| This list features everything we originally packed for a 6 month long trip. It is intended for other travellers who may be researching for themselves what they might usefully take along.
We shared quite a lot of stuff between us, of course, and there are certainly items that the average traveller wouldn't necessarily want to take, like computers and all the associated software, bits of wiring and 'stuff'. We also added further essential items as we went, showing these clearly in italics.
You may want to check out the 'universal packing list' which is located at the following URL http://www.henricson.se/mats/upl/ We found this a useful starting point ourselves: he also features specialist items relevant to others who are interested in e.g. scuba or trekking. This comprehensive list can also be accessed via the Lonely Planet site. Also, the various travel guides tend to have brief but useful lists that are well worth looking through.
One of the secrets of good packing is to just 'be' with all your stuff for a while, slowly getting rid of nonessentials, discarding unnecessary packaging and actually thinking through what you'll be doing, where and when - then packing finally the day before you're due to leave home. Aim to pack as neat, light and loose as you can.
Things that you're unlikely to want but do need to take just in case (like most medical stuff) can be bought in the smallest of packs, or transfer just the amount you need into a smaller container. Likewise, you can buy common, everyday items while travelling, so just take enough to keep you going for a week or so. Although hunting round Indian backstreets for lots of little bits and pieces that have just run out can be a big waste of time and energy - use common sense here. Clothes should be reasonably 'flexible' and practical. Don't take scruffy, worn out clothes as they won't last on the road for long. Similarly, very delicate items like a lace or silk blouse won't stand up to the laundry person pounding it clean on a river side rock!
As your trip progresses, various items will probably become of no further use - a book or jigsaw that has been completed, used travel guides, etc. They can be given away or swapped with other travellers. Also, rationalise things - why have two half full bottles of sun screen when you could mix them together to make one. Share things if there is more than one of you travelling. Pack very tidy because your stuff then tends to fit in the space you have available rather than taking up an additional bag or two. Pack things in their own sub-packs - medical bag, toiletry bag, paperwork wallet, etc. This makes the constant packing and unpacking whilst travelling much less of a burden - you can also find things, saving a massive amount of frustration! Don't buy much stuff en-route - do you really want to carry all those souvenirs around for 6 months?
- Toiletries (packs in one toilet bag each)
- Small tube of shaving cream
- Tiny bottle shaving oil (ran out - should have packed two!)
- Razor handle with pack replacement blades (replaced with disposables as we go)
Unscented deodorant
- Unscented soap in container (given away - never used. Carry a small hotel soap for emergencies)
- Face cloths - good for carrying around on beach for sweaty faces, cleaning car windows.
Small shampoo
- Hair conditioner
- Hair wax
- Toothbrushes and small tube toothpaste
- Sunscreen 1 medium x20F, 2 large x15F and 2 small x15F (carry one of latter in day pack)
- Lip balm
- Liquid laundry soap (used as backup to hotel laundary service)
Half toilet roll (in emergency, can also use collected paper napkins from restaurant's visited! Only needed in India and Sri Lanka)
Small towel - shared for when hotels don't supply
Super-light travel towels (Never used - lost one!)
Small, unbreakable mirror (Never used!)
Contact lenses, case, liquid (Dave)
- Contact lenses - daily disposable (Jenny)
Tampons/pads - 3 month supply, depends where you're visiting
Face moisturiser (bought UVA protective type later on)
Face cleanser
- Blob of blu-tack for bunging up plug-hole (what happens to all those plugs in India?)
- Cotton buds
- Small perfume
- Dental floss
- Essential oil
- Nail file/scissors
- Cotton wool
- Hair clips
- 1 lip stick
- Eye cream
- Small comb
- Health (all packs quite small in a toilet bag)
- Small selection plasters
Malaria tablets, type as advised for each country - buy as you go as cheaper and less to carry!
- 4 syringes and several misc. sized needles ... just in case!
- Ear plugs - 2 sets each as easy to lose
2-3 medium safety pins
Small sewing kit with few extra buttons
- Multivitamins - one a day (hardly used)
- Cystitis powders
- Ibuprofen
- Imodium
Dioralyt rehydration powders
- Insect repellent roll-on for exposed areas at night (bring a couple, tho' can buy local brands too)
- Insect bite itch reliever (when the above doesn't work!!)
- Small athlete foot cream
2 small candles for when lights go out
- Small pack matches (most reasonable hotels supply complimentary packs en route)
- Moisturising hand/face wipes
- Eye ointment
- Traxa antiseptic drawing ointment (stings, cuts, etc)
- Mouth ulcer ointment
- Aspirin
- Paracetemol (mainly in case of fever)
- Hardware (takes far less space than you'd think!)
- 1 tough combination padlock for cheap hotel doors
- 2 smaller key locks for back packs
Swiss army knife (a good one is worth the money)
Small but fairly powerful torch
- Electrical screw driver with 'power live' bulb in handle
- 8 rechargeable AA batteries/charger
Apple Powerbook G3 with charger/mains adapter (replaced plug type as needed). Also doubles as pretty good CD player for some of those dull travelling evenings!
- 64mb memory upgrade (now to 128mb) for PowerBook. Not strictly necessary but Malaysia supplier much cheaper than those in UK and enables useful loading of many more programs at once.
- 2.5 x 2.5 audio connection cable enables recording CD's to minidisk and listening to minidisks aloud via the computer
- USB Iomega Zip drive, 2 Zip disks for data backup/exchange, connection cable, AC adapter
- USB Mouse (Belkin)
- Laptop computer motion alarm/security cord (strong/lightweight Defcon brand by Targus)
- Light, padded Samsonite brief case for computer/accessories
- Backup software CD's and 6 music CD's for laptop in zip case
- Key software: BBEdit 4.6 Lite, PDF-Blit, GoLive 4.01, Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0, OS 9.0, ForgotIt?, Netscape Communicator 4.6, Myth II, Conflict Catcher 8.05.
