Archive for the ‘What To Pack’ Category

The Backpack Checklist

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Backpacking is amongst the most highly recommended activities for school leavers and seasoned travellers alike. The world is filled with hidden treasures and magical places waiting to be explored and discovered by you. Backpacking means embracing adventure, mapping out a route, taking trains, planes and automobiles to get to locations the world over while experiencing life at its very best, on a budget.

backpack_checklist

Above: Travel with all the essential on our backpack checklist. Photo by LeeA

The question is what is important enough to take up space in your rucksack and what, besides the kitchen sink, needs to be left at home. The backpacking experience does not cater for a selection of luggage enough for your own trailer or private compartment in first class. You will walk long distances and do a lot of sightseeing. As you won’t have a porter, keeping things simple will make your trip more enjoyable.

Combing overlanding with a backpacking travel trip through the Dark Continent can only prove to be fun, presenting the best of Africa and nature. It is ideal to start your backpacking overland adventure in a city. This way, you have the opportunity to stock up and take the time to prepare before meeting up with your party and crew at the truck. Leave prepared and enjoy what is bound to be an exciting, scenic and absolutely awesome journey.

The world is your oyster and you’re ready to go globe trotting from Europe to Africa, meet the world and embrace the unknown, meet new people and have the time of your life, forging memories of what will be some of the best days of your life for as long as you can remember. So let’s presume you’re planning on an extended vacation and the plan is to spend some quality time with Mother Nature overlanding Africa. Here’s what you take:

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist

The Absolute Essentials

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist Essentials are the most important backpack items you pack for any backpacking overlanding adventure. It’s the stuff you just don’t leave home without.

Sun Protection (sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, hat)
A Ruck Sack. Suitcases are not suitable for overland travel.
Decent Flashlight & Head Torch
Pocketknife & Leatherman
Passport, Visas & Papers
Suitable Clothing
First Aid Kit
Currency

The Bathroom Baggie

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist makes sure you have it all in your Bathroom Baggie helping to keep your teeth clean, your eyes clear, your hair washed and the bugs off you.

Biodegradable Liquid Soap
Toothbrush & Toothpaste
Toilet Paper in Plastic
Contact Lenses Kit
Insect Repellent
Antiperspirant
Bath Towel
Face Cloth
Shampoo

Keeping It Casual

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist ensures you are Keeping It Casual packing the right clothes for your outdoor safari across Africa, preparing you for all the weather and temperatures you might expect along the way.

One Set of Smart Clothes (for a night out)
Sandals (camp wear, wading streams)
Cold Weather Hat (covers ears)
Shirts (long & short sleeves)
Pants (non-cotton, durable)
Lightweight Wool Gloves
Waterproof Clothing Bag
Changes of Underwear
Inner & Outer Socks
Swimming Costume
Camp Fire Poncho
Beach Sarong
Classic Jeans
Fleece Jacket
Hiking Boots
Casual Flats
Cargo Pants
Track Pants
Sneakers

The Must Haves

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist ensures you have all The Must Haves in your back pack making sure you keep it light but don’t forget a thing.

Regular Medication (i.e. an asthma pump)
Long Life Reading Material
Camera, Lenses and Film
Pack of Playing Cards
Hard Cover Notebook
Contraceptives
Memory Cards
Travel Journal
Cell Phone
Binoculars
Tripod
iPod

Keeping It Tidy

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist ensures you remember that Keeping It Tidy is as important as the journey itself and leaving no trace, or as little as possible, other than your footprints is a prime idea. Try keeping it organic.

Multi-Purpose Cleaning Soap
Small Hand Wash Soap
Hand Sanitizer

The Real Extras

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist ensures you remember all the Forget Me Not’s in the process of packing for your next big adventure. These are the things you can’t do without on any overlanding Africa journey.

Plastic Bags (Grocery Bags, Garbage Bags)
Pegs Washing Line (simple thin rope)
Spare Contact Lenses & Glasses
Nylon Cord & Duct Tape
Extra Flashlight Bulbs
Swimming Towel
Extra Batteries
Extra Lighter
Extra Pens

The First Aid Kit

The Overlanding Africa Backpackers Checklist has expanded on The Essential First Aid Kit. Accidents happen and making sure you have everything you need in regards to health and safety is highly important.

