7 Things Every Female Traveler Needs to Pack

Note to reader: This post was originally featured on There D Goes, a lifestyle blog for women.

If you know me, you know I love to travel. I’ve gone all over the world on all different types of trips from relaxing, luxurious vacations to to “I can’t believe I did that” adventurous, budget backpacking trips and everywhere in between. But no matter where you go, there are always a few “must haves” for women travelers. Luckily, Krystina Nguyen at the travel blog, C’est La Vie, was willing to share her packing tips and recommendations. Enjoy! 

It’s your moment. You’ve booked the ticket and have the vacation time blocked for the next week, weeks, or if you’re lucky enough, months. You’ve run around the last few days finishing up work projects or school assignments. In a few hours, you’ll jump on that jet plane to backpack Europe, sip piña coladas on Caribbean beaches, or trek from temple to temple in Southeast Asia.

But wait…what are you going to pack?

When I took a Contiki trip in 2008, my 42 other travel buddies voted me “Best Packer.” Before every trip, I research what’s culturally and weather-appropriate and grab my Ziploc bag full of 3oz. toiletries that’s ready to go at a moment’s notice. However, whether I’m traveling for work, Couchsurfing, getting lost in the Amazon, or taking a girls trip, I’ve come to learn there are essential things that can make the life of young female much easier on her adventures!

 

I live by the philosophy, “Take no more than you can carry” which for my petite self means minimal baggage!

1) Quick Dry Towel
 
Unless I’m staying with friends or at a fancy hotel, my quick dry towel is one of the first things to go into my backpack. Though extremely light, it can absorb up to 8 times its weight in water and then wrings out dry in just minutes in airy temperatures or a few hours in more humid conditions. As its super compact and folds up neatly into a pouch, I love traveling with this – great for the gym too!

 

Source: REI.com

2) Long Scarf or Shawl
 
A long scarf or shawl serves as a variety of functions from keeping you comfy on cold airplanes to serving as a barrier against questionable hostel bed sheets to hiding a purse at a crowded street market. If you forget to pack one, then buying one is a great souvenir to have.

 

Need sun protection when you’re hiking 15 miles across Dogon Country in Mali? Long scarf to the rescue!

3) Ciprofloxacin a.k.a. Cipro (for those just in case situations)
 
You’ll need to see a doctor or visit a travel clinic for this one. Cipro cures both traveler’s diarrhea and UTIs. No further explanation needed.

4) Non-locking Carabiners
 
This simple tool has saved me on so many occasions. I’m not a fan of having a million locks on my bags, but a carabiner can make it difficult for anyone to jiggle my backpack open and prevents my backpack from opening on itself since I packed too many clothes. It’s also a great space saver to attach shoes or water bottles!

5) Pocket Knife
Yes! Empowering and useful, a pocket knife is any girl’s best friend. You never know when you’ll need to peel an avocado or cut open…well anything! I personally prefer the SwissCard style pocket knives as they’re shaped like credit cards and can fit into a wallet, but see what you prefer.

6) Health and Property Travel Insurance
 
This is particularly important for international travelers. You never know when the worst-case scenario can happen and you always want to be prepared. Travel credit cards often offer benefits for cardholders, so make sure you know what’s available to you. For those 26 or younger, as well as teachers and students, STA Travel can provide the International Youth Travel Card which provides basic sickness and accident travel insurance for international trips for just $25. I was able to get travel medical insurance for three weeks in Ecuador for just $36 and property insurance for a year for my DSLR camera (including theft and accidents) for $99 with TripInsurance.com. International SOS is popular as well. Whatever you choose, be prepared!

7) Travel Journal
 
Last and for me, most important, is a travel journal! While so many moments will take your breath away, jotting down a few notes on how you felt and what you did will let you reflect on how truly amazing the experience is. After you get back, you’ll want to remember that name of the incredibly delicious gelato shop or the generous tour guide that you want all your future friends to request on their journeys. Trust me. Years down the line and after the trip is over, you’ll thank me for this one!

Those are my seven. What are some of your “must packs?”