- Sharp handheld computer with PC Card slot modem (also works with Apple)
- Spare memory backup battery for Sharp
- Sharp-PC connector cable
- Several small velcro cable ties (to keep computer/modem cables tidy in bag - needed more!)
- Small case for handheld computer/software, minidisks, etc.
- Kodak DC240Z digital camera (uses same batteries as torch and handheld computer)
- 2 x 16mb and 2 x 8mb compact flash memory cards for camera/handheld computer (only really need one 16mb card as we download pictures every evening and leave card blank)
- Flash memory card/PC Card slot adapter (also enables back up of handheld computer data)
- Small, light collapsible camera tripod (used only once so far!)
Mini binoculars (hardly used until arrival in Aussie/NZ)
2m telephone extension cord - UK one end American the other
UK/American telephone adapter (can also buy local phone plugs en-route)
- UK telephone socket with bared wires for hot wiring
- Electrical socket adapters - 2 India/Asia and 1 Aussie/NZ (can also buy replacement plugs en route)
- Zip up bag for all cables, power and phone adapters, etc.
- Zip up bag for all batteries/charger
- Small alarm clock
Cellular Telephone (with world wide roaming facility enabled - no use without!)
- Divers wrist-watches
Sharp minidisk recorder/player/6 favourite disks - excellent for waiting or gaining some peace
- Minidisk protective bag
Minidisk AC adapter/charger (shares with handheld computer)
- Extra headphones
- Headphone 'doubler' plug
- Packing
- Karimor Sterling men's rucksack (60-70ltr expandable)
- Berghouse Shadow womens' combination rucksack (65ltr)
- Daypack - clips off the Berghouse pack (one with separate inner zip pocket is good)
- Daypack - won free in Singapore computer competition (lighter, more pockets)
- 2 x A5 ziplock polythene bags with 'essential paperwork' duplicates - one each
- Nylon stuff sack - intended for dirty washing. Light and folds very small - never used!
Double cotton sleeping sheet - rarely used!
Bum bag (3 compartments - contents between us camera, spare Compact Flash memory, pen, Stainless steel vacumn flask
Swiss army knife, tiny calculator, passports, international drivers licence, air tickets, insurance details, 50% travel cheques, 50% £'s and some local cash, address book/notepad)
- Wallet (velcro closure, zip pocket for change, space for cash and cards and 'wallet stuff')
Several small plastic bags - useful for lots of things and pack small. Ran out and never missed!
Paperwork
- Small filofax/notepad/wallet - all in one (Jenny)!
- Several airmail envelopes - pick up free from hotels
- Lightweight writing paper - pick up free from hotels
- 10 passport sized photos each - just in case, for visa's (only used a couple so far)
Passports
Traveller's cheques divided between us with a separate list of numbers!!!
- Marriage certificate and copy
- Birth certificate and copy
International and UK driving licence
3 ordinary envelopes (thrown away - can use complimentary hotel envelopes)
- Air tickets
- Cash - in £20's divided between us
- Wearables (Dave)
- Sunglasses/case
- Replacement sunglasses as above broken
- Two replacement t-shirts as one stained and thrown away, the other lost
- Glasses and spare pair (advise take own prescription too - or can be checked cheaply in India)
- 1 pr cotton socks
1 pr shorts (replaced by different pair as got too baggy!)
- Swagman hat
- 1 swimming shorts (more useful than trunks)
3 t-shirts
- 2 additional t-shirts to replace two thrown away and 1 given to jenny as it shrank!
2 short sleeve 'tidy' shirts
Belt
- Walking boots - lightweight
- Multipurpose sandals (Clarks were rubbish, replaced with Nike sandals)
- Lungi (may need for temples, like a sarong and also useful to wear, lie on, use as towel, etc.)
- Rohan Polar-fleece with rain proof upper layer - for mountains and esp. New Zealand.
- Combat trousers with velcro pockets - bargain buy from Gap. Invaluable for general exploring.
- Wearables (Jenny)
- Sunglasses/case/strap
- Glasses
- 4 bra's
- 6 pairs knickers
6 extra pairs knickers!!
- Lungi
- Tidy long skirt
Sun hat
Headscarf
- Sun dress
- 3 thin and 2 thick socks
1 pair boxer shorts (lost somewhere!)
- 1 tee-shirt
- Aussie leather hat
- Shorts
- second pair shorts
- 4 vest tops
- Another vest top
- 2 tidy long sleeved cotton shirts
- Another tidy long sleeved cotton shirt
- Rain-proof anorak
- Polar fleece
- Rohan travel trousers
- Walking boots - lightweight
- Multipurpose sandals
- Bikini
- One piece swimming costume
- Misc.
- Several biro's (for own use - kids ask for them but you'd need so many that where do you stop?)
Pack playing cards
- Travel Scrabble
- Diving fins and boots (pair each)
- Replacement diving mask (Jenny)
- MasterCard and Visa cards - each kept separate from other
Reading book - one each, preferably mutual interest for swapping - can sell/give away once read
Guidebooks - Lonely Planet/Lets Go type and colour tourist type - give away/sell/swap en-route. Can also buy en-route, just before needed, maybe at cheaper price than UK.
Angel cards (Jenny)
- Pocket jigsaw puzzle (given away once done)
- Couple of magazines - gave away once read
Domain name registration with web and e-mail forwarding via www.uk2.net.
- Ericsson GA318 GSM900 mobile phone, Vodaphone 250 - Global Roaming enabled
- Internet banking via Citibank (current) and Egg (deposit).
- Emergency e-mail via Hotmail.com
- Backup online via www.freedrive.com
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