Bonaire Packing Update

Posted on June 6, 2011 by debbie

We like to choose hotels that are willing to communicate via email with us. If we have a question, we just email the hotel.  Last night, Murray emailed the Carib Inn, where we are staying on Bonaire, and asked them a couple of questions.  They responded today!

We asked about electrical outlets, and Bonaire has the same type of outlet as the US and Canada.  Therefore, we do not have to take adapter plugs with us.

We also asked whether they have towels to use for the beach.  They do, but the quantities are limited.  We will bring our own towels with us.

The third question we asked was whether they rent booties and open healed fins.  They do not.  We are planning on shore diving, and we need either booties or water shoes to walk on the rocks into the water. We have booties and open healed fins, but our friends have full foot fins.  Some of our friends are going to take water shoes. Others are going to rent booties and fins from another dive shop on the island.

Now I can cross off Adapter Plugs on the packing list and leave towels on.

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Other Stuff Packing List

Posted on June 4, 2011 by debbie

We tried to come up with a wonderfully descriptive name for this list, which is posted under ‘Packing Lists’  on the menu bar, but in the end, it is just ‘Other Stuff’.

For Bonaire, I have crossed the following stuff off the list :

  • bike cable lock
  • binoculars
  • calculator
  • crossword puzzle book
  • daypack (maybe)
  • drawing materials
  • eating utensils, bowls
  • glasses for map reading
  • guidebook/phrase book
  • insect repellent (maybe)
  • iPod and headphones (maybe)
  • journal
  • mosquito coils
  • pocket notebook
  • sheet sack
  • small padlock and keys
  • toilet paper
  • umbrella

Some notes on the stuff not crossed off.

Adapter Plugs

It looks like Bonaire has the same type of electrical outlets have we have in Canada. We are going to check with the hotel to make sure. Will get back on this one.

Alarm/Watch

Traveling is about the only time both Murray and I consistently wear a watch.  Both watches have alarms in them for those early morning wake-ups.

Canada Trinkets

We always travel with a small bag of Canada pins and stickers. If given the opportunity, we will hand these out to children.

Pocket Notebook

When we went to China, I took a small 2 1/2″ x 4″  pocket notebook with me. It became invaluable as this was where we wrote the “Words to Learn in Local Language”.  The notebook also had the Chinese character for rice noodles inscribed in it for easy reference.  It came in very handy! I carried the notebook either in my pocket or in an outside pocket of my purse, where it was easily accessible.  I would recommend taking one if traveling to a country where English is not the official language.

Laundry Soap and Clothesline

Traveling with little clothing means doing laundry frequently.  We carry a small bottle of liquid Tide.  We have found the liquid detergent mixes with the water and clothes much better than powder. We sometimes do the laundry in the shower (while one of us is showering) or in the sink.  Once the clothes are rung, we lay them in a towel, role the towel up and then stomp on the roll.  It is amazing how much water comes out when this is done.  Then the clothes can be hung on the clothesline or put on a hangar to dry.  T shirts maintain their shape very well when this towel method is used.  If we know we have to do laundry, we will share one towel for showering and then use the other towel for laundry stomping.  We also time laundry to days we know the towels will be changed, if they are not changed every day.  The towels tend to get saturated and don’t dry too quickly.

We have been carrying some thin cord for a clothesline.  The clothesline is carried in an old pill bottle.  Murray has found another type of clothesline that we are going to try.  It is made of braided surgical rubber tubing.  It can be bought from Amazon.com (Flexoline), Rick Steves (Travel Gear Clothesline).  One concern is the volume of packing space this option uses vs the pill bottle option.

Duct Tape

We always travel with some duct tape.  It is wrapped around the clothesline pill bottle.  It is just enough to make small repairs.

Flashlight

A flashlight is a necessity for safety.  We often do not use the flashlight, but if the power goes off, or there is an emergency, we will have it.  When we were in Tibet, we stayed in a hotel in Tingri, near Mt Everest.  Upon checking in, we were told that there was no power, so we would not have lights when it got dark.  Our flashlight came in very handy that night.  There are a number of travel flashlights on the market now – small, lightweight, easy on batteries.  We use an older Bossman flashlight and when it expires will purchase a smaller one.

