Travel Light

I like to travel light. For my trip to Jordan and Israel I had only a single carry on bag — a pull-along soft case measuring 19" x 13" x 9". When I left on my trip it was full but not bulging; on my return it was bulging — with the addition of souvenirs.

To help fellow travelers I have put together a packing list. This was compiled from my own list and some that I have gleaned from travel books and websites (particularly Tim Ferriss's website).

The list may look long but a lot is small stuff, especially the medicines. This will all easily fit in a medium size carry-on bag.

I've made this into 4 categories: Clothing, Medicine, Accessories and Money.

CLOTHING

• This is a list for men but easily adaptable for women to use:
• 3 pairs pants, light or heavy depending on the season
• 4 shirts, one long-sleeved even if going to a sunny location. The breathable Coolibar shirts provide UV protection.*
• 4 underwear. Consider Tilley for their easy washing and fast drying time
• 4 socks (Tilley travel socks are rugged, light and dry very quickly) but for intense walking get merino wool socks, like L.L.Bean Ragg socks.
  
• 1 light sweater if likely to be in a cool area
  
• 1 jacket, light or heavy depending on the season. For hot climates consider the featherweight Patagonia Houdini weighing just 3.7 oz.!
• 1 medium sized towel. The Packtowl, both regular and ultralite quick-dry, microfiber towels absorb up to 10 times their weight in water*
• 1 handtowel. Try the ultra-compact, quick-drying microfiber personal towel, also from Packtowl. Also usually available at Army Surplus stores and camping stores.
• 1 swimsuit (if likely required)
• 1 hat (be sure it covers the ears if going to a sunny climate). The Tilley T3 is my favorite, or any of the lightweight Panama-style hats.

* - I found these suggestions at 4hourworkweek.com

I was fortunate that I have required none of the medicines I have taken on my trips, but felt better that I had a supply that could help me get through the minor health issues that can plague travelers: stomach/intestinal illness, burns, scrapes, insect bits, etc. So I have compiled a list of general medications that should help combat those issues and bugs that can spoil your trip.

MEDICINES

• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen for pain and as an anti-inflammatory
• Benadryl — anti-histamine for allergic reactions
• Pepto-Bismol tablets for upset stomach
• Dramamine or Gravol if susceptible to motion sickness, or use Scopolamine skin discs
• Imodium Anti-diarreah medicine, or any generic Loperamide Hydrocloride tablet
• Hydrocortisone (for itching, insect bites, etc.)
• Polysporin (antibiotic cream — good for scraps, burns, sunburn, etc.)
• Styptic pencil — good for insect bites
• Sunscreen, at least 50SPF or more
• DEET insect repellent. Buy DEET wipes like Ben's if you want to avoid liquids in your carry-on luggage.
• Lip balm, like Chapstick or Bert's Bees
• Water purification tablets, typically Sodium Dichloroisocyanurate (e.g., Aquatabs brand)
• Mini first aid kit (remove scissors or any cutting implements if putting in a carry-on bag)
• First aid app for iPhone from First Aid Canada. If you want a physical booklet try Pocket Guide to Emergency First Aid.
• 1 roll of athletic tape: good for mending injuries to yourself or your travel gear.*
• 1 dental repair kit, like Dentek, especially for older travellers. I saw this on a recent travel video. The presenter note that this is particularly useful on cruise ships because, although they usually have medical staff on cruise ships, they do not have dentists. But this would be useful on any trip where you are likely to be far from a dentist. This type of kit will alleviate some of the common dental issues until you can reach a dentist: lost filling or crown, broken tooth or toothache.
  

  

  DenTek Dental First Aid Kit

* - I found this suggestion at 4hourworkweek.com

This section outlines everything other than clothes and medicine. It is the toiletries and other personal care products and assortment of handy items that might be required on your trip.

ACCESSORIES

• Sunglasses and soft case (an old, heavy sock cut to fit can be used as a cheap glass case)
• 2 each, large and small Ziplock bags. Lots of uses: keeps dry things dry or wet things away from everything else; large ones are good for dirty clothes; small ones for food, etc.
• Laundry detergent. Take (1) a small laundry bar for quick washing of a small item or stain, (2) powder pods, or laundry soap sheets, or put some powdered detergent in a mini plastic bottle
• Hand soap bar or liquid hand soap in mini plastic bottle
• Expandable silicon cup and bowl, and a spork
  
• 1 comb or brush, like this compact folding brush available from many online retailers.
  