Krystina Nguyen is a career consultant and nonprofit professional living in Boston.  Her previous travel adventures include being spat on by an elephant in Vietnam, repelling down waterfalls in the Andes, and mistakenly crossing the Chadian border only to end up doing event set up at a wedding.  You can follow Krystina’s adventures on Twitter @Krystina_Nguyen and read her travel blog, C’est La Vie.

From Traveling Tourist to Living Local...Really Local: Life in the Peace Corps

This blog post was originally published for Do It While You're Young, a community and network for women ages 18-35 who previously or are currently traveling, studying, working, or volunteering abroad.

The best travel experiences occur when one breaks out of “tourist trap” attractions and into the local scene: where locals eat, how locals live, etc. It’s then when one can really experience another culture and therefore begin personal growth and mutual understanding.

What if, though, beyond traveling like a local, you actually became one? Not just going through the motions for a few days, but living abroad for an extended time? Now, to take it further, what if you forwent a traditional American salary for two years to live in a developing country all the while providing your talents to a greater cause?

Welcome to life in the Peace Corps!

What exactly is the Peace Corps?

The Peace Corps is an independent government agency that places volunteers in developing countries in various sectors across business, education, health, environment, and community development. Volunteers serve for 27 months (two years of service after three months of technical, cultural, and language training) living at a level next to those they are serving. Simply put, not only are you aiding in grassroots development, but it’s your job to foster cultural exchange too.

Where Volunteers Serve

Peace Corps Volunteers serve all over the world from Latin America to Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia. I live in Cameroon working as a Business Advisor for the Community Economic Development program. Contrary to popular belief, no, I don’t live in a small African village without electricity (though my best friend does!), but rather a second-story apartment in a city of 400,000 people, mostly Muslim and Christian.

Work Volunteers Do

In Cameroon, we have everything from Science teachers in schools to Community Health Volunteers in hospitals providing HIV/AIDS outreach. I’m a Business Volunteer, so I consult a microfinance institution and organize illiterate men and women into micro-credit cooperatives to provide a means of savings and lending for business-related activities. I also work with A2Empowerment to help girls who have dropped out of school return to school. Each Volunteer’s community is different, so it’s impossible to predict the work you’ll do, but you can create the experience you want.

Basic Essentials

The Cameroonian government provides private housing and Peace Corps provides a stipend that is more than enough to cover food, travel, communication, health, and miscellaneous expenses. I find it more than sufficient to cover all my needs; some Volunteers end up saving a couple thousand dollars through the experience while others dip into American money that they’ve saved – it’s all about money habits!

It may be Sub-Saharan Africa, but the world is a globalized one. Being in a large city, I can Skype my friends and family (well, if internet is working) and even the Volunteers who live “in the bush (i.e. WAY out there!)” have cell phones. We’re provided a bicycle, but I much prefer to ride motorbikes all over the city or to a local waterfall that’s 15km away (my friend in Panama received her own canoe!).

What I Love About Being a Local

I came to Cameroon with a bare understanding of French and now I find myself thinking and leading meetings in French! There is a high degree of illiteracy in my city, but since I’ve been here so long, I’ve been able to pick up the African language of Fulfulde. Do you know how much Cameroonians love it when you speak their native tongue? A lot.

It’s the moments that I could have never predicted that I love the most. For one of my birthdays, I ended up riding on the back of a motorbike for six hours in the rain. We stayed at a notable’s house and climbed caves the next day that were 30 meters below ground. The rest of the afternoon was spent war dancing with the Nyem Nyem people. Forty-eight hours earlier, I had no clue this would even happen. Knowing fair prices at the market, playing on the local soccer team, developing close relationships – this is life!

What I Hate About a Being a Local

I may be sporting clothes from African fabric, but Americans stick out worst than pimples on prom night. Some days I enjoy the celebrity status, and other days, it’s like a self-conscious fishbowl! No matter what I do is weird, so I just tell everyone else how weird they are too. I’ve also definitely picked up my fair share of foreign diseases, but hey, now I have good stories right?

Though it’s a tough and humbling experience, I’ve loved seeing Cameroon from the most first-hand perspective possible as I was able to combine my passions of public service, travel, and business. It’s no wonder why Peace Corps’s current tagline is “Think local. Act Global.”

