Posts Tagged 5 things
Five Things I Always Pack — Mike Barish
Mike Barish is a freelance travel writer and regular contributor to Gadling. He is a universally respected expert in the SkyMall catalog whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Budget Travel, World Hum and Intelligent Travel. He was also the host of Chevrolet’s Travel Cruze-arati web series. You can always see what Mike’s up to on his own site and on Twitter. Mike is based in New York City where he lives with his fiancée and their two dogs.
1. Merino Wool Underwear
Between sitting on planes for hours, going on hikes and layering various types of clothing to keep the elements at bay, my special areas can get a tad warm. My absolute favorite items for travel are Icebreaker’s Beast 150 Boxer Briefs with Fly. They’re breathable, don’t absorb odor and are phenomenally comfortable. I’m able to pack fewer pairs of underwear because I can wear these several times before they need to be washed and, if I do wash them on the road, they dry quickly. Speaking of which…
2. Liquid Soap
I refuse to spend time at laundromats while traveling. That just seems like lost time. Instead, I wash clothing in the sink at my hotel or, more often than not, the apartment that I’ve rented. Most of the clothing that I pack dries quickly, so sink washing and hang drying is my best strategy for keeping fresh and not wasting time. Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Liquid Soap isn’t too abrasive, can be used on clothing as well as body and, most importantly, is unscented.
3. Extra Batteries
Maybe I’m a jerk, but I always giggle when I hear someone moan, “Oh, crap, my camera battery is dead,” while I’m traveling. Whether you’re on a family vacation or searching for Dr. Livingstone, you know you’re going to be taking plenty of pictures. Don’t let an easily remedied issue keep you from capturing your memories. I shoot with a Canon PowerShot S95 and love my off-brand spare battery that actually lasts longer than Canon’s stock battery.
4. Collapsible Backpack
The quickest way to lose or forget your belongings while traveling is to frequently unpack and repack your bags. That’s why the bag that I use on the plane for my headphones, iPad, passport, etc never goes out with me on day trips. Instead, I bring a second, easy-to-pack backpack with me. My favorite is the Patagonia Lightweight Travel Pack. It’s a tad pricey, but it’s far more durable than other travel packs out there, has a few easy to access pockets and packs down to a fantastically convenient size.
5. Baby Powder
I’ll end the same way I started, by discussing my crotch. Whether I’m going someplace hot and humid or ice cold, I always bring some baby powder with me. If you’ve ever gotten a heat rash or – and let’s all behave ourselves now – crotch rot, you know how uncomfortable and trip-ruining it is. Rather than overpay for expensive talcum powders that often come in large bottles, I opt for a simple travel-sized bottle of Johnson’s baby powder or a store brand if they have one.
Curious about what other travelers have on their “Five Things” list? The entire series is here.
Posted by Pam in General Gear, Travel Light on July 1st, 2011
5 Things I Always Pack: Vickie Morgan
Vickie Morgan is co-owner of Well Designed Journeys, a company specializing in small group, upscale journeys for the discerning traveler. A Certified Travel Associate (CTA), Vickie advises dozens of clients a year. Here’s what’s always in her bags for her frequent travels:
1. Great walking shoes
An explorer at heart, I’m always on the move in search of new discoveries and opportunities. Since I’m almost always on foot, great, comfortable walking shoes are a must. For me, Privos by Clark are amazingly comfortable and my favorite shoes for touring. I can walk all day long without feeling any discomfort. And, I even wear them to dinner in the evenings with a casual skirt and top—a great way to reduce the amount of bulky shoes I have to pack!
2. First-aid pouch
Filled with a few Band-Aids, spot remover pads, antacids, anti-diarrhea tablets, cough drops, bug repellent pads, floss, Tylenol and Zyrtec, my first aid pouch acts as an essential travel companion for unexpected medical needs for not only me, but my traveling companions.
