I’ve been at this backpacking game for 26 years, but I’m still picking up a few tricks along the way. And useless bits of trivia, which might not be so useless if you ever go to Suriname, Guyana or Trinidad. Here are 10 things I learned during my trip in March.
At least one window opens on a Boeing 737- Kids’ Tevas go up to a six in U.S. sizes. This is equivalent to an eight in U.S. women’s sizes. Kids’ Tevas are cheaper by half and lighter by a lot. Comfort-wise, I didn’t notice any difference from my old, heavier adult Tevas.
- Remember a few years ago when everybody was all “drink açaí juice, it’s the new super food, you’ll live to 100 and your penis/breasts will grow larger?” And then you bought some (because you wanted to live to 100) and it had about a teaspoon of açaí berries in it, mixed with water and
grape juice and ‘natural flavors and colors’ (probably from beaver butt)? Well, see that pulpy film around the inside of the glass? This is what real açaí juice looks like, and as for taste, it’s delicious and not at all like what we get in the store. (The orange stuff is awara juice, also extremely yummy.) - Even though I’ve been wearing merino wool for years for layering in cold and warm climates, I hadn’t been able to wrap my brain around wearing wool in sizzling hot and humid climates. Well, I put it to the test on this trip and wow, I was impressed. After three days of hiking in Suriname in the same wool t-shirt, in 94 degree weather with Amazon jungle humidity, the shirt retained zero stink. I came home and immediately ordered another t-shirt and two tank tops online. It’s all I’m going to pack on my next trip, and the bonus is that it also totally retains its shape after hand washing it in the sink and wringing the bejeezus out of it. One thing to be cautious about is if it is described as a base layer, it may be really sheer, so read the customer reviews to get a better sense. (Sierra Trading Post and Mountain Gear are good places to get merino pieces at closeout prices in the U.S.)
Does sweating make your skin break out in little bumps? A wise pharmacist in Trinidad turned me on to medicated sulfur soap, which I used to wash my hands for five days and like magic, all the bumps were gone. The active ingredient in Metasol, the one I bought, is 5% Monosulfiram B.P. but there are also other brands.- Expired sunscreen really is just that. Don’t try to be ‘thrifty’ (cheap backpacker); throw it away before you go out and burn like I did.
- The seminal texting abbreviation of the 21st century, “OMG,” has caught on in developing
countries. LOL! - Section 213, Chapter 78:01 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Customs Act states that all camouflage clothing, shoes and accessories, pink included, is prohibited unless for use by the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force. This law covers importing, acquiring, possessing and selling. It also apparently covers anything to do with law enforcement, as I discovered when I wore my “Ghost in the Machine” tank top that said “The Police” on the back and was stopped on the street by a real live police officer and told ixnay on the optay.
My new fave travel thing for hot countries is MiO Fit water enhancer. Plain water can get so boring, especially when you’re traveling in a hot country and have to drink a gallon a day. Voilà, MiO Fit. I wouldn’t buy it all the time because it uses artificial sweeteners, but once in a while for a trip, man, what a little gem (and little is the operative word, as you can see in comparison to my computer mouse). Bonus: the lid has a double snap and shuts really tight, so I had no leakage in my backpack.- Google Maps is pretty slick, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re in Trinidad and it
finds a Safeway grocery store just blocks from your guesthouse, don’t get too excited.
What random travel tips or trivia have you learned on your journeys, whether through clever research or cultural faux-pas?
I like the wool and the soap. I am putting these into my list. Thanks, dear friend!
You’re most welcome! And I saw that the soap (which is made in Europe) is even available on Amazon. xo
I’ll have to look into the whole Teva kiddie shoe thing…. as for expired sunscreen, been there/done that with super-fired blistery skin results 🙁 Though I don’t often adhere to doing so, a person can save a ton on food by eating lunch at a nice restaurant rather than dinner.
Yes, good one on the lunch tip! And ouch, sorry you suffered the blisters. I didn’t get it that bad.
