Some people plan weeks in advance for a trip. I usually start thinking about stuff a few days before I leave. The reason for this is that the more you think, the more you will bring. And always remember – everywhere you go has stores, markets and junk where it is easy to get what you need. I try to keep everything to one bag only and that bag is a pack. Here is my list. I have highlighted everything you should consider packing.
Because I sleep in sometimes pretty shady, very cheap hotels, I like to think of my sleeping stuff more as a protection barrier to what these establishments provide than anything else. All of this stuff is right down the road at your local thrift shop, maybe not the 3/4 size inflatable mattress. I use a 20 year old Thermarest. I like the airline pillow because earplugs are essential for me to sleep either with never ending salsa next door, the sounds of shady lovemaking in shady “hotels” or monkeys/roosters who like to wake up at 3 or 4 am. The design allows me to sleep on my side and not even feel the plugs. My sleeping bag was a graduation gift in 1981, a North Face that I want to be buried with. On buses it wraps my board for protection as well. Finally I have a king size sheet that I folded in half and sewed into a bag. I can either sleep on top of it in heat or in it in the mountains. It goes on the board for travel as well. If it gets really cold I put on my polypro top (more on that later) climb in both the sheet and the bag. I sleep like a baby anywhere with this rig.
Shoes are the worst! The take up way too much space for what purpose they are supposed to have which is to protect your feet. Crocs in my opinion are the single greatest travel shoe ever invented. I first wore them 10 years ago on a trip to Panama. I was crossing a dangerous river that took down a horse with a rider in front of me, the Crocs stuck to my feet like glue! After that I was sold forever. Since then I have worn them on a raft trip the entire length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, to fancy dinners with friends in Australia and every day here in Florida mowing the lawn, shopping and out to the bars. I LOVE Crocs. I go nowhere without them. I buy the swede ones now and often leave them with a host as a gift before I return back home from trips.
Rubber boots are a cheaper option IF you like to wear flip flops. You can pack your flops, underwear, socks, flashlight, surf fins, etc and they will protect your gear during travel. They instantly fit you in as a local in areas where people wear them which is basically anywhere wet south of the border. I like white because I feel like a kind of super hero with them on. I always leave these behind for someone. I have size ten feet, sometimes hard to find in small towns at the end of roads. You can ALWAYS buy these where you are going. Locals cut holes in the back for drainage during rain.
Those pack your own shopping bags that you now have in the back of the car. Get a few of the ones you are done with and use them for separating your stuff. I have horrible memory, so I get free airline bag tags at the check in counter at the airport, and when I unpack at my destination I attach them and use them to label what is in which bag. The goal is to leave giving stuff away before you come home. I ALWAYS give my extra stuff to either a cool host as I leave for the airport or better yet, find the person cleaning the toilets at the airport near your departure gate and gift them with bags, shoes, coins you have, shirts and whatever else. Shake their hand and thank them.
This is the “you never know until you need it” pile. I bring those $6 straps you get at Home Depot, often leaving them behind as locals will use them in ways you will never consider. I have used them as clothes lines, strapping boards and bags to bus roofs, to secure my bag to my seat at stations in case somebody wants to grab and run, supporting tarps, as a board carry strap, foot rest and hanging food away from rats and insects. Tie wraps I use to secure zippers during crowded transport, to hang stuff at camp and as tooth picks (sometimes). Duct tape is THE go to repair material. Get the good stuff, the original or better yet the Gorilla Tape. I bring a new card game to improve my Spanish. If you stay with a family, they will most likely already have some cards. But if you bring something new, you all will have to try to figure out how to play it. The directions are in English and Spanish. Spending time together figuring out stuff is such a great way to learn new words and comprehension.
The ATM machine is the greatest invention for travel in the past 1000 years. Gone are the days of long wait lines at third world banks, showing your passport, filling out forms, hoping they give you the right exchange rate. I have found even the smallest of towns has a machine somewhere. I use Ally Bank Debit Card and love it for so many reasons and especially the ease and low cost of getting money anywhere. You really don’t need to leave home with cash anymore. When you get to the airport, go to the ATM there, put in your card and get the best rate guaranteed. But I try to use only one card the entire trip – my Capital One Rewards Credit Card. The chip now allows you to travel anywhere without having to notify Capital One unless you loose it. When you buy something or get a hotel, Air BnB or whatever, you get the best exchange rate and my favorite – points for travel. Last year I bought a free round trip ticket from LA to New Zealand and Australia with my points. They add up fast. I bring a decoy wallet that I put with a few bucks in my pocket in case of a robbery ( which I have never had in 46 years of travel) and my hide away money belt. I used to shove it down my pants, but now I just hitch it up high and wear a loose shirt. When I arrive, I ALWAYS tape my ATM card and my Drivers License together and bury them outside the place that I stay in a ziplock. This is Plan B in case the worst happens and you loose your passport and credit card.
Nothing really special here except that I use waterproof binoculars. Bushnell 10×42 Nature View from the Birdsong Series. They are pretty heavy, so they are optional depending on how much animal life you plan on watching. You can get smaller sizes, etc, but I have bad eyes and shaky hands. I love these. My travel camera is currently a waterproof and shockproof FujiFilm XP. It is ok, but often shots are blurred or have lighting issues.
I am starting to travel differently and trying to eliminate lugging a board around, paying airline fees and looking like Mr. Rich Guy walking around big cities in shady town with lots of stuff. Magnet for trouble! So these are essentials no matter if you bring a board or not. Two sets of fins. I bring one single fin, FCS and Future thrusters because I ride Rescue Boards now (more later), a 8 foot long leash, some wax (I use Matunas 100% Organic made in Santa Cruz) a fin key, 50-100 sunscreen and 50 lip protection. I refuse to wear a hat. My Crocs are dorky enough.