Moneybelt/Necksafe

When flying to a destination, Murray and I will split up any cash and travelers cheques that we are carrying. Murray carries his share, plus credit cards, in a moneybelt.  He wears it low, over his hips and wears looser pants/shorts. If the package is bulky, Murray has found this more comfortable than a necksafe .  The money belt stays hidden until we get to our destination. He also wears a necksafe with only our passports in it that is easily accessible.

I wear a necksafe.  It is beige and soft on the skin side. I wear in around my neck and it hangs just below my bust and tucked into my pants. I also wear looser pants and shirt to accommodate the necksafe.  I wear a scarf draped around neck and hanging down my chest, to hide the cord of the necksafe and the bumps that may show.  I will put my extra credit cards in it also.  The necksafe will also stay hidden until we reach our destination.

We decided a while back that we wanted these items actually attached to our bodies, not in a purse or bag.  This helps to ensure that the money, credit cards, passports are not stolen, lost or forgotten.  We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia and were standing in the visa line-up behind some other travelers.  The mom suddenly realized that the bag with all their holiday cash had fallen out of her purse and must still be on the plane! She tells her teenage daughter to run back to the plane on the tarmac to get it. (Duh!) The daughter didn’t get farther than the doors before security stopped her.  A big discussion ensued and finally an airport employee ran out to the plane and retrieved the bag.  Mur and I just shook our heads.

Large 8 x 11 Envelopes

This trip marks the first trip we are going to start carrying a couple of large envelopes with us.  Why? When we were in Vietnam, we stayed at a hotel in Hanoi that had a safety box at reception to leave important stuff in (passports, extra travelers cheques, plane tickets etc).  We had all the stuff in the moneybelt and then the fellow at reception placed the money belt into a large envelope, sealed it and had Murray sign across the sealed opening. This way we all knew that no one was going to take anything out of the envelope.  Brilliant!

Years later, having forgotten about this trick, we go to Belize.  Stay at a fairly nice hotel that has safety boxes for each room at reception.  We put our extra travelers cheques and a bit of cash into Mur’s money belt and give it to the receptionist and he places it into what we think is our safety box. To make a long story short, some cash and 2 travelers cheques were stolen from the money belt. Luckily we had made a list of what was in the money belt.  The hotel manager was very good dealing with the situation and we got reimbursed for the cash.  AMEX reimbursed us for the travelers cheques.  Lesson learned.  In 15 or so years of traveling, this was the first time we had an issue like this and hopefully the last.

We are going to use the envelope method from now on when we have to leave items at reception.  We are also going to make a list of the contents of the envelope.

Sink Stopper

You never know if the bathroom sink will have a proper stopper in it.  Doing laundry in a sink that won’t hold water is material for a comedy.  Carry a sink stopper.

Towels

On a dive holiday, we check with the hotel to see whether they supply towels for the pool.  If they do not, we take our own.  Sometimes we take old towels and leave them. 

Water Bottle

We take water bottles with us on the flights so we always have access to water. Don’t take your favorite water bottle from home – you will be sad when it gets lost.  Take a water bottle that is disposable. Remember to take it empty through security and fill it up once you are on the other side.  Or plan to buy a bottle of water once past security. I don’t like doing this as I end up with a bunch of Canadian change that has to be carted around on our trip.

Green Garbage Bags/Kitchen Catcher Bags/Ziploc Bags

I will get a large ziploc bag and put inside it the following, ensuring all the bags are flat and have no air in them:

  • 2 green garbage bags
  • 2 kitchen catcher bags
  • 1 – 2  large ziploc bags
  • 2 -4  1 litre ziploc bags
  • 2 -4  sandwich size ziploc bags

Over the years, we have found the extra ziploc bags come in very handy for carrying travel receipts, a purchase we don’t want to get wet, food and for replacing ripped 1 litre bags for airport security.  A kitchen catcher bag is the perfect size for a laundry bag. Don’t remember the last time we used a green garbage bag but as soon as we leave it at home, we will need it!

The remaining stuff on the list is pretty standard – cameras, pens, sunglasses etc.  This list looks like a lot of stuff, but most of it is small and fits in purses or the nooks and crannies of a suitcase. Most of the stuff is pretty obvious, but the idea of a list is  to not reinvent packing every time and rely on the list. If you use the list, please personalize it!

