Things to Buy

Trek space towel. XXL This is one of those shami leather like towels that boasts the following features & actually does what it says. My best buy definately ! 6 x lighter than a standard beach towel , Dries 4 x quicker than a standard beach towel, Takes up 1/8 of the packing space of a standard beach towel & Absorbs 8 x its own weight in water

Sterile Needle Kit. You hope that this is one of those items you never have to use. I didnt but I knew people who had wished they had been carrying one. Especially in South America - places like Brazil where Aids is rife. Its just security. Cost is about £25.

First Aid Kit & Items

see my 1st aid kit page with advice & items.

Travel Guides. My best school friend Helen bought me this book to read before I went and it was great. Small book covers a lot of land but the information section at the start is really helpful and gives you a good idea of places to go and routes to take. Once at ground level consider Lonely Planet guides for each country or something like the South America handbook or Mexico and Central America Footprint Handbooks.

Dy Bag. Consider investing in one of these Divers dry bags. This one is an AKONA AKB774 DRY STUFF SACK. It has a roll top, adjustable straps & is completely waterproof. Your camera, money, book etc are all safe should you or your bag fall out of the boat or get hit by a wave.

Clothes: Lots & lots of bikini's if you are travelling somewhere hot you will find they end up doubling up as underwear. Dont buy Sarong's and things like that at home as you will be able to get them while you are away (don't forget to haggle). Do buy a good lightweight rain coat or mac and a lightweight zip up fleece/

Walking Boots. So they were a pain to carry but I was glad I had bought a really good pair.

Sleeping bag: Lightweight tiny eeny weeny sleeping bag that goes to sub zero. Did not travel anywhere that cold but did use it quite a bit even just as a quilt to sleep on if it was too hot. But its yours & you know where its been!

Sleep Liner or sheet. A good investment. Again sleeping on a sheet that you know no one else has slept on or whatever is just nice. Plus a lot of hostels did not actually have sheets. I bought a liner from a camping shop that I ended up ripping open and abandoned before I came home but did roll up into a little ball for packing up while I was travelling so it was great!

Deet content bug sprays. The best bug sprays around are the ones that contain some Deet. Life systems do some really good ones that you can purchase from camping or travel shops. There have been many studies done on DEET and it has been found to be both very safe and effective at preventing bug bites. Besides DEET repellents, there are many other products on the market that claim to protect you from bites. The bottom line, though, is that none offer you the same amount of protection as a product that contains DEET, and DEET products are safe to use on children. article on deet bug sprays I have also read that since DEET is a pesticide you should be careful about putting it on your skin so if you have kids then read up on DEET. medical article