Packing List – Planet Picture

A packing list for two people travelling for about thirty months.

BAGS

	Large (70 litre) rucksack with zip cover to hide shoulder straps so it doubles as a soft suitcase. Also gives protection against straps snagging on airport conveyor belts. Made by Karrimor
	Smaller rucksack with zip cover to hide shoulder straps so it doubles as a soft suitcase. Also gives protection against straps snagging on airport conveyor belts. Made by Lowe Alpine
	Smaller day bag with combination lock. Made by Berghaus.
	Larger day bag with combination lock and silk rose. Made by Berghaus.
	Handbag with chained wallet.
	Pacsafe bum bag. Slash proof and pickpocket resistant. Has chained wallet inside.
	Bag strap. Takes some of the strain off the rucksac zips during transport and helps identify bags when on airport conveyor belt.
	Nylon backpack style shopping bag.
	Small bag for all of those little things that you can never find

BUG STUFF

	Fly paper. Single sticky sheet. Hang near windows or lights for chemical free bug proofing.
	Mosquito coils. Generally for use outside but at a pinch and if placed on a fireproof plate or container can be used inside, although suggest you go out when they are burning and put them out when you return. NB The instructions on this packet say that they can be used at night with you in the room – probably not a good idea.
	Mosquito cards, slightly larger than a business card for burning outside. Carry a pack with you just in case.
	Insect Spray. Very small insect spray, ideal fro travelling.
	Ant powder (also used to store our paper tape measure).
	Plug in mosquito repellent. Does a good job but each ‘tablet’ only lasts about 8 hours. The liquid type plugs last about 20 days!
	DEET spray. This is probably the strongest you can use on your skin (50%).
	DEET cream, this is about 16% and works fine.
	Moth Balls. Drop one or two of these in your rucksack or suitcase to keep the cockroaches out (although it does make your clothes smell). Also place a couple on the shower and bathroom drain covers to keep insects away and mask any nasty drain smells.

CAMERA

	A camera. You may get away with using the camera on your mobile phone, all depends on the quality of photographs you intend to take.
	Case for the above – including spare battery, spare memory cards and a good quality lens cloth.
	Camera battery charger.
	Spare lens cloth
	Camera lens tissue.
	Shower cap. These are ideal for keeping your camera dry during heavy downpours. Wrap it around the camera case.

CLOTHING

	Not going to list clothes as you will pack what you think you need and/or like to wear.
	Don’t take too many clothes – if you need more they are relatively cheap in most of Asia.
	Take cool, cotton clothes.
	Take one long sleeved top and one long pair of trousers as protection against mosquitoes.
	Take either a few thin tops that can be worn over each other and/or a warm fleece top – it can get quite cold on aircraft.
	Take a lungi/sarong very useful as beach mat/sun shade/bed cover/window curtain

DOCUMENTS

	Passports, money, tickets. Although money is probably going to be from an ATM and tickets will probably be electronic. If applying for visas or visa extensions you will need photocopies of the main passport page and the exiting visa stamp (for an extension application). You could make these copies before you travel although most visa offices have a nearby photocopy shop. It is also a good idea to carry a few passport sized photos for visa applications (also sometimes required when buying SIM cards) but beware most visa applications require photos larger than the standard UK passport photo. Note: If it says take a printed copy of a ticket or visa then do so. I saw a couple of people at immigration with copies of their Indian eVisa on their phones – they weren’t getting very far as the officials needed to stamp and file a bit of paper.
	A small note book and pen. Make a note of hotel addresses and telephone numbers then you have something to show a taxi driver.
	Larger note book. Useful for keeping track of expenditure and to do lists.
	Travel wallets. Somewhere to keep important paper work.

EATING

	Single cup water heater. For coffee, pot noodles etc.
	A bottle opener.
	A can opener
	A sharp knife.
	Stainless steel drinking cups and a stainless steel plate. Almost impossible to break and very easy to keep clean and sterilise.
	Plastic bowls.
	Cutlery.
	Frozen food bag. Came free with frozen food bought in a supermarket.
	Green tea
	Cupa Soup
	J-Cloth
	Scouring pad.

IT & COMMS

	Windows computer. This one has a detachable screen and doubles as a tablet.
	Wireless mouse.
	AAA Batteries – for wireless mouse.
	Four way USB hub
	PC mains Charger.
	Android phones. This one is dual SIM so can run both your home country and local SIMs at the same time.
	Android tablet.
	External hard disks for data/photograph backups.
	Mains extension reel. Gets around the problem of limited sockets in most hotel rooms and the fact that the sockets are using in totally the wrong places. This one also takes several plug types.
	Mains socket splitter. Converts one ‘two flat pin’ socket into two ‘international’ sockets. Used in conjunction with the extension reel or plugged directly into the wall in Malaysia and some hotels in Indonesia, Thailand and India.
	A universal socket conversion set.
	A universal socket conversion plug. Also a surge protector and USB charger.
	Ear bud type headphones.
	Spare ear buds for headphones.
	Cables. Mostly the three types of USB cable but also includes hard disk cables and a PC to TV HDMI cable. Most of these were sent home.
	SD Cards. Acting as spares for the camera and as temporary storage for films, ebooks etc.
	USB SD Card Reader.
	32Gb USB Pen Drives. Used to post photographs back home.
	A few USB Pen Drives. Used to store password manager databases, critical document backups and some PC recovery software.
	A Portable Modem. Acts as a wifi modem, a wifi hotspot, a signal booster for exiting wifi hotspots and as a phone power bank.
	A Phone Dongle. This one is from Vodafone but works with SIMs from almost any provider in Asia. Plugged directly into a PC it acts as an internet connection for the PC. If plugged into the portable modem (above) it turns the modem into a portable wireless hotspot.

