So here’s a check-list of things that I have decided will go with me around the world this winter.
1. A Crumpler laptop rucksack. My Crumpler is actually a naughty Vietnamese copy I got in, well, Vietnam. It’s lasted well but I’d recommend the original Aussie bag as mine is showing signs of zip problems. Here’s a link to something that looks like my one but costs three times the price
2. A Travel Talk Sim card that makes receiving calls free when people call your UK mobile number. I plan to keep a pay as you go 3UK service with the voicemail telling people my new number, if they want to call me it’s not any more expensive for them and it’s free for me. This service uses the fact that the company is based on the Isle of Man to get around the UK mobile regs.
3. A laptop. Right now I have a Compaq that survived being thrown around South Easy Asia last year and will hopefully survive the journey this year. When it dies (god bless) I’ll buy something with more battery life like the Asus UL50 VT (which has two graphics cards and 7 hour battery life connected to WiFi). Just over 600 pounds though!.
4.A pair of Sennheiser PX200 fold up headphones. They fold up into a neat little carry case and sound great.
5. A Lumix TZ10 Camera. I like having a lot of zoom for those candid shots, but having taken a few bigger cameras with me have found them to be obtrusive. The TZ10 is the best of both worlds – Hi Def vide that looks great and good picture quality, although you have to fiddle with silly preset controls to get the best out of it. We love it at CyberGypsy central though and it’s a winner for any self respecting Locationally independent Digitally nomadic Cyber Gypsy.
6. KSB Boots. I have always used these although they do get smelly. I think that might be me though.
7. Blow up globe You have to know where you are.
8. Jungle Hammock It’s great to carry your home with you and this one keeps out the bugs too. I have used one of these in everywhere from the Australian Rain forest to the Western Ghats.
9. Ultralight sleeping bag! I really don’t think you can go wrong with this down filled little number. I haven’t even received it yet but at 37 quid this wee fella looks like it would be great for those slightly chilly nights in your jungle hammock!
10. A little luxury of mine is a sonic toothbrush. The battery lasts forever and your mouth feels like it’s had a massage. Which it has.
11. Clothes. Trousers that turn into shorts, tops that dry quickly, a few pairs of socks, good underwear prevents chaffing, a lightweight raincoat, UV blocking sunglasses, sunblock and some mosquito lotion.
Et voila.
Great list.
Love the Travel Talk SIM card so thanks for sharing that.
My personal choice for boots is the classic Timberland boot (but then I didn’t venture into Jungles etc). I found them perfect for trekking and they scrubbed up well for nightclubs etc. Still wear them to this day after 6+ yrs of use. Travellers could pick them up in the US if they plan on visiting there – half the price of the euro-market.
+1 on the blow-up globe, doubles up as beach-ball too 🙂
Well howdy fella – we’ll be coming your way in a few weeks so maybe we should get together for a few beers – we fly into Rio on Monday and will spend a week or so there until we start moving South through Uruguay to Argentina.
Oh, great Dom. Email me and we’ll arrange the details.
Plenty of room at mine btw, more than welcome.
The comment about calls to Travel Talk SIM not costing your friends more than usual mobile calls is not true. Calls to IoM cost more than UK calls and are not included in any inclusive (aka free) calls packages.