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Bonaire Shore Diving

Posted on June 3, 2011 by debbie

Last night I researched information on shore diving on Bonaire.

I found this website,  http://www.bonairediveguide.com/ , that has a map of all the dive sites.  It also has a downloadable pdf dive guide.  It has the Bonaire Marine Park regulations and gives a short description of each shore dive, each boat dive around Klein Bonaire Island and the map. I was tempted to print the guide – all 54 pages of it, except for all the advertising, but another blog mentions that it is free in the airport, so we will look for it there.

Found another website…..http://www.infobonaire.com/bsdme/. It is basically an advertisement for a book called “Bonaire Shore Diving Made Easy” by Susan Porter. Each dive site is described with site number, ease of entry, snorkel site rating, entrance and exit info and dive info. The book can be ordered on line or purchased on Bonaire at various locations.  This looks like a very good option.

Our friends from New York, who traveled to Bonaire in February, said they were given a shore diving map and info from the staff at their hotel.  They managed just fine with just this info.

Here is a website that has shore diving tips.     http://www.scuba-diving-smiles.com/bonaire-shore-diving.html There is some really good info here.  Here is another.  http://www.thedivingblog.com/shore-diving-tips/.  I am going to recommend that all our dive buddies read these two sites before we head off.

I think we will wait until we get to Bonaire to get maps and info on shore dives.

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Bonaire One Month and Counting

Posted on June 1, 2011 by murray

As I am sitting at the computer killing time, a pastime even for old people, I type one of our future destinations into the search bar and see what comes up. I use a different tag, like Bonaire or Bonaire diving or Bonaire tourism, each time so I do not end up with the same 24 sites. I peruse the stuff that is listed and save the sites that are interesting, or may be of some use, to a file in my favorites. Some time closer to the trip I will go through the websites one by one and glean the information that will be of use to us. The information may be of things to do or places to visit, sometimes it is of a more practical nature, like how to acquire a visa or how much the departure tax is and how it is to be paid. We keep a “real” file folder for each of our future destinations. It gathers the piles of paper that accumulates. I write down each of the pieces of info. I have gather on the outside of the file folder. Then if I think the electronic file could be of some future use or I want to discuss something it contains with Debbie I keep it, otherwise I delete it and get rid of the clutter.

Our trip to Bonaire is one month out and I have spent the last couple of days going through my Bonaire file. Here’s what I found. The order is random as that is the way it comes up and the information I keep isn’t necessarily connected in any way.

Bonaire, the boring stuff. The main ‘city’ has a Dutch name, not easy for us English speakers to imagine how it is pronounced. So, Kralendijk, is pronounced Crawl-en-dike. The tap water is potable and “is some of the best water in the world”, this is good as we will drink it and do our part by not contributing to the plastic bottle island that is developing in  the middle of our oceans. We carry travelers cheques instead of a credit card. The reason’s we will discuss in another blog, but what it means we have to know the banks that will cash American Express travelers cheques without a fee. The only bank in Kralendijk should do so and it is open between 8:30 and 4:00. We should be able to make it. Stores are generally open 8:00 to noon and 2:00 to 6:00. The island uses Atlantic Standard Time, which is the same as EDT. Tipping is 10 to 15% but review the bill as some restaurants add a “service charge” so no tip is necessary. The departure tax is $20 US so if you have to leave keep some cash on hand. Further to that, the web site said that if your plane ticket was purchased after Oct. 01, 2010 the departure tax should be included in the price of the ticket. We did purchase our tickets after Oct. 01, but I cannot find evidence that the departure tax has been paid so I think we will keep $20 each on hand, unless of course we need an excuse to stay. All jokes aside, I was once short cash to pay the departure tax while trying to get on a plane out of Mexico,  the lady took what cash I had and gave me the all important piece of paper. I don’t think any country really wants to keep a bunch of cash short tourists.

