Alistair Williams from www.alistairwilliams.com/aroundtheworldtravel tells us what every backpacker should bring on his travels.
Boots:
We think good boots are crucial. We were told by some that trainers are adequate, but we found otherwise. I bust my ankle when wearing flip flops and failed to use my boots on one ocassion. Do not make the same mistake. Trekking in the jungle and even just on muddy roads in the wet season, while carrying a heavy bag can be treacherous. One slip while carrying a heavy bag and you can seriously damage your ankle, or worse. This risk increases dramatically when you are trekking or taking part in activities in remote areas and the consequences are also far greater. Help is a lot further away. So, why risk cushioned, thin soles that are slippery when you can opt for ankle-supporting boots that have far greater tread? It makes sense right? Buy ankle-supporting boots with cushioned soles and ensure you do them up tightly when trekking to minimise risk of damage.
The drawback of this is that boots take up a fair amount of space and are relatively heavy. Pack your socks and other items into your boots to make the most of your space.
Visa information:
If you are travelling on a gap year or for an extended period of time then ensure you are aware (before you fly) about the current visa laws. It is an extremely boring job, but will save you cash and hassle. We met a guy who made this mistake. The Russian authorities did not let him enter the country and he lost his trans-Siberian train ticket. He spent several hundred pounds travelling in a different direction and missed his dream journey. We didn’t think anything about Australia as we thought we were covered. Unfortunately, we were stung with paying £100 for a last-minute visa instead of £30 beforehand. This type of thing can make a huge difference to a budget.
Mozzy net:
An important thing to have and use, as it protects you from getting attacked in your sleep from many bugs as well as mosquitoes. This is also crucial and the No. 1 method of preventing malaria. Ensure you buy one that is soaked in permethrin, which is an insecticide that kills anything that is waiting for you to emerge from your bed. Note that the bag and indeed holes in the mosquito net are fixed with Duct tape.
DEET:
Fifty per cent tropical strength is useful in most places as it lasts longer. Consult the bottle however as there are some that last longer than others by default. Make sure you avoid plastics when using high-strength DEET as it melts plastics and use it on your “pulse points” as a priority. By this we mean your ankles and anywhere your veins are close to the surface of the skin, as this is where mosquitoes aim for first. Note that the rubbish flip cap is held down with Duct tape. Try and buy a screw cap for everything.
Duct tape/Gaffer tape:
This stuff is genius and helped us fix and achieve so much. As you may gather, we love it. To be specific we used grey, Scotch Duct tape. Where there is nowhere to fix your mosquito net, use tape, socks have holes? Tape it. We were in a small village in India that had a hole in their water line, reducing pressure to the whole village. Fixed easily with Duct tape. This stuff has so many uses and replaces many items. Sure, tape on your socks is not ideal, but as it is made from fabric it makes a great substitution and that is all that matters.
2 x padlocks:
Not just one, but two. They do not need to be expensive. We bought ours for £2.99 each, but they looked chunky and that was the main thing. You need one for your room, so you do not rely on the hotel owner’s padlock. This is because most theft from rooms is either by other travellers (if you are in a dormitory) or by cleaners. The second padlock should be used to secure the bag that containing your most important things. Theft is mostly opportunistic. Make it difficult and you will not have a problem. I was a victim of theft just once. Thieves took from a money belt that was in my main bag and not locked up in our black bag. Both bags were next to each other, but one was not locked.
Bike lock:
We found a genius way to keep your bag safe on a bus or if you are leaving it for some time behind a desk, in a safe room (many of which are very unsafe). Make a small slit in your rucksack and feed a bike lock through your bag in front of the padding that rests on your back but behind the contents of your back. With one of the locks (from above), you can easily lock your bag to a fixed chair leg, desk, wall hanging or anything that makes it impossible to remove without being noticed. Again, this eliminates the opportunistic thieves and will keep your stuff safe, giving you peace of mind. As we were a couple we would also lock them together. Just try and watch someone trying to steal two 20kg bags at the same time – it will not happen!
Tiger balm:
Great for mosquito bites surprisingly, but also aches, strains and pains when you have been marching to catch a bus or trekking in the jungle. We used a whole pot and yet I had never used the stuff before!
String:
Not a whole roll, but it’s useful in hanging a mosquito net, tying things to your bag or using a washing line (it’s far cheaper than a bungee cord, which is sold as a washing line for £10!). We wove it into a cord strong enough to hang our new hammock. Its many uses, low price and the small space it takes up earns it a place in the Hit List.
Read on for our Miss List and read Alistair’s tips for best-practice round-the-world trips.
