General Travel Advice and Equipment List

Myles’s General Travel Advice and Equipment List:

Lots of time on the road and not much tangible to show for it except for this.  Nothing is a rule but these are the things that work for me.

General Advice:

• You will really start to realize the importance of size and weight of your bags when you start moving about lots. Getting it on and off buses, storing it on buses in rooms, carrying it, giving it someone else to carry. Keep it as small and light as possible.
• Don’t carry heaps of medicine.  I carried spares (just in case) of everything and it was pointless. It mostly goes off and manky and takes up lots of room.
• Don’t Take Consumables you can buy on the road unless it is specialist. Just buy small tubes of things like toothpaste not big ones. Its really cheap and again saves on room and weight.
• Don’t take lots of bank cards with you. 3 max with 2 different providers. You will lose track of them since they will be in different places. Make sure you have checked the expiry dates on them. Also call the bank and tell them what you are doing. Tell them the correct contact details. When I was in Bulgaria I got told off for not doing this because they saw funny patterns in my withdrawals.
• Don’t bother buying a mosquito net unless you are going to Africa.
• Only ever carry one book. You just swap it as you go.

• Don’t carry all your guide books. Just take the one you need and then try and swap it with someone coming out of the next country. There are English book shops in all big cities and most tourist destinations where you can get a lonely planet.
• Where you can get a towel in a hostel or hotel get it. Those travel towels do the job but it is not the nicest drying yourself with them all the time. They are also like shamy leathers so the more you use them the better they get.
• Make use of your plus no fees account and just take little bits of cash at a time. If you are going somewhere and are not sure if it has a cash machine take extra.
• Don’t bother with travellers cheques
• Always have some emergency dollars with your passport. Only use them if you have to. Dollars is the best currency for general use.
• Don’t take anything you are not prepared to lose
• Don’t take any jewellery.
• Don’t take your fancy watch
• For Malaria – I wouldn’t worry too much about it. If you suspect you have it just times the dose you are taking by 3 and go and see a doctor.
• Writing a journal is a really cool thing to do. But you need some discipline. I always find that when bored, lonely, lost that this is the best thing to do since it reminds you of all the cool shit you have done.
• Stay away from the tourist restaurants on square and some of the tourist menus can be just rip off deals. As people that run the hotels and hostel for their advice always.
• You can always get free maps of places from hotels so just go in and get one when you arrive somewhere.
• Don’t be afraid to share a room with someone on occasion. As you are alone you have to pay single occupancy lots of times which can be annoying and eat into your budget. Obviously you have to use your senses as to whether or not you are happy to do this.
• Don’t bother carrying syringes. It is really pointless. If you had an accident and were in a situation where you needed assistance firstly you probably couldn’t communicate with the medical people to explain that you want them to you use your needles and secondly you would probably be unconscious.  Again I think this is one for serious adventurers or Africa.
• If you are in a small place and there aren’t many people around and you feel lonely just go and find the nearest party hostel to find some people to chat to. They will probably be drunk and very young and you will soon realize it was better to feel lonely!
• Watch what you carry in terms of things like valium. In lots of places you can get strong drugs over the counter but as you move around different countries different places have different rules.
• Where possible sit on the side of the bus where they put your bag under the bottom. This way you can keep your eye on stuff as people get on and off. I would not fret too much about it though. The professionals will always get what they want it’s the opportunists that you are trying to stop. Many bus companies have a ticket system. Always try and get one but don’t worry too much if you can’t. Always try and watch it put onto the bus.
• To  start with you will feel disorientated by the freedom and lack of routine. Best trick I found is to try and keep a routine of some description – get up at the same time, always write you diary before bed etc.
• Make maximum use of Wifi and Free Breakfasts.
• For cold don’t just take a big coat or jacket. Think about how you can layer the clothes that you do have. Big coats just take up loads of room and its difficult to regulate temperatures.
• Don’t under any circumstance use 100% Deet as a mosquito repellent. It destroys everything.
• Local mosquito repellents can be very good. Quite often they just use weird stuff. Once I used a lemon detergent and to this day it is the best repellent I ever used.
• Only go to hospital if it is really serious. If you can hold off for a big hospital with English speaking doctors definitely do this.
• Get an E111 form. I think that is what it is now. Im not sure if they are just for Europe but it is worth checking out. You usually get them in the post office.
• The Foreign office website is worth a look for updates on local situations. However, it will scare you shitless and you will wonder why you are not wrapped up in cotton wool back in your flat J
• Cook a few meals of your own in shared hostels and places. It is really cheap and enjoyable doing shared cooking with people.  It is far too easy to eat out all the time.
• Never ever use street exchangers for cash. They are all criminals. Also don’t ever change money near to borders. You get ripped off on exchange rates. The people that do this are very very good and I have been done before even though I knew that I was going to get done. They just talk so quick and somehow you are giving money over before you have even thought about it. Just walk away. They will chase you and harass you.
• If you are unsure in any situation just follow the locals.
• Know what your blood group is to tell people if you have an accident.
• Put all the details of your vaccinations on line with all of your other stuff. I wish I had done this since I lost my card and don’t know what Ive got or when it needs renewing.
• For storing all your information online I would use Google Docs. Its really easy you just do it through your google account. It is in the top left hand corner and you can upload anything pretty much or just write directly into it.
• In places with lots of animals its worth just doing a quick check for scorpions and stinging stuff. Generally in tropical places don’t give them places to climb into.
• Make sure you put your mosquito net down about 1 hours before the sun goes down.
• See how many chargers you have for things and see what you can reduce. Ie if you can charge equipment through the USB on your laptop so it means you don’t need plugs do it. UK plugs are the worst of all since they are more bulky. I would keep all your chargers together.
• Write a list of all your kit and take quick photos of your expensive items in case you need to do an insurance claim.  Actually I have never done this but it would probably be a good idea if I wasn’t so lazy.
• In terms of anti malarials I would go for either Chloroquine, Proguanil or Doxycyline (I have carried these but not really used them) They are all low cost. I would check with the Doxy though as I think women can have problems with it. All the anti malarials have different advantages and disadvantages.  Only about 10 people per year in the UK die from it so its not such a big deal.
• You can actually buy some clothes that have mosquito repellent in the fabric. So maybe have a look at them.