Ouch! That Monkey Just Bit Me! Backpacking West Africa..

This blog post was originally published for Do It While You're Young, a community and network for women ages 18-35 who previously or are currently traveling, studying, working, or volunteering abroad.

I’m a believer that your age should never be greater than the number of countries you’ve visited.

I’ve lived in Europe, volunteered in Asia, and done quick stints in Australia and across North America. Couchsurfing, solo traveling, Contiki tours, eco-service trips, Peace Corps, you name it! Though a passion for travel still ignites a fire in my petite belly, there aren’t many experiences that can really make me say, “This is crazy!” Until a few months ago; however, two girlfriends and I decided to backpack West Africa for 24 days…

Mali – The Gem of Africa

Staying at the Sleeping Camel in Bamako allowed us to acquire the “need-to-know” information about the city. The Artisan market had an incredible selection of wood crafts and jewelry forcing the three of us to stock up (why I bought a drum the first day to carry around I still don’t know!). The music scene and night life on Route de Bla Bla – yes, that’s really its name – allowed us to kick off our trip in full force.

There may be nothing more awe-inspiring than UNESCO’s World Heritage town of Djenne. It’s here where we were mesmerized by the Grand Mosque- the largest mosque in the world made completely from mud! Not only are the homes constructed from mud as well, but they are multi-storied creating an ancient town of varying building heights.

Soon it was time for our three day hike across Dogon Country. At arrival our guide stated “We are going to hike for 15 kilometers this afternoon. This will take five hours if you walk well.” Keep in mind that I’m a former New Yorker that used to take the subway from 34^th to 42^nd Street! Nonetheless, sleeping on roofs under the stars and seeing pure, untouched Africa was incredibly surreal. During our (ridiculously long) hike, we came across Tiogou, a village built on rock formations supporting waterfalls and Youga Dogourou, a village where inhabitants live inside a mountain’s crevices!

Burkina Faso – No Man’s Land

After an ATM fiasco (let’s just say $400US was taken out of my checking account though I never physically received the money!), we jumped on an 8-hour bus to Bobo-Dioulasso (where you ask?!). Yes, Burkina is very much OFF the beaten path, part of its lure! The country is one of the poorest in the world, yet since it is a transport country, the roads are upkept.

We received a local tip to shop at Gafreh Boutique, a fair-trade store that showcases products created from recycled plastic bags. At Banfora, we touched the Karfiguela Waterfalls and the Sand Domes of Fabedougou before heading off to Burkina’s capital, Ouagadougou (say this five times fast!).

Togo – Not the Sandwich, But a Lovely Country

When we reached Togo, we searched the village of Goundoga for a secret “castle in a cliff” (okay, maybe not too secret as we read about it in a Lonely Planet guide, but it’s definitely not a touristy place)! While traveling there, I realized we had no clue where we would spend the night. “Would you like to stay at the chief’s house?” my chauffeur inquired. Yes!

It turns out our “castle in the cliff” was actually a mini-fortress with a steel ladder built into the side of Mt. Semoo during the 19^th century. The Chokossi had established an empire; however, the Moba resented this and built the fortress to hide from soldiers and tax collectors. Just like the IRS!

After a 12-hour ride (yes, 12 hours!), we welcomed the cool-climate of Kpalime, a tropical paradise amongst hilly forests, artisan markets, and cocoa and coffee farms. The best activity to do here: butterfly hunting!

Lome was my favorite city of the trip with its gorgeous beaches (check out Aneho too!), great shopping, delicious restaurants (Vietnamese pho anyone?) and voodoo! An affordable place to stay is Le Galion, which is walking distance to the beach. I would have recommended Chez Alice, 12km away in Aveposo, but the hostel’s monkey bit me!

Benin – Beaches and Stilts

The trip ended with a quick stop to Grand Popo – another beach resort (we needed it!) and Ganvie, a stilt village only reachable by canoe! At Ganvie, 30,000 Tofinu people live in stilt houses that sit two meters above water. Back in the 17^th century, the Tofinu fled here to escape slavery as their attempted captors, the Dahomey, were afraid of water and disallowed to enter it due to religion.