Adhesive Bandages Various Sizes
Cold Medicine, Cough Drops
Scissors
Needle & Tweezers
Antiseptic Ointment
Antibiotic Ointment
Insect Bite Cream
Ibuprofen for Pain
Antacid Tablets
Anti-Histamine
Thermometer
Roller Gauze
Burn Cream
Safety Pins
Deep Heat
Probiotic

Keep your kits in handy zip up and zip lock bags. It makes organising and keeping things organised easier. Cramming everything straight into your rucksack can cause you a real backpack issue when trying to find anything at all. It’s all good in the beginning but becomes a mess a few miles down the road and a couple of camps later. By compartmentalising you have easier access to your gear and are able to find anything in a rush.

One of the key criteria for backpacking would be packing light, again with the “packing light is packing right” philosophy is something many people struggle with. Lugging your rucksack from place to place can be taxing on the body, especially over long distances or a couple of kilometres. Reducing continually, particularly during extended trips and gifting people along the way keeps your backpack at a manageable weight.

Overlanding Africa and backpacking across the cradle of humankind requires a lot of moving around. Keeping what you carry around to the minimum and keeping space for small gifts to take home means that unneeded articles can take up valuable space. So at most you have your rucksack and a day tripping pack, so space really is limited. A large rucksack does hold a fair amount; it’s all about how you pack it, so pack tight.

Now that you’ve got your backpack check list sorted, contact Overlanding Africa for details and assistance with planning your next adventure. Overlanding Africa offers over 152 quality tours. Climb on the next overland truck and backpack across Africa on either a camping or accommodated overland trip. Live a little, experience a lot.

About the author

Jax

Jacqueline Freer

Jacqueline has a career background consisting of nightlife eventing and entertainment fused with hospitality then blending with branding and business and over the past few years focusing on digital media. Her personal passions include the arts, travel, food, film and photography. Jacky is a social media expert, PR professional, blogger, copywriter, events designer and digital journalist with a passion for music. Jacqueline Freer is the MD and founder of Inrichmint Media Studios & Recordings, both divisions under the same brand name.

Tags: What To Pack, what to pack for overland tours
Posted in What To Pack | 1 Comment »

Packing list for backpacking in Africa

Wednesday, June 20th, 2012

Need a packing list for backpacking in Africa? Look no further! For those of you planning a trip backpacking in Africa and don’t know what to pack, here is a packing list that will ensure you’re prepared for your backpacking adventure.

Packing list

Photo by Piotr Ciuchta

Essentials

☐ Passport

☐ Copies of important documents (passport, credit cards, etc…)

☐ Important phone numbers

☐ Money (credit/debit card, cash, travellers cheques, etc…)

☐ Backpack (not a suitcase)

☐ Day bag

☐ Sleeping bag, sleeping sheet and camping mattres (check with your travel consultant if required)