Bonaire, the good stuff. About a year ago several of our friend’s expressed an interest in learning to dive, they had the idea that we should go south and go on a diving trip. It sounded like fun so Debbie and I, being the experienced divers, started to research possible destinations. After sometime on the net and discussions with the crew at Subsea Experience, the dive shop we utilize, we thought that Bonaire would be ideal. It offers excellent diving and is does not require a vast amount of expertise to dive, great for our novice ensemble. Our preliminary searches indicated that people do not go to Bonaire unless they dive. In other words, there is not that much else to do and fortunately it does not attract the Caribbean holiday crowd. BUT, by spending a couple of hours on the web I found there are a few other diversions that should keep us occupied. Two of our traveling companions windsurf and kiteboard so they will be spending some time on the windward side of the island pursuing those activities. We all ride bikes. There are bikes for rent and a few miles of road that can be explored which qualifies as another diversion. Bonaire is one of the places where flamingos gather and they can be viewed in vast numbers at several spots. It is also possible to rent kayaks and paddle thru the mangroves for an afternoon. The thing that interests me the most is a once per month market that takes place, on the day we arrive, in the town called Rincon. We will not be able to dive that day anyway, we are taking the red eye from Houston and I don’t want to dive on minimal sleep, so I will definitely be attendance at the market. I was also able to find a few reviews on some of the shore diving sites. I will look for more but I think we should be able to determine a few ‘must see’ sites that we will take in. I got the names of a few restaurants to try and a few of the local dishes to try; maybe, iguana soup doesn’t really appeal to my senses but they say it is good.

It should be a busy 10 days. Who said, you go on holidays to relax????

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Scuba Diving List

Posted on May 31, 2011 by debbie

Bonaire is a scuba diving trip.  Makes packing the scuba gear easy.  Everything goes!  Well, almost.

I crossed off the following items as they will not go to Bonaire – Panty hose (used to help get on a 7 mil or thicker wetsuit), warm dry clothes (used when diving in cold water), swim nose plug (won’t need it – no chlorine in the big pool).  Everything else goes.

You are probably asking how we take all this gear AND go carry on. We do it by pushing the weight limit and by sacrificing the amount of clothing we take.  How many clothes do you really need to take on a scuba dive/beach holiday to a hot climate?

Certification Cards and Dive Logs

It is important to take all your certification cards – dive and nitrox.  The dive shop will ask to see the cards to verify that you are qualified to dive.  Our dive logs are getting fat, so we have taken out the first 70 or so pages.  Other divers have told us that they have been asked to show their whole dive logs to verify the number of dives.  We have never come across this.  We need to watch the weight of our bags, so we have opted not to take the whole dive log. We take enough blank pages to write up all the dives we will be doing.

Wetsuits, Hoodie and Booties

We used to dive with rented shorty wetsuits and then one year, in Cozumel, I got touched by a long tendril of (we think) a jellyfish across my calf.  Stung nicely, so we asked for some vinegar at our favorite lunch stop to relieve the pain.  After that, we bought 2 – 3 mil wetsuits.  They are mostly for protection from the underwater environment and also for warmth.   Then Mur bought me a hoodie to wear under my wetsuit for warmth because I was getting cold on the second dive. When we bought our fins, we decided to buy ones that we could wear in cold water.  For cold water, we have booties for warmth, and the fins fit over the booties.

Safety Measures

We have slowly been adding safety items to our gear.  Dive computers for more accurate dive profiles, a compass, safety sausages.  Our dive computers are”Gekko”s made by Suunto. Fairly basic computers that handle oxygen and nitrox. We went on a “live aboard” dive trip around Tobago one year.  Everyone had to carry a safety sausage when diving in case we got separated from the group as the currents were quite strong. Murray and I thought the sausages were a good idea to carry all the time.  We each have one with about 15 ft of line and a tiny reel made out of a film canister.  They go in the pocket of our BCD in case we need them.

Snorkel and Swim Gear

We always carry our snorkels, swim shirts, caps and goggles as we love to snorkel and swim when we are not diving.  If we are going to the ocean, we want to spend as much time in the ocean as we can. Murray wears a do-rag as he is bald and the reflection off the water makes for a really red pate.

Camera Gear

A few years ago, we bought an underwater housing for my small Canon camera.  We have just loved taking pictures.  Then we bought a strobe flash so we could get better colour underwater.  That was an excellent buy and I recommend to anyone interested in underwater photography to invest in a strobe flash.