Be warned: backpacking West Africa is not for the novice tourist or for those lacking patience! Bush taxis (i.e. squeezing 8 people into a taxi!), non-existent time-tables, a beating African sun, and constant negotiation are just the realities of a trip like this. However, for those searching for adventure, you will find nothing less!

Running From the Border: A Journey Across West Africa

We knew that before we finished our service, we wanted to explore other parts of Africa. So on a rainy night in Yaounde, we bought our tickets to fly to Mali in July! We’d head overland to visit Lindsey’s best friend serving in Peace Corps Burkina Faso, bush taxi down to Togo, and fly back from Benin.

Getting there was a triumph in itself as direct flights weren’t an option and we first flew to Ethiopia. Though we searched Couchsurfing for a place to spend the night’s layover, Ethiopian Airlines took care of us by putting us up in a swanky hotel complete with hot showers and an all-you-can-eat buffet. The next day, we flew to Togo to pick up some more passengers, and then finally landed in Bamako, Mali.

Our journey flying across Africa!

The whirlwind trip included climbing mountains, butterfly hunting, canoeing across lakes and rivers, napping on beaches, dancing all night, and shopping for everything from Obama pagne to hand-woven and decorated mud cloth. The trip was even more memorable as we met world-famous fashion designers, Peace Corps Volunteers, chiefs of villages, and some of the nicest random people that helped us out from time to time.

Hiking between villages in Dogon Country, Mali

A small boy sells fans at the Grande Marche, Bamako, Mali

People always ask us of the trip “Was it the same as Cameroon?” On surface level, yes, pagne was everywhere and transportation was uncomfortable, but when you take a deeper look, each country was beautiful in its own way. In Mali, we found not only mud homes, but ones that were multi-storied creating an ancient town of varying building heights. Burkina Faso, being a transport country, had remarkable roads and the nicest people (no “white man” or “nassara” yells!). Togo was a mix of tiny villages in the North, lush rain forests in the South, and beautiful beaches on the coast with voodoo culture thrown in. Benin was a great place to end with a trip to Ganvie, a village that rests on stilts!

The largest mud mosque in the world, Grand Mosquee, Djenne, Mali

Banfora Waterfalls, Burkina Faso

Stilt village of Ganvié, Benin

However, this is not to say that the trip was without its challenges! Bush taxis almost every day, a car accident with a visit to PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) Burkina, five-hour long hikes beneath the beating African sun, worm and rash outbreaks, monkey attacks, and a brief runaway stint from the Togolese border are just the realities of backpacking West Africa. Luckily, we’ve mastered the fine art of negotiation; I saved us from paying 5.000CFA in Mopti, Mali for a “mandatory” visa extension fee and let’s just say that Lindsey Dattels has a future immigration officer husband waiting for her in the Contonou airport who allowed us to board the plane back to Cameroon.

Monkey attacks are no fun on a vacation

If you’re looking for an adventure (because it was anything but relaxing!), consider backpacking West Africa. We’ll send you our Excel itinerary!

*Note: The first version of this article appeared in the November 2011 edition of the US Peace Corps Cameroon's Small Enterprise Development Gazette.

Fortress in the Cliff!

After an hour or so of chatting with the chief's son (who would also serve as our tour guide along with five of his buddies!), we headed off in search of a fortress in the cliff!

Chief's compound. Not pictured: his four wives!

According to Lonely Planet, the "castle in the cliff" is a mini-fortress built into the side of Mt. Semoo. During the 19th century, the Chokossi Empire established an empire over Northern Togo. However, the Moba people resented this and built the cliffside fortress to hide themselves and their possessions from soldiers and tax collectors. Just like the IRS!

After prepping water for the 3-hour hike, Lindsey and I for some odd reason ended up leading the group through the swamp-like farms! After realizing we had no clue where the trail was, the chief's son brought us to Mt. Semoo where we hiked straight up at about a seventy-degree angle (how do we always end up on these tough hikes?!).

As the top plateaued out, we came across...a door? The door opened to steel ladder, but as the door was locked (pointlessly locked I may add), we walked around the door to access the ladder from the adjacent rocks.

After that rocky, steep hike, I was happy to see a steel ladder!

