Clothing
- Wear your bulky or heavy clothes (e.g. hiking boots) when traveling through the airport /on plane instead of packing them because they take up so much space.
- Waterproof your shoes / boots before you leave home."Nikwax" (brand name) is a good choice.
- Ensure clothes,... especially footwear are comfortable & broken-in long before trip
- Bring sandals with enough straps to be secure & comfortable on feet and with a good tread for walking on rough surfaces. "Chaco" & "Teva" (brands) are recommended. Chaco sandals have a lifetime guarantee.
- Layout everything you would like to take,...then subtract what you can live without.
- Use duffle bag with carry handle & backpack straps.
- Carry 1 change of clothes that is light & dries fast in your carry on luggage.
- Always have layers of clothing to deal with variations in temperature.
- Down is better than synthetic for warmth & drying speed.
- For females, bring 1 black dress or dress of lighter color in hot climates.
- Merino wool is best in both hot & cold climates because it is a natural heat regulator.
- Wool underwear & t-shirts are light weight, dry faster, and are warmer than other fabric even when soaking wet. Wool garments are also less likely to chaff.
Other essentials bits of info
- Keep paper copies of passport, itinerary documents, tickets, etc. in more than one place ( carry on and luggage). Do not rely only on electronic copies only.
- Bring a Kensington International Travel Adapter as recommended by SAS.
- Purchase "Gotoob" (brand) 3 oz. reusable plastic bottles because they have a wide mouth for easy refill. These size bottles are perfect for our side trips away from the ship.
- Select "Dr. Bronner's" pure castile soap (brand name) because of its multiple uses. You can pour from the large container to 3 oz. Gotoobe bottles for our side trips. Dr. Bronner's can be used for body, hair, clothes, and everything. It has 18 uses and is concentrated and lasts a long time. Get the unscented if you are going to be in insect areas.
- Check out "Trek & Travel" (brand name) Pocket Laundry Wash which comes in a small pack of 50 leaves. You only need one per load of laundry. They also have Pocket Body Wash which is great for the in country trips.
- Select a "RFID" (brand) credit card & passport protective envelope to prevent other people from scanning your info while it is in your pocket. The envelope feels like thin paper, but is tear resistant.
Do you need a water purification vs water filtration?.. what is the difference?
- A water purification system removes impurities from the water using a chemical process that involved either iodine or chlorine. On the other hand, water filtration system rids water of any impurities through a physical barrier, a biological process or chemicals. Good idea is to purchase bottled water and make sure the seal breaks when you unscrew the bottle cap. If you prefer water purifier, Steripen" (brand) is a UV water purifier, smaller that palm of hand, works in 48 seconds.
Money, money, money $$$
- I just learned that we can easily order $ from each country we will visit online from our banks and pick up before we leave. What a good idea. I am sure that we can use credit cards, but wouldn’t it be great to be able to get off the boat and head out to a local market, coffee shop, or restaurant for a bite without having to search for an ATM or bank? I plan to order $100 USD worth for each stop except for Hawaii and Mauritius (since we are only there for about 10 hours and USD are accepted in Hawaii.)