☐ Head torch and spare batteries

☐ Sunglasses

☐ Washing line

☐ Towel

Clothes

☐ 1 pair of open shoes

☐ 1 pair of walking shoes

☐ 1 pair lightweight long sleeved shirt

☐ 2 lightweight long pants

☐ 1 bathing suit

☐ 5 light cotton tops

☐ 3 shorts/shirts/boardies

☐ 1 sarong

☐ 1 hat/sunhat/cap

☐ 1 lightweight waterproof jacket

☐ 1 sweaters/polar fleece/jumpers

☐ 3 pairs of socks

☐ 7 pairs of underwear

☐ One set of tidy clothes for a night out

Toiletries

☐ Your normal toiletries

☐ Insect repellent

☐ Sunscreen

☐ Lip balm

☐ Contraceptives

☐ Water purification tablets

☐ Enough of your prescribed medication to sustain needed usage

First Aid Kit

☐ Pain killers malaria medication

☐ Rehydration sachets

☐ Anti-diarrhoea medication

☐ Antihistamine tablets or cream

☐ Antiseptic cream or spray

☐ Plasters

☐ Eye drops

☐ Tweezers

Photography

☐ Camera with spare batteries and charger

☐ Extra memory card

☐ Camera case

Emergency

☐ Contact number for your travel consultant

☐ Write a list of your allergies in your vaccination certificate booklet

Do Not Bring

☐ Drugs

☐ Weapons

☐ Camouflaged patterned clothes

☐ Hair dryer/curling iron

☐ Bathrobe

☐ Expensive clothes

☐ Expensive jewellery

Also Bring

☐ Sense of humour

☐ Sense of adventure

☐ Open mind

☐ Patience

Tags: What To Pack
Posted in What To Pack | 5 Comments »

Camping tricks

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Camping tricks are absolutely golden when you’re out camping and find yourself trying to solve a seemingly impossible problem. Where there is a will, there is a way, and with these few camping tricks, we take your will, and show you the way.

Top 3 Camping Tricks

Camping trick #1: Make your own hammock

You’ve just arrived in a peaceful spot on your camping tour in an area surrounded by trees. You want to lie back and relax… outside your tent. But how? You didn’t bring a hammock! Or did you? A brilliant hammock can easily be fashioned out of a sturdy sheet and some rope. No, we don’t suggest you getting all Bear Grylls on us and trying to tie your own shady knots. Watch the short video below and learn the simplest way to get a hammock up in no time. It’s one of those highly rewarding camping tricks. Just make sure that your sheet isn’t decades old and hasn’t been bleached several thousand times, otherwise your butt will tear through that sheet faster than you can throw a peanut at a squirrel.

Check out one of the best camping tricks for making your own hammock:

Camping trick #2: Heat liquid in a plastic bottle

The last time you threw plastic in the fire you were 7 years old and about to learn a very important lesson about how to violate one’s nostrils and impair all fellow camper’s vision. Lesson learned. If you fancy a spot of tea but don’t want to get the pots out, or forgot to bring a pot at all, then it’s time to throw the rule book out the window with this great camping tip. This plastic-in-the-fire camping trick is brilliant and makes for nothing but happy campers… because they’ll have tea.

Watch one of the coolest camping tricks – how to heat up liquid in a plastic bottle on the fire:

Camping trick #3: Light a fire in the rain

It’s raining and those dirty-great-big splotches of moisture have just ruined all your chances of starting a fire this evening… or has it? *Awesome camping tip alert* This neat camping trick comes to the rescue with nothing but a ball of cotton wool soaked in petrol and a stick of firesteel (or matches). Now all you’ve got to worry about is getting a volunteer to use the fire steel after they’ve just been handling petrol. Safety camping tip: use latex gloves for the handling of the cotton ball.

The Practical Survivor stresses how important it is to be able to start a fire quickly in cold weather “Cold rain and wind can quickly turn a nice hiking afternoon into a life-threatening situation. That’s why fast lighting tinder is so important.”

Scope out one of the most useful camping tricks showing you how to use cotton wool to start a fire:

As the scout specialists at Scouting in Canada say “As with most things in life, the most rewarding experience is the one that takes the most effort. If it were easy, then the personal reward and satisfaction that a camp out gives would not be the same“. So when you set out on a camping adventure, make sure you’ve got these great camping tricks up your sleeve, and remember, where there is a will, there is a way…

Information Resources:

frickenfunnyvideos

rayd888

ryanjcus

Practical Survivor

Scouting in Canada

camping_tricks

Above: One of the best camping tricks to help start a fire

Tags: camping tricks
Posted in What To Pack, how to | 1 Comment »

10 Essentials – What to pack for hiking

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

So you’re going on a hike and want to know what to pack for hiking to ensure you have all the necessary items for a safe, enjoyable hike. Good thinking maestro! These backpacking tips will ensure you’re adequately prepared for the adventure ahead.

Watch this YouTube video for a quick rundown on what you’ll need to pack for a hike:

What kind of backpack will I need?

The backpack you use when packing for hiking is as important as the essentials you pack in it. Your choice of backpack will be determined by how long you’re going hiking for and what type of environment you’re going to be tackling.

