1 driver's license
- 1 credit card, debit card, and savings account card
- 1 copy of vaccine certifications
- 1 set copies of passport, new visas (vietnam, cambodia), and driver's license
- Whatever Euro, Swiss Franc, and Forint I have
[edit] Packing for Geneva
- Gifts
- Graziano: iPod Touch
- Sanyi: impact wrench kit
- Vitya: wedding gifts
- Dad: (shhh, it's a secret!)
- Work and Study
- Get on laptop electronic copies of books (Boas, Arfken/Weber, Griffiths)
- Binder with notepaper
- Bedsheet set
- Utilities
- Pair of cell phones (pickup from Mom and Dad)
- regular screwdriver with bits, package of assorted bits, fine screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, regular pliers
[edit] Packing for Travel
- General
- 1 set baby wipes
- Jordan
- 1 set of local clothing (pickup there)
- Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia
- 1 set anti-malarials for 9 days' travel
- 1 set DEET (30%-35%)
- 1 set of mosquito nets for beds
- Japan
- Excitement!