Equipment:

• Don’t carry photocopies of stuff except passport. Save everything else on line.
• Carry a couple of passport sized photos. You can use them for visas.
• If you have an old passport carry it with you and then if anyone asks you for your passport give them your old one.
• Buy a smaller wallet and start using it now so you get used to it.
• Get yourself a decent passport and document holder. Something like mine to carry everything important in. This is the one thing that you can not lose. They sell them in all the travel shops.
• If you get a multi tool get a leather man instead of a Swiss army. They are much more useful!! Someone will no doubt buy you one.  Make sure it has scissors on it.
• 1 book
• Personally I always carry a compass. This one is a bit strange but I like to know where I am and find it surprisingly useful especially orientating myself in cities.
• Don’t bother with a money belt or any of that fancy stuff. They just get in the way and are clumsy and you can draw more attention to yourself when trying to get into it under your clothes. Just use a wallet and securely store some spare money somewhere else in your main bag. Some people sometime stitch some emergency cash into their bag somewhere.  One thing that you could think about for security is just a simple steel line and lock. I had one for a while but never really used it. All you do is put everything in your big bag, secure it with a lock and then tie your big bag to something secure.
• Your best bet is just set yourself up with a Western Union account and if you get stuck you call somebody and you can pick the cash up immediately.
• Silk liners are useful and light and small. You don’t need to worry so much about dirty linen then in rooms.
• Don’t take your fancy watch. Get something that is waterproof, has an alarm clock on it (this way you don’t need a new alarm clock), and also some now have something on it called memory bank which allows you to store a few numbers on it. This is surprisingly useful for passport numbers or the like. G-Shock do a few – don’t bother taking your watch off in the night.
• Get a head cover for your toothbrush. They are dead cheap and it keeps it clean rather than rolling around in your bag.
• Always look like you know where you are going even if you don’t. Even more so if you are feeling nervous. It is very easy to spot the people who get done over and they are the non –confident ones. Even if you aren’t pretend you are.
• Always know the words Hello, please & thank you  in the place language. Say them stupid and the locals laugh and warm to you straight away. It’s the best way of breaking ice with local people.
• The further away you get from tourist places the friendlier and more humble the people become generally.  I would where possible try to not ask in these areas.
• Look for foreign people and ask them if you are stuck. You will spot the travelers
• Always ask to see the room. Don’t be afraid to say no and walk away. Check the lock on the door. Lots of places have an additional loop where you can put your own lock. Make sure you are carrying a couple. I would go for a combination lock. This way you don’t have a key to lose.  One thing that you could carry for additional security is a simple plastic door stop. When you go to bed all you do is just wedge it tight under the door from the inside. It is obviously not going to completely stop someone but you will wake up with someone trying the door.
• Always think about how you would get out in a fire also.
• Cigarettes are a useful way to break ice and speak to people if you don’t want to just go bounding in. Offer one ask for one.
• Don’t bother with most of the travel gimmicks they are rubbish
• Don’t bother with phrase books unless you are really going to study the language. You won’t use them and they weigh lots.
• Get a decent head torch. This is one of the most useful things ever. I would not bother with a normal torch just a good head torch. Pezel do some good ones. This is one of the essential items.
• Carrying a few tea bags can be useful.
• Don’t take expensive sun glasses. Just go and buy some from Boots for a tenner. You can get some good one. Make sure they actually have some eye protection!
• Take some sun block
• Take a stuff bag. You can get them in travel shops. You just use this for you dirty washing.
• Don’t bother with loads of pairs of socks. Just a couple. Just buy more as and when you need them.
• A bottle of that antiseptic hand wash is very useful to carry with you.
• Bandanas are useful. You can use them for lots of things.  As a cover for your head, tissue, mop up sweat,
• List of things I carry in my wash bag:
  • Travel Towel
  • Scissors
  • Tweezers –
  • Hand mirror
  • Toothbrush
  • Chap stick
  • Suntan lotion
  • Liquid soap
  • A small packet of tissues
  • Razor and Blades
  • Shave cream
  • Nail Clips
  • Pain Killers
  • Band aids
  • Stomach Pills
  • Flu Powders
  • Tami flu
  • Multi Vitamins
  • Ibuprofen Gel
  • Antihistamines
• Some things that might be useful are and I tend to have:
  • Sewing Kit (needle; thread; buttons; small safety pins, etc.)
  • Safety Pins (4-5; large)
  • Zipper Pulls (can substitute w/ small zip ties)  - These things are great!
  • Rubber Bands (4-5; heavy-duty)
  • Spare batteries for your head torch.  Usually they are AAA and they can be harder to find.