Batteries

One issue with going carry on is the weight of the batteries for the camera, strobe and the dive lights.  The camera and flash each take 4 AA batteries.  We take rechargeable AA batteries, a small charger and an extra set of regular AA batteries. The dive lights take 4 C batteries.We take Alkaline C batteries, but after reading another travel blog, we are going to investigate which type of battery weighs less.

Decongestants

When taking our open water certification, my daughter had trouble clearing her ears, so the dive master suggested we buy some Sudafed.  It comes in both children and adult doses.  We always carry some in case someone has ear issues.

Spare Glasses

I wear glasses. One dive trip, I realized I was destroying my favorite glasses by wearing them on the dive boat – they were getting salty and they were rusting! Since then, I have an old pair of glasses that I wear on the dive boat.

Fish Books

We have two small (5″ x 6″) booklets that we take for fish identification.  They are by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach.  They are “Reef Creature” and “Reef Fish”.  These are specifically for Florida, the Caribbean and the Bahamas. It is advertised that they are waterproof and fit in a BCD pocket, but we keep ours dry and on land. We also have the 3 volume Reef Set that we look at before we leave – it stays home.

Corks

Lion fish are invading the Caribbean and eating their way through all the fish.  There is a concerted effort to control this invasion, so the Bonaire National Marine Park asks divers to place a marker where lion fish are spotted. Dive operators supply markers, but have asked that divers bring wine corks to help with the supply of markers.  We have gathered a small sandwich bag of corks to take to aid in the cause.

The Rest

The rest of the items on the list are pretty normal. We have a box in the closet that holds all our dive gear.  I pulled the box down and we will go through it and divide up the stuff.  We will also double check the camera housing, strobe flash, batteries, dive computers etc to make sure they work properly.

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Packing for a Quick Trip

Posted on May 26, 2011 by debbie

I am flying to Abbotstford tomorrow to visit my daughter, who is going to school in Langley. I just finished packing for the two day trip.  Took me about a 1/2 hour. I am ready to go except my purse.  Here is what I did.

Got my bag out.  Laid it on living room floor (where there was good light for pictures!).

 

 

 

 

Gathered my running stuff as I plan to run on Saturday morning. It looks like rain in Langley all weekend, so I have to take a running jacket and hat. Taking my Garmin, so I don’t get lost! Grabbed some PJs, underwear and a pair of warm socks.

 

What to wear….It is not much warmer there than it is here, so I had better take some pants.  Jeans, long sleeved t-shirt, socks and underwear for the plane.  Shorts, 2 tops and 1 wool tee.  The wool tee is extra just in case it is colder than I expect. A warm layer – Fuzzy. All mix and match for optimum wearablitiy. Picked up my rain jacket on the way to the living room.

 

The jeans etc go on the sofa with my rain jacket in the “on the plane” pile.  The shorts, tees and fuzzy go on the floor in the “to be packed” pile. Threw in a scarf. Added some odds and ends to give to my daughter.

 

 

 

Grabbed a 1 litre ziploc and off to the bathroom.  Pulled out my travel cosmetic bag.  Shampoo and conditioner, moisturizers, toothpaste and hair goop into ziploc. Deodorant, floss, toothbrush, face soap, earrings and prescriptions into travel bag. On the way to the living room, grabbed my travel purse and eReader. The travel purse is bigger than  the one I normally carry. I will take it so my eReader will fit inside.

Packing…..Running shoes at the end of the bag.  Layered the clothes with the small cosmetic bag and Garmin bag so the pile extends across the tie down straps.  This will make the bundle tight and secure.  The 1 liter ziploc went at the top end as it will have to be pulled out to go through airport security.     DONE!           READY TO GO!

I am taking more than I really need for 2 days of casual visiting. If I forgot something, I can always borrow from my daughter and Langley does have stores! All that is left is to transfer my wallet, glasses etc from my everyday purse to my travel purse.  I will do this before I go to bed and double check and close my suitcase so I am ready to go in the morning.

See you in a few days!

