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Essential Gear and Technology

Welcome to today's final session gear and technology and as you can see I have all my stuff right here this is everything I travel the world with and we'll get into what's actually in those bags of the later you know as you're as you're planning the trip you know you've come you we've talked about inspiration we talked about finances we talked about travel hacking and how that didn't get free flights besides winning winning a contest or winning a trip to india dealing with emotions now it's like all right I got my ticket what do you got to get all your stuff together and so in this module we're going talk about picking a great backpack what to pack in your trip highest they connected on the road and that's why we have dave here he's going to tell us how to keep all our stuff safe how if we pay our bills online check her bank account you know it's not going tio was not going to steal our numbers and suddenly there were broke I'm talk about travel insurance because I'm a big proponent of...

travel insurance had many experiences where it saved me and I experiences where I regret being foolish not getting it so we're going to get into all that great stuff but let's talk about picking your backpack but first let's talk about you know a lot of you have charlotte before uh what is it that you take where is it like the lessons you've learned traveling like tell me about your gear things that I found released what they have on hand was a key chain flashlight with a bottle opener attachment yes by over always comes in handy yeah that was one of the things I kept bottle caps from the last eight countries that I went to just all the local beers that was my small souvenir that wasn't going take up a lot of room in my bag that I would I have a story with each one ok it's great yes like my first trip if you're going to pack too much take it with you don't if you have an opportunity with behind because then what's gonna happen if you've already done it by accident we're going to go somewhere else and then you're gonna need some stuff that you left behind because you don't know so unless you traveled accordingly take it all but don't take it personally pack accordingly slightly um yes you're providing for your trip so this is great like we're think of like ok, I'm going on my first trip I'm gonna bring all this stuff like where do you think what's what's going through your mind? I fly around a lot on dive learned that no matter how short or how long the trip I'm taking and no matter how big or small the bag I take, I literally fill that bag no more no less and sometimes it's way too little sometimes it's way too much side definitely this is private session that I'm most excited for because I desperately need this we're going to talk about size because it does matter so um anyone else anyone else? Yes I tio take um older clothes undergarments and socks and stuff that I don't I care about and leave them behind several for other stuff that's great and t shirts things that you know you get the thrift store things like that and leave those things behind that's great we're going to talk exactly about that we're going to come back to your gear I mean we all have cameras now I mean when I started traveling which was not that long ago nobody had a cell phone like you know I mean nobody hardly anyone carrying a laptop around they were also a lot heavier even you know, two thousand five two thousand six but now definitely take a phone you have your laptop you have your dslr camera with lenses this long we're no gear which guys technology wise and instead of a laptop or this space and then I just got the ad on so I could work documents of any great when else take lots of gear when things I found I got a energy converter and attachment so that I could use the different outlets in different countries and because they had different attachments sometimes those will get left behind in the wall so I had to be really vigilant after I lost one of them to make sure I didn't lose any more of them be ableto that you know, they just clip in and you just grab it and pull like, oh, I got it but the actual stuff you know? Well, I've done that I went into a launch once and I was like, you guys have what? I kind of think that from the times of large yes, um I went with just my iphone because I got the kindle on it and I had the maps on it and I had unlocked and carried around a cover on it and they paper clip so I could switch this him out and get wifi everywhere, but that was like all I carried, you know, lots of people who are just you're following in your phone and we're gonna talkto by living more we get into like the actual tech era can pretty much do everything you needed to do nowadays. Um me, I need to have a living more gear, but if you're just traveling, I think having a phone like could be so great um so let's get into picking the right backpack I like backpacks now under justice because everyone always ask me about luggage right about the roly bags and all that stuff lately, I've been doing a lot of short term domestic travel and has cemented in my mind that I will forever own a backpack because I'm trying to go upstairs and get hit and, like, spins around there's like a curb and the roly backpack just yeah, it's nice that carry on, but when you're traveling and things were getting thrown everywhere, you don't, you have to walk down a dirt road or this like crazy hill and stares you don't want to like bumpier backpack every time, so I'm a big fan of backpacks over alleged luggage because put on your back and walk and becomes a lot easier also, you can, like, push people out of way with that just, you know, check people and get a little bit more space on that, you know, boss or something, but yeah, so lug it know in my world backpack? Yes. Now that could be different for you. If you do want to get luggage small, it can be and try to get something you can also convert into a backpack for, you know, I mean, I went tio chicken terra and italy and it's really hilly, and my hossa was at the top of this time I had to walk about a lot of stairs and he was nice