I agree with the point about ipods or mp3 players. I think there is definitely a time and a place for them… usually when you are trying to sleep!

Thanks for the comment!

Paul @

TravMonkey.com

I owuld have to add ipods or any form of mucis thta goes with u.

It isolates u from where u are and makes u un approchable. Yea yea they might be great on long distance trips but i would prefer talking with whomever is sitting next to u.

Nice website! Very informative and helpful.

I think my point is that a lot of backpackers take a lot of items they don't need to places where they don't really need them. I except that if you are miles from the beaten track in Africa you may well need a mosquito net.

Hmm I'm going to test out the sink plug theory on my next trip.

Thanks for your comments!

Paul @

TravMonkey.com

As a writer I do know how to use pen and paper but the laptop is a bit faster.

I must disagree with the mosquito net. That may be fine for a guest hut on a Thai beach or Central America, but you'd be a fool to leave your mosquito net behind in most parts of Africa and certain parts of Asia, especially off the beaten path. The poorer the area, the less likelihood of a mosquito net. I suspect mine has saved my life more than once, especially when covering stories in particularly mosquito-prone regions…

And I also have to disagree about the sink plug – a piece of cloth is only good long enough to wash your face. Any longer and the water starts seeping out. When you have a single change of clothing and need to soak what's on your back in a leaky sink, that plug is a godsend.

I do love the vision of a straight-haired clean-handed flashpacker, pacsafed and tunesafed, iPod glued to ear, snugly wrapped in a sleeping bag with Crocs elegantly dangling off of feet…

Thanks for the comment. I think a lot of the time you don’t realise what you need and don’t need until you are out on the road.

Maybe at some point I’ll take a laptop for work… I’m not sure I’ll enjoy the lack of freedom and having to look after it etc.

Thanks,

Paul @
TravMonkey.com

I must admit I carry a good amount of that list too and struggled to use a lot of, especially that damn sleeping bag taking up 1/3 of my backpack and being used 0 times.

Hi Steve,

When I saw the Tunesafe I was a little shocked….and then just laugh out loud!

I think if you are writing or working taking the laptop is fine. I may even have to do it myself at some point.

Thanks,

Paul @

TravMonkey.com

I'm guilty on the laptop too, but like Chris I need it for work. My Macbook is like a leadweight but it has survived two years of abuse on the road and even a flooded backpack in India's monsoon… just!

And yes – the Philippines are nice, it's not that much more expensive than Indonesia or India, but cheaper than Thailand and with lots of friendly people. So far I'm enjoying it, just drove about 4.000 kms around the islands in an 10-year old Tricycle.

Total freedom!

Cheers,

Chris

I'll let you off Chris for the laptop, after all it sounds like you need it for your work!

Thanks,

Paul @

TravMonkey.com

As for the other items, I'm with you completely. Okay, as a permanent traveler, I have to bring my laptop, how else would I blog? But going on a holiday – yeah, leave it at home, by all means!

Cheers from the Philippines,

Chris