Packing light

Bob_the_Saver

How about a brolly? Have you checked the weather?

Gloomendoom

Archergirl wrote: »

I use panty liners on holiday to cut down on knickers!!

No offence, but you must wear MASSIVE PANTS. Mrs G can get about two dozen pairs of knickers in a matchbox.

lady1964

Diane60 wrote: »

There is very good m&s in Hong Kong. Have a friend who is there at the moment and was in raptures to find trousers in size 16 long. She had been packing in Thailand and found that a lot of her clothes were in holes from using Deet!

I was in HK in February and went into M&S and it was much more expensive than here!. I was looking for tights and was shocked at how much they were, I bought some in a local shop and paid a fraction of the price.

In HK, I'd go to either the night markets or Stanley, there's a huge market at Stanley which sells heaps of clothes and flip flops etc and is easily accessible on local buses and it's a lovely little place, good beach but a lot of the cafes/eateries along the prom are expensive, just for the OP to bear in mind.

actually_2006

I find I take far less clothes for a 6 month trip than 2 weeks - don't want to lug them around and assume I will be doing lots of laundry.

Sorry I completely disagree with the post suggesting you buy sunblock while away. This is something I would always take plenty of to last me until I get home, or somewhere like Australia to stock up. I burn easily and often find that sunblock in Asia is really expensive (Boots generally have 2for1 offers even at the airport), and often factor 15 is the highest available in Asia whereas I want 50!

Clothes wise I tend to live in one pair of light cotton trousers when away - black so they go with anything and so they are fine for going out too.

Depending on what your plans are I would think about a pair of trainers, although they are a bit heavy. For climbing up volcanoes or hiking I don't find walking sandals great.

Try the travel towel out before you go - I think they are rubbish but I know some people like them. Sarongs work well as towels and also dry quickly.

You might want to consider taking 2 months supply of tampons, if you use them. I have run out in Thailand and could only buy mini ones (thinner than even the regular ones).

I would personally cut down on the sundresses and maybe take a spare pair of trousers (or a long skirt).

A kindle is lighter than a few books but does need charging.

I have often posted home things such as guidebooks when I have left that country, don't want to carry it any more but feel attached to it so don't want to chuck it! (Have a whole bookcase of them now.......)

In case you haven't thought of it, I would scan your passport, tickets, insurance docs etc and email them to yourself so you can always get copies if you lose anything.

Have a great trip!

Gloomendoom

actually_2006 wrote: »

In case you haven't thought of it, I would scan your passport, tickets, insurance docs etc and email them to yourself so you can always get copies if you lose anything.

Good point. We do that and, in addition, keep PDF's of all our essential docs on our phones.

mum2one

Just reading this thread has put me to shame, I'm going away for 2 weeks and pack everything but the kitchen sink, the lowest ever got my luggage is 19kg!

I think I need some lessons! x

Doshwaster

mum2one wrote: »

Just reading this thread has put me to shame, I'm going away for 2 weeks and pack everything but the kitchen sink, the lowest ever got my luggage is 19kg!

I think I need some lessons! x

The things is that you do need less luggage for a 3 month trip than a 2 week one. For a short trip you tend to take everything with you and tend not to do any laundry. On a long trip you really only need 3 sets of clothes.

The first time I went to Thailand I took far too many clothes and didn't wear half of them. It's hot and humid so you don't wear much and it can be washed and dried overnight. Unless you are going into a really smart restaurant a pair of sandals/flipflops will do you for the entire trip (and if they fall apart buy another pair for a few quid). Don't even bother packing any more than a couple of pairs of socks as you won't wear them.

Any time you go to SE Asia, you'll get the occasional tropical downpour so it's best to be prepared. My usual technique is to run the the nearest bar, have a cold beer and enjoy the spectacle. The rain usually doesn't last long as at least it's warm rain. Umbrellas and cheap ponchos are available everywhere or a few pence and I usually treat them as being disposable.

laughingsheep

actually_2006 wrote: »

A kindle is lighter than a few books but does need charging.

...

In case you haven't thought of it, I would scan your passport, tickets, insurance docs etc and email them to yourself so you can always get copies if you lose anything.

I've found it is also handy to send the scanned documents to my kindle - passports and even pdfs of travel insurance render well.

Doshwaster

laughingsheep wrote: »

I've found it is also handy to send the scanned documents to my kindle - passports and even pdfs of travel insurance render well.

And if you want to be extra secure about your documents, save a copy to one of the cloud services now available such as Microsoft's Sky Drive, Google Drive or Drop Box so that you can access them from anywhere.

gibson123

You might want to consider taking 2 months supply of tampons, if you use them. I have run out in Thailand and could only buy mini ones (thinner than even the regular ones).

No way, if you have not already discovered them, buy a mooncup. You will find thread under health and beauty on these.