toe, not smack it against every step or have to like lifting and carry it because kind of aggravating so if you do like the roly stuff trying to get one that's convertible so picking the right backpack so too big you're gonna fit to myself too small you're not gonna fit anything like sam said um whatever he fills up you know whatever size he has he fills out and so what I have found is that people don't like extra space fuse see your luggage half full you like but I can fix more stuff in there you're gonna throw it in there so if you get a too big of a backpack it will talk about one that sue proportional uh you're going to end up just over feeling it and it's going to be heavy and you're not going to want to carry around is gonna give you back problems and just going to realize halfway through this trip you should've gone with smaller pack but yet when the too small um you not consider anything and so uh you want sort of the goldilocks one which is just right? Well, what is the goldilocks number for backpacks? We'll get into that in the second the wrong material get something that's water resistant now I don't know about you but I don't really walk around in too many thunderstorms or months but I have been stuck in some showers and let your light rain and so you want something that is, you know a little bit why do resist and a little gortex so that when you get to your destination everything inside is not soaked um you know need one that I mean if you're going to do a lot of outdoors nature hikes you can get one with the tarp over it I mean, why backpacks come with the tarp for if you get stuck in this sort of monsoon rain but at the very least you want something that is water resistant and will not get so through I would take this water and throw it over to show you what I mean but they might not like me getting their whole set what? Um so many options that could be confusing so we'll talk about the elements of a good backpack but at the very least you want something that's durable, long lasting and night so what features and good backpack why resist them lockable zippers because when you are on an overnight train or bus it's good to have things that you can lock um an internal frame because, um you know the old backpacks they had these big extra frames, right? They have the big square frames and they just get hooked on everything doc the internal frames it's a lot easier to tour around move and you know ceo here's my backpack um this the internal frame is right here it provides all the support you can sort of feel it it's usually like a really hard plastic on and it makes it really easy to sort of move around I don't have to worry about polls getting stuck and everything multiple compartments so I get the top compartment which I have flip flops in and actually have all my stuff still packing here I have a book in here too history of france always good um I gotta front compartment for hughes uh one of these plastic bags ziploc bags and then we're talking about the straps here in the second and then they have the main compartment and the reason why you want multiple compartments is what if your stuff gets really dirty you don't want to throw your dirty clothes or your you know mud uh filled sneakers in one essential punch so have at least two I nearly three compartments that way you can keep you clean clothes area your shoes separate you know you have sort of like an actual space up here and that way you're kind of separating things plus it allows for much better organization I know launches here shoes and bags and miscellaneous and this one bush flip flops et cetera is here and I don't have to sort of search everywhere like through my bag open um next okay so it's not on my power point but I prefer frontloading backpacks so back power is coming to a top loading which means you put in you know I opened this up I stuff everything inside I love this backpack I've had it for ages but there's so many little folks here here on my clothes uh I like the front lawyer because now I can get to whatever I need really easily is it right back up perfect if I had just a top lawyer I have to take everything out if it's at the bottom and then put it all back in and when you want something in a pitch you know you need a you know, a jacket you want to put on a sweater or something or long to be sure it have to take everything out and back in just pan but this un drip drab it zip up keep the nice and even um pat it pads no, this does not weigh that much. It weighs a lot more when I have these she's in there talk about that in packing but having pads is really nice but it's just you know, you have all this downward pressure on your shoulders as well as your hips and sort of just softened a little bit and makes it much more comfortable to carry I'm in this contract back allows for airasia so you know if you're walking in the heat and you're sweating, at least you have some like um eric flowing and you know um so let's talk about size does size matter yes yes it does so I love you always ask me what is the right backpack too big too small, right? Well, the right size backpack is the one that's proportional to your body now of course you don't want to get like a huge eighty five leader backpack because you're going to want to stuff it you don't want one too small so between forty and eighty two this is sixty five I know friends we can go with twenty or thirty I can't I have too much stuff uh, which is ironic because I don't have much stuff but you wanted to be proportional so you put this guy on all right I'm ready to go let's go let's go somewhere right so you can see like kind of goes up to like here on the and that's pretty good you know you don't want to go further in the military or your neck so this is like, fits me perfectly it's not too big I had one that like went up like my head it was like always laying back uh you sort of want it now I feel like I was going to hit that proportional and that way the weight gets balance so you have this sort of patted him felt that keeps the way here the pressure off on your shoulders and now I have sort of this space here so it's sort of keeps me cool and it sort of fits me perfectly right