We were soon walking in the fortress that laid in the side of the cliff! The chief's son told us that in times of war, women and children could hide in the fortress. Much cooler inside the mountain, we darted in and out of the small caves while bats flew around us. Even remnants of baskets that were hundreds of years old could be found.

Mini-fortress of Mt. Semoo, Gaoundoga, Togo

Climbing in and out of the caves of the mini-fortress!

That night we said goodbye to the little village of Gaoundoga and headed off to the city of Kara, a transit point to southern Togo. Though we could have splurged 20.000CFA (~$40US) for the Hotel Kara (tennis courts and swimming pool!), we decided to stay in the hostel of La Lumiere for 3.500CFA each (~$7US) just down the street. Ahh, the Peace Corps budget! Luckily a great dinner of pizza, fruit, salad, and pasta was had at Le Chateau!

Mud-Cloth Making in (Segou) Mali

After realizing that we couldn't make it in one day to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso (yes, these are names of a city and country respectively), we traveled just a few hours to Segou. Often forgotten when overshadowed by Djenne and Dogon Country, Segou and its port make for a worthwhile stop!

After yesterday's ATM fiasco, Lindsey and I tried pulling out money again. First ATM...fail. Second ATM...fail. Third ATM...sigh. We were about ready to give up, but Bank of Africa to the rescue! This was a relief as I literally had empty pockets and we needed to buy visas at the Malian-Burkina border.

After running around for a bit with a rickshaw taxi, we were able to buy tickets for the next morning's eight-hour bus ride. Whew! Two big headaches out of the way.

Strolling by the port, Lindsay and I bought a bunch of bracelets, postcards, and general trinkets at the artisan boutiques. Note: If you ever see a man with a Lakers jersey, buy from him! He'll give you fair, non-tourist prices :)

For 6.000CFA (~$12), we found ourselves in another canoe to the artisan center of Ateliers SOROBLE in Bogolan .

My new wooden turtle is so excited to see mud-cloth!

Atelier Soroble (23 21 367; soroblecentre@yahoo.fr) is a mud-cloth workshop that sells beautiful hand-woven and painted works! We were able to walk the entire premises watching cloth being spun to admiring the finishing touches. Who knew mud could be so elegant?

Spinning cloth and rocking an Abercrombie t-shirt!

The different colors are made from different mixtures of mud - gorgeous!

On the way back, Lindsey gracefully handles men from Timbuktu

At dinner at Hotel Djoliba, we had the most amazing service that I've seen here in West Africa. Often while eating, I take short rests (I'm a slow eater, it happens). Upon seeing one of my breaks, the waiter came over to ask if there was anything in my pasta. Umm, meat? It turns out that because I only took a few bites and then sat back, he assumed that it wasn't good and was checking up on me! In a world where customer service doesn't really exist (no smiles, orders taken and plates given at different times, hunts to find the waiters, etc.), this was refreshing!

Tomorrow: Burkina Faso!

I Hiked a Mountain and All I Got Was an ATM That Ate My Money

Final day of our hike across Dogon Country! The 6:30AM departure allowed us to start before the sun came out. We thought the intensity was behind us as we passed the villages of Anou, Ibi, Nini, and Banani (yes, I have a good memory!) without any problems…and then we realized that Sangha rested on the TOP of a mountain. Here we go!

Look closely! Do you see the waterfall?

What's one more mountain after hiking for two days straight? Oy vey...

Village of Banani

At the top, we received a much needed break while a group of young girls found us to be quite the attraction. I held a staring contest with two of the kids, but only beat one of them.

They may look cute until they start harassing you for candy - I really don't have any!

Note: When hiking Dogon Country, do NOT give away candy/gifts to the kids! This builds the notion that foreigners are rich and this has already led to kids following and bothering all along the trail. Aid does not equal handouts.

With our original chauffeur in Timbuktu (literally, not figuratively), we waited a bit after lunch for the new chauffeur to come. This was actually a great opportunity as it allowed us to explore the artisan boutiques and see indigo dye making. So pretty!

Indigo dye-making

Women carrying traditional calabashes

After two hours to Bandiagara and one hour to Severe, we stopped by the bank(s) to pull out money to pