Comments on: 18 Essential Items for a Trip Around The World

By: paco

paco — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:38:00 +0000

money belts will ruin your passport (unless you have another secure plastic pouch to put it in, inside the money belt). Mine bled blue ink all over the belt, and faded my pages. Looks like i washed it in the washer! Had to get a new one while overseas.

By: Liz Harrod

Liz Harrod — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:08:05 +0000

Pretty good tips here. Money belt? Not really necessary, but I totally agree with the previous comment that it is great to have all important stuff in one location, for me my passport wallet. That way I can just spot it and know that bank cards, tickets, etc. are all accounted for.

The big yes yes yes for me is the keeper. I actually use the Diva Cup, and let me tell you, it is AWESOME – invaluable. Always on hand in case I lose track of what time of the month it is, a one time cost for the year (heaps less than buying box after box of tampons), more environmentally friendly, and actually more health conscious.

I totally recommend!

By: Vjera

Vjera — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 20:17:25 +0000

I just came back from a RTW trip and have never had a single problem finding tampons anywhere, but I can understand the logic behind the Keeper/Diva cup. Microfibre towels are the best and so are thermal layers. You should buy those before you leave the comfort of your home. Everything else I found you can get cheaper at the destination. Even places such as Laos and Bolivia, both poor and under-developed places. So you can pack light and just go.
My tip would be to buy a couple of sarongs in SE Asia – they were very, very useful for me – they can be a towel, a scarf, an extra layer, a bedsheet, a blanket etc etc.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:06:15 +0000

I have to speak up here and say the Keeper (or Diva Cup, the brand I have that does exactly the same thing) is RIDICULOUSLY amazingly useful! It is a LIFESAVER for women! For some reason so many of us feel very uncomfortable getting anywhere near our parts or our “time of the month” stuff, but I cannot stress enough how incredible it was to have on two separate 2+month-long backpacking trips. They saved me lots of money, tons of space in my backpack, hugely decreased the amount of unrecyclable waste I created (the packaging, box it comes in, and pad/tampon itself creates a huge amount of plastic and bleached-fabric waste every month for nearly every woman around)…not to mention, in places like the Pampas in Bolivia and 10-hour bus rides, it’s incredibly comforting to never have to worry about a single leak (of course it takes a few tries to get used to it, but it’s SO WORTH IT), I can ignore it for 10 or 12 hours…I literally am only aware of my period twice or three times a day when I change it.

Sorry to go off on a tangent but GET IT, GET IT, GET IT!!!

By: peecup

peecup — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:27:18 +0000

What about condoms? Duh.

By: Sara C

Sara C — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:43:01 +0000

I use a money belt to hold extremely important things like my passport, credit card, emergency cash in home currency, etc. I only ever wear the belt (UNDER my clothes) during a time that I’m going to need items inside – and when I need to access something from it, I do so in a private place, like a bathroom stall. For the rest of the time, the belt and its contents are in a hidden pocket deep inside my daypack, or divided up between various hiding spots in my main luggage.

You’re right that it’s not an absolute essential – it works mostly to keep important valuables together and conspicuous so you can’t accidentally lose anything, not so much as a security measure. A passport wallet or small envelope would be just as useful and probably more attractive and less conspicuous.

By: Kaylin

Kaylin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:39:30 +0000

See, I think a money belt is very useful. I’m not sure how a thief could lift it off you… if you’re doing it right. it’s supposed to go UNDER your clothes, where it is hidden and can’t be seen. Perhaps the poster above was thinking of a fanny pack/bum bag worn on the outside of clothes?? You only keep really important things you don’t need to access constantly in your money belt, like your passport, emergency credit card and phone numbers, etc. Your debit card can go in there after you use it first thing in the morning to take out a day’s worth of cash. This cash does NOT go in there, it goes in your wallet/pocket/etc, where you have easy access to it. If you have any EXTRA cash, however, (perhaps you took out a significant amount to avoid ATM fees) this should go in the money belt for safe keeping. The point is: you should not be digging in your money belt all day to get stuff, it should ONLY be there to hide important things you don’t need constant access to.

By: Dewa Bhatara Ubud

Dewa Bhatara Ubud — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:00:47 +0000

Don’t forget to bring some snacks, matches, ballpoint. Small utility but sometime we need them.

By: Vertical Adventures

Vertical Adventures — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:09:09 +0000

Nice tips for the travelers.
Thanks indeed for sharing. Keep it up!

By: Allana

Allana — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:05:44 +0000

haha. Very interesting. I have to say that this list was pretty thorough, however another ABSOLUTE must is an empty cotton Pillowcase. This was my lifesaver in Europe, as you just fold and pop in all your extra clothes at night (bandana, jacket, scarf, etc) till you have a comfy pillow. One less thing to cart around!
Also, wide cotton belt scarfs can be better than bandana’s as you get all the use of a bandana PLUS a belt, AND you can use it to wrap fragile items, hang things, etc.