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Step 4Packing/Stuff
Star:
Make yourself a knife, first thing. I can't count the number of times a knife has come in handy on a trip. If you flew to the country you're in, make a knife using no tools with this instructable
While you're traveling, you won't be in the mood for reading fiction. But you will likely be hungry to learn everything about your fascinating new land. This is the best possible time to read history books on the country you're in, so if you're going to bring books, bring history and culture nonfiction related to your new surroundings. Reading about the history of a place and at the same time experiencing the sights and sounds that fill in the colors is a positive feedback experience that enhances both experiences.
Unpack your stuff every now and then and spread it out to see what you have and to let it dry out.
Tim:
I bring some 20 foot chunks of 1/8" spectra cord to tie my windows and doors locked at night, or make falling-junk alarms. It helps me sleep. The windows and doors never lock properly and often don't even latch. Lots of people have keys.
You can secure a door by jamming a chair under the knob.
Friends were in nepal and a travel pal came to breakfast looking like hell saying "I saw a guy taking my stuff. We struggled in the window. He fell..."
one shoe was on a roof, the body in the street with police.
Another friend was raped her first night in london in a hostel, the guy came in the window.
Another friend was given a drugged drink and raped by a guy she was hanging out
with for a day. These are people I know well. Unfortunately women are targets for that sort of thing.
But families and older women will be very hospitable to a woman. You can ask them for anything. It will make them happy, so don't be shy about it. I met many more people when traveling as a couple.
Emily says appearing lesbian is great for travel, which is mostly about not paying attention to men or doing eye contact patterns.
The cord is also good for clotheslines to dry clothes in the room at night.
Bar soap leaves residue on clothes. Shampoo and dish soap are good, laundry soap best.
Blue shampoo is good for fungus but can kill your skin flora leading to b.o.
Bring two longsleeved quick-drying shirts, with dirt-hiding patterns, and two pairs boxer shorts with the fly sewed shut. If it's too much give one away. A pair of zip-leg convertible pants/shorts are good. A hat. That's all the clothes you'll need.
Bring a pair of swim goggles so you can look at fish when you swim.
A sarong makes a good sheet, sun scarf, foot strap for climbing coconut trees, furoshiki, sheet. Some places the hotels don't have sheets.
I carry my passport in a neck pouch with emergency money. Make photocopies of your passport front page, some places the hotels need that. Split up your money and cards, but don't be so careful you'll lose stuff.
Inside pockets are good, those zipleg pants usually have good pockets inside pockets.
Some like money belts. I have one but haven't used it. I leave passport with the hotel manager in the safe. Sometimes they'll tape it in a bag and mark it to show they aren't tampering.
Write down the numbers of your cards and traveler checks. Email them to your folks. An
atm card works almost everywhere now, and is less hassle than moneychangers. My atm card has been eaten by foreign atms, which really sucks. Bring two.
I've carried a water filter all over the place and never used it. The I used it without reading the directions and drank the silver poison crap it came packed with. Then I let it get moldy. Buy drinking water. It costs one dollar/shekel/money thing everywhere in the world.
Your bag should be as small as something you'd carry on campus.
You've got money, that and the guidebook means you don't have to carry stuff.
Every now and then it's good to dump your pack upside down and take stock of what's inside.
Dustin:
pack your bags before you go to bed
You're bleary eyed, hung over and it's surprisingly complicated just
to gather a few belongings into your travel bag. Granted you slept in
a bit, and granted you need to take a shower and then wait for your
mate to take a shower and then go out and grab a bite to eat. Before
you know it 1:30pm has rolled around and you haven't done a goddamn
thing.
It's just much much easier to pack your stuff before you go to bed.
You can wake up and bounce out the door in five minutes. it's great.
bringing along a sarong is my favorite tip. It's light and fast
drying. Can be used as a towel, sheet (for those nasty beds), skirt,
head covering (sunny days)... you can tie things with it -- or to it
Don't take clothes.
If you're going to a third world country, clothes are cheap. You're
going to want to buy souvenirs anyway. Buy some that will make you
fit in with the locals. I've had great experiences buying local
sports jerseys, great conversation starter.
make sure you have a copy of your passport
(preferably scanned and uploaded somewhere) and copies of other
important docs (credit card info, paper plane tickets)
Also I like to stash a few $20 bills somewhere -- if I'm using my
daypack, then i'll stash in my backpack.
Orian:
For traveling on a budget I always carry a small pot and sometimes a pepsi can stove or other small camp stove. Cooking your own meals from market or dumpster food can significantly reduce what you spend for food.
I usually carry a small sleeping bag, too. Sleeping outside is an excellent way to save money and a bag greatly increases your ability to do so in chilly weather. Put it in a compression stuff sack to save space.
I usually carry a bivy too in case it rains, and to keep bugs away at night. Mine's olive green so it's easy to sleep lots of places without people finding me. It's less essential than the sleeping bag though, since its usually pretty easy to find something to sleep under if it's raining (bridges are great, especially when you're not in a city).