IF I bring a board now, it is a 5’10” quad Quiver Killer shape that I have used in chest high shore pound here in Florida, 10 foot surf in Puerto Rico and double overhead point surf in Central America. I love that board, but it is like traveling with a body bag. The pros are it paddles easy, catches waves easy, was cheap to make and has no colors or logos on it to make theft less likely. It fits in any Uber front seat ( after convincing the driver to let you load it) and the bag doubles as a rest pad. The Cons are it travels like a body bag, leaving your dragging stuff all over town, bus drivers charge you or won’t take it, planes sometimes have no room and you have to wait and baggage fees internationally can be $100 each way. For the cost and hassle, get a Rescue Puppy!
To have once experienced the sacredness of the ocean and especially as a surfer, a rider of waves, and then never be allowed in again would be suicidal to me. Every time I see a broken board or an old “piece of crap” under a house or left for dead somewhere, I actually almost want to cry. At one time, literally the love of someone’s life. And now, just lying there. I feel them sending me the message… “help me kind soul, I am still here. Give me a chance. I miss the ocean. I just need you.” And so now I travel to find these Rescue Puppies! They are literally everywhere when you open your eyes to see. Under houses, in garages, hanging on walls, stupid tables and benches. Waiting to be free again! To be wet and wild! So I pack fin sets and a fin key. I find my Rescues and decide on the repair job. I visit the local hardware store and get resin, hardener, sandpaper and a bit of glass. I love on them, kiss them and tell them that it will be alright. And I ride them. They have become my favorite type of board. We drop in together, we bottom turn together and we haul ass together. And I can leave them with someone who will love them. The perfect travel board is already there waiting for you, the Rescue Puppy!
A rash guard is essential to keep you from getting “Lobster Kook Look.” Wear one. I use one that I have yet to see another surfer anywhere use. It is a dive reef rash guard designed to keep scuba divers from getting stung while on underwater adventures. It works great to keep the body from getting sun, but the downside is that you do not want to wear it without boardshorts. Way to much junk hanging around and the front zipper could get ripped open on big duck dives or wipeouts. Divers call them “Dive Skins” I got mine new for $50 at the local dive shop.
Bring a hat that you hate and leave it behind. I get mine for super cheap at thrift shops. No lice so far.
Most tourists ask to get ripped off in my opinion. I see them all the time. Dudes and chicks walking around wearing no shirt, bathing suits, bikinis, jewelry, flashing their phones and cameras. Meanwhile locals are wearing long pants, button down shirts, ladies in jeans and washed blouses with their hair oiled and pulled back. We are idiots. It embarrasses me the most to see clueless knuckleheads disrespecting the local customs and me as a fellow traveller. I highly recommend a contrary way of thinking and acting. Blend in. Look like you just got off a construction job somewhere. Nobody cares how plush you are in the street. Maybe at dinner or somewhere safe near your hotel ( depending on that choice too!) Bring one long sleeve, a couple of tee shirts and a button down, all available for about $10 at your local thrift shop. And a pair of nice jeans and crap long pants. This goes for men and women in most places. Except in beach towns. Leave all of this behind. Support the economy and get a t shirt and nice shirt for the flight home on you way to the airport.
Splurge big on the most comfortable underwear you can in whatever style you love. I bring lots because freshness is what makes it all so stress free! My biggest hint here is to bring long polypropylene underwear as well. They are super light weight, easy to wash, dry fasst, pack small and can literally save you from horrible, cold nights, bus rides, long air conditioned flights and more. At least bring a top. I sleep in mine most of the time. You could cut them off to save even more space and weight.
I stole my Hennessy Hammock from a thief at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in Australia (another post on that) over 15 years ago. Way too many stories to tell here. Get one. It will save you thousands of dollars and allow you to stealth camp next to hundreds of dollar a night places. You can venture over in the morning for coffee by the floating pool with Bronwyn and Aldrich. When they ask where you are staying, tell them “the jungle room.” They will go on and on about where they are, what they ate at the restaurant and other fascinating facts. They ask about the jungle room later at the front desk to make sure they haven’t been one upped. They have. I also bring a non net hammock for just hanging when insects are scarce. I call them night and day hammocks. They pack up super small and light.
Bring ONLY boardshorts! Two pairs and plan to leave them behind. I get mine at thrift shops. They dry super fast, are extremely durable, wash easy and have pockets with the ability to hold keys, phone, cards, etc. Bring one pair of nice jeans. You won’t use them except on flights or to be respectful in towns.
Stealth is what safety is all about. Get a horrible looking junk bag that you can put everything in as a cover in bus stations, cheap hotels and around markets. Especially when walking distances in cities. The brand new backpack screams I have money somewhere and other stuff. It makes me paranoid walking around looking like I have anything that someone may want. I dress like I just got off a bricklaying job and stole this bag of of someone. I use a beat up kite bag from kitesurfing. But you local thrift shop or neighbors trash has them. They are great at your stay as food bags that you can hang or dirty laundry. So many uses. Ask around. And put duct tape on it!
I have my carry on for the flight that will fit into my main bag when I arrive. I use a kitesurfing kite bag when I travel. I just like the way that it zips from the top and all the way down both sides. Easy to get stuff in and out of. I hope this has been of some use to you as you consider how to travel adventurously frugal!
Sleep on Sand 