Blue skies, swaying palms, golden sands, warm sunshine… We like to travel. Particularly to tropical destinations. We love Vitamin D – how it feels on the skin as we soak it up, lying on vanilla sands as we gaze across azure waters, a veritable Robinson Crusoe destination. Multi-coloured blue oceans and lagoons, coconut palm-fringed beaches, mellow yellow sandy coves and desert-like landscapes in the hinterlandFiji, Niue Caledonia, Rarotonga, Bali……. Our next destination: India. Can’t wait to explore! Hot. Steamy. Dusty. We have done South India 15years ago, this time we will explore the North, Rajasthan.
So exciting to catch a glimpse of tropical destinations from our airplane!
A few tropical holidays over the past few years and we now have packing down to a T! We used to start 3 weeks ahead of time, but now it begins a week in advance, using our trusty holiday packing list. This way, we can print a new copy off each time, cross off what we are unlikely to need for that particular trip, add anything new and start to tick off what goes into our suitcase.
Sunshine, blue skies and swaying palm fronds….bliss!
The suitcase is a whole new adventure in itself, we bought a second hand Zootcase on wheels, from the Bowling Club garage sale a couple of weeks ago, for a princely sum of $10. Anyone out there who has had to purchase a new suitcase will know that these cost anything up to $120 for a new version, so I am feeling particularly chuffed with this. It is in pretty good shape and inside is like brand new! It’s all zips, secret compartments and pockets! I have a little combination lock which can be used to lock the zips together. I’m in love with pre-loved goods.
I will share our list, simply because it makes travelling so much easier – adapt it as you will, for the occasion. Note; this is a travel list for tropical destinations!
Travel List
Clothes/ Extra:
T-shirts
Dress/skirts
Slops for indoors
Walking shoes
Undies (5)
Shorts
Socks (for walking shoes)
Swim togs
Light jersey/cardigan
Rain jacket
Reef shoes
Cosmetics/personal care:
Tooth brush/paste
Soap
Nail brush
Nail clippers
Face-cream
Dental floss
Towels
Foot scraper
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Massage oil
Plasters
Healing Cream
Koromiko ( diarrhoea remedy)
Charcoal tablets (just in case of diarrhoea)
Tissues
Shaver
Travel Snacks/foods:
Drink bottles
Coffee and Plunger
Tea bags
Take away bamboo cutlery
Take away containers and cups
Snack bars
Cereal
Lollies
Salt (need to keep up body salts in hot climate)
Skim milk
Sugar
Kitchen Sponge
Sunlight soap (dishwashing and clothes)
Sundries
Books
Camera/batteries and recharger
Hats
Waist pouch for money etc,
Sunnies
Mobile phone
Washline and small travel pegs for laundry
Goggles/snorkel
Credit cards
Mossie Coils/mats
Money
Ziploc bags for lotions, liquids etc.
Diary and pens
Laptop/iPad
Travel adaptor
Daypack
Mending/sewing kit
Incense (musty rooms)
Reusable Shopping Bag
Swiss Army knife (NOT in cabin carry on else it will be confiscated!)
Travel brochures etc.
Battery Charger
Solar torch
Nutri Ninja blender for tropical fruit smoothies
A footnote on some of the above items:
Koromiko is a homeopathic remedy for traveller’s diarrhoea. I have had to use it once in Bali, and it was a lifesaver. The shopping bag is a little fold-up bag which takes very little space, and can be used when shopping in markets or shops instead of using that unsustainable option – the use-once plastic bag! Ziploc bags are the new airport must-have, to parcel up any cosmetics, personal care items or lotions. Keeps them from spilling into your luggage, as well as handy for showing or declaring to customs. Incense is a must-have for me, I like to mask smells in hotel rooms, or accommodation where there is a strong odour of cleaners or mustiness. And it makes me feel instantly at home!
I like to keep an old fashioned diary of our travels – I use this to log any ideas, thoughts and experiences. Long after the memories have faded, reading the travel diary evokes strong visual memories and feelings. We don’t always take all the food options, depending on where we are staying and what we will doing – for example, I like to self-cater, so stock cubes can turn any bland meal into something quite delicious and palatable. Tea, coffee, milk powder and sugar is an essential, along with a small stainless steel (indestructible) plunger. I have crafted a bungey-cord washing line which can be strung over the bath, and we usually hand wash our day’s clothes every evening so that we do not have to take huge amounts of clothing. A bar of pure sunlight soap works wonders, I use it for dish-washing as well as laundry soap. One item, many uses.
We have started to take our Nutri Ninja, so we can blend up fruit smoothies even in a hotel. My Swiss army knife prepares many a meal, I just make sure it goes in the luggage hold or else it’ll be confiscated!! (Been there, done that before!) I take coconut oil in a small jar, good for skin, lips, hair – all. Sunscreen – well, I make that!
Tetrapak (recycled) Travel Sewing Kit
As we like to travel as light as possible, we each take a small zootcase on wheels and small day packs (cabin luggage), so every item is scrutinised for necessity.
One more addition to our packing list, a SteriPen, a small ultra-violet wand to sterilise drinking water, a must for places where drinking water quality is perhaps not as safe as at home. Perfect! India…..here we come!
Cheers, Jizzy 🙏🏼 Om Shanti!