it's not too big not too small because it's too big it's gonna be top heavy it's gonna kill your lower back and if it's too small you're gonna have all this weight here is also going to kill your middle back and your shoulders and your lower back so one that's why you wanna pack light? Um so it's not too heavy but size is really important because you know you want to get one that's really proportional to your body and the one that's proportional to your body also means it's going no it's going to that goldie locks eyes which means you're probably not going over packet because you didn't get one that was up here. Um so well I have this on and I feel like it we'll intrepid traveler um any questions about backpacks and um yes like having lockable zippers yeah, so well I guess you got to take this off now. Oh, sorry s o this the's zippers come together right? So then I just I usually just get a lock and flick it through and then you know now of course people can cut through, you know, there's a product called pack safe which is a metal mesh gear that you can kind of put over your bag it's a zip it up so really no one's going to get in but it weighs twenty pounds and I used to carry around with may I realized I really don't care if someone steals my dirty underwear. Um, you know, the two point it was really heavy. And while it was nice but I find I hardly ever used it. And I was mostly concerned about with, like, you know, overnight trains, but they usually throw it out through your bag into a compartment anyway, when hospitals but nowadays most hostels have lockers that where you can fit in the good bag. Um, so I like to keep lockable zippers up for when I travel um, you know, maybe overnight trains buses, but always keep everything valuable in the small day pack, which I keep with me. Um, but it's good to just have lockable zippers, but at the end of the day, no, that this backpack is really for your clothes and maybe some shoes and somebody really wants your jury socks, you know, let him have it that's also why I carry old socks and clothes and go to their stores because nothing valuable in that, like the bag, is probably worth more than the clothes itself um you know, the locks given x protection but someone who really wants you cut your bag open well, I mean they're going where there's a will there's a way but it's going to just have that sort of deterrent because you know, criminals who are like, you know, passing through an overnight bus look for bags they just want that quick I'm locked back if there's a lock they're moving on um the other questions about bags but yes said about the walk but at the same time it's also top load so there's no yeah ok, so you can also again, um sometimes I will like rap like, uh like the thing around this so you can't pull these out and just clinic clipper with a block you know, when you see the people with the luggage is they have that big belt around, you can use that too, but I mean it's not a fail safe system like there is just a backpack like if you don't put that metal mesh around it, you know is not going to, you know, be fully protected, but you're really protecting yourself against that thief who was looking for that quick one so they have to start fumbling around, then they're going to probably make some noise and not like that definitely always more concerned about this one because this one we're talking about with all my gear this is all the expensive stuff in it and hopefully oh, this is recorded so not criminals will know that um but this I also have lockable zippers for andi I also keep it like if I'm sleeping on an overnight bus it's like this my pillow? Um but you know is not it's not foolproof but you just want that's like deterrent, you know, like kandace said you she carries like sprays you just want some that creates that few seconds and that was going to keep a criminal away because they need quick. Yes. You don't want to have a lock that when you check it because they will break the locks. Yeah, so, uh go through your suitcase when on the airline's? Yeah. So now he's got a post nine eleven security you they have they will break your lock so there are special say locks where they it's a key lock but there's a little button that the cia has a unlocks it so they can open your bag. Make sure there's nothing there and that locker without destroying the lock. You can get those at wal mart. Best buy um brookstone any place in the airport it's great. I know eyes zip it up occasionally I'm locking occasionally, but I'm not there's nothing ever important in that bag um I'm actually more worried about the airline losing my bags I am but somebody's feeling within that because well I guess there is some were sick people out there who are really interested in in your dirty underwear but for the most part you know it's fine yes he's branded bag so like really durable good quality stuff so you recommended brand you um well let's talk about pricing first how much did you spend on the bag? The idea range is one hundred dollars to two hundred that bag is two hundred bucks this is already I bag all right, I'm ours I had one I've had one since I've started traveling move tons of lost my bag last year so this is a new one and I was really sad that back had been everywhere with may it was my bag I mean, I was like I don't care about anything in the bag but the bag had been everywhere. Um, you know, I think back like four hundred dollars you know were just traveling here two weeks, two days, two months now four months a year. Whatever you're not like greatly you need a bag with tons of bells and whistles I personally think eh one hundred dollars and two hundred bag is good as e mean that bag I could do some backcountry hiking in that bag um no store name brands will be cheaper than big name brands just your name brand good brands keltie gregory jansport osprey the north face to make really good outdoor hiking camping backpacking bags are your eyes great can of their version is nbc there's also e m s here in the states and so I mean you're getting a backpack bag like for like outdoor stuff but I mean now it is all kind of one of the same they sort of just developed a single