LIGHTING

	Battery powered head torch. Also has a flashing red LED – useful when walking on poorly lit roads with traffic.
	Batteries for head torch
	Wind up torch. This one has a strap that allows it to be used as a head torch. It also has a flash setting – useful when walking on poorly lit roads with traffic.
	Tea light candles. Essential for countries like India and Nepal.
	Disposable lighter

MEDICAL

Where possible we tend to remove as much packaging as we can and replace with lighter weight plastic zip-lock bags. This includes the instruction leaflets that come with medicines. But we photograph the important bits of the instructions and keep this info. handy on phones and computers. It is also a good idea to write dosage and dosage limits, the name/use of the drug and the expiry date on the plastic bag/container.
	Medical Kit. This is sold as a toilet bag but makes a very good first aid kit.
	Needle kit. We always carry one of these on long trips, but so far have never used it even though we have had many injections. Most hospitals and dentists in Asia are as good as (if not better) than the equivalents in the west.
	Bite & Sting Pen. This is nothing more than a dilute ammonia solution but it works very well.
	Dental floss.
	Rehydration salts.
	Sterile eye pad.
	Crepe bandage.
	Finger bandage (small).
	Fabric plasters.
	Waterproof plasters.
	Tubular bandage.
	Large pair of scissors
	Micropore Tape.
	Emery boards.
	Stugeron (cinnarizine). Travel sickness tablets.
	Zinc Tablets. First defence against common cold.
	Dequadin. For sore throats.
	Contac. Relief from common cold.
	First defence. Use when you see first signs of common cold.
	Dental repair kit.
	Orajel. For relief of toothache.
	Medical gloves.
	Medical thermometer.
	Cold & Flu relief powders.
	Gaviscon tablets.
	Strepsils. Cough drops.
	Tramadol. Strong pain killer.

	Co-amoxiclav – penicillin
	Ibuprofen. Painkillers.
	Eurax. Bite/Itch cream
	Muscle & Joint Rub. A heat rub.
	Bonjela. For mouth ulcers.
	Water Sterilisation Tablets.
	Sun Cream.
	Nail Scissors.
	Calamine Lotion. With antihistamine.
	Toothbrushes with protective caps.
	Toothpaste.
	Razor & spare blades.
	Diclophenac Gel. Painkiller.
	Antiseptic Cream.
	Metal Nail File.
	Nail Clippers.
	Ear Buds.
	Soap.
	Toilet Roll.

MISC

	Joss Sticks. Useful for masking bad room smells and can help keep insects at bay if you are sitting outside.
	Magnifying Glass.
	Empty bottles. For transporting alcohol.
	A Travel Companion.

REPAIR

	Super Glue.
	Elastic Bands.
	Screwdriver Set. Useful for fixing small items. This one will also fit the screws used in laptops, so useful if you need to replace a hard disc or add more memory.
	Split Rings.
	Cable Ties.
	Bit of Thick Metal Wire. This is an old curtain hook – used as a hook for the washing line and for fixing the door alarm (see Security)
	3 Amp Fuses. Carried as spares for the laptop mains plug.
	Electrical Screwdriver. Probably never a good idea to mess with hotel electrics but this proved essential for fixing light switches and improving TV reception in Indian hotels.
	Duct Tape & Clear Tape. Duct tape is probably the most important bit of repair kit you can carry. Clear tape is only really of use if you intend to post parcels.
	Rucksack Fixing Kit. Buy these before you start travelling as they are not easy to find. We bought some of these in Ace Hardware, Kuala Lumpur.
	Kite String. Makes a good temporary washing line. Bought this in the kite capital of Asia – Bali.
	Lock Knife.
	Screw Eyes. For fixing washing lines.
No Picture	Parachute cord. About 10 meters should be more than enough.
	Multi-tool.
	Sewing kit.
	Eye glasses repair kit. Includes screwdrivers and screws

SECURITY

	Travel Safe(s)
	Welded Link Chain. Used as additional method for securing travel safe(s).
	Small Padlocks. Used as additional security for travel safe(s).
	Small Combination Padlocks. Used to secure checked in luggage.
	Money Belts.
	Security Wire – Thin. Useful for securing day bags and handbags when in bars and restaurants.
	Security Wire – Thick
	Cable Locks (Bike Locks). Used to secure luggage to bed frame etc when in hotel room, also useful for locking cupboards and some hotel doors.
	Modified Rape Alarm. This one has an attached cable tie – used to slip over hotel room door knob. The other end is attached to one of the thin wires (or a length of kite string) and tied to something on the door frame (one the screw eyes above). Useful as a door entry alarm if the lock isn’t that good.
No Picture	Padlock keys
	Whistle.