What is in our bags as of 1st Nov...Nov 1, 2009
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This summarises what is in our bag as of today... Enjoy...
We’re currently sitting on a bus to Mar del Plata and feeling slightly bored. So we thought it would be interesting to list everything we have with us in our bags - just for future reference.
MARCUS CLOTHES
6 x underwear
3 x socks (black/blue - the type you have with suits)
3 x tank-tops (bought in San Francisco)
1 x thermal underpants
3 x short-sleeved T-shirts (grey, lilac and green - bought in Japan)
1 x long-sleeved T-shirt
2 x trousers with zips so can be converted to shorts
1 x shorts (for swimming and sleeping in dorms)
1 x scarf
1 x gloves (bought in Cusco)
1 x wollen hat (bought in Cusco)
1 x sun hat (never really used)
1 x fleece
1 x alpaca jumper (bought in Cusco)
1 x rain jacket
1 x Timberland boots (the ones that I got blisters from on the Inca trail)
1 x flip-flops
1 x sandals
2 x clothes bags / compression bags - one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes
IRIS CLOTHES
6 x underwear
6 x socks
3 x sleeveless tops
1 x short sleeved top
1 x long sleeved top
1 x thermal underpants
1 x trousers with zips so can be converted to shorts
1 x thin combat trousers
1 x shorts
1 x jeans - wasn’t very practical with hindsight but good for cold weather (esp worn with thermal underpants)
1 x dress
1 x scarf
1 x gloves (bought in Cusco)
1 x wollen hat (bought in Cusco)
1 x sun hat (never really used)
1 x fleece
1 x alpaca jumper (bought in Cusco)
1 x thin jumper
1 x rain jacket
1 x Timberland boots
1 x flip-flops
1 x sandals
1 x clothes bag / compression bag
HYGIENE STUFF - Marcus
1 x tooth brush with cap for covering the brush
1 x tooth-paste - shared with Iris
1 x dental floss
1 x shampoo - shared with Iris
1 x small sachet of shampoo - stolen from hotel
1 x shower lotion - shared with Iris
1 x deodorant
2 x combs - one brought from England and one “stolen” from the world’s biggest spa in Osaka
1 x small bottle of hair-gel
1 x electric shaver + charger
1 x pack of nail files
2 x Vaseline
1 x lip-balm
HYGIENE STUFF - Iris
1 x electric tooth brush
2 x small bottles of perfume (approximately 20ml)
1 x nail cutter
2 x ear pickers
1 x face cream
6 x hydrating masks
1 x blackhead removal strip
MEDICINE
Travel pack with emergency medical equipment (e.g. sterile syringes and needles) for places where you don’t trust their health care. Bought from the NHS.
Malaria tablets for Iris and me (Doxycycline). We never ended up having to use it as we never went into a place with Malaria
Imodium & other similar medicines - for traveler’s diahorrea
Antihistamines - Against allergies. Can also be used after insect bites. And also for motion sickness.
Water purifiers - Great for making your own water if the tap water isn’t reliable
Aspirins - for headaches
Boot’s flu tablets - great if you’ve got a cold.
Iron tablets - for Iris.
Melatonin - if it’s impossible to fall asleep on a bus.
Wart remover
Motion sickness pills - the roads up the Andes are very windy.
FIRST AID MEDICINE BAG - Bought from Boot’s
Plasters for cuts and wounds
Plasters for blisters
Alcohol for cleaning wounds
Sterile bandage
Medical tape
Antihistamine cream against insect bites
Booklet on first-aid
OTHER HYGIENE STUFF
Lots of cotton buds
Toilet paper - normally at least a roll
Bags of tissue - also good for using as toilet paper
2 x bottles of hand disinfectant - fantastic for cleaning hands when been to yucky toilets
2 x bottle of sun-screen (SPF 30)
1 x bottle of insect repellant - must be with high DEET. The Swedish MyggA worked quite well.
GLASSES - Marcus
6 x monthly contact lenses
1 x contact lens case
1 x contact lens solution
1 x glasses
1 x sun-glasses
2 x glasses cases - you really need them sleeping in bunk beds in dorms etc
GLASSES - Iris
Supply of daily contact lenses - not easy to buy daily contact lenses in South America.