utility bag that you can it's multipurpose has a lot of great uses one note you try it on in the store um you know, go in the store tried on and most of these you know, outdoor camping stores will have weights and so you can put wait in to feel with the bag it feels like when you know you put twenty pounds of closing so you can sort of see how the way it feels on your back because you're putting on an empty bag is like, oh yeah, it feels nice but then you load it with everything like I made a huge mistake so make sure you definitely tried on china on multiple kinds but I would not pay more than two hundred dollars for a nice backpack um you can also find you used backpacks online but you again craigslist you pay whatever but you really want a bag that you tried on because you know you want to make it feel proportional to you so you pack you guys over packer under pack over over over over I packed him I feel like I've over packed here um you know, I was making way more than I feel like I need my advice pack light once you're this quote uh take have is my stuff and twice as much money and I think that's a good way to look at travel sometimes um you know, I like to write out everything I think they'll need and then strike it like half the stuff off off my list so we'll talk about what's in the big bag there's my packing list I gotta just shirt a pair of jeans, shorts, a bathing suit uh sure it's a long sleeve shirts put plop sneakers lots of socks for some reason I always lose socks I will start with eight sometimes I'll even just buy a whole new life pack of ten I'll come back I'll have two pairs left I know where the rest went romans they probably take them um there was sock out um just shoes and dress socks now I take the dressed up because after a while I've met a lot of people overseas, I go visit them, they're like we're going to go to this nice place you can't look like a bum you know foot plops aren't going to cut it so I've started to take mohr jesse stuff plus hey let's face it sometimes you just want to go out and have a nice night just cause you're backpacking or traveling long term doesn't mean you just can't go on like how one nice night out told the optional for people aa lot of people hate jeans because they take a long time to dry on their kind of heavy weather wet khakis is a good alternative I just love wearing jeans uh boxer shorts again like your mom said you always want to have clean underwear on so and I take a towel now when it comes to the towel I think a real towel aa lot of people like to have a wet dry towel one of those camping powell's I used to carry one but I found never really dried it wasn't really big enough to like make me feel nice when I came out of the shower you know it's like oh it's this big plus a regular tallow while it needs to be washed more that's a tall you can take to the beach with you it's you know it drives a little better I have a personal precedents for a real powell but if you're short on space and you really want to be like the ultra light packer what try how totally great um yes something that go into the hole women think that you might not believe you relate to one thing that I did was I had the microtel but I brought us a wrong because then you could take this wrong to the beach but then you also wear it so I should have candles here from female packed there's a couple more things on that list that way maybe bras and good shirts um women think this is gender neutral about yeah when you're grooming items do not have any sort of hair care call sorry. So talk grooming items uh you know, I think all of this stuff two bursts you pays a razor I don't really take uh saving fuel with me I just razor in the shower you know when your face is wet it's it's not the best but it saves a lot of space from those canisters dental floss my dentist would yell at me otherwise uh shampoo and shower gel I like to have the liquid versions because bar soap gets a little dry ming grossing icky even if you put enough of those plastic trays that you conceal up I've done that no still kinds of soap all over my carrot will totally treat bag so I like the liquid soaps her gel so I can you know you know look nice when I go out you know my just stuff a calm um I think a small paris scissors you know for nails creeping stuff deodorant because I don't like to smell as a woman you might take additional stuff um and the female travels she went to china and about what they've taken that you know told you wise moisturizer ok yes sunblock sunblock I want to buy some block where I'm going um just don't have to carry it around with me all the time if I'm like in an area that I'm not going to be on the beach but some people want more sun block all the time general ologists says I should always wear it but doctors and I yes you take a hat I don't take a hat um again I just don't I actually don't take hat because they I don't like how I look at my head uh also don't like same reason I don't have sunglasses I do have a party that's sort of like protects a little bit but you know hatch a good things not on my personal list I think good sunglasses um ah hat a small flashlight it's not should be I got hand sanitizer small flashlight locks I really small locks were goingto have paper clips um yes you know you know I really need that my stuff if I actually have forgotten to pack anything I find that I'll just buy somewhere uh I like to have a small medical kit you know constance crazed bandits hydrocortisone creative antibacterial eyedrops earplugs especially important when you're traveling and saying joan romans because people do snore and they do come on home late ah antibiotics tylenol for headaches and hangovers um more extension for that and hand sanitizer hand sanitizer is your friends were definitely talk about that more food safety but germs go everywhere where you travel yes, just as faras like we were talking about asia a lot. So uh kleenexes always good to carry because they like for women especially they don't supply toilet paper times in restrooms then also and the same lines going to asia women you do not need bling hairdryer or makeup or anything because it's just going to melt off your