I
started
out with.. |
What
happened to it, Comments |
Shoes
(1)
 |
My
waterproof combo hiking/walking Salomons are great for walking around
cities, climbing around ruins, or walking thru 2-inch puddles. The
soles are like tire treads-- they haven't worn out yet despite my city
routine of walking around 9 am to 8 pm. And while they
couldn't get me into a trendy Majorca club, bringing just 1 pair of
versatile shoes saves a lot of packing space. |
Backpack
 |
My
Eagle Creek Switchback roll-on backpack is perfect for this trip.
The rollerblading wheels are able to take most of Europe's cobblestone
streets, don't hurt your back, and make you look more like a local than
the big camping backpacks all the backpacking students wear. I even saw
one backpacker fall backwards from the weight of his pack, and he was
stuck on his back like a turtle. Note: I spent a lot of time
looking for a roll-on backpack with a waist strap, but I end up only using
that feature once because the wheels roll so well. |
| Clothing |
| T-shirts
(2) |
I loose
a T-shirt in a hotel, so I buy five more cheap t-shirts along the way at
H+M stores in Munich, Stockholm, Paris |
| Parachute
pants (1) |
The 2
extra side pockets are great for stashing maps, sunglasses, brochures,
film, camera, etc. |
| Jeans
(1) |
Carpenter
jeans with side pockets for my sunglasses case work well |
| Carpenter
shorts (1) |
The 2
extra side pockets are great for stashing maps, sunglasses, brochures,
film, camera, etc. Shorts cover the knee, good for going into
cathedrals in sensitive countries |
Socks
(4)
 |
- Champion socks suck - mine get holey
really quick, so I replace them with some black socks. I used to
make fun of Europeans' black socks w/sneakers, but I figure out why
they're so useful - black socks don't get grey like white socks do,
which sure comes in handy when you don't have a washing machine handy
- Thick woolly socks are great cause
they're cushioned and dry fast when I wash them in the sink
- Ankle socks are a necessity for hot
weather cities
|
| Thin
sweaters (3) |
Thin
sweaters rule cause layering is key. And they don't wrinkle. I
have a baggy navy-blue Tommy for everyday use, a grey one for bar hopping,
and a light, white Banana Republic for warmer weather |
| Rain
jacket |
I ship
my rubbery rain jacket back home, and replace it with a lighter
water-resistant black jacket with zip-out hood from H+M, which I can wear
any time |
Baseball
cap
|
I
started with a no-logo baseball cap so no one could tell where I was from,
but loose it at Disney Paris. I replace it with a Star Wars cap,
which is universal enough |
| Swim
trunks |
I only
used a few times at the beach, but easy to cram-pack |
| Watch |
My
crappy back-up watch craps out, so I buy a second cheap $6 watch in
Cairo. That works well, until I forget it in a hotel in Athens, and
replace it with a third $12 watch. I ended up going back to the
Athens hotel to get my second watch which they luckily had |
| Sunglasses |
People
in Egypt and Spain liked my Matrix-style sunglasses, tho I didn't tell
them I bought 'em for $6 at Venice beach. In trendy Rome, my Matrixers
feel out of style, so I buy a pair of rimless faded-tinted sunglasses
everyone else is wearing |
| Travel
pouch, neck-wallet |
I use
my around the waist travel pouch (NOT a fanny pack!) to stash my passport,
plane tickets and sometimes money in pickpocket cities (Rome, Barcelona,
London, Paris). I end up sending my neck-wallet home cause every
time I want to buy something, I end up doing a strip tease for the cashier |
| Umbrella
(bought on the road) |
It's
tough for a former Seattle resident to buy an umbrella, but downpours in
Rome force me to buy a small umbrella, which comes in handy when it rains
harder than my rain-resistant jacket can resist |
| Toiletries |
| Soap,
lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, cologne |
I run
out of my travel size versions of these, but that's OK because you can buy
'em everywhere, or take the free ones from your hotel. They won't
always be the same brands. Except you can buy Gilette Mach 3 razors
everywhere for some reason |
| Contact
lenses (6) |
I bring
six pairs of soft contact lenses for 3 months. Didn't use 'em all thanks
to my problems with contacts |
| Glasses
(3) |
My
trendy hingeless glasses and my prescription sunglasses break in Paris,
leaving me with just my Harry Potter glasses. Always good to have
back ups of stuff you can't replace easily on the road. |
| Quick
dry Towel |
Fellow
traveler Jeff recommended a quick-dry thin towel which really comes in
handy for the 20% of hostels which don't offter towels |
| Toiletries
Bag |
My mom
gave me a clear plastic toiletries bag, which is great to let you see
what you're trying to get |
| Photo |
Digital
cam.
 |
My
trusty Olympus breaks after three months of travel when I try to use a
mailbox as a tripod, and wind blows it off, sending it crashing 4 feet to
the ground. Now, I've dropped my camera a few inches several times,
but this time it's done. 4 years of great service. Good excuse
to buy a new model with a better zoom feature, I tell myself. |
| Memory
cards (2) |
I drop
my 16 MB card with 70 High Quality photos in Gibraltar. Then I find
out my (supposedly 600 High Quality photo capacity) 128 MB card maxes out
at about 400 photos. But it's definitely a good idea to buy the 128
MB card to store more photos. |
| Floppy
disk adaptor |
My
floppy disk memory card adaptor breaks in Ibiza. So I replace it
with a USB adaptor that treats the card as a removable disk drive.
It uploads photos 10 times faster than a floppy disk adaptor.
Definitely a good investment! |
| Canon
Rebel |
SLR
camera for artsy shots I want to enlarge |
| 12 rolls
of film |
I burn
thru 12 rolls in a month, but that's OK cause you can buy film
anywhere. Prices in Italy, Spain and Egypt are cheaper than U.S. |
| Office |
|
Journal |
I kept
a mini-log of names of places and expenses in my 6x9 black spiral bound
journal |
| 2-sided
tape, scissors, pen duct tape |
Useful
to create on the road scrapbook and...
-pack boxes of souvenirs to ship back
home |
| Other |
|
Cell phone with universal recharger
|
I
rented a cell phone in case I had trouble in Egypt and Jordan
basically. But I had no problem there. And the cell phone
costs $70 a month, and about $2-$3 a minute to call the U.S., so I ended
up using my AT&T calling card from a payphone most of the time
anyway. I accidentally wash it when I wash my pants in the sink in
Seville. Had me sweatin' I had to pay the $525 replacement
cost. But eventually, it dried out and worked fine. Didn't
need to rent this; extra cost, extra stress! |
| 12
Powerbars |
Worried
I might run out of food, I brought a dozen Powerbars. But
since I didn't do too much off-roading, I was within 5 minutes of food for
most of my trip anyway (e.g. train food cars, ferry cafeterias, etc.) They
did come in handy for a good protein/energy boost when I got tired of
those subway sandwiches in Spain, Italy and France |
