There were some must have items that I couldn't have lived without that others wished they had.
After much research instore & online, I chose this for a number of reasons.
- The front zips open like a suitcase - a must for easy access
- It was one of the lights bags in that size range
- I wanted the extra 20L for purchases along the way
- The large number of pockets & separate compartments
- It's designed for women & the back is adjustable
Price: 159.99 - specification
Wallet - Design Go Travel - Clip Pouch Travel Wallet
I already had this & used this everyday for 127 days!
This wallet fits a couple of cards & cash.
Clips into the inside of your trousers/shorts.
For us girls, can also be clipped on the inside of your bra under your dress.
Price: £7.99
Phrase books - Latin American Spanish Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)
I used this everyday in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina
Although pronunciations vary slightly across North & south America, this is a great back pocket or handbag size book to get you buy
RRP: £4.99, but only £3.74 on Amazon
(picture courtesy of Amazon)
Brazilian Portuguese (Lonely Planet Phrasebook)
This was a must as the language is very different to latin American spanish
RRP: £4.99, but only £3.74 on Amazon
Ear plugs - Moldex 7800 spark ear plugsA fact of staying hostels, people will make noise & the location may also be noisy with road traffic. For a peaceful night sleep, earplugs were a must.
If you're travelling for a few months, you need more than 1 pair as you'll loose the odd one & they loose their ability to expand & they start to let in more sound.
The best brand I've found that are cheap & you can buy multiples of are
Moldex 7800 spark plugs, 10 pairs - only £1.79 on Ebay
If you have more sensitive ears, you could always get a pair made.
I'd recommend getting a couple, as again, they're easy to loose & hard to find in chemists in North and south America.
I'd recommend a lightweight one as you may find some a bit hot to wear when the weather is really hot.
I'd also check that when lying down, that light doesn't come in through the eye area. TRY THEM FIRST.
A popular brand is Bucky -40 Blinks sleep mask £12.99
Lifeventure trek towel
A must when away either for the beach or your shower. Not all hostels supply towels & some charge you.
The towel can also act as a curtain on your bunk bed (if you have the bottom bunk), get in bed with the main light on & position it so that it acts as a block
There are many brands you can buy. The main recommendation is to get the most compact large towel you can. I'm 5ft6 & a Large towel was just big enough to cover me
LifeVenture from Amazon £16.99
I had 2, but I'd probably have taken 3 (in varying sizes & some combination & some key) if I had known. In some hostels you need to use your own paddlock to lock:
The locker that stores your whole bag
small charging lockers if you want to charge your phone
Lock to keep another bag or section of your bag zipped up is also useful
Adaptors
You need a few, especially if you've got a camera, phone, laptop & Kindle, you'll always want to charge them at the same time, especially if you find a hostel with lots of charging points, which is rare.
There were two types that I needed across Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia & Brazil.
Mainly 2x Straight OR Angled flat pins.
iWant it multi country adaptor - is USB & great for charging your iPhone, iPad & Kindle
A bit expensive but worth it, I used it everyday Amazon sell it for £18.99
Insect repellant - Lifesystems Expedtion 100 Plus 100ml
I don't have the answer to not getting bitten at all when is North & south America, but wearing insect repellent all the time is the only way you'll reduce the number of times you'll get bitten.
I went through about 3 bottles, so unless you've got room in your bag, you'll need to buy more out there.
I found the products with the highest DEET content worked the best.
The best stuff I used was Lifesystems Expedition 100 Plus 100ml.
Amazon sell it for £7.99
Beware, keep your bottle of repellent in a plastic bag as it's strong stuff & if could corrode some things.
If you're a girl, when you put it on, avoid getting it on your nails as it will dull/strip nailvarnish off.
Waterproof bagThis is a perfect bag to take. It rolls up & folds into a compact shape.
It's waterproof & will keep your stuff dry, especially if you're going on the Inca trail, camping, rafting, to waterfalls or generally need an extra bag to take your washing to the laundrette in.
They come in many sizes, I had 2 medium bags both about 20L
Individual bags -
Bag Packers Tidy Case Luggage Packing Cubes Set of 3
I wish I'd had some, but many had various makes of them, one example is by Design Go. These are good as they're clear & you can see what's in them.
I used plastic bags instead, but the downfall of plastic bags is that they don't keep items flat & you can't see what's inside.
Amazon sell sets of 3 for £8.79
Roger la Borde - fold out shopping tote bag
This was given to me as a present before I went away. I didn't realise how useful it would become. Great for carrying towel & things to the beach, shopping or keeping your shopping together in the hostel.
It fits into the palm of your hand so can be squashed into any tight space in your backpack.
Roger la Borde - fold out shopping tote bag - £4.99 on Amazon
TankinisThese were perfect for the hot weather. You can sweat in them & noone will see! Also, they dry quickly. If you get the ones with underwire in them, they reduce the number of bras you need.
Figleave stock a great selection of underwire tops
My favourite brand is Seafolly, but they're also the most expensive.
You can get other brands, the designs may not be as nice & they may not have your specific cup size or underwire. Worth having a mix. 1 expensive one & a couple of cheapies that you wouldn't mind loosing or getting rid of.
Simply Beach have the best selection of Seafolly Tankinis ranging from £26-72, PS I'm still wearing mine 10 years later, so the expensive ones are worth it. They last.
Passport holder -
Go Travel shoulder bag
It's useful to keep your passport in the same place, to avoid those panic moments when you're not sure where you put it.
I had a really simple holder, it could also double up as an undergarment bag, in case I needed to take my passport out with me.
£7.99 for a shoulder wallet
Go Travel do a whole range to suit your needs.
There's no need to go crazy on cost for the amount of time you'll use it.
I bought this on 5 years ago & it's still going strong. As long as you turn one of the batteries around before you shove it into your bag, the batteries should last the duration of your trip. Depending how much you use it.
A must for the Inca trail & camping. It gets dark very quickly.
A bargain from China £2.25 available on ebay
Other things to buy & pack before you go.
Suncream
Hardrive
Kindle
Day sack
Spice kit
Water bottle
Tupperwear
Marker pen
Journal / Note book
Bumbag
spoon/fork
Bottle opener
Labels
Lighter
Travel cookbook
No comments:
Post a Comment