face anyway. Yeah, so hairdryers a lot of times you're actually friday fused to if you try and plug it in but that's good toilet paper I will take toilet paper especially if you're on some developing countries and you're a long bus rides and changing lives we have a next role kleenex is great um I think I put it on here. Um duct tape duct tape is versatile it could be anything ziplock bags just in case you need to like put something in a bag and seal it up plastic bags I pra shoes in there they get journey you also they double us laundry bags so all my lunch goes in a plastic bag and I give it to the laundromat and I get a new plastic bag when I come back it's a great way to recycle a bag um I liketo have, you know, small flashlight I think that's important I've already said that though extra batteries we don't know when you could use a battery for the flashlight or um you know, your mouse or whatever some tech here barry's I was gonna handy as well as I just had a tough time in my head and I forgot it was on the line of batteries bottle openers, so I mean it's also these things in the universal adapter is really important, especially if you're traveling to aa lot of countries getting those universal adapters is really heat. Um, I mentioned that I live in moore and the the tech stuff, but you know, a lot of these little things is really apart like what do you feel comfortable traveling with, right mean, what makes like for me? I don't carry a hat I don't care about brothers and maybe important sunscreen I should, but I don't you have mentioned sunscreen, so you probably carried or with you often every day I I also take an extra pair of prescription glasses because it would be a nightmare to be overseas and lose my glasses so you know at the end of the day a lot of you know packing is what is really up to you and you feel you personally need this this is what I personally need this what fits in here what I feel comfortable taking with it doesn't include the stuff I don't care I don't take with again you write down everything you need and then really you know we'll get down to what's important because at the end of the day one you can always buy stuff on the road um into you know if you could get home you can get pretty much anywhere um you know, the most important thing is really just packing light and packing you know efficiently in your bag because don't bring everything you know going back to that first ship in costa rica I brought everything they put on that list when we were on that was I went out and I shop for it and I didn't use half it hiking shoes like I was in climbing mount everest you know? I think she's I had a tarp I like rain gear waterproof duffel bag I mean by all this stuff is like you I didn't really need it and you know a lot lots of medicine and stuff you can really buy or the on the road I chant to travel on the season so I like I try to chase the nice weather but sometimes I stay longer I guess we'll go by um chief spider um I will go buy a cheap jacket you said so I need it and then I'll leave it and I'll donate it you know to like a clothing bank and move on so tips for traveling long term with like guitar for example uh be very careful. Yeah, that is like really heavy gear not nothing I don't carry guitar and friends I have seen carry guitars sometimes they really complain it's extra weight sometimes you have to like especially checking on airline so it becomes this whole thing especially like surfboards and exactly so I would, um lowing plants thorn tree putin calls for like they have sections like you can ask other people like how do they deal with all that? Okay, ukulele? Yes, actually, because the whole extra worry about checking as and biswas generally be carried to the gate and they were in a room like check it for you. I know what people do that hula hoops so I'm sure it could be applied to a guitar. I saw a woman on my flight from new york to san francisco had a cello next where as I go today she's like shaded by a full ticket for the cello like, oh, they don't let you check it she's like yeah good buy a ticket for that so any questions about packing you packing is very individualized thing and it's easy to make generalizations about what you have and what not to have at the end of the day what works for me here might not work for you you know I don't have a guitar I don't want to carry a hat I'm not taking a hair dryer who for sunscreen but you are and you just goto travel with what you're comfortable with we also know that if you get stuck on the road you're probably going to be able to find a place that will let you buy it yes so when you are traveling for the eighteen months were you just going like north hemisphere southern hemisphere and not having to ever worry about the jacket well that was a plan and then I decided to stay in amsterdam in the winter um so I only had a t shirt and that last me a little bit later up on that last little bit longer and then I broke down I bought this weather and I bought a light jacket when it was time to leave I just gave my friend said give it give us to like your local dutch you know, cloaking bank and I'm like sure, no problem when I then went to thailand was created only need light stuff and I decided to work and I need to get dressed shoes just pans just sure ties because I was doing formal english training, I get all this whole gear and then afterwards I donated it again. So, um, I have to get all that stuff you can get it custom made for a pretty good pressure, very cheap, very cheap actually kept a couple of the shirts with me. I still have them to be a thing. They were well made. But, you know, kind of just try to stick to a season that can help. But it went in doubt just by chief at stores or secondhand stores and use until you don't need it any longer and then donated to somebody who does. I want meat matalin's, friends travel with hoops, this's a fast. We're going to talk up to it, that's, that's me, I've never taken the town or who anyone being I'm missing out, he has traveled partners, I'll bring my ukulele guitar. You, um, hopefully someone here's, a better singer than I otherwise we're not gonna pay any money busking.