If you’re going on a day hike it’s a good idea to take a small camel backpack which has a great spot for water in it, giving you about 2-3 litres of storage space for water. The camel backpack has a special bladder area you fill up with water, making for convenient water storage on your hike.

What to pack for hiking

Backpacking basics for a day hike:

Whether you intend to hike while on a trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls or from Cape Town to Timbuktu, there are some basic things you’ll always want to carry when you’re going hiking:

First-aid kit

A small first-aid kit is great for day hikes. These kits usually include band-aids, a soap sponge, gauze and other important first aid necessities just in case a first aid issue arises.

Headlamp

Another important item to carry with you is a small headlamp. Your hike may take longer than you expect it to, and you don’t want to be hiking at night without light.

Sunscreen

A small tube of sunscreen in your backpack will ensure you’re protected against sunburn. Just don’t forget to use it!

Hand sanitiser

Pack a small bottle of hand sanitiser. This may seem silly to take on a hike, but it is important to clean your hands after you’ve just done a number 1 or number 2 behind a large rock. Also, cleaning your hand before or after you eat is important, not to mention the need for it when you’re tending to an open wound.

Cellphone

Carrying your cellphone will allow you get in contact with help if you end up running into trouble along the way. If there is reception, that is.

Map

Don’t forget to take your map with you so that if an unsuspected fork in the path presents itself, you’ll be able to safely navigate your way along the right route.

Hat

When you set off for your hike in the blazing sun, it’s a good idea to wear a hat that protects your face and neck from the sun. Try and fit a wollen beanie hat in your backpack just in case it gets cold.

Food

Pack a sandwich bag full of snack food. Nuts are a great option because they are packed with great nutrients for nourishment and sustenance.

Jacket

Pack a thin rain jacket. You never know when the rain is going to creep up on you or when a cold wind will bite. In the mountains weather changes very quickly, so be prepared.

Camera

If your cellphone doesn’t already have a built in camera, pack a small durable camera for your journey. When on an African expedition, you may come across a moment you simple want to capture forever.

Now you know what to pack for hiking. All you’ve got to do now is set off on that Cape Town to Victoria Falls adventure. Go for it!

Tags: hiking, What To Pack
Posted in What To Pack | 1 Comment »

Beginners Guide to Camping Safaris – Tents, Meals and Campfire

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Camping safaris can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences you ever have, but only if you’re properly prepared with the right knowledge and the right gear, especially when you’re venturing off on safaris in Africa.

Watch this quick YouTube video about camping safari tips for beginners and get clued-up in a jiffy. Alternatively, just read the great camping tips below.

The Tent on Camping Safaris

First and foremost, you need a tent for camping safaris. The number of people you’ll have sleeping in your tent will determine the size of the tent you need. Rule of thumb: always get a tent that will sleep two more people than you intend to have. If you’re a family of four, get a six man tent. Why? You’ll need the extra room to store your duffle bags, backpacks, shoes, boots and other gear.

It’s also nice, but not necessary, to have a tent you can stand up in. It makes getting in and out a little easier, as well as getting dressed and undressed.

You’ll want to set your tent up on level ground, it is very uncomfortable to pitch your tent on uneven or slanted terrain. You’ll need all the sleep you can get on safaris in Africa, with days filled with hiking, game viewing, dilated pupils and adventure.

Meal Planning on Camping Safaris

Okay, so you’ve made it to the campground. The tent is up, the gear is in. Well, you could take a break. I mean, you worked hard! You deserve it! Crack open a cold one and relax. Okay, enough relaxation, time to plan your meals.

If you’re going camping with a group of people, then you’ve got some meal planning to do. How many people are you going to feed, and how often? Perhaps each person, or family can be responsible for one meal, or one day of meals for the entire group. Talk to each other beforehand. Good meal planning can prevent waste, and starvation. As far as what food to bring, well, whatever you normally eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is what you’ll bring.

If you’re going on an overland trip with fellow passengers, your overland guide is a great source of help for what food you should prepare for an overland truck full of hungry bellies, if it’s your turn to cook.

