Travel The MEGA Travel Thread!

[mariacallas]

^Omg....I totally forgot about that! YES! Sarong is indispensable...You can use it as a beach coverup, towel, blanket, to wrap clothes in, and if it has a nice print, a trendy wrap !

 

[TheSpade]

Uhh explain? I'm a writer and very passionate about writing and journaling.. I think Id go mad without a journal to write in

Online blogs if you need to write your ideas down.

thespade: so you really think flipflops and a razor are more important than paper and pencil??

Of course I do. If your travelling in a warm climate flip flops or sandals are essential. And a razor is always essential unless you plan not to shave ever.

Pen and pencil is not even close to being essential.

Hooded top. -- um, not really THAT important.

Usefull if it rains, is cold or for at night.

Swim shorts. -- also not that important.

Wouldn't leave home without them. If in hot weather you wear them during the day and when travelling, saves sweating like a bitch. If you hit the beach or stumble across a pool your sorted.

Travel tower (compact and dry much quicker than normal towels). -- ok

What do you suggest then? Normal towels are far too big, take up too much room, stink and take forever to dry.

Toothpaste. -- if you're travelling for just a few days (or going to a place where you can buy these), mouthwash is enough.

I disagree. There's no way I'd go a day without brushing my teeth let alone a few days regardless of where I was. Personal hygiene is important to me and healthy teeth is especially.

Small roll on deodrant. -- why?

To mantain some sort of personal hygiene in hot climates.

Razor. -- why?

To shave? What else you going to use it for, you not familar with what you use a razor for?

Can/bottle opener
- Towel (big enough to double as bed cover)
- Guidebook, pen, and paper (good idea deja!)
- Lucky charms
- First Aid Kit
- Basic nutrition: Oatmeal, Multivitamin, water, honey, tea, Ketamine
- Portable water heater
- Bowl (doubles as cup)
- Valium (essential for long trips)
- Flashlight
- Pillow
- Portable sewing kit
- Mouthwash
- Soap
- Technology: Laptop, Camera, Phone, PSP
- As many books as one can carry

The idea is to travel light and not lug about everything you own. Most of that stuff is unneccessary.

A little luxury from home
Swiss army knife
Nail clippers

If your travelling isn't the idea to get away from home? You can't take knives through customs. Nails growing slightly isn't much of a problem.

 

[papa]

the pocket fisherman.

 

[socko]

This is my list for next week. I'm still working on it -- for winter travelling (urban) overseas:
wearing:
shoes
fleece jacket
shirt
cargo pants with lots of pockets for carrying and keeping organized my ids, money, camera, gps, mp3 player, and other electronics, flight schedule, food, and motion sickness pills

in my day pack:
extra pair of pants
extra shirt
sweater
3 underpants
2 pairs of socks

beanie
gloves
a few paper back books
postcard size notebook with short pencil
small flashlight
mp3 player
cell phone and charger
paper towels and napkins
sun glasses
chap stick for dry lips on long flights
travel size deoderant
tooth brush
a ziplock bag with a weeks worth of toothpaste and dental floss
razor
sliver of soap
gps with maps (euro city navigator 2009) preloaded

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Online blogs if you need to write your ideas down

Nah. I won't be at internet cafes the whole time. I like to go hiking and sit alone and write out my thoughts in a journal. I'd need one with me a lot. Geez man it's not like it takes up that much space lol. I'm not one for traveling SUPER light anyway. I'd rather have things I want with me. As long as it's not super heavy stuff!

 

[Jamshyd]

What do you suggest then? Normal towels are far too big, take up too much room, stink and take forever to dry.

Last time I checked, "ok" was a sign of agreement.

I disagree. There's no way I'd go a day without brushing my teeth let alone a few days regardless of where I was. Personal hygiene is important to me and healthy teeth is especially.

If you eat healthy, you wouldn't need to brush your teeth so much. Maybe it is different for others, but I speak from experience - I never had problems with bad breath or damaged teeth going a few days on mouthwash alone (and healthy eating).

To mantain some sort of personal hygiene in hot climates.

Erm, deodorant just covers up stink, and ends up stinking even worse. Hardly "hygienic".

To shave? What else you going to use it for, you not familar with what you use a razor for?

So its ok for your nails to grow a bit, but unacceptable for your facial hair to do the same?

The idea is to travel light and not lug about everything you own. Most of that stuff is unneccessary.

So I guess we just have different priorities. My idea is to be as self-sufficient as possible on long (=months) trips away from home.

 

[Miss Peks]

I have an 80 litre backpack and although it was very useful for me at the time (moved to London for a few years) I found that it was way too big and HEAVY, mind you I was carrying 24 kilos in there, I kid you not!

I went to vietnam and had 8 kilos of luggage with me in that bag (could have gotten down to six, but I decided to go for a big towel and take the hair straightener. On the way back to Australia I had 17 kilos and any heavier I would have been wanting to kill someone. The bag has been put to a lot of use over the past 4 years and it's great, but sometimes a suitcase is better, especially if you're going to Europe and probably the States too. Or alternatively don't get anything more than a 65 litre backpack.

 

[TheSpade]

If you eat healthy, you wouldn't need to brush your teeth so much.

I don't care what I've eaten or even if I haven't eaten at all my teeth are brushed twice a day. Toothbrush is an essential travel item.

So its ok for your nails to grow a bit, but unacceptable for your facial hair to do the same?

Nails dont grow that quick and you can always pick them / rip them off. Facial hair grows quite rapidly.

My idea is to be as self-sufficient as possible on long (=months) trips away from home.

I don't care how long I'm going for 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years I'd take the same amount of stuff. 5kg max.

I have an 80 litre backpack and although it was very useful for me at the time (moved to London for a few years) I found that it was way too big and HEAVY, mind you I was carrying 24 kilos in there, I kid you not!

That is absolutely insane.

but I decided to go for a big towel and take the hair straightener.

Taking hair straightners travelling? To me that is complete madness which I cannot understand.

sometimes a suitcase is better

Suitcases are good if your going on holidays where little travelling around is to be done but not for someone on the move all the time who's going to be carrying it a lot.

Or alternatively don't get anything more than a 65 litre backpack.

It's still awfully big. I think 35 litre bag max.

 

[Jamshyd]

^ I really wish I could find a post by you where you aren't judging others.

 

[socko]

I thought that was one of the points of this thread. I've gone on group backpacking trips where, before the trip, everybody empties their packs and the trip leader comes around and takes away extra things you don't need. THe idea, on the backpacking trip anyway, was to lighten peoples loads by removing heavy things so they won't slow down the rest of the group.
Understandably, you might start to get mad when take away something you really wanted, but it usually turns out to be helpful in the long run. This thread seems similar.

 

[Jamshyd]

It would have been more understandable if he didn't spend his time judging people in other threads, too.

 

[TheSpade]

I really wish I could find a post by you where you aren't judging others.

This board is for people to say what they think on the given subjects. That's what I do. I don't pussyfoot around the subject if I think something is stupid then I let people know.

 

[Jamshyd]

^ Well you're free to be as unpleasant a person as you'd like, just don't break the rules (the whole respect part to which you seem oblivious) while you're at it (admittedly, I am not referring to this thread in particular).

 

[Miss Peks]

Taking hair straightners travelling? To me that is complete madness which I cannot understand.

Why? Sometimes I'm actually WORKING when I'm away overseas. I get paid for it so I have to look presentable.

I don't care how long I'm going for 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years I'd take the same amount of stuff. 5kg max.

LOL don't be so uptight :D

Suitcases are good if your going on holidays where little travelling around is to be done but not for someone on the move all the time who's going to be carrying it a lot.

I still stand by my comment. 90% of the time I'm not walking 3kms to get to a hostel / hotel and I'll get the train or a taxi. A suitcase is fine for those situations. Hell even a suitcase (smallish one with wheels) is ok when you do have to go walkabout.

That is absolutely insane.

I moved to the other side of the world. I'm not justifying that for you.

This board is for people to say what they think on the given subjects. That's what I do. I don't pussyfoot around the subject if I think something is stupid then I let people know.

It's called tact.

 

[TheSpade]

Well you're free to be as unpleasant a person as you'd like, just don't break the rules (the whole respect part to which you seem oblivious) while you're at it (admittedly, I am not referring to this thread in particular).

Don't you worry about me breaking the rules, OK?

If you find me disagreeing with you on a message board unpleasent I've no idea how you survive in the real world.

Sometimes I'm actually WORKING when I'm away overseas. I get paid for it so I have to look presentable.

Going abroad to live and work is a totally different thing from travelling to me. When someone says travelling I think of being on the move visiting different places not going to a country, living there and working.

 

[socko]

What do you think of taking a gps (loaded with the city maps - GArmin city navigator europe 2009 nt) to a major european city? Is it easy enough to get a free map there and get directions from people or should I take the gps for convenience? It is slightly larger than a cell phone.

 

[spork]

^Personally I'd be worried about that getting stolen, but it does sound convenient. IME, it's easy to get a free or very cheap map in Europe.

 

[ugly]

I wish we had had some sort of GPS driving around in Ireland. We got lost a lot. Do NOT forget to take tweezers. Firewood causes splinters. I also find that my cell phone doubles as a flashlight.

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Why the hating on the big bags? You don't have to fill it all the way. Better to have extra room than not enough room and end up carrying shit around, I say. I don't even think my 80L looks that big actually compared to some I've seen.

If you eat healthy, you wouldn't need to brush your teeth so much. Maybe it is different for others, but I speak from experience - I never had problems with bad breath or damaged teeth going a few days on mouthwash alone (and healthy eating).

You're lucky. Because of my health condition I have to take extremely good care of my teeth or I could get bad infections in my mouth. I had one before that spread throughout my body and sent me to the hospital.

It's still awfully big. I think 35 litre bag max.

There is no way in hell my stuff would fit in there. How do you fit everything in there? I wish I could pack that light, but I have some things I do need. Gotta take care of my health and my body.

 

[TheSpade]

Smaller bags are good for many reasons. They are easier to carry, take up less space, less conspicous, you can take them on planes as hand luggage and not need to wait around at airports, you can take them on busses with you instead of leaving them in luggage holds and wondering if they'll still be there when you get off etc.

80L bag is fairly big.

As for how I fit everything in I just don't take much. Two change of clothes in the bag (wear another) and toiletries + a few little extra things.