Travelling things

I recently read a very good blog:
http://www.vagabondlara.com/2010/05/my-packing-list-around-world-with-one.html#comments

It was describing a packing list for a trip to India and it got me thinking about what practical advice I would give.

so here it goes:

1. dress well.
In the developing world the people dress as smart as they can afford to. by all means travelling clothes which are lightweight, easy to clean and cool to wear are very useful. But when out there is a point when you say.. I am NOT travelling now. I am settled here for some days and I want to wear normal clothes. Jeans t-Shirt maybe even a shirt and a pair of smart shoes. These are needed to feel comfortable when all the people who suround you are apparently dressed up to the nines. I now generally pack the same as I would do at home with only a light weight travel version for the journey.

Bags
I have a vast experience and delight in bags. My wife moans and every new bag must force another one out the pile apparently. So I have become bag clever. One thing is that rutsacks are great for getting things around on foot. however. they are crap for living out of and even worse for leaving space in for new items or splitting. I take with me a super lightweight waterproof 150L bag I found at REI some years ago. It absolutely kicks ass! I have other duffel type bags which have pull out shoulder straps when I really need the space. One way to see it is the only time you will ever be able to pack properly are when your at your own home so once your 5 - 6 hours away from home.. it suddenly will spill out unless you have the space left or space to expand to.

Toiletries
Dont underestimate the medicenes you take without even thinking about it. simple parasetamol, antiseptic cream, plasters these things are not always easy to get hold of and should be kept and looked after. I normally take a collection of pills etc in my toiletries. on top of this I normally only take a small amount of normal toiletries soap, shower jel, toothpaste.. because most cleaning products are more than avaliable in the developing world or atleast a cheaper version which works just as well. and well for an extended stay, your more than likley to run out of anything you take anyway.

Batteries
Anything you take that needs batteries will invaribly need a battery or recharge during your trip.. take spares. preferably take the things which use the same size of battery to minimise the ones you take. remember humidity is a huge problem so take sealable boxes or bags to keep electronics in where possible.

Phones.
Make sure your cell phone will work where your going. it is useful to have your phone cracked so you can use a local sim card easily.

document bag.
I have found it vital to keep a document bag. about the size of an A5 document and seethough sides to hold documents and keep them dry and also able to fit into a small bag. Make copies of everything and keep these separate too.

Books
NEVER underestimate the worth of taking normal physical paper books.. there are numerous times you would NOT want to show a digital version and they are tradable and they are useful to read when bored which can happen often. Take at least 1 large one and 3 in total!

I recoemend the following vaccinations:
Typhoid, Polio, tetnus, yellow fever, diptheria, HepA, HepB, Chollera and some long term anti malarial. it may seem like overkill but you see someone having a malarial relapse and you understand why. be cautious of some of the antimalarial.. they have been known to cause depression.