Campfire Building on Camping Safaris

Okay, now you want to get some kindling. Kindling? Small pieces of wood that will burn quickly in order to get the fire started. Go out and gather some small branches. Pick them up off the ground in the area surrounding your campsite. On a camping safari, you don’t want to venture off into the bush without a guide on a safari in Africa. There are wild animals out there. Also, cutting branches off trees is a no-no. Green wood won’t burn anyway.

If you bought a bag of firewood, there should be some narrowly cut wood in there. Use that. Firstly, take some newspaper, or any other paper, for that matter, scrunch it up in a ball, and place it in the middle of the fire ring. Now you are going to build a little teepee around it. Use the kindling first, then surround it with larger logs. Now you’re just about ready for ignition. Light the paper in the middle, which in turn will burn the kindling, which in turn will burn the logs.

All right, you’re not going to have a real flamer in 10 seconds, it is going to take a little work: you may have to re-light it a few times, blow on the embers, stoke it a bit, but eventually you will succeed.

Camping safaris can be greatly enjoyable with a little help from great YouTube video resources, as well as your overland guide if you’re venturing out on safaris in Africa.

Tags: beginners, camping, camping safaris, tips
Posted in Adventure, Food, Videos, What To Pack | 1 Comment »

The Overland Trip Budget – Expenses of an Overland Trip

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

You went out and whipped up that amazing overland trip special discount quicker than you can say Cape Town to Victoria Falls. Good on you! But now what?

To help you plan your trip, we’ve put together a list of expenses you’ll need to plan your trip smoothly.

overland_trip_expenses_spreadsheet

1. Flights

Unless you are already in Victoria Falls before your Victoria Falls adventure begins, you’ll need to purchase flights to see your safe arrival at least a day before your trip commences in order to make the pre-trip meeting, if your adventure has one. Similarly, if your trip doesn’t end in the city you live in, you’ll need to book yourself a ticket home. If you want to go home.

2. Airport transfers

Once you have arrived at the airport in the country your overland trip commences from, you may need to book an airport transfer to your night’s accommodation if it is not included in your overland trip price. An airport transfer is the transport getting you to or from an airport.

3. Trip cost

This is the amount you paid to your OverlandingAfrica.com consultant for your overland trip in Africa. Luckily you raked up a great deal, so you end up saving on your total expense.

4. Local payment

The local payment is cash you hand over to your overland crew before you start your overland trip. This money goes towards expenses like National Park fees, activities and food. Local payment is usually required to be paid in US Dollars. The crew may kit our their overland trip with all things you could possibly need on a trip into Africa, but a credit card machine and bureau de change aren’t one of them. Cash is king.

5. Pre and post accommodation

Most trips have a pre-departure meeting the day before the overland trip commences. Some trips include a night’s accommodation in the overland trip price, some don’t. Unless you’re the kind of person who gets a thrill from last minute couch-surfing host hunting, we suggest you book accommodation in advance.

After your trip has come to an end, it is often recommended that you spend an extra two nights in the area. This gives you even more opportunity to explore the area and enjoy the destination at your own pace. A Cape Town to Victoria Falls adventure will leave you in the perfect place to explore more of both Zambia and Zimbabwe; something an extra two days can help you accomplish. Didn’t get time to do the elephant back safari? Now’s your chance!

6. Trip Activities

On your journey there will be a huge amount of optional activities available to you. Some overland trips include a variety of activity, where as others leave it up to travellers to decide whether they would like to experience something while they are travelling, and then pay for themselves when they are there. You will need to pay for these activities. Keen to go white water rafting, bungee jumping or on a scenic flight while on that Victoria Falls adventure? Kaching! You’ll need cash.

7. Health

You want to make sure you stay healthy when you travel in Africa. This will mean that you may need to get a yellow fever vaccination or take malaria prophylactics, depending on the areas your overland trip route takes you through.

8. Insurance

Travel insurance is oh-so important! You’ll need to pay a once off travel insurance premium to ensure that you are covered for every possible mishaps you could endure for the entirety of your travels. Missing luggage? No problem, you’re sorted! Flight changes? Book another! Broken ribs? That camel was higher than it looked! Getting comprehensive travel insurance will cover everything.