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Important Documents List

Posted on May 25, 2011 by debbie

The most important items that you take on a trip are a passport and some means of paying for stuff.  When you think about it, that’s all you really need.  You can buy clothes and toothbrushes and bandaids and cameras – you can buy it all.  Without proper identification and a credit card (or cash or travelers cheques), you can’t go far. We have created a list of documents, just so we don’t forget something important. It is now posted on the page called “Important Documents” under the Packing Lists menu item. Let me explain a few of the items.

Credit Cards

Murray and I both carry different credit cards.  We usually only use one – the Visa with Avion Points, but we both have cards as backups.  Murray also carries an AMEX credit card as it allows him to cash personal cheques if needed. Murray will talk about credit cards vs cash vs travelers cheques in a later post.

Copies of Important Documents

We each carry photocopies of birth certificates and passports hidden inside our luggage somewhere.  In case our passports go missing, we have these copies to help get replacements.  It also is a good idea to have photocopies of prescriptions, credit cards, entry visas and driver’s licenses.  I usually carry these copies inside a bag of various bags I have in my suitcase.  Instead of carrying photocopies, scan and email the copies to your gmail email account (or other web accessible sites).

Extra Passport Photos

Depending on where we travel, we take extra passport photos with us.  Researching entry requirements for each country will tell you if you are going to need photos when you arrive.

Words to Learn in the Local Language

After being in Vietnam and China, we put together a list of words to learn in the local language.  This list is on its own page also. It’s amazing the reaction you get when you say “Waitress, the bill please”  in Mandarin.  As I have some food “issues”, our list contains food items that are specific to me.  If you use this list, it should be modified.

Travel/Medical Insurance and IAMAT Cards

Always carry your Travel/Medical Insurance Cards.  These cards will supply phone numbers to call for information on where to find English speaking doctors.  We required a doctor in Belize once, and our Travel Insurance provider was able to provide us with one. IAMAT has a list of doctors available that are western trained.

Plane Tickets/eTickets/Hotel Reservations

We carry paper copies of all eTickets and hotel reservation confirmations.  We also keep all these in my gmail email account, in case we loose the paper copies.  This sounds like lots of backups of backups, but planning for the unexpected will help greatly in keeping the stress down if the unexpected happens.

Copies of City Maps

We added this item to our list last year after our trip to China.  We were carrying around the very thick Lonely Planet book just to use the map. For the Bhutan trip, we will photocopy, and perhaps laminate the maps of the cities where we will be going. These will fit into a pants pocket when we want them out of sight.

 

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First Aid Kit Packing List

Posted on May 24, 2011 by debbie

We always take a first aid kit with us when we travel.  The size of the kit varies greatly, depending on where we are going and how long we are away.  We could probably count on one hand how many times we really needed it, but those times makes it worthwhile to have it along.

I have been collecting Clinique cosmetic bags for years and these small bags are ideal for this purpose. For larger kits, we use the clear bag, which is cylindrical.  It, amazingly, holds a lot.  For smaller kits, we use the green rectangular bag.

 

The complete First Aid List is posted on the First Aid Page now. All the items are the generic terms, but if you use the list, I would change the generic terms to what you actually use.  So, instead of Antacid, change it to Maalox, or Tums or Rolaids – whatever you typically use.

We buy small containers/tubes of Polysporin, Tylenol etc to take traveling. We only take 8 to 10 bandaids, antiseptic wipes etc.  These quantities will get us through a few days of a minor injury.  If we need more, then we just go buy more. We want to make sure we can deal with a minor injury right away.  When we were in Australia years ago, my daughter tripped on a curb and scraped her knee badly.  We had enough supplies with us to clean and bandage it and to keep clean bandages on it for a few days.

Ciproflaxin, a common antibiotic, is on the list as it is recommended by doctors to have  when traveling. It will treat urinary infections and bacterial diarrhea. Talk to your doctor about when to take Cipro and a prescription.

I used to have a horrible time with blisters on my toes in hot humid climates.  A friend told me he puts Vaseline between his toes when he runs in hot weather, so I tried this when we went to China.  Everyday I put a thin layer of Vaseline all over and around my toes.  My feet were the happiest they had been for decades and not one blister.  If you suffer from blisters, try Vaseline. The Vaseline is not coming to Bonaire, though, as Bonaire is a water holiday and we won’t be doing that much walking (plus I am taking only sandals!).

