What not to bring. . .

williaam

So I have seen many threads suggesting what you wish you would have packed but I am wondering what the most unnecessary items were that you packed for India! Thanks!

ikimasho

personal alarm...it was in the bottom of my handbang for the first month - of course it went off in a shop when i was buying a childrens sanskrit book....after that i kept it in my backpack....never used it and cant think of a time when i would have needed it.

__________________
"To be enlightened is to be enlightened about something." Thich Nhat Hahn

butterball

.. I think the pepper spray is up there..

mercedes10

Things I packed and didn't need:

* Hiking Shoes (closed, heavy sort)
* Quick-dry Trek Towel

Things I considered packing and am so glad I didn't:

* Umbrella
* Waterproofs

kokopelli

i'm thinking of just bringin 1 short, 1 pant and my laptop this time

dreamsyndicate

If you're strolling through india in places/seasons where it's warm, give away your shoes when you arrive, buy some flip/flops to travel and get some shoes when you leave .
Might save a lot of space .

Last year, for the first time, i brought a 'Quick-dry Trek Towel', and it is a real space-saver .

Only of course if you're moving a lot on the (local) bus/train & use basic accomodation all this space-saving does make sense ....

edwardseco

An electronic mosquito zapper racket is high up there..

skell

Whiners and complainers!

timmy

Socks and underwear.

indiadreamn

When I travel with a friend of mine, he never brings underware! He usually has those shorts with the built in "undies" or goes commando

oldhippie

Do not carry a lot of medication. Almost everything is easily available in India for a lot less. If you are Asthmatic do buy your inhalers overseas as the local ones are not as good and there are a lot of fakes available. Many of my Indian friends often have me buy these for them in Hong Kong.

Ditch the laptop and carry a PDA instead. I usually travel around India with a Palm Treo 600 and a folding keyboard. If I need to..I use a Internet cafe.

You can always rent a locker and store any stuff that you are not likely to use at that time. Its also fairly cheap to ship stuff back home. I have shipped a lot of stuff back to the States and Hong Kong by surface mail which takes roughly 3 weeks.

__________________
Too Many Gandus, Too Few Bullets.

icetea

sleeping bag.....nylon stockings (!)....shoes....and all the western clothes I took with me, except my bra and undies....lol

williaam

shoes? this is not something that I expected to see. You really never needed a good pair of just simple walking shoes?

UltraViolet

i used my walking boots all the time....i guess it depends what your into...i like nice pair of sturdy shoes....they are well useful. As for the trek towel, they are magic!!

useless things....twisty uppy washing line...if you ever see one...dont be a fool and buy one...worse than useless. Silk Liner for sleeping bags....really what a ripp off!! Oh and Insurance....what a con, if your english get that insurance you can get from the post office (if you really must have insurance). before i went to india i never bothered with insurance and yeah you have a buy a few things but I am always to lazy to claim anyway so its a total waste of time for me. I am sure lots of people will tell me how they broke their leg in mongolia and blah blah blah but really if it wasnt a pissing ripp off then they wouldn't make money from it, its legalised robbery if you ask me...rant over.

williaam

Hmmm, I am not sure about not getting insurance. I do feel that insurance prices may seem ridiculous but if something does happen, whether it is here there, wherever, I believe it is worth it. Id' rather not take me chances, call me paranoid. . .