This is my first attempt at writing a blog on my phone – so we’ll see how it turns out. The number of seasons, cultures, environments and altitudes I’ll be in over the course of the next 3 months results in a complicated (to say the least) packing list. I’ve travelled quite a bit now (I think my country count is at 46) and I can honestly say I’ve never even made a packing list let alone agonized over it for hours. But this trip is different. We’ve been travelling ‘carry on only’ for a while now and the lack of choice in clothes and shoes doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, we were forced to wear the same outfit for 3 days in a row in Beijing when we finished our trip there after being in Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Laos and the weather changed from high 20’s and 30’s to just 6C.

So I think I can sufficiently plan for clothes even with the varying seasons and weather conditions (more on that later).

Packing considerations – medications:

1. The threat of GI illness in India is real! And I love food! I chose a two week long food tour for that exact reason – I want to eat all the things with the least amount of risk possible! Managing the potential for gastrointestinal infections requires more medications than I’ve ever packed before! You’d think that because I’m a pharmacist, I’d always have an arsenal of meds with me… not at all. It seems my knowledge of meds has given me a ?healthy aversion and I have to have a really good reason to take something before I’ll ‘reach for a pill‘. And usually when we travel I assume that at least one of us will still be capable of hitting up a pharmacy. But this time I’m on my own and I won’t be able to just send Reid or Leighton out on a drug finding mission. My ‘evidence based’ approaches included updating my typhoid and Dukoral vaccines (I know Dukoral is really only roughly 30% effective but I have coverage for it which alleviates the sting of the ~$150 it costs and hey, I’ll take the 30%!). I was pleasantly surprised that I had zero side effects from the Typhim Vi injection – I was nervous after having my ass kicked by all of my Covid vaccines and for the first time ever influenza too. I also have a couple of courses of azithromycin with me (per the antimicrobial ‘bible’ in Alberta – Bugs and Drugs). Of course, for use only out of complete desperation – loperamide. And two additions that I absolutely can’t provide any reasonable supportive evidence for but logically there might be some benefit (and did I mention I’m desperate not to get sick) – charcoal tablets and probiotics. So stay tuned to see how successful I am at warding off unwanted bacteria!

2. Altitude sickness is a possibility on the 42km Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu so I have to be prepared for that too. Acetazolamide for prevention and dexamethasone for treatment. The only other experience I have with altitude was in Hilo, Hawaii back in 2010 when we were fortunate enough to have an insider tour of the Mauna Kea Observatories with Leighton’s cousin Michael. It was a bizarre and unpleasant feeling to be short of breath and exhausted after climbing 4 stairs! My O2 levels dropped alarmingly (Leighton had the highest levels of all 3 of us) so I’m doing my best to prepare with 3 days of acclimating in Ollantaytambo prior to taking on the Inca trail and the meds.

3. Finally, again cuz I’m on my own, I feel the need to pack assorted other meds so I don’t have to try to track them down in a moment of need – Gravol, decongestant, oral rehydration solution, Benadryl, hydrocortisone cream, Advil/Tylenol and Symbicort. OMG – I can’t believe this is me writing this! And I just realized I don’t have anything for heartburn which also never used to be a thing for me but somehow is on occasion now 😬.

So that mostly sums up the part of my packing list I’ve given almost no thought to in the past. The only other topic involves a little bit of ‘TMI’ so brace yourself. I’m worried about the toilets on this trip 😆. Almost every blog/article/packing list I read about India mentions the horrors of the toilets. So my packing list includes camping toilet paper, antiseptic wipes and even a reusable ‘pee cloth’ for back up. All of which must be tucked away in a convenient portable bag for transport to and from the ‘restroom’.

Packing considerations – clothing

First and most important – I have to bring only the amount of clothing I absolutely need and I have to be able to trust it to other people for washing since there won’t always be a laundromat handy for me to do it myself on this trip (Leighton and I actually made boozy laundry an event in the summer in Ireland – pub hopping between loads). I am however, bringing a bar of almond castille soap for general use (hair, face, body and laundry) so I’ll have the option of washing a few items in the sink as needed.

Weather will influence my clothing packing list of course. India will range from about 20C in the north to 30+C in the south so pretty bearable… but Rome will be around 12-14C. Fortunately, when Leighton joins me in Italy he’ll have our hiking gear for Peru with him which means checking a bag. The Inca Trail also has the potential to be in that 14C range so we’ll need some layers there as well.

