Best things to take traveling with you.

Written 23rd July 2013.

I did say that I was going to make a post about the best things that we took traveling with us so here is a list.

The number 1 thing I would definitely take is a silk sleeping bag liner. Soak it in pyrethrum before you go which will kill bugs. It is a sanity saver when you are staying in places that may have bed bugs (which really can be anywhere). You can get these from lots of travel places.

And they are light and fold up small into a little bag. They are also good when you are staying in a hot climate with no air conditioning where you can't have a blanket on but you still like to have a sheet over you to feel snuggly (in Indonesia most places did not provide a top sheet).

Take a power plug adaptor. This one changes NZ plugs to Europen/Asian plugs.

This handy little toilet bag from Kathmandu was great. The design is really good so you can put all the things you need in there and it hangs up on hooks in showers etc. (You know some are a bit scummy and you don't want to put anything on the ground).

See the handy little hook.

A micro fibre towel. These travel towels feel a bit weird on your skin but they do save space. Since we were spending a lot of time at the beach we had two each (one for salt water/sand, one for the shower) Kathmandu's largest size (extra large) is about the size of a regular towel (this was the one we used for the beach) the blue one is size large and is about half the size of a normal towel. We used these for showering - they dry you but you can't wrap it around you. We always took the opportunity to use a real towel if there was one provided.

Buy a sarong along the way or get one before you leave. Very handy for impromptu clothing, something to sit on, a shade shelter, a desert face protector etc.

A head lamp. Very handy for doing anything in the dark when you need to use your hands (which is quite a lot of things). Also handy for walking through scary forests in the dark although it helps to have a spare battery on hand too...

These are THE BEST. If you only take 2 things from this list I would take the sleeping bag liner and these packing cells. I got this set from kathmandu and one for Steve too of course and they were FANTASTIC! I can not recommend them enough if you don't want to have a mental breakdown every time you want to find something in your pack. We used the small cell for electrical equipment etc. The medium one for medical stuff and the big one for clothes. I got these on sale and they were quite cheep. I think it was only $15 for all 3 but it was a clearance sale so was about 70% off. Pick some up next time Kathmandu has a sale. You won't regret it.

They pack neatly into your bag and you can instantly find anything you want whenever you need it. I would not travel without them now I have had them.

Travel padlocks.

Make a travel business card to give to friends you meet along the way. That way you never have to find a pen and paper to write down you email for people. I made these for free on www.vista print.co.nz and included this blog as well as our email addresses and NZ mobile numbers.

Pack safe lock. This goes around your pack like a big metal net and you can then lock your pack to something that cannot me moved/dismantled such as a bunk bed, metal fixtures etc to stop anyone from getting into your stuff. Good for backpackers or dodgy countries when you have valuables with you but don't want to (or can't) lug them around with you constantly.

A dry bag to keep stuff safe in watery places.

A travel cushion if you find it tricky to sleep sitting up. This one is inflatable so you can flatten it right down if you're not using it.

And a universal plug comes in handy if you ever need to wash anything in a sink weather it is dishes or your undies or your face. Great for campsites in Europe which have sinks to wash dishes but no plugs.

A travel clothesline is fantastic if you need to wash and dry your own clothes and you don't want to use a dryer. These ones can stretch out, so can fit in different sized gaps. They come with suction cups on both ends and little clippy things which are super handy. You don't necessarily need pegs, as you can push the clothes through the little elastic twists. I bought these from Kathmandu. 

For women, instead of lugging tampons around the world (they are not available everywhere), you might consider taking a menstral cup. Not only are they better for the environment, they are better for your body and wallet too. Plus you only need one for your whole trip/the next 10 years. If you don't know what they are - google it.

And of course a backpack and day bag (preferably ones that go together so they can be clipped together). These ones from Kathmandu are good because the day bag can attach to the back of the pack if you want or more handily to the straps of the pack so it hangs in front of you. This is how I always carried it when I had my pack on. It is handy for 2 reasons. 1, your valuables are right in front of your eyes where you can keep them safe. 2, you are more balanced - if I had the day bag on the back of the pack I would have toppled over backwards for sure!

I hope that information is helpful for any of you going traveling soon.

xoxo Amy