A list of what we carried for 1 year

Trip Start Jun 09, 2005

104

105

Trip End Jun 08, 2006

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Flag of United Kingdom St Neots, United Kingdom
Sunday, July 30, 2006

We thought that we�d write a list of the things that we took with us. They are not written in any particular order and I�m sure will differ from person to person. Perhaps it will be of some use to travellers to preparing for a big trip although it is more of a reminder for ourselves and our future travels.

Here�s what our 65L rucksacks contained (Without the camping equipment, Rachel�s weighs approx 13kg, Johns 11kg)

1x 65 L rucksack with metal support frame, and waist belt. Waterproof cover useful
1x 15 L day rucksack
1x small handbag

Essential paperwork
1x passport with at least 6 months till expiry and lots of empty pages. Check whether you need to get a visa in advance (we only did this for India, Vietnam, and China)
1x plane tickets
1x travel insurance (e-mail yourself and family a copy too)
1x driving licence (also doubles as a students card in some countries)
10x passport photos (its cheaper to use digital photos printed out at home)
1x travel guide
1x moneybelt (although we ended up not really using ours at all)
1x wallet (1000 USD cash plus 1000 USD travellers cheques... didnt need to use any travellers cheques until we arrived in Venezuela)

Clothing
Visiting a variety of different climates from hot and tropical Asia to the high altitude mountains of Chile, we needed a lot of different clothing. Its ideal taking lots of layers and at times I was wearing everything.

2x trousers (lightweight and for trekking)
1x shorts
4x T-shirts
1x long sleeved fleece
4x underpants
2x hiking socks
1x sun hat

1x waterproof jacket (Goretex)
1x waterproof leggings
1x jacket fleece

1x scarf
1x warm hat
1x thermal vest (a lifesaver!)
1x gloves

1x swim suit

1x silk sleeping bag liner (keeps you cool in the heat, warm in the cold and clean in hostel beds)

Footwear
It was worthwhile taking our hiking boots even though they were quite heavy to carry. We saw other travellers who didnt do as much trekking as us taking trainers instead. Whatever you take, make sure that your footwear is comfortable as whether you are in the city or jungle, you are going to be walking a lot

1x hiking boots
1x flipflops (ideal for the beach or grotty bathrooms)
1x sandals

Camping
We camped in India, China, Australia and South America. We were lucky to be able to store equipment with friends and family along the way. It was heavy to carry everything so after Chile, we posted these items back home. In many trekking areas it is possible to hire equipment

1x tent
1x sleeping bag (3-4 season)
1x sleeping mat (thermarest)
1x MSR whisperlight stove plus fuel bottle
1x fire lighter
1x compass (we did actually need it on Isla de Navarino, Chile)
1x whistle
1x emergency foil blanket
1x head torch
1x box of zip lock bags (excellent for waterproofing anything important)

Communication
Internet cafes are everywhere, so make the most of them with your travels
E-mail account (we used Yahoo). Keep a note of important document details, e.g. passport nos, health insurance telephone nos etc as well as friends and family addresses and tel nos
Internet bank account which offers free cash withdrawals overseas and direct money transfer from one savings to current (we used Nationwide)
"Skype" account (excellent for free internet calls to either PC or landline)

Miscellaneous
Not essential but these items made our travels more enjoyable
1x Digital camera, plus 2x 0.5 GByte cards (fits nicely onto 1 cd), 1x spare battery and recharger
1x reading book
1x diary notebook and pens
1x MP3 player (with language lessons, e.g. Michel Thomas Spanish)
1x ear plugs (essential for light sleepers) and eyeblinds (provided during most international airflight)
1x Nalgene, 1 litre water flasks (great hot water bottles for when its freezing, teapots for a cuppa and also allows you to buy cheaper bulk water supplies)
1x cd wallet and marker (great for keeping our digital photo cds together)
1x handbag size umbrella (used many times against intense sun or rainpours)
1x combination padlock
1x penknife
1x watch with alarm
1x small sewing kit (needle and thread)

Medical kit
You can buy everything whilst abroad
Suncream
Malaria tablets
Ibuprofen tablets
Tinidazole (only by prescription in the UK)
Ciproflaxin (only by prescription in the UK)
Chlorine water purification tablets
Cough tablets and strepsils
Lip balm
plasters
vitamins

Travel guide books
Before we left we did as much reading as possible. Use your bookstore, library and friends. We carried only one book at a time. You can exchange or buy along the way. The only country where we didnt need a guidebook was in Australia

Lonely Planet India (photocopies from home)
Lonely Planet Nepal (photocopies from home)
Lets Go 2005 China (recommend a guide with chinese characters as pinyin doesnt get you very far with taxi drivers. This book was already outdated when we used it but this is more because China is changing at such a rapid rate)
Rough Guide South East Asia
Footprints New Zealand (photocopies from home)
Lonely Planet on a Shoesring South America (very outdated. wish that we had used Footprints instead)
Lonely Planet Chile (maps, hostels and eateries all outdated)