I didn’t even know merino wool T-shirts existed. I’m going to look for some. So interesting about the camouflage law–who’d have thunk? Great list.
I know, wool t-shirts seems rather counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? But they’re actually quite soft, and machine washable, and not too thick! Thanks for stopping by, Jagoda.
Wool T-shirts?! Woulda thunk they would be like hairshirts, hot and itchy – now I’m dying to try them.
But not testing the police in Trinidad thing. Thank you for finding that out for me, so I won’t have to learn the hard way.
Right?! Two good brands are I/O Bio Merino and Icebreaker. And luckily, the police in Trinidad were at least nice about it, but I did have to go buy a t-shirt in the market and change before continuing on with my day! Thanks for stopping by, Beverly.
Laura, you crack me up! “retained zero stink”… now that is getting straight to the point! :)))
These are most excellent helpful tips. Thanks for sharing and for the smiles!
And you make me smile. I can feel your good energy through the computer!
My daughter will really appreciate the tip on the medicated sulfur soap–she’s always asking me what she can do about those little bumps. The MiO Fit water enhancer is a great idea too.
What a treasure trove of handy dandy travel tips! You really are amazing, Laura.
Many thanks, Kern. As are you, posting funny content every single day for… mmm, have to think about how many letters are in the alphabet… I’m going to go with 26… 26 days!
Thank you, am putting merino t-shirts on my shopping list, Laura! But had to Google Tevas – they haven’t hit UK yet (well, not in Hawkesbury Upton, anyway!)
They’re not cheap like cotton tees, but I think they’ll last a lot longer and you only half to pack half the shirts that you’d normally pack! I’m surprised you haven’t heard of Tevas, they’ve been a huge brand in North America for years. Maybe Merrell has the corner on the UK market.
You’re right! Merino is fab. FAB! I can’t stand itchy wool against my skin and the gorgeous angora sweater my husband bought me lasted on me the length of time it took me to walk to the living room, show him what it looked like for one second and run back to the bedroom to rip it off me. I stood there with that shuddering feeling of finally freeing my skin from something abhorrent.
However, I recently bought a merino sweater that I can actually wear on a cool summer night. I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll look for the t-shirt version after your recommendation.
I’d also add to your list a good daypack. I travel with my two boys and until they were a bit older, I usually ended up carrying their jackets, not to mention sunscreen, epipens, Kleenex and band-aids as someone was usually bleeding. Boys, huh?
And I agree: Less is better when packing. Thanks for the list!
Oh no, sorry about the angora! I always feel like the fibers go right up my nose when I wear angora. I’m so in love with merino I should marry it. And yes, a good daypack that actually has some padding on the straps. Thanks, Heather!
In ancient times, the backpack was used as a means to carry the hunter’s larger game and other types of prey and as a way of easier transport for other materials. In the cases of larger hunts, the hunters would dismember their prey and distribute the pieces of the animal around, each one packing the meat into many wrappings and then into bags which they placed on to their backs…^`.
Carry a small fleece blanket – for those hotels/hostels where it freezes with the air con on, and fries with it off. Or buses with the same problem.
And the old one about always using a toilet when you see one cos you never know when/if the next one will turn up!
Oh, yes! Fleece in general is a good thing. A fleece jacket can be worn like a blanket when you stick your legs in the arm holes! (Just ask my husband — I did that to his fleece on our first date.) Another one is pashmina-type shawls (don’t have to be the uber expensive ones, but at least made of real wool) — they’re so lightweight and yet so warm.
So much of travel is about the toilets, isn’t it?!!! Thanks, Jo!
I have a cupboard full of Icebreaker merino, and I would marry it if I could. My record is 5 days but apparently someone wore one sailing around the world and didn’t change for 40 days! (it was a solo sail, obviously)
And now I’m going to look up Tevas.
I know, right?!! Love, love, love it. Wow, 40 days, that’s quite, er, amazing. I need to get some extra t-shirts for my gym workouts. Cotton and poly aren’t cutting it. You know it’s bad when you can’t stand the smell of yourself.