• Toiletries (include toothbrush & paste, floss, shaving kit, Q-Tips, deodorant, cologne, etc.)
• ½ roll of toilet paper, remove cardboard roll from centre and flatten, put in zip-lock bag
• 1 mini sewing kit — needles, pins, thread, buttons, safety pins
• 1 universal sink drain stopper
• 1 mini flashlight — the mini Maglite Solitaire that uses one AAA battery is very small but very bright and rugged
  
• 1 sleeping mask and earplugs, useful on a plane, train or in a noisy hotel room
• Noise cancelling headphones for plane flight - I recommend the Sony WT-1000.
  
• 1 expandable knapsack like the 4Monster Hiking Lightweight Travel Backpack for short excursions during the day.
  
• 1 small digital camera like Panasonic DMC-FX30/FX33/FX35 or Canon PowerShot SD300/SD1000; spare SD card; mini folding tripod
• Deck of cards and other mini travel game (Ultra Tiny Epic Galaxies, Pocket Games - cricket, Cluedo Shuffle, Monopoly Deal, etc.)
  
• 1 corkscrew (optional). Note that they may be prohibited in a carry-on bag
• 12-15 feet small nylon rope — very useful, from a drying line to holding together a busted travel bag (buy in camping store)
• Metalized thermal blanket
• Luggage lock, TSA approved, like Master Locks. Airport security can open lock, no more cut locks on checked baggage
• Luggage scale to avoid overweight charge by airline (or the fee luggage wrappers charge for weighing). The very small Go Travel Digi Scale available from CAA is perfect.
  
• 1 or 2 Granola bars
• Money pocket like this one from CAA, and a money belt, like Thomas Bates, Belt Outlet, or HidesHandcrafted. Note: always order money belts one size larger than your pant size. For example, 36 pants size would order belt size 38.

  

   

  

  Money pocket

   

  Money belt

• 1 or 2 good travel books: Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Frommer's or Rough Guide
• 1 passport-size travel journal like Rite in the Rain pocket notebook, plus a couple of pens and pencils.
• Power plug plugs and cables for cell phones, cameras and other electronic devices.
• SIM holder opening tool - necessary to change physical SIM card.
  
• AC power adapter for the above charging plugs if travelling outside North America. Note: for most power adapters you no longer require a voltage adapter (i.e., from North American 120v to European 240 volt) because many power adapters work for multiple voltages. For example, the Apple iPhone power adapter is multi-voltage as are most laptop power supplies. Check your adapter for the following- Input: 100-240V~ 50/60Hz. Also many appliances such as travel hair driers and irons are dual voltage, and they have a small switch to change from one voltage to another — either 120/240 or 125/250.

  

   

  

  Device manual switch

   

  Universal plug adapter

MONEY & OPTIONAL

You should have a variety of sources of money on your trip, but do not carry it all together; that is, put some in your luggage, some in your wallet, and some in your money belt. You should have someone to contact, who is not on your trip, who can supply important travel information in case you are robbed, or lose money or important documents.

Leave a list of the following with someone back home or put the information securely online in something like Dropbox:
Phone numbers for lost credit and debit cards
Photocopy of your passport (or at least your passport number)
Airline, hotel and any other booking numbers and contact information

MONEY

• VISA Travel Cards — a pre-loaded card that works like a credit card, but is anonymous like a gift card. Typically loaded with $1,000. This is important because some online booking sites (particularly hotels) do not work with standard credit cards. The secondary security page for the credit card that opens does not work on some sites.
  
• Credit & debit card.
• The new WISE loadable debit card in great for international travel. See my page on it here.
• $300-$400 foreign cash from a bank (Scotiabank specializes in foreign currencies), or a foreign exchange bureau like Wellington Foreign Exchange for more unusual currencies.

PASSPORT & CREDIT CARD SECURITY
Both credit (and some debit) cards and your passport have RFID chips in them. These are vulnerable to scammers who can pick up the "tap" feature on credit and debit cards and read the data from your passport.
You should have RFID shields for your debit and credit cards and your passport. Both sizes are available from CAA. Some credit card wallets and passport holder provide RFID shielding.

OPTIONAL

• 1 water bottle - consider the Tilley collapsible water bottle
• If going to a very hot climate consider the Cobber Neck Wrap

If you're flying and have only a carry-on bag, put all liquids and gels in one Ziplock bag: airport security now requires this. Also NO knives, scissors, corkscrews are allowed in a carry-on bag: put them in your checked baggage or buy them when you arrive at your final destination.

If you travel a lot in or through the U.S. consider getting a Nexus card, which will speed up border crossing, and reduce airport wait time about 95%.