What to Bring Abroad

Yo,

I've become restless with the number of ideas popping into my head of what to write on my blog so, instead of noting this one down for future listing I figured it was important enough to let all of you know now.

General list of what to bring on any trip:

• A durable backpack/daypack (I recommend Pacsafe and love mine :)
• Common toiletries aka toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.
• Towel (hostels often don't supply them and if you are camping a towel definitely comes in handy)
• Several changes of clothes (you had better get used to wearing your pants/shorts on multiple days unless you are okay with forking over the big bucks for lots of laundry)
• Camera(s) (you want to record as much of this for future memories and stories to tell others ;)
• Jacket/hoody/sweater or any combination of those depending on the season and weather of the location(s) you will be in
• WWOOF book (see earlier post or go to WWOOF.org)
• A map (or GPS if you have the money for one)
• Sandals and tennis shoes (if you are traveling to a warmer climate sandals are perfect and even if it the weather isn't warm, I tend to wear sandals within the showers of hostels because they can be quite dirty and I am not fond of picking up athletes foot from those showers ):
• Money! (The universal mishap solvent)
• Sunglasses
• optional a laptop or notebook computer (I brought mine with me on my current trip to OZ and NZ and haven't regretted it. It isn't very heavy at a 13" Mac and because I constantly view my e-mails, work on my blog, and chat it up on Skype and Facebook . . . ^^ it has really come in handy. I also have my iPhone for music and notes so maintenance and updates are possible with my laptop.

My backpack as shown here is the Pacsafe Daysafe (Daypack) which has a capacity to hold 28 liters (explained in a minute) and is made of very strong ballistic nylon. There is a safe insert which is reinforced with high-tensile steel meaning, it is a high-strength steel capable of withstanding much force and strain without breaking or deforming.

The safe insert is removable and comes with a removable laptop sleeve. The safe insert has a steel drawstring that can be tied to a sturdy pole or beam preventing it from being snatched.

I bought the bag not because I figured OZ or NZ would be dangerous but because I knew I would be traveling often, with my nice laptop and other valuable which depending on my location, a strong, safe daypack like this would make me feel much more comfortable.

The Daysafe is very comfortable to wear with an air mesh padded back support and padded straps. I often carry in excess of 7 kg/15 lbs in my bag and hardly feel the extra strain.

This would be a good point to mention that the Daysafe with the safe insert weighs 1.9 kg/4.3 lbs. So, you may want to take that into consideration but, regardless of the heavy weight, I think the bag is worth its weight in gold.

The straps are slashproof which means they are reinforced with the same high-tensile steel.
It comes equipped with tamperproof zippers meaning they clip into a carabiner-like fixture on the bag preventing your gear from being snatched from within the bag.
The straps are also snatchproof, this means one of the straps can be latched around a nearby fixture preventing any quick snatchings of your expensive laptop, bag and other gear.
Oh, and it comes with a nice, durable Pacsafe padlock.

Within this bag I carry not only my laptop but also my Wacom Bamboo Touch Tablet, my Sony A700 DSLR and two lenses, several books, 2 pairs of glasses, recharging cables, a 60gb iPod, matches, flashlights and more miscellaneous items.

As you can see, the bag can hold tons of stuff and I don't have a single concern regarding the safety of them.

I recommend packing under 25 kg/55 lbs in your larger check-in bag/suitcase. If on a long trip you may be allowed a larger weight limit but if you decide to take domestic flights or buses in the country of your choice they may impose the same limit specified above.
If you unluckily go above and beyond that limit fees can be ginormous! I once paid $10 for every kg I was over and it came up to $60. When the initial price of the flight was $110 I felt totally ripped off!

So, products such as shampoo, body wash, etc., I recommend buying in the relevant country, shoes that are packed should be very light such as Vans or just wear them and pack your sandals. Jackets should be worn, not only because it reduces the weight of your baggage but flights can be quite chilly. Finally, your laptop and camera should be brought in your carry-on baggage for obvious security and safety reasons.

Note: Remove the batteries from your camera equipment because the X-Ray machines could cause some current to run through your camera causing undesirable malfunctions.

Now, this is just a general list. When you next plan your trip I recommend looking over this list to ensure you have these items at a bare minimum.

Okay, I think I've given you tons of data you can use for any future trips. Sorry for not cover slang I've been busy-as ;) I'll tell you more later.

Peace,
Daniel A