10 little things to take on your international trip
Here are a few little things to consider putting on your packing list for your next international trip.
1
Calculator, Jodie Fosters character in Contact talks about numbers being the universal language that will likely be used to communicate with aliens, let me tell you, it works great on this planet too, from Bangkok to Beijing it goes without saying, says Casio in a market anywhere in the world, and the merchant will know what you mean if you forget to bring yours. It is recommended that he get solar powered ones so he never runs out of batteries and they are also more eco-friendly.
2
Alarm clock, many times you missed the morning call in small hotels and guest houses, you can also sleep in airports, train stations and bus stations and you will never miss your connection. If you bring an air mattress and a beach ball (I bet I take them for the pool) for the occasions of delayed flights and canceled trains. Yes, everyone else will be jealous of you, especially if you snore like a bear!
3
Compass, walking through the city will lead you back in the right direction if you turn around. It can be used to control the driver from taking you around in circles, surprising how much travel time you can save in Manila with one.
4
Multi-purpose electrical plug adapters, there are many on the market, they make some that you can change to many different pin and socket configurations. I have 7 different ones for all the different countries that I have the pleasure of exploring. The 2-prong round for 220 KV is the most universal in my opinion. A common adapter will take the ungrounded 110 KV American as well as the 220 KV 3 round pin and 3 large blades. If you have all US plugs make sure you get the grounded 2 prong plug adapter in the states, or you will have a very bad time everywhere as most countries in Asia are not grounded and the adapters are not configured for the 2 pins. grounded American single blade plugs.
5
The camera seems a natural thing, but not because of that. Safety: If you take a photo of a top head taxi driver you will be amazed at the transformation in your way, it also works as a vendor protection tool when you are being harassed by street vendors after you have used the 3 No Thanks Rule Buzz off.
6
Amazing immersion heater all the things you can do to eat and drink once you have one of these. I always double check that this is in my bag. I bring two on long trips just in case. I use it mostly for coffee in the morning and sometimes for noodles as a late night snack. Most airports have places where you can find a plug, sure beats paying $3 for a coffee or $6 for a sandwich. If you are a true backpacker traveling on a budget, use it to heat cold water in a splash bath to take the chill off a bit. Adventurous Try the Tuna Ala King Handmade Vegetarian Surprise, you’ll love it, I promise!
7
Super Glue I don’t know what will break on your ride, but in my experience they fixed shoes, sunglasses, BCDs, and held a friend in place until we could get him to a dentist, which I might add is not recommended. but for him anything was preferable to bread. I’m told that one of the first uses for Super Glues was as a combat medic and MASH surgery tool to glue wounds together until they could be properly closed in the rear.
8
Clips, rubber bands and safety pins, okay, I cheated, they are more than one thing, but they are very small and weigh nothing. Elastic bands to hold bundles of money after the stop at the foreign currency exchange. 100 USD = 766 yuan, that = 4000 baht, that = 400,000 riels becomes a lot of money to keep together, especially if it’s a lot of money like Thai 1000 baht notes or 100 yuan notes. Paper clips to keep tickets and receipts together in your book, also for extra passport photos attached to your passport where they are easy to find. Safety pins for broken zippers and for wounds if you run out of super glue.
9
Notepad and pens to write down things she’ll need to remember like flight times, phone numbers, and words she wants to learn like thank you, hello, and how much, which I normally don’t write anymore, since she just pulls out my calculator. The idea is also to have all your data in one place. In China they want their receipts back for everything; you can store them there too. I buy the little black booklets that fit in a shirt pocket and then keep them for after trips as souvenirs.
10
A sense of humor will surprise you at the many and varied uses you will get from this magical tool on your travels. Hope to see you using it soon!