3. A pashmina
A pashmina shawl/wrap is one of the most diverse elements of any wardrobe. I use my pashmina as a blanket on a cold airplane, as a scarf to dress up, as part of my touring outfit, and as a wrap to add a splash of color and elegance to an evening out. My favorite pashmina is from Florence, Italy, where squares and markets are filled with colorful pashmina choices.
4. Camera, charger and back-up battery
When I travel, photos are my way of capturing the visual journey of the destination and reliving those memories again and again after I’ve returned home. I find it essential to travel with a small, compact camera because bulky objects while on tour through a city or village is uncomfortable and prohibiting. And I also never forget to pack a charger and backup battery. (Editor’s note: On a recent trip, my traveling buddy was capturing great photos with this small $139 Panasonic Lumix.)
5. Two debit or credit cards
I always travel with two different types of debit cards to make sure I can access money at my destination. I personally carry debit card issued by both Visa and MasterCard. They are accepted any place their logos are posted. Prior to departing the United States, I always call the customer service number on the back of the cards and advise them that I will be traveling abroad. Additionally, I always carry some cash in smaller bills for emergency exchange if needed. I still have to remind some foreign travelers that the ATMs will dispense money in the currency of the country in which you are accessing the machine and not in US dollars!
Follow Vickie and Well Designed Journeys on twitter: @wdjourneys.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on February 7th, 2011
5 Things I Always Pack: Pam Mandel
Pam Mandel is a freelance writer stricken with wanderlust and a bizarre affection for the ukulele. She’s written stories for World Hum, National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler, MSN, WGBH Boston (an NPR affiliate), Perceptive Travel, and lots of online travel publications. She’s a recovering guidebook author (British Columbia and Hawaii for Thomas Cook). Next up on her travels is Antarctica, as a blogger for TravelWild.
The really cool part? She’s about to start regularly blogging for us here at Practical Travel Gear. We had her give us our picks before that went down though, so here’s what she packs for her worldwide adventures:
1. Noise-canceling headphones
Good news, everyone! The price on these things has come way down since that fancy brand hit the market with their luxury headphones. I’ve got a pair from Able Planet, and while I’ve never compared them with the pricier brands, I can tell you my set really does cut down on noise, big time. They’re on the must have list for long-haul flights; I rarely travel without them. Bonus? They come in plaid.
2. Pashmina shawl
I am not a fancy person, not by a long shot. But that does not mean I can’t appreciate a soft, cuddly, and elegant even, wrap. I have a few of these, they take up almost no space in my luggage. I use them for extra warmth on the plane, as an evening wrap in the tropics, wrapped around my head when I’m somewhere windy and feeling a little bit wacky… they’re versatile and not as expensive as you’d think.
3. Pepto Bismol
Oh so unglamorous. But what’s worse than having to sit through a long bus trip or flight when you need to leg it for the loo every 23 minutes? It’s also good for settling general travel nausea, and hey, it’s pink and comes in TSA-friendly chewable tablets.
4. Merino wool long underwear
Lightweight, warm, washable, not too heavy if the weather goes sunny on you… I don’t leave home without it. I wear the bottoms as leggings under a skirt sometimes, or the whole set as jammies. I pack ‘em even for the tropics, you never know when it’s going to get chilly — sometimes I just wear them as a base layer on a long flight — planes are often too cold. Lots of folks make them, SmartWool (pictured at right) and Ibex are my favorites.
5. A plastic bag
Yeah, yeah, I know, plastic is evil, use something recyclable. Thing is, sometimes there are dirty shoes or a wet swimsuit or a leaky bottle of sunscreen or who knows what oddball item you have to wrap up and keep isolated from the other stuff in your bag? If it’s any consolation, I have started to throw in a reusable shopping bag too. Confession: Sometimes I poach the laundry bags from hotel closets because they’re slightly heavier weight and have those drawstring closures on them.