Make yourself a knife, first thing. I can't count the number of times a knife has come in handy on a trip. If you flew to the country you're in, make a knife using no tools with this instructable
While you're traveling, you won't be in the mood for reading fiction. But you will likely be hungry to learn everything about your fascinating new land. This is the best possible time to read history books on the country you're in, so if you're going to bring books, bring history and culture nonfiction related to your new surroundings. Reading about the history of a place and at the same time experiencing the sights and sounds that fill in the colors is a positive feedback experience that enhances both experiences.
Unpack your stuff every now and then and spread it out to see what you have and to let it dry out.
Tim:
I bring some 20 foot chunks of 1/8" spectra cord to tie my windows and doors locked at night, or make falling-junk alarms. It helps me sleep. The windows and doors never lock properly and often don't even latch. Lots of people have keys.
You can secure a door by jamming a chair under the knob.
Friends were in nepal and a travel pal came to breakfast looking like hell saying "I saw a guy taking my stuff. We struggled in the window. He fell..."
one shoe was on a roof, the body in the street with police.
Another friend was raped her first night in london in a hostel, the guy came in the window.
Another friend was given a drugged drink and raped by a guy she was hanging out
with for a day. These are people I know well. Unfortunately women are targets for that sort of thing.
But families and older women will be very hospitable to a woman. You can ask them for anything. It will make them happy, so don't be shy about it. I met many more people when traveling as a couple.
Emily says appearing lesbian is great for travel, which is mostly about not paying attention to men or doing eye contact patterns.
The cord is also good for clotheslines to dry clothes in the room at night.
Bar soap leaves residue on clothes. Shampoo and dish soap are good, laundry soap best.
Blue shampoo is good for fungus but can kill your skin flora leading to b.o.
Bring two longsleeved quick-drying shirts, with dirt-hiding patterns, and two pairs boxer shorts with the fly sewed shut. If it's too much give one away. A pair of zip-leg convertible pants/shorts are good. A hat. That's all the clothes you'll need.
Bring a pair of swim goggles so you can look at fish when you swim.
A sarong makes a good sheet, sun scarf, foot strap for climbing coconut trees, furoshiki, sheet. Some places the hotels don't have sheets.
I carry my passport in a neck pouch with emergency money. Make photocopies of your passport front page, some places the hotels need that. Split up your money and cards, but don't be so careful you'll lose stuff.
Inside pockets are good, those zipleg pants usually have good pockets inside pockets.
Some like money belts. I have one but haven't used it. I leave passport with the hotel manager in the safe. Sometimes they'll tape it in a bag and mark it to show they aren't tampering.
Write down the numbers of your cards and traveler checks. Email them to your folks. An
atm card works almost everywhere now, and is less hassle than moneychangers. My atm card has been eaten by foreign atms, which really sucks. Bring two.
I've carried a water filter all over the place and never used it. The I used it without reading the directions and drank the silver poison crap it came packed with. Then I let it get moldy. Buy drinking water. It costs one dollar/shekel/money thing everywhere in the world.
Your bag should be as small as something you'd carry on campus.
You've got money, that and the guidebook means you don't have to carry stuff.
Every now and then it's good to dump your pack upside down and take stock of what's inside.
Dustin:
pack your bags before you go to bed
You're bleary eyed, hung over and it's surprisingly complicated just
to gather a few belongings into your travel bag. Granted you slept in
a bit, and granted you need to take a shower and then wait for your
mate to take a shower and then go out and grab a bite to eat. Before
you know it 1:30pm has rolled around and you haven't done a goddamn
thing.
It's just much much easier to pack your stuff before you go to bed.
You can wake up and bounce out the door in five minutes. it's great.
bringing along a sarong is my favorite tip. It's light and fast
drying. Can be used as a towel, sheet (for those nasty beds), skirt,
head covering (sunny days)... you can tie things with it -- or to it
Don't take clothes.
If you're going to a third world country, clothes are cheap. You're
going to want to buy souvenirs anyway. Buy some that will make you
fit in with the locals. I've had great experiences buying local
sports jerseys, great conversation starter.
make sure you have a copy of your passport
(preferably scanned and uploaded somewhere) and copies of other
important docs (credit card info, paper plane tickets)
Also I like to stash a few $20 bills somewhere -- if I'm using my
daypack, then i'll stash in my backpack.
Orian:
For traveling on a budget I always carry a small pot and sometimes a pepsi can stove or other small camp stove. Cooking your own meals from market or dumpster food can significantly reduce what you spend for food.
I usually carry a small sleeping bag, too. Sleeping outside is an excellent way to save money and a bag greatly increases your ability to do so in chilly weather. Put it in a compression stuff sack to save space.
I usually carry a bivy too in case it rains, and to keep bugs away at night. Mine's olive green so it's easy to sleep lots of places without people finding me. It's less essential than the sleeping bag though, since its usually pretty easy to find something to sleep under if it's raining (bridges are great, especially when you're not in a city).
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Remember not to sleep under a bridge in areas prone to flash flooding.
Only make yourself a shiv if you really can't get hold of a regular pocket knife. A regular pocket knife can be explained away as a sensible tool for a traveller to carry, provided it complies with the knife laws of the country. A shiv just makes you look like a nutter.
Thank you very much for this instructable , it has good idea so you can't care too much about safety and it doesnt break your relaxing trip