Whenever traveling to hot climates, take cream to combat heat rash. You never know when you might need it.  Same with oral hydration salts – if you get ill and your electrolytes get depleted, you will need to replenish them.

Knowing what to take, takes some practice, but remember that you can always go buy what you need.  R&D were in Japan, and they needed something for heat rash.  With a phrase book and some pantomime, they managed to explain to the Japanese pharmacist what they were looking for.

After printing off a copy of the list, Murray and I cross off all the items that we think we will NOT need for Bonaire.  This first aid kit will have items to take care of cuts, scrapes, heat rash, dehydration, fever, mild stomach aches – fairly basic stuff.

Next, I sit on the bathroom floor and dump everything out of the kits and the cupboard.  It looks like this…..

I start gathering the items from the list and separate them until it looks like this……..

And the list looks like this………

Crossed out stuff is staying home, yellow highlighted stuff is gathered, stuff with notes is yet to be packed.

I pack all the items into the green bag.  I leave out liquids – sunscreen and eye drops – as these must go in our 1 litre ziploc bags for airport security. I will put the scissors in the 1 litre bag also.  Even though snub nosed scissors are allowed in carry on luggage, airport security will check them, so it is easier to make them accessible.  The bottle of Cipro will go in Murray’s shaving kit.  So, the first aid kit is ready to go to Bonaire and here is what it looks like now……..

 

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Intro to Our Packing Lists

Posted on May 23, 2011 by debbie

Over the next while, we are going to share with you our various packing lists.  The lists can be found on their own pages under the Packing Lists menu item.  If you would like to use them, they can be copied and pasted into a Word document.  If you are really good, you can copy them into Excel. We actually have six lists crammed onto one Excel sheet.  Also,  if you plan on using the list, you should personalize it by listing your own medications, cosmetics etc.

There are no quantities on the lists as the quantity depends on the length and type of trip.  For example, our “first aid kit” we take to Bhutan will be more extensive than the one going to Bonaire – more moleskin, more Maalox.

We do not take everything on the lists.  When we start packing for a trip, we go over the lists and decide what we should take and cross off the items that we don’t think are necessary. For Bonaire, we won’t take items such as Calamine Lotion and Liquid Bandaid. For Bhutan, we will make sure we take a clothesline. ear plugs and a flashlight.

Every time we travel, we seem to add items to the lists. We hand write it on the paper list we use for packing and then when we return, I add the item to the digital list.  We often create other lists, such as a “High Altitude” list – what symptoms were experienced, what worked, what didn’t work.

We have lists for EVERYTHING! Scuba diving, first aid, clothing, toiletries, important documents, camping, riding with and without panniers, folk festivals and what to do before we leave on a trip.  Since Bonaire is coming up, we will start with what we need for a scuba diving trip to the Caribbean.

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Daypacks and Wallets

Posted on May 22, 2011 by debbie

We take one daypack with us on trips where we think we will be walking or hiking and will need to carry extra items such as jackets, food, water and umbrellas.  When we fly, this pack is packed into a suitcase. On day excursions, I will carry the daypack and Murray will carry his courier bag, due to his camera gear. We have used the same style and make of daypack for many years.

The pack is a “Serratus”, which unfortunately is no longer available. As the picture shows, the pack can be packed up into a small bundle.  The pack is the right size for a couple of jackets, a large water bottle and snacks. The pack is easy to carry providing it is not too heavy.  I rue the day when we have to replace this pack.  In looking for a day pack, consider what will go in it, how easy is it to pack into your suitcase and how does it feel on you when you carry it.

A quick note on travel wallets.  Both Murray and I leave our normal wallets at home when we travel and take smaller, thinner wallets.  Mine is actually a kid wallet – bright purple! Both wallets hold fewer credit cards etc, but we find that we leave most cards at home.  Don’t really need the Save-On Member Card in Greece or China!  Most foreign currency fits in the paper bill section of the wallets . Both wallets are thin enough to lay hidden in the zippered/velcro pockets of our purses. When Murray carries his wallet in his pants pocket, he puts two wide elastics around the wallet, which makes it harder for a pickpocket to remove the wallet.

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