5 must-haves for women world travelers (the best $60 I ever spent)

A year ago I began what would turn out to be a 90-day spontaneous trip around the world. Spontaneous, you say? Uh-huh. In honor of the journey, I’m featuring posts about the trip over the next three months. Wanna join me?

I thought about giving you a preview of where we’re heading. But, heck, I had no idea so why don’t we find out together. All I knew at this point in the trip was that I’d spent nearly every dime on my life-long dream to travel to Australia and Indonesia for five weeks to do research for a screenplay I was writing at the time (and am currently editing). The trip took me to the island of Java where my dad grew up and would inform the setting of the screenplay, a true World War II story based on my dad’s experience as a Japanese prisoner.

Are you ready? We’re going to have to pack. Everyone advised me to travel light. Prior to this trip, I’d pack the kitchen sink to go anywhere. I felt like Lucille Ball when I packed (read: stuffed) my backpack for the trip. My youngest daughter called as zero hour approached, asking if all my provisions fit. I confessed I’d have to take two backpacks instead of the one I’d planned.

I looked like a very pregnant adventurer, a small pack in front and a big pack on my back. What’s hilarious is I only have this one picture of me wearing them which was taken after an unexpected adventure. Had I known about these must-haves, my packs would have been much lighter and I would have saved priceless, precious travel time!

1. Moon Cup ($23). While on our global odyssey, let’s not go broke because of Auntie Flo. Just try and purchase a tampon in Indonesia. One time I actually had to draw a picture of a tampon in my quest to find a store that sold them in Yogyakarta on the island of Java. A box of 20 tampons there set me back 380,000 rupiah, about $30. Ugh. Asia can be an inexpensive travel destination for western women, but western female supplies are not. Kiss your tampon-drawing days good-bye and spend your time and money on other adventures, not on tampon quests. Thank your stars you won’t need to lug a whole backpack full of feminine supplies too. Want a laugh? Check out this tampon vs. moon cup video at http://www.mooncup.co.uk.
2. Travelo Refillable Perfume Spray Bottle ($10). Leave the bottle at home and pump your favorite scent into this awesome, refillable bottle. It’s light, won’t explode all over your clothes, and will make you feel like a human after trekking.
3. Dreamwater ($2.50). Their motto? Work hard. Play hard. Sleep easy. I was pretty concerned about how I’d pass the time on the 14-hour flight to Melbourne. When I saw Dream Water on display at a store just outside my Quantas gate at LAX, I snapped it up. It’s basically a melatonin shot. And let’s face it, chugging a shot to go to sleep is much more fun than swallowing a pill. I slept ten hours. http://drinkdreamwater.com
4. Translate It! (free). So, those Rosetta Stone CDs didn’t quite work out, huh? Or they did, but you didn’t expect you’d have to speak French in Indonesia? No problem. Just download the free Translate It! App and you’ll be speaking to anyone and everyone on the planet. Funniest thing I had to translate? Telling a tattoo artist that the font he wanted to use was too bold (once a graphic designer, always a graphic designer).
5. Ultimate Flora Probiotic ($20). I traveled around the world and didn’t get sick once. I believe my probiotic had something to do with it because I am an adventurous traveler/eater. When I got my shots for my trip, the gal behind the counter of WellnessMart recommended that I pack probiotics. Be sure to purchase ones that need no refrigeration.http://www.renewlife.com

How many backpacks are you taking? Ready to go? Rest up! Our first stop is OZ.