Idle banter forum

Top 5 Essentials

1. A genuine smile and the patience that comes with it. This won't always be easy -- and at times may seem truly impossible -- but the rewards are worth the effort. Breathe, you are alive.

2. Pen and notebook for words and phrases you pick up along the way. Trying to learn as much of the local language(s) as possible is a great way to break the ice, and you'll surely have young and old in stitches with your earnest mispronunciations.

3. Comfortable, cheap rubber flip-flops. You'll be taking your shoes off before entering temples, mosques and homes -- and in many regions even restaurants and shops -- leaving them just outside the entrance. Comfort is key here, because once you find a pair that won't give you blisters the shoes your brought from home will find their way to the bottom of your pack. And the cheaper the slippers are, the more likely it is that they'll still be there waiting for you when you're done admiring altars, mihrabs, et al.

4. Dry bag. The smaller, supple kind seem to work best. Just big enough for the stuff that can't get wet -- like notebook, camera, headlamp -- plus room key and a bit of cash. Can be clipped to water bottle for ultra-light excursions.

5. Large refillable bottle and water purification tablets. Garbage disposal is far from a delicate science in Southeast Asia. There are, however, terrible heaps of plastic and styrofoam trash nearly everywhere... and the growth rate seems exponential. Still, the idea that it's their own home that's being choked to death with this non-biodegradable waste hasn't hit many people yet. It's starting to sink in, though some feckless restauranteurs still won't refill your bottle because they'd rather sell you a 500ml Aqua... even if you've just ordered a large meal. But with a little effort you can easily cut down on the bottled water bad habit -- and you'll be drinking a LOT of water in the tropics. If you're staying in one place for a few days consider buying one of the industrial size water bottles, since these are reused and recycled. Leaving a minimal footprint in this breathtakingly beautiful part of the world has to make you feel good, right?

Congratulations on your upcoming to visit Southeast Asia, bettysheis! It certainly won't be your last, and you may just decide to stay.

Good tips!
For me, the following:

a) No preconceived ideas
b) a ball of string (fixing mozzie nets, tying up annoying children)
c) notebooks and lots of pens (not to give away, but I lose pens all the time)
d) Plastic/dry bags

Cheers!

A note of the giving candy thing, last week, the traveller I was on the boat with gave the kids as Samphan some crayons -- they tried to eat them, thinking they were candy...

1) a good quality torch! this was pretty helpful when guesthouses either didn't have electricity after a certain time OR their bathrooms had no lights OR when staying overnight in a village [on a trek!]. My maglite was invaluable
2) a travelfish t-shirt is a good way to make friends - "oh wow, travelfish!!"
3)phrasebook - not being afriad to use it and get everything wrong!
4)INSTANT COFFEE
5) those trousers that turn into shorts! i usually kept the trouser/shin part with me if i thought there might be a possibility of going into temples. Easily zipped on if needed and no need to walk around in silly heat in trousers.

Man, you guys take a lot of interesting things.

I don't stay in crappy places without electricity unless I am on a combat patrol - and I don't do those anymore. So, I never take a mag light. If you think you might be styaing in places without power, then I agree with Christy that they're useful.

I do not wear shorts EVER. I like full length pants which protect my legs from insects and, on the rare occassion and I am moving through vegetation from things that would give me nasty rashes.

Also, for the same reason, I don't wear sandals or any type of open top footwear. I don't find it that hot here, and I find it uncomfortable riding my chopper with me (which I do every day) and they offer no protection against insect bites.

Because I do not leave my skin exposed, I do not use insect repellent, so I don't need to carry that either.

Phrase book or dictionary is great. I strongly advise carrying one. Helps with communication problems.

Obviously most people want happy snaps to remember their trip with, so a small camera that fits in a cargo pocket is a cool thing to have.

I would buy a telephone and SIM card here and keep it in case of emergencies. You can get them pretty cheap.

Please don't listen to the people who tell you not to bring many clothes (or at least buy enough while you're here). I can't tell you the number of backpackers who have walked past me on a bus and are just plain ripe. Nobody wants to sit next to that. This is the tropics, it's how, you're going to sweat. I normally use two shirts a day. If you plan to go get a massage, then shower first and put on clean clothes. Wear perfume or cologne. The funky tourist syndrome, who takes the grunge look to the next step of just being grungy, is gross.

mp3 player for those long bus journeys!!

Madmac.....Ubon is running 38-39C right now. You don't find that hot? Bettysheis...don't buy the Thai fisherman pants that even the Thais don't wear.

There's one thing that has'nt been mentioned I find absolutely necessary and that's the good old toilet tissue.You never know when you're going to need it.

