Don’t leave home without…

Working on international agriculture projects means travelling overseas. A lot. I’m a big fan of travelling light, and it doesn’t take me long to pack for a few weeks away. With the exception of credit cards and passports, most things you forget to pack can be easily replaced in-country. But here’s a few things I don’t leave home without…

1. Power board with extension cord. Evenings and weekends overseas are often spent catching up on work. Hotel rooms only ever seem to have one power point, and it is rarely next to the desk or bed.
2. Money. In several different forms. Watching your credit card being eaten by an ATM at Dili airport on a public holiday is not a great way to start your trip.
3. Reusable shopping bag. Because I don’t need 3 plastic bags to carry two bottles of water and a container of shampoo from the mini mart on the corner to the hotel.
4. Jumper. I work mostly in the tropics, but if hotels, restaurants, government offices and airports have air-conditioning installed they will crank it up to artic conditions.
5. Sensible shoes (because farm visits are ALWAYS a possibility). I went to Brazil for three days to speak at a conference, and got a last minute invite to visit a beef farm. Luckily I packed jeans as well as a suit, but these were my only footwear options!