Packing List
Clothes
· 2 Pants
· Sweater
· 3 Short sleeved shirts
· 2 Long sleeved shirts
· Skirt
· Socks
· Running short
· 5 Underwear
· 2 Sports bra
· 2 Bra
· Bathing suit
· Rain Suit (Mountain Hardwear Typhoon Pant and Lyra Jacket)
· Hiking shoes (Salomon trail running shoes)
· Sandals (Olukai flip flops)
· PJ’s
· Ball cap
· Beanie
· Gloves
· Long underwear
Sleeping gear
· Hammock (Hennessy Expediton Hammock)
· Sleeping bag (Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 32)
· Sleeping bag liner (Sea to Summit Coolmax Mummy Liner)
Toiletries
· Shampoo
· Toothbrush
· Toothpaste
· Face wash
· Deodorant
· Ultralight towel (Eagle Creek Travel Towel)
· Make up
· Detergent
Documents
· Passport
· Copy of passport
· Copy of birth certificate
· Copy of drivers license
· Passport pictures
· Student ID
· Visas
Gear
· Spork
· Water bottle
· Carabiners
· Rope
· Camera
· Duck tape
· Compression bags
· Zip lock bags
· Lunch tin type thing
· Head lamps
· Fly rod and some flies
· Matches
· Steri Pen water purifier
· rubber bands
· Sink stopper
Backpack
Gregory Deva 60
Okay So we said that we would revisit this list after we had been traveling for a while and I know it has been longer than a while but here it is. Okay all the clothes we used. So much so that I had a hard time wearing other clothes when I got home. It felt like I was wearing someone else's clothes. I would have brought more normal clothes. All my stuff was hiking or outdoor clothes. This was great for all the trekking we did in South America but when we got to Asia we were in need of normal clothes. Good thing it was so cheap to buy everything in India.
If you are going to Asia I would recommend getting passport pictures there instead of the states. They are a lot cheaper there. The student id will get you some great discounts but some countries or companies only take the international one. If you are in Peru you can probably get a fake one, not that I am recommending you do anything illegal.
You must look into visas. Even if you do not need one to enter it only means that you will get one when you arrive. So when you go to Ireland and they ask you how long you are going to stay don't say one week. They will only give you the visa for the time you are staying. That means that stamped in your passport will be that you have one week even if as an American you get 90 days. I have not seen this in other countries but do your research. Also make sure you know if your visa starts the day you enter a country or the day you are issued the visa ( this is for countries that you have to get the visa before you arrive like India or China.
Driving in other countries is an experience, especially if they drive on the other side of the road. Most countries allow you to drive with out having to take a test in that country. As I said in the blog my boss had to pay quite a bit to insure me since an American license is seen as not as good until you are 25. I would definitely bring copies of everything important and do not keep them in the same place as your passport. I would also suggest leaving a flash drive with your documents on it with someone back home so that if you lose everything all you have to do is email someone and you have all your documents back. I was traveling with a guy and he thought he had lost his passport and did not have copies. It would have taken him a lot of time and a lot of trouble to get a new one with out the copy. Even with the copy I am sure it would be a headache.(it was under the bed) I have found that dealing with embassies is like talking to a robot. No matter how hard you try and clarify a question they give you the same answer. Like.. I will have to sleep on the streets of New Delhi tonight if I can not figure this out. Is there anything you can do to help? Guy who answer the phone on the embassy emergency line "Sorry the embassy is closed and there is no one here to help you." I called the emergency line. "Sorry there is no emergency line and the embassy is closed right now and no one is here to help you." Yeah that did not go over well. (we did not have to sleep on the street that night, and it was not because the embassy helped us)
A lot of the gear we brought you would not really need to take but it could make it more convenient. The water purifier was really useful in South America because it reduced the about of water we had to carry. We could just refill in a stream and purify it on the spot. We did not end up taking the fly rod although we wished we had when we saw some of the rivers along the way. It would have been too much to carry. We did use the lunch tin but we left it because it was just too bulky. The rope we used as a clothes line and everything else we used quite a bit. I would say that it depends on what you want to do on your trip. If you want to do hiking then really take time to get good shoes. No matter what you do traveling you will find someone whether another traveler or a local that is interested in doing that same thing. Never think that you will be alone you just have to get out there and start doing it and you will meet the people. Oh and I love my sleeping bag liner. I would not leave home without it. I almost want to sleep in it at home.
Backpack
Gregory Deva 60
Okay So we said that we would revisit this list after we had been traveling for a while and I know it has been longer than a while but here it is. Okay all the clothes we used. So much so that I had a hard time wearing other clothes when I got home. It felt like I was wearing someone else's clothes. I would have brought more normal clothes. All my stuff was hiking or outdoor clothes. This was great for all the trekking we did in South America but when we got to Asia we were in need of normal clothes. Good thing it was so cheap to buy everything in India.
If you are going to Asia I would recommend getting passport pictures there instead of the states. They are a lot cheaper there. The student id will get you some great discounts but some countries or companies only take the international one. If you are in Peru you can probably get a fake one, not that I am recommending you do anything illegal.
You must look into visas. Even if you do not need one to enter it only means that you will get one when you arrive. So when you go to Ireland and they ask you how long you are going to stay don't say one week. They will only give you the visa for the time you are staying. That means that stamped in your passport will be that you have one week even if as an American you get 90 days. I have not seen this in other countries but do your research. Also make sure you know if your visa starts the day you enter a country or the day you are issued the visa ( this is for countries that you have to get the visa before you arrive like India or China.
Driving in other countries is an experience, especially if they drive on the other side of the road. Most countries allow you to drive with out having to take a test in that country. As I said in the blog my boss had to pay quite a bit to insure me since an American license is seen as not as good until you are 25. I would definitely bring copies of everything important and do not keep them in the same place as your passport. I would also suggest leaving a flash drive with your documents on it with someone back home so that if you lose everything all you have to do is email someone and you have all your documents back. I was traveling with a guy and he thought he had lost his passport and did not have copies. It would have taken him a lot of time and a lot of trouble to get a new one with out the copy. Even with the copy I am sure it would be a headache.(it was under the bed) I have found that dealing with embassies is like talking to a robot. No matter how hard you try and clarify a question they give you the same answer. Like.. I will have to sleep on the streets of New Delhi tonight if I can not figure this out. Is there anything you can do to help? Guy who answer the phone on the embassy emergency line "Sorry the embassy is closed and there is no one here to help you." I called the emergency line. "Sorry there is no emergency line and the embassy is closed right now and no one is here to help you." Yeah that did not go over well. (we did not have to sleep on the street that night, and it was not because the embassy helped us)
A lot of the gear we brought you would not really need to take but it could make it more convenient. The water purifier was really useful in South America because it reduced the about of water we had to carry. We could just refill in a stream and purify it on the spot. We did not end up taking the fly rod although we wished we had when we saw some of the rivers along the way. It would have been too much to carry. We did use the lunch tin but we left it because it was just too bulky. The rope we used as a clothes line and everything else we used quite a bit. I would say that it depends on what you want to do on your trip. If you want to do hiking then really take time to get good shoes. No matter what you do traveling you will find someone whether another traveler or a local that is interested in doing that same thing. Never think that you will be alone you just have to get out there and start doing it and you will meet the people. Oh and I love my sleeping bag liner. I would not leave home without it. I almost want to sleep in it at home.
