packing
Stories
Italy
Why You Should Always Carry A 70-Pound Suitcase When Traveling With Strangers
“Ladies and gentlemen, be advised that the last train for Florence has already departed from Rome.” I was on a train from Sicily to Rome, where I needed to make ... read more
by Janet Lawrence
25 Mar 2009
Blog Posts
Australia
Preparing for the Unknown
Knowing how to prepare for something that you know little about (like a country halfway across the world with different people, animals, accents, customs, and amount of ozone layer) is a difficult task! For most of my life, I felt like I have had so much knowledge of places, events, ... read more
by Sharon M
26 Jan 2010
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Insider Tips
France
Bring some books in English
There are many parts of France where English-language books are rare and expensive. Naively, I only packed two books with me when I flew to France, supposedly to make more ... read more
by Ali Goldstein
03 Feb 2009
United Kingdom
Bring a raincoat
No need to pack a poncho--it rains, but not as though you're in the middle of White Water rapids. It's generally more of a drizzle, in which case ... read more
by Ann Clark
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Bring layers
The hardest thing for me to adjust to was the lack of heat in Chilean residences. I arrived in the country in August, about a month before the start of ... read more
by Matthew Hintsa
06 Feb 2009
Chile
Chile hands
I wish I had packed gloves for my numb hands while inside my host family's unheated apartment. read more
by Matthew Hintsa
10 Feb 2009
Norway
Bring a raincoat or two
My decision to be more fashionable than practical was a bad one. I decided to venture into Bergen without rain pants because jeans seemed more fitting. After an afternoon in ... read more
by Patrick McCue
10 Feb 2009
Jordan
Cold desert winters
Most foreigners assume that Jordan, since it’s in the Middle East and mostly covered by desert, is warm and sunny year-round. But Amman can get quite cold beginning as ... read more
by Adam Lichtenheld
10 Feb 2009
Uganda
Bring hand sanitizer, leave the hat behind
I could have used more hand sanitizer. I brought a winter hat, which was a total waste. read more
by Pete Muller
10 Feb 2009
Ecuador
Quito weather: Don't trust the sky and always have an umbrella
I've been in Quito for four and a half of my six months here in Ecuador, and as an San Francisco-Bay Area native, I've been better prepared for ... read more
by Emily Rusca
18 Feb 2009
Bangladesh
Guided by headlamps
Energy is a precious resource in the subcontinent and power outages strike throughout the day. You don't realize how reliant you are on electricity until your lights just shut ... read more
by Amy Adoyzie Lam
05 Mar 2009
Switzerland
Come for one season. Pack for them all.
Umbrellas. Sweaters. Hiking Shoes. Don't end up like one of those tourists in shorts standing on the top of a snowy mountain in July wondering why they're cold ... read more
by Chantal Panozzo
02 Apr 2009
Spain
Avoid the shimmy shake
It was my (and my roommates) experience that toilet paper was not a given in all places. Nice restaurants, sure, but not in most night clubs, public bathrooms, stores, and ... read more
by Natalie Hunt
02 Apr 2009
India
Immerse yourself in local style
Pack light and buy clothes there! Even though people told me before I left for India that the standards of dress are much more modest, I still ended up bringing ... read more
by Emily Strasser
11 May 2009
Syria
Shroud yourself
If you’re a woman, pack a scarf when you head to Syria. The country houses magnificent Muslim and Christian sacred sites, and you’ll be required to cover your ... read more
by Mimi Hanaoka
11 May 2009
Ukraine
Bring a Russian phrase book
When you come to Ukraine, you might be surprised to find out that here we speak Russian (70% of population) and Ukrainian (30% of population). At school, children typically study ... read more
by Anya Mihailova
29 May 2009
Ukraine
Winter in Ukraine: bundle up!
Take tons of warm clothes with you if you decide to come to Ukraine in the winter... if you're still cold, you can buy some Ukrainian souvenir hats. read more
by Anya Mihailova
29 May 2009
Ecuador
Bring some slippers
Despite being advised to pack a pair of bedroom slippers, I decided to use my precious luggage space for something more practical. However, upon getting settled with my host family ... read more
by Ashley Haugo
03 Jun 2009
Swaziland
Brrrrrrrrr!
Swaziland is a mountainous kingdom and in the winter (June to August), it gets cold. Especially in places like Piggs Peak and the capital of Mbabane, a proper coat is ... read more
by Mallory Primm
17 Jun 2009
Spain
There is a winter!