9. Spending Money

When you are travelling through Africa there may be curios you wish to buy, food you’d like to try or souvigniers you wish to purchase, you’ll need dough for all that. It is recommended that you take approximately $25 per day with you on your overland trip for these extra expenses. Trust me.

Now that you’re sorted to effectively plan your budget overland trip, good luck, and take loads of photos!

BOOK an overland trip now.

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Checklist image from Fanginhoon

Tags: budget, expenses, planning, planning an overland trip
Posted in Health, Visa's and Passports, What To Pack, things to do | No Comments »

Top Gadgets to use on a Safari in Africa

Monday, January 9th, 2012

If you are lucky enough to be going on a safari in Africa, then you will be sure to encounter some exotic animals and create memories that will last a lifetime.

With an endless election of modern gadgets available at affordable prices, you can kit yourself out with some useful gizmos before your trip to really get the most out of your time on that safari tour. Here are just a few of the top gadgets to use on a safari in Africa, giving you the edge when it comes to everything from taking photographs to finding your way across the open plains.

Night Vision Binoculars

Because of the intense heat during the day, some of the most interesting beasts come out to play at night, which makes night vision binoculars one of the most essential safari gadgets on the market, thanks to a combination of functional factors.

The main benefit is that you can enjoy optical magnification for added visual clarity at a distance, along with the ability to view objects that are just a few feet away, which means you will be able to pick up animals regardless of your relative position to them.

Some night vision binoculars can operate for up to 30 hours from a single charge. They should also let you see in the dark using the light of the moon and the stars, but in particularly pitch conditions, you can utilise built-in infrared emitters which will let you illuminate whatever you target, without alerting the wildlife to your presence.

Long-lasting Camcorder

If you want to capture the safari action in full motion video, then invest in a durable digital camcorder that utilises solid state storage for convenience and longevity.

While there are camcorders out there that shoot better quality footage and have more onboard storage for your clips via tape or hard drive, camcorders that use Flash memory are recommendable for safari goers because of the rugged exterior, durable design and water resistant properties that you can find on offer. The memory is also less susceptible to damage from bumps or jolts.

You can drop some digital camcorders into water and they will come out working perfectly, with a resistance to liquids ranging in depth from a few centimetres right up to 10 feet or more. You can also get units that are dustproof and shockproof which is perfect when you’re camping in Africa. Dropping them onto the dry ground while on safari will not hamper its ability to record full HD 1080p video clips, which you can share when you return home.

Digital SLR Camera

For photography fans who want to capture the landscape and its animals in detail while on safari, there will be no other choice than a digital SLR camera.

However, SLRs can be expensive and you may be wary of buying a budget option in case your snaps do not live up to expectations. That is why you need to find one that combines value for money with performance to ensure that it is a good choice for cash-conscious travellers.

In this category you can expect to encounter models with 10 megapixel sensors and memory card ports offering support for SD cards. You will also want an SLR that features a fairly easy to use set of functions so as not confuse novices, or indeed restrict those with experience.

Handheld GPS

When out on safari in Africa, you will be unsurprised to learn that typical GPS sat nav systems are not going to give you the detail you need to help you with navigation. For this reason, it is worth investing in a gadget that is specifically intended for the great outdoors where paved roads and large settlements are few and far between. There are a number of such GPS gadgets on the market that have plenty of useful features to make them perfect for safari tours that go off the beaten path.

You can get GPS gadgets for safari that have ample, full colour touch screen displays and a simple set of interface features that let you make the most of the detailed mapping of many areas of the globe. You can plot routes, check your altitude, use it as a compass and examine the topography via downloadable add-ons.

These handheld gadgets are good for the great outdoors on any continent and should be a boon for safari participants and happy campers who want to take the tour under control.

Written by the travelsupermarket cheap holidays team.

