Tales of The Carry-On Kid: Tanzania Travel Log Vol. 12 – Packing it in
Here we are! This is it – the end. This article truly should have been one of the first ones I wrote, but somehow I think it actually fits better here. I am going to show you a picture of the items I had in my carry on bag and let you know what I packed, what I used and what I wish I had. I can honestly say that I made it through thirty days in Africa with only carry on luggage. But I had to if I wanted to retain my title. I did cheat a bit on the return trip as I had to carry some large hard plastic cases home for my company. Because these boxes were empty I made some last minute purchases and distributed my clothing in the cases. While this was not in keeping with the sprit of Carry on Kidsium, I decided I would be a fool to check in empty cases.
If you read Taking The High Ground, you saw that I actually took two bags with me the larger bag was my main bag and the smaller one was my “under seat” bag. The smaller bag had my electronic gear. Because of the length of stay I did pack heavy on the electronics. I didn’t capture a picture all of the electronics I packed, but I had everything I needed. What I’d like to do next is a line item list of what I packed and with each one I will let you know if I used it and I will finish with what I wish I had taken. Let’s start with what I wore.
Worn
1 pair zip off pants, t-shirt with pocket and Teva sandals – normally I go for a long sleeved shirt festooned with pockets, but I decided to mix it up a bit on this trip. I went with the T-shirt because I was looking at 30 plus hours and none of the places I was transiting were cold. Yes, always check the weather not only at your destination, but the places you are transiting. The pocket on the T-shirt was important to put my iPod, and some folding money in, just in case. The zip off pants did double duty as work pants and off duty shorts. I choose a lighter weight material on all of the pants I took because the pack so much better than heavier ones and because of the materials used to make them, tend to dry quicker. I don’t feel like they are as durable as the heaver ones but when you pack light you have to think about just what you’ll be doing. I went with the sandals because of the length of this trip as well. I normally recommend wearing shoes as they take up more room in your bag and having socks on during your plane trip keeps the cooties away.
Packed
2 pair zip off pants- this brought my grand total to three pairs of pants. I didn’t anticipate rolling around in the mud so I could normally get two days of wear out of a pair of pants which allowed me to wear one pair, have one pair being washed and one pair on standby, in case I did run into some mud.
2 swim suits- both of these suits have pockets and could be used as work out shorts, swim suits or everyday wear shorts. If you bring it, make sure it can do double or even triple duty
5 pairs of socks- one pair for each work day
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Three pairs of underwear- Don’t worry these are not normal underwear, they are designed for travellers. You can wash them in your sink, they dry quickly and are ready to wear. I recommend dark colored underwear while travelling, especially in Africa. The minimizes the embarrassing appearance of skid marks and bacon strips. Remember never trust a fart in Africa! You might get more than you bargained for.
Rain Jacket- this jacket packs into a nice neat little package. I wasn’t worried about rain, but you never know. The added benefit of a rain jacket is that it provides some warmth if the weather turns cold.
4 Shirts- three of these shirts were the shirts we had to wear to work. The nice thing is they are light weight, vented and have many, many pockets. The 4th shirt is a travel shirt I normally wear that has big pockets, is vented and has a “hidden” money pocket towards the bottom of the shirt that can’t be seen if the shirt is tucked in
Monocular, toilet kit and plug adapter- I am a huge fan of the monocular, it is light, portable and really useful. I have used this monocular for numerous game rides and I love it. The plug adapter is a must, I actually brought 3 or 4 of them. The one pictured is a universal adapter that you can pick up for a reasonable price at you local shopping center. Most computer power supplies are dual voltage, but still lack the proper plugs. If you have ever ruined a valuable electronic device because you didn’t have the proper adapter you know how valuable these things are. As far as the toilet kit, I actually had to bring some extra stuff due to the length of the trip. You don’t need details, but remember liquids smaller than 3.5 ounces and travel sized toiletries are a must.
The Rubber Chicken – this could very well be the most important thing I brought with me. I have made it a point to take a rubber chicken with me whenever I travel. I look at the chicken kind of like the travelling Gnome or one of those stuffed animals that people take pictures with in exotic locations. The best thing about the chicken is the look on the customs agents when they search my bag and see a rubber chicken, priceless!
Now for the things I didn’t actually need. I could have cut out one of the swimsuits and the 4th shirt. My work shirts were just fine to wear and I never used the 2nd pair of shorts/swimsuit. I recommend zip off pants because they double as shorts, so why would I need even more pairs of shorts? As for things I wish I had brought, a few more pairs of socks would have been nice, but I was fine without them. Other than that, the only other thing I wish I had was my family with me and they do not fit in my carry on bag.
That’s it, the last Tanzania Travel Log. I hope that you have enjoyed getting a view of things you might not have expected to see in Africa. There is an abundance of wildlife to see if you get the chance, but I wanted to focus on those things you don’t normally think about. Thanks for following me on this journey and I hope you had as much fun reading about it as I had experiencing it.
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