Pam blogs about Hawaii at Holoholo Wale and Nerd’s Eye View. If asked to list a sixth item, she’d have included her ukulele.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on January 25th, 2011
5 Things I Always Pack: Sarah Schlichter
Sarah Schlichter is the editor of IndependentTraveler.com, a website that offers practical tips and money-saving deals to travelers who love to plan their own trips. On the road she gravitates toward art museums, churches and hiking trails. Here’s what she packs for her frequent travels:
1. Reusable Three-ounce Bottles
Rather than buying new travel-size toiletries before every trip, I bring a handful of reusable three-ounce bottles that I picked up at Target. They only cost a few bucks and I can refill them as necessary with shampoo, sunblock and hand lotion. It’s more affordable and environmentally friendly than buying travel-size toiletries, and I don’t have to sacrifice my favorite brands.
2. Plastic Bags
I always pack a bunch of empty bags in different sizes — grocery store bags for dirty laundry or wet bathing suits, and smaller zip-top bags for toiletries or anything else prone to leaks. The bags weigh nothing, take up no space in a suitcase and have countless uses.
3. Travel Journal
If I’m on a business trip I’ll bring a laptop and other gadgets, but when I’m on a true leisure vacation I prefer to go old school. There’s nothing like scribbling down my reflections about each day of a trip with a real pen and paper. And at home, I love leafing through my stack of old travel journals to bring back memories of past journeys.
4. Battery Charger & Spare Batteries
I take lots of photos when I travel, and having my camera conk out in a fantastically scenic place is one of my worst nightmares. I always pack a battery charger (as well as the appropriate adapter plug if I’m in a foreign country) and plenty of rechargeable batteries.
5. Laundry Detergent & Clothesline
I prefer to travel with a carry-on only, so I always bring a some detergent and a clothesline for washing my clothes midway through a trip. I save space in my bag by packing fewer clothes, and I don’t have to pay exorbitant laundry fees at a hotel. I bring liquid detergent in one of my reusable three-ounce toiletry bottles (see above), but you can also buy soap sheets or little Tide packets for the road.
For more of Sarah Schlichter’s helpful travel tips, follow her on Twitter at @TravelEditor.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on December 28th, 2010
5 Things I Always Pack: Maya Northern
Personal travel planner, blogger and e-zine editor Maya Northern has visited six continents and dozens of countries, but still has a number of destinations on her list, including India and Egypt. Here’s are some basic items she always packs when she hits the road:
1. Travel-sized Wrinkle Eraser
I’ve found it’s easier and less time consuming to spray a little wrinkle releaser on slightly rumpled clothing than setting up an iron and ironing board in a hotel room. With this product, you just spray and smooth out your clothes. Remember, wrinkle erasers in 3.4-oz-or-less pump or aerosol sprays can be carried on the plane, per the TSA; anything larger, be sure to check it.
2. Trash Bag
There’s nothing like sorting through socks and underwear to determine which you’ve worn, and I don’t particularly like just shoving “dirty” clothes into a different section of my bag and letting them sit there for the rest of the trip. I bring a trash bag to put all of my dirty clothes in, so that then if I have the opportunity to do laundry (or when I get home), I can put them right into the wash.
3. Travel Alarm Clock
Especially in Europe, it seems clocks in the room aren’t always a given. I don’t necessarily like to rely on a wake up call to make my flight or train, as they don’t always pull through. Peace of mind is worth well more than the price of a travel alarm clock.
4. Tissues
The stagnant air on the plane seems to cause congestion, and these make it way more convenient than getting up to get tissues from the airplane bathroom repeatedly. I also find they come in handy in many other forms when traveling, for instance doubling as toilet paper if you are in a country that doesn’t keep it in the bathrooms as readily (which is more common than one might think).
5. Anti-bacterial Hand Gel
At some point during a trip, you may encounter places that you might not feel the cleanest, including bathrooms where the sink makes you feel it’s actually dirtier to try to wash your hands! You’re also often in situations where others in close proximity you might be sick (planes, trains, buses). In these cases, antibacterial hand gel (aka hand sanitizer) can be your best friend. Just make sure it’s under 3.4 ounces if you’re bringing it in a carry-on.
Maya Northern is the owner of the personalized travel planning company Chimera Travel, and the Editor in Chief of TraveLuxe e-magazine.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on December 17th, 2010
