by Norman Lee
Miscellaneous.
- 10 or so snap-lock bags (sandwich-size is what we recommend). These will be extremely handy for keeping things dry or dust/sand free, such as your phone, passport etc.
- Fake wallet with a small amount of currency, and/or an expired credit card – put this in one of the obvious pockets in your day pack. Thieves targeting you will hopefully find it thinking they hit pay dirt and then stop rummaging.
- Digital copies of your itinerary and passport stored on a Cloud service like Drop Box. If you lose them physically, you can retrieve them and it saves lugging around printed copies.
Electronics.
- Universal power adaptor. Get one of the devices that works for a myriad of countries, not just one.
- Noise canceling headphones and a two pronged plane adaptor. Frequently I have them on without any music going just to mute out the background noise from the plane or while reading at busy pools where kids screeching and running around.
- Kindle – forget books. So much lighter.
- Plan ahead when it comes to your WiFi and mobile connections. Not technically something you pack and yes, lots of destinations have frequently accessible wifi hotspots but some destinations surprisingly do not. (i.e. Japan). You don’t want to be roaming while you are there.
Basic Medical Necessities.
- Ibuprofen. Covers a sea of illnesses from headaches to hangovers to aches and pains.
- Imodium, particularly if you’re headed to a developing country and are the adventurous type when it comes to food.
- Band Aids, disinfectant and of course, sunscreen.
- Berocca tablets when recovering from long nights.
- ChapStick dry climates and long flights.
Attire.
- As much non-iron items as possible. You can roll them up tight to pack and then you bypass hotel pressing services.
- Pack your old clothes from home. You can kick about the hotel in these and donate them to a local charity before you leave vs. taking them home saving you luggage space, (extra space to bring back your shopping).
What you DON’T NEED.
- Printed copies of anything (go digital/cloud).
- Point and shoot camera or cheap SLR cameras. Learn the basics of framing and lighting and just use your phone!
- Aircraft pillows – really? You can’t sleep without it? I’d rather be a bit tired for a day than lug one around with me on holiday.
- More than two pairs of shoes. Depending on the purpose of your journey, one pair of casual and comfortable and flip flops should suffice.
- Travel magazines/books etc. It’s all online now.
- Excessive currency – ATM’s and credit cards are prolific in all but the most remote destinations.
