Around the world with 80 gadgets - Around the world with 80 gadgets

Travel first aid kit

Fill it up with the regular stuff to keep it all in one place. Painkillers (but keep original packaging so you don't end up like these guys at the end of this blog entry), something against travel sickness and traveller's diahorrea, bandages and so on. I'm also bringing plastic gloves, penicillin, malarials, special pills for keeping your stomach happy, something for rinsing wounds and a few other items.

Travel insurance
This is a lot more expensive than you'd expect, but absolutely necessary. Do not travel without proper travel insurance. It can cost you or loved ones dearly!!! Regular annual travel insurance does not cover long-term travels (in Norway often not more than 3 weeks duration!). Check with your insurance company. In Norway, long-term travel insurance is extremely expensive (at least 1200 Euro or 1400 USD at current rates), but international companies like WorldNomads are recommended by many travelers and offer a much better price than the Norwegian companies. Get a discount at WorldNomads using the discount code at the bottom (left) of this page!

Travel vaccines

Discuss your destinations with your physician to make sure you get all the jabs you need for your trip. Be sure to get them in a timely manner (start at least 3 months before you go). Don't forget to include them in your budget, as they can be quite expensive. I think I actually spent around 350 USD on vaccines.

Vaccination card

Remember to keep a virtual backup of this and store it safely together with your passport. Some countries won't let you in without the proper jabs! I especially recommend getting the Cholera/tourist diahorrea vaccine (you actually drink it, doesn't taste too bad either) if you're going to places like India or South America for longer periods of time. No time is a good time to get diahorrea, but in a 12-bed dorm sharing one or two toilets with strangers is a particularily bad time.

Antibacterial gel and wet wipes

This is essential in these swine flu times. Use it all the time, especially before meals. This might actually protect you from the regular tourist diahorrea. Never mind people telling you you're too fussy about this. You'll laugh when they're "riding the throne with bucket in hand", as a friend delicately put it once.

Spicy food dangers

This may sound silly, but I used to be a real whimp when it came to eating spicy food and found it very difficult when I visited Sri Lanka in 2005. he food was sooo spicy I could hardly eat it. I usually just got French fries and missed out on a lot the country's cousine. Again in Thailand for the first time in 2008 it was sometimes hard to find stuff that wasn't too spicy and I suppose I missed out on a great deal of local flavours there too. To avoid this I decided to eat a little chili every day (it really goes with anything! Potatoes, lentils, pasta, pizza, fish ... mmm!), gradually increasing the dosage. It was so cool to notice the difference and being able to eat stuff I couldn't take before. Now I actually enjoy the burning sensation from a crouching jalapeño or hidden chili.

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