6 x monthly contact lenses
1 x contact lens case
1 x contact lens solution
1 x glasses
1 x sun-glasses
1 x glasses cases - you really need them sleeping in bunk beds in dorms etc
OTHER STUFF
2 x sleeping bag - very good for treks and overnight buses
2 x travel towel with case - compact and dries very quickly
2 x eye-mask and ear plugs - great for sleeping in dorms, buses, flights…
2 x umbrellas (one for Iris and one for me) - not used too often
2 x flash lights - great for trekking and for sleeping in dorms
2 x pad-locks with code - for locking away things in lockers in dorms
2 x security chains to be able to lock away bags - we‘ve never used them though, buses have been very secure
2 x Karrimor backpacks (65 liters) with covers
2 x Daybags
1 x Iris handbag
FOOD RELATED STUFF
1 x 500 ml plastic jug
1 x Swiss-army knife - really useful for everything
2 x plastic sporks - combined spoon, knife and fork - very good for trains and eating self made packed lunch
1 x spoon from home - before we bought the sforks
1 x roll of plastic bags - great for wrapping things or for waste - bought in Russia
3 x clips for closing plastic bags
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar - makes a nice dinner with some bread
Salt and pepper - miniature packs - stolen from McDonald’s
Loads of English tea bags and milk in miniature packs (we had this only in Russia)
Loads of pot noodles (we had this on the train in Russia)
Sometimes we carry bits of bread, chocolate, cookies, tin fish etc. Depends on our mood
CLOTHES MANAGEMENT
1 x sowing kit with needle, thread etc - stolen from a hotel en route
1 x washing line - bought in Japan
1 x hand-washing soap - bought one in China and one in Bolivia - great for hand-washing
1 x bath plug - for hand washing clothes in sink. (however sink drainage seems to come in all shapes and sizes which means that sometimes the bath plug was rather useless)
COMPUTERS, ELECTRONICS…
1 x Toshiba Notebook + case + charger - the best thing ever. We use it every day. Most hostels have free wifi as well.
1 x Norton Antivirus on the notebook - you get in touch with loads of networks etc
1 x On-line back-up system (MozyHome)- in case the notebook crashes or get stolen and you don’t want to loose your pictures
2 x MP3 + cord for transferring files to and from the computer + headphones - for listening to music
1 x Canon compact camera with 2 GB memory card + case + charger
1 x Canon EOS500D DSLR camera + 18-200 mm EF-S lens + 4 GB memory card + charger + case - can’t live without it
1 x 2 GB memory card for cameras (spare)
2 x 4 GB memory sticks - great for storing pictures - not really used after we got the notebook in Japan
1 x mobile phone with roaming + charger - set password so can’t be used if stolen - we share one phone
2 x adapters - makes sure you can use and charge gadgets everywhere
2 x AAA batteries (spare)
2 x USB stick for transferring files from memory card to computers
BOOKS
1 x Oxford miniature English/Spanish dictionary
1 x Spanish phrase book
1 x Swedish phrase book
1 x Lonely Planet’s South America on a Shoestring (10th edition) - prices are very out of date
2 x Marcus old Spanish text-books from school
Books to read. We have read (not exhaustive):
Benjamin Graham - The intelligent Investor
George Orwell - 1984
Jodi Picault - My sister’s keeper
George Soros - The alchemy of finance
Amy Tan - Joy Luck Club
4 x books in Spanish for Marcus to read, for example Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Who Moved My Cheese?, and two more titles.
Our teaching material from our Spanish course in Sucre + Notebooks
3 x pens
1 x highlighters
1 x pack of mini post it notes/labels to bookmark our travel guide.
1 x book on photography with our SLR
1 x instruction manual for our SLR - came with the camera when we bought it
VALUABLES
2 x Passports with visas - we needed visas for Mongolia, China and Russia only
2 x Copies of passports - so we don’t have to walk around town with them but still have ID.
Money - we only carry about USD 100 for the trip in cash. All other money we draw from ATMs. This has worked really well except for in Japan where money ATMs were hard to find
Travelers cheques - we have USD 500 in traveler’s cheques for emergencies - haven’t used it yet…
Other money - Some pounds, Swedish money and Euros in cash. - worth less than USD 100.
Policy schedule for travel insurance and T&Cs for the contract.
Keys.
2 x Yellow-fever vaccination cards + full vaccination history.
Credit cards - Visa & MasterCard - 2-3 cards each for emergencies - we prefer to spend cash
Bank cards - for withdrawing money from ATMs. We have three cards between us
Frequent flier cards (for BA) - the agent forgot to register our trips when we booked so we have to claim as we go along
Health briefing note from MAASTA we got when we got our jabs
EU card for health-care.
Drivers License for both of us
Passport holders.
Wallets.
SOUVENIERS
2 x chop-sticks from temple stay in Japan
1 x small curtain from Japan
1 x small souvenir from the floating islands
1 x hand-bag / cloth from Kyoto
2 x presents for our parents (500 grams each)