Don't let the heavenly descriptions of Hemingway and the Counting Crows deceive you -- Spain is not just one giant warm holiday. There is a winter. Though there may not ... read more
by Mike Mian
19 Jun 2009
Nicaragua
Wear what sheep wear
Here is some packing advice for the mist-shrouded Jinotenga region of Nicaragua (or any cool, rainy place, for that matter). I am stealing the line from Grant of Rivendell Bicycle ... read more
by Richard Sitler
31 Jul 2009
Iceland
Summer Stripping
As a dime-sized dot in the Atlantic, Iceland has a weather system that changes on a dime. In the summer months, prepare to engage in a complex strip dance as ... read more
by Lulu Mickelson
19 Aug 2009
India
Bring clothing to cover your ankles and shoulders
My professor said there are three temperatures to expect in India throughout the year: hot, hotter, and hottest. Our group traveled in January, the hot season, and it was the ... read more
by Kendra Costa
26 Aug 2009
Mongolia
Shoes off, slippers on
Before you enter someone's home and the occasional school or office, it's polite to remove your outside shoes. It's OK to walk around barefoot or in socks ... read more
by Lindsay Myron
13 Oct 2009
Peru
Pack chewing gum to double your refreshment
If there's one small thing from home I miss a lot -- it's the abundance of chewing gum. In Peru, there are two to three popular brands of chewing ... read more
by Courtney Ng
16 Oct 2009
Malawi
Make sure you're ready to see in the dark
Power cuts can occur daily in Malawi, and much of the country isn’t even on the grid. Unless you’ve got remarkable night vision, toss a headlamp into your ... read more
by Rebecca Jacobson
19 Oct 2009
Paraguay
Fashionable conservatism
It seems my skirts and dresses are just a little on the inappropriate side in conservative, catholic Paraguay. But with temperatures creeping past 35 degrees Celsius, pants are torture. The ... read more
by Megan Wood
09 Nov 2009
Paraguay
Clean hair in a bottle
I have seen too many weary travelers cut their hair just to avoid the hassle. But before you pick up the scissors, try a bottle of leave in hair conditioner ... read more
by Megan Wood
09 Nov 2009
Bangladesh
Get some durable, comfortable sandals
Whether you're in Nepal (summer), India, or Bangladesh, I would suggest packing durable, comfortable, easily removable (and put-on-able) sandals, such as water-wicking flip-flops. I decided to bring my Sparta ... read more
by Genevieve Studer
14 Nov 2009
Poland
Use your head -- bring a headlamp!
From navigating evening power outages in rural Ghana to reading before bed at a hostel, few travel investments have proved to be as worthwhile as my headlamp! Both Princeton Tec ... read more
by Caroline Mailloux
20 Nov 2009
Thailand
Pick it up as you go!
Don't freak out if you've forgotten some key travel essentials. You can find nearly everything you could possibly need in Thai markets, and for cheaper than you would ... read more
by Anna Schwaber
20 Nov 2009
New Zealand
Don't forget your swimsuit and snow jacket
Traveling to New Zealand any time soon? Prepare your daypack and a backup plan before setting off for a tramp in the bush or a stroll on the beach! The ... read more
by Jeff West
20 Nov 2009
Egypt
Conservative layers are the key in Egypt
For women in Egypt, dress in loose, light layers to stay cool and under the radar. Always have a light sweater and scarf on hand, as you never know when ... read more
by Delia Harrington
30 Nov 2009
Belize
Use air-tight bags when backpacking
When backpacking, I found it highly useful to have my clothes in air-tight bags. The bags roll up, pushing out all air, guaranteeing more space in one's backpack, as ... read more
by Michelle Saltis
30 Nov 2009
Laos
Pack light and keep your parts unbleached
Packing light is almost always the way to go when traveling. In Laos, the laundry service is cheap and reliable (same day service could be as inexpensive as 60 cents ... read more
by Gabriel Shaya
30 Nov 2009
Japan
Leave the Sudafed at home
On entering Japan, there's a chance you'll get picked up for a customs search. These can range from a quick question or two to being placed in a ... read more
by Saleem Reshamwala
15 Dec 2009
Peru
Bring something for every season
Part of what makes Peru such an exciting place to visit is its diversity, especially in landscapes. Peru, of course, has the Andes running right through it, which means many ... read more
by Courtney Ng
19 Dec 2009
United Kingdom
Antidepressants, anyone?
The cliché suggestion would be to bring an umbrella. But, it doesn’t actually rain here as much as you’d think – little more than one in three days. Instead ... read more
by Marshall Worsham
06 Jan 2010
Cyprus
Bring a sweater, to wear inside
It's definitely hot in Cyprus most of the year, but in the winter at night I have been as cold in Cyprus as I have been anywhere in the ... read more
by Madeline Blount
07 Jan 2010
India
In a pinch, zap your water
One of the coolest travel gizmos on the market today is the SteriPen, a hand-held device that emits UV light to kill anything and everything that’s growing in your ... read more
by Valerie Hohman
29 Jan 2010
India
In a pinch, zap your water
One of the coolest travel gizmos on the market today is the SteriPen, a hand-held device that emits UV light to kill anything and everything that’s growing in your ... read more
by Valerie Hohman
29 Jan 2010
Israel
Pack for all seasons, and for modesty
Israel gets very hot in the spring and summer, but can also see snow in the winter, and there is hot, dry desert and snow-capped mountains. In other words, you ... read more
by Jonathan Amerikaner
07 Feb 2010
China
Scraps of paper
I find it very useful to carry around scraps of paper (usually a stack of Post-it Notes or a tiny Moleskine with tear-out pages) and a pen. These tools come ... read more