Culture is the other consideration particularly in India and Egypt. So keeping modesty and respect in mind, I’m packing loose flowing clothing that will cover my arms and legs to below the knee. I also picked up a Turkish towel that is multipurpose – quick drying for beach or shower and pretty/thin enough to use as a scarf or shawl/wrap.

I feel like I have to address footwear. I’m absolutely in love with my Birkenstock ‘bend low’ white leather sneakers (recommended to me by my friend Megan who picked hers up in London before they were a thing here). They’re the first pair of sneakers I feel totally comfortable wearing with skirts/dresses! And they’re soooo comfy – wide toe box and great arch support. I can walk forever in them. So essentially I’ll be wearing them every day for the next 3 months except for when I throw on my flip flops or don my well worn hiking boots in Peru.

One final note. I read about merino wool underwear – like actual cute underwear for everyday! Amongst other benefits, it’s easy to wash and quick drying so I can just pack a few pairs and won’t have to send them out with the rest of my laundry – just a little added level of comfort :).

Packing List – in full 😳

Medications:

• Symbicort
• Acetazolamide
• Dexamethasone
• Azithromycin
• OCP
• Advil Cold and Sinus
• ORS – hydralyte tablets
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Loperamide
• Gravò
• Charcoal tablets
• probiotics
• Rolaids
• Tylenol
• Benadryl
• First aid kit (with bandaids)
• Advil
• Lozenges

Documents:

• Passport
• 2 sets passport photos
• Nexus card
• Mastercard
• Debit card
• Visa card
• India Visa
• Driver’s license
• International driver’s license
• Photocopies of passport and driver’s license
• Paper copy of medical/travel insurance
• Proof of vaccination
• Glasses prescription
• Printed address of hotel in Delhi
• USD

Electronics:

• iPhone
• Charging cord for iPhone
• Apple Watch
• Charging cord for apple watch
• Headphones for phone
• Headphones for plane
• Portable charger and cord
• India adapter
• Type C adapter

Clothing:

• 3 pairs merino wool underwear
• 2 Sports bras
• Bra
• Bathing suit
• Lulu jacket
• 1 pair leggings
• Black dress – EverByX
• 2 pairs shapewear shorts
• Black Lulu capris
• Black pants – Ministry of Supply
• Grey shacket – Ministry of Supply
• Pink dress tank top
• Pink maxi skirt
• Green t-shirt tunic
• Black key lime shirt
• 2 soft 3/4 sleeve sweat shirt’s
• V neck T-shirt green
• Sun hat
• Buff
• Silk scared
• White button down shirt
• White shirt with buttons
• Green linen shirt
• Sleeping romper

Makeup:

• Makeup remover
• Reusable makeup remover pads
• Q-tips
• Rodan and fields tinted moisturizer with SPF
• 2 eye shadow brushes
• 1 eyeliner brush
• 1 blush brush
• Blush
• 1 eyebrow pencil
• 1 eyebrow mascaras
• Eyeshadow
• BB eye-liner
• Corrector
• 2 makeup sponges
• Beauty blender
• Bronzer
• Mascara
• RF mineral powder and brush
• Setting spray
• Primer

Toiletries

• Deodorant
• Castille Bar Soak
• Moroccan hair oil
• Conditioner
• Wet brush
• Dry shampoo
• Invisalign retainer trays
• Sunscreen
• 3 hair ties
• Small hair elastics
• Banana clip
• 10 Bobby pins
• Pstyle
• Camping toilet paper and pee cloth in ziploc
• Vicks
• Nail file
• Nail clipper
• Eye cream
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush
• Floss
• Razor
• Curling iron

Shoes:

• Flip flops
• Birkenstock sneakers

Miscellaneous:

• Day pack
• Trtl travel pillow
• Reusable snack bag
• Spork
• WBacteria filtering water bottle (Lifestraw)
• 2 Orange avocado necklaces – 1 long, 1 regular
• White gold hoop earrings
• Wedding band
• Masks
• Glasses
• Sunglasses
• Contacts (dailies)
• Laundry detergent strip’s
• Mesh laundry bag
• Compressible packing cubes
• Pen
• Small journal
• Hand sanitizer
• Antibacterial wipes
• Turkish towel
• Silk sleep sheer
• Master lock and cable
• Ear plugs
• Eye mask
• Headlamp

And I think I’ll end this post here. I’ll keep you updated as I figure out what I missed and what I ended up never using!