This is the first of what will be a regular feature, in which I interview travelers and adventurers and explorers and nomads, about what they consider essential when they travel. Everyone is different. Some people might bring six or seven scarves and completely ignore any type of undergarment. Others will think nothing of leaving their camera at home so long as they have adequate amounts of tranquilizers.
To each their own, I say. Here’s mine:
Snake anti-venom – Why? because snakes can be poisonous. Some snakes, they bite you and, almost immediately, your tongue falls out. Enough said. I take it everywhere.
Phone – Duh.
Notebook – I’m old school. I like to write things down so I don’t have to remember them. What I do is, I fill up a notebook and then I put it in a cabinet, most likely forever. Then I start the whole process over again.
Camera – I take lots and lots and lots of pictures, almost all of which are terrible. I also take lousy videos. I feel it’s the responsible thing to do. I like my cameras small, but I do have a DSL I lug around for more exotic destinations.
Digital Audio Recorder – This is great for when I don’t feel like actually listening and I can’t be bothered to take notes.
Travel Pants – The entire point of this list is so that I can put my travel pants on here. I really like these pants. They are festooned with pockets without making you look like a jackass.
Shoes – Without shoes you would be barefoot and you wouldn’t be allowed into places where hygiene is important. As big a pain as it is, I usually wear my heaviest shoes on the plane, to save weight in my suitcase, even though that means I have to take them off in line for security.
Pepto Bismol – Just in case.
Sleep Aid – Jet lag can really screw with your sleeping patterns, and when you travel, your body is shot full of adrenaline, so I bring something to knock myself out if necessary.
Books – This one is currently in review. On my last trip I took a bunch of books and then I had to get rid of some of my clothes. The airlines are more and more like a cold war era checkpoint and some now have weight restrictions even for carry ons.
Washable Underwear – you can wear the same shirts and pants (especially Travel Pants!) over and over again and you’ll only annoy people. Wear the same underwear over and over again and people could quite possibly die. Laundry is expensive and time consuming when you’re traveling. So I wash my underwear and undershirt in the sink and then dry it on the heated towel rack. If there’s no heated towel rack I dry them in the sun. If there’s no sun, I hang them in the shower and hope for the best. If there’s no shower, I cry.
Metal Detector – This a new addition. Read this.