Tags: gadgets, high-tech, Tech, What To Pack
Posted in Adventure, Tech, Technology, What To Pack | 1 Comment »

Pro’s and Con’s of Travelling With a Laptop

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Like someone who has just walked in on their grandma in the shower, you’re not quite sure what to do. To take your laptop with you? Or to leave it at home with your Xbox and electric shaver? Here’s a couple pro’s and con’s to help you decide whether or not to travel with a laptop… and to help you stop thinking about your grandma in the shower:

Pro’s

thumbs-up-for-taking-a-laptop-on-a-trip

1. Storage

It’s the first day of your overland trip and you’ve just spent two hours taking photos of a 3200kg rhino birthing its calf. Your camera’s memory card is full and you still have a week left of exploring. If you’re travelling with a laptop, you can simply dump your day’s photos onto your laptop, and start fresh in the morning. As Murphy’s Law would have it, if you’re all out of space on your memory card, a Quagga would come waltzing past you while you’re tracking down kindling for the campfire… no space on your camera.

2. Stay Connected

Home sick and need to see the smile of a loved one? Skype! Need to check what the outcome of the South Africa vs Australia World Cup rugby match was? Twitter! Need to check what the Daily Crossword is? Geek!

3. Internet Banking

If you’re taking a 7 day trip to Victoria Falls, I’m sure you can pay your gardener before you go. But if you’re on a 40 week Trans Africa overland trip, they’re going to repossess your car if you don’t make the payments. Taking a laptop with you on your overland trip means that you can make payments from the safety of your own computer. Using a shared computer, like one you’d use in a local internet café, isn’t recommended. Why? Because it’s dodgy, that’s why.

4. Joe Blogs

Joe Blogs, Mary Blogs, just about everyone blogs nowadays! Taking your laptop with you means you can keep your travel blog up to date. You can also upload your photos on flickr or check if the weather will be okay for your hot air balloon flight over the Serengeti National Park.

5. Sharing is Caring

You know that picture of the 6.5 metre Black Mamba you just took? Share it! If you have your laptop with you and you have wi-fi access, upload it to flickr, twitter, Facebook and National Geographic… after you’ve changed your underwear of course.

Con’s

frustration-while-travelling-with-a-laptop

1. Lost not found

Remember that expensive thing you bought that got stolen? Yeah, that sucked. Need I say more?

2. Keep it Clean

Like that just-paid-for soft serve ice-cream you’ve just dropped in the sand, a laptop is anything but enjoyable when you have to crunch your way around the keyboard. If you’re anywhere near a beach, dune or strong South Easter, don’t take your laptop out. Getting sand in my laptop? I’d rather chew on a jersey.

3. Waste of Time

It’s not always that easy to connect to an internet café’s connection with your own computer. The time you spend trying to figure it out could be better spent surfing the web on one of their computers, or, you know, going outside and enjoying the overland esc. you’re meant to be on.

4. Extra Weight

When you’re on an overland trip, the only extra weight it’s okay to carry, is on your butt. Backpacking has you lugging your entire life around on your back. When hiking up a 45 degree sand dune, with that backpack strapped to your back, essentials are your friend, luxuries are not.

To Pack or Not To Pack?

If you do decide to travel with a laptop, remember two things:

A: Back up your hard drive before you go.
B: Take the right plug adapter with you.

If you decide not to travel with a laptop:

A: Cool.
B: Refer to ‘A’.

Traveller opinions on whether or not to travel with a laptop:

“I’ve traveled enough with a full-size laptop (for work) to know that I don’t really need all that weight & functionality. But, I can’t imagine traveling without something to write on, upload photos to, etc etc.”
– WanderMom

“If you bring your laptop along, you can blog, keep up with friends and family by email, you can call home for free (or very cheap) with Skype and you can work. Who says these are pro’s?”
– Fetzig

“I migrate around the world, eating, and hanging out. Up until now I have neglected to take a laptop so I could have the least amount of responsibility. However, I recently decided it would be a good idea to begin blogging, and sharing photos and experiences with friends and others. The decision to bring your laptop on your overland travel is obviously completely yours. If you do bring it with you, make sure you make a back-up before you set off!”
– Mark Wiens

Images by: Thiago Felipe Festa, Danny de Bruyne and Rene Asmussen.

Tags: laptop, Tech, What To Pack
Posted in Technology, What To Pack | 2 Comments »

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