5 things I had to ship home/give away/chuck within a week because they turned out to be an utter waste of luggage-carrying stamina:

1. All the clothes I packed "just in case". As it turned out, I never did get an invite to a gala whereby I'd need to wear a full-length gown (duh...).

2. A sleeping bag. Unsurprisingly, most guesthouses in SEA provide mattress & bed linen. (Having said this, my travel buddy Lambro was almost devoured by bed bugs so a silk sleeping sheet might not be such a stupid idea.)

3. Books. I packed 3 months worth of reading. Little did I know you can't swing a dead cat in SEA without bumping into a decently stocked, decently priced bookshop/market stall/vendor abounding in English literature. I would suggest carrying 1 book at a time, maybe a second one for backup.

4. Plug adaptor. Pretty useless since the 4 countries I visited use the same kinda plugs we have at home in Italy.

5. Socks. Don't go well with flip flops.

Au contraire, the things I found to be infinitely useful were:

1. My trusty pen knife.

2. Converse trainers: lightweight, reasonably sturdy, dry quickly after climbing out of wrong side of a boat.

3. Cargo pants bought on day 2 in BKK.

4. Dylon Travel Wash: £0,99 from Boots. Saved me on several occasions from smelling like aforementioned backpacker, particularly considering my new-found love for cargo pants. Terrific detergent power!

5. Travel pillow. (A really good one, earned me several envious looks on more than one journey.)

Have a fabulous time, wish I could say "See you there"!
FSH

1. A light backpack. As Madmac noted, you'll sweat like a pig. My solution: bringing breathable t-shirts and polos (the Climacool kind), they are light, will keep you cool, don't get bad odors and dry fast.

2. Breathable, waterproof hiking boots, for all needs. I also keep cheap flip flops to use in the beach, hotel room,...

3. iPhone (or any other phone with wifi capacity). I don't like using PCs in internet cafes, prefer to use wifi when available. Also useful to check maps and provide reading material without having to carry books with you. If the trip is long you can always buy a SIM card and use the phone.

4. Towel. I always carry a white lungi (handmade white cotton sheet) I got in India a long time ago. It's light and dry fast.

5. Ziploc bags. I carry all of my stuff (money, passports, hygiene,...) in those. Light, transparent and waterproof.

Maybe its to late to add something useful to this thread, but here it goes anyway;

1. one pair of durable and very comfortable footwear. Walks easily gets way longer than planned.

2. A towel. The one and only thing you really when travelling, according to "The hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy".

3. A god quality multi-tool, Leatherman or similar. Good for anything, from opening coconuts to repairing sunglasses.

4. pen and notepad.

5. a small med. supply for minor wounds and and conditions, like fever, diarrhoea etc.


Hope you will have a good trip!

netbook
phone
cash
patience
one ounce of gold

the last two will always get you home!

If we add up all of the things instead of five we end up with some 50 things you can't travel without. Funny. Guess we all have different priorities.

1. Duct Tape - multiple uses - rolling a small wad off the roll makes it lightweight and small.
2. small, even tiny, flashlight even if you don't plan on staying in places without electricity - you never know.
3. antibiotic cream (such as Neosporin)- good for scratches, jellyfish stings...
4. feminine products if you want something specific
5 silk sleep sheet - lightweight, keeps you off skanky bedding, can be worn as a sarong

1. Ear plugs/eye mask
2. Book
3. Vaseline/lip balm
4. Clean socks
5. Pen/paper


I probably sound like the most antisocial tourist ever, with eyemask and earplugs but sometimes you just want to sleep!

Yes Andrea, ear plugs !!!!!

1. Kindle ( I love to read mainly non-fiction and while bookstores are plenty, I can get exactly what i want on a kindle)
2. Netbook - Keeping blogs up to date, planning on next destinations, watching movies on long bus/train rides.
3. Iphone/Ipod - great for long trips
4. Lightweight breathable shirts/pants
5. SLR

Hmm...looking at my list i think i qualify as a techie.

Hmm cool, I'd like to get back on this topic.
I just can't believe that people can't travel with things they mentioned here.
ex. Iphone, Netbook, books, ...

I can't imagine that you really need those things to travel (Ok, I'd accept that these are things that can be useful on a trip), but is it really so that you can't travel without it (topic-title).

I've been thinking now for about 10 minutes for something I can't travel without and just can't seem to find one.

Maybe 1 thing is money but even then, if you don't have money with you, you'll still be able to go around, only less luxurious (as staying in temples f.e.).

I do agree with some other things listed here that you actually need like clothes and stuff, but that's standard. and KazAussie's post about the small bag is a good one as well.

So Betty, how was the trip?