Packing list for a warm climate

Introduction #

The following list is everything I packed for a two week trip to Lombok Indonesia in 2023.

This list proved ample. I was missing nothing and received compliments from my fellow travelers as amazingly light and small. The whole list fit into one gym bag and one student backpack (like a backpack for daily high school attendance).
And there was adequate room for adding purchased souvenicrs later: 6 food items, a new umbrella, wooden clogs, two tea mugs, two moon cade boxes from hosts, tea, two cans of beer a large rock, and two books.

Clothes #

sun hat
long sleeve pullover, synthetic mesh (a dry-fit undershirt)
3 pairs of socks
4 underwear briefs
2 pairs shorts
1 long pants (wore them on plane, not packed)
4 short sleeved, button up shirts (1 Trek, 1 black, 1 "microfiber" from 14th Street),
super thin sunshirt (with hood, pullover style, Outdoor Research)
2 cotton tshirts (mostly for sleeping, but also for conversation starters)
1 track jacket (like a soccer warmup)
1 rain shell** (top - but might consider rain pants bottom too if rainier season. But in tropics, getting damp isn't life threatening)
Keen water type sandles (packed)
very light sneakers (worn, not packed)

Things #

print out on a sheet of paper of all the flights !!
print out on a sheet of paper of all the accomeodations with conf numbers, made on a burner email account that you can access in-country !!
vaccination record including proof of COVID 19 vaccinations**
(a way to check email)
(notify credit card you are traveling)
(set up the public transit and Lyft ride apps for your destination. For Indonesia, since they don't have Lyft, download the Grab application to your phone)
A sim card strategy for when you arrive, so you can do ride hail and can access mapping technology, and nowadays: fill out customs forms at the border on your phone, using an in-country SIM card)
bathing trunks
only one proper bath towel for two people; then second person has some chamois, sarong, or similar small thing
snorkel
mask
wristwatch (more useful than in normal life)
2 small mp3 players ($30 style)
cell phone
headphones (plugin, not blue tooth)
charger cables
charging source (travel style, for Asian / European outlets prongs)
1 travel guide (Rough has beaten Lonely Planet lately)
1 novel or biography, avoid nonfiction unless you are textbooking some new topic and are willing to go hours a day on it.
(if traveling to non-english country, bring some old books to trade or leave there with used book stores, coffee houses, or hostels common rooms)
2 magazines (consider 4 next time, some photos oriented, but also long-form journalism)
6 power bars or nuts!! (use in $15bagel airports, also crucial upon arrival in an empty room at destination)
In descending order of importance: pseudoephedrine HCl, ibuprofen, dramamine, melatonin
2 pens, not more
1 pocket journal (the smallest moleskine, for three purposes: exchanging contact info with new friends, jotting names/directions for navigation, journaling a list of daily highlights)
decongestent
chewing gum 2 packs
toothbrush on airplane
headlamp for plane
a stack of cash (several hundred USD for 2 weeks in a cheap country)
covid n95 masks (3)
toiletries: bar of soap, deoderant, nail clippers, floss, disinfectent ointment, razor)
sunglasses
swim goggles for doing laps if you find a pool: worth it

some paperbacks to leave overseas for other readers in Eng.
binocs
power pack**
repellent
sunscreen

Valuable 2025 additions:
1L nalgene water bottle (backing fragile return items)
instant coffee
gold colored neck wallet
sun umbrella to reduce sunscreen
titanium spoon
neoprene eyemask - new style

**DIDN'T BRING IN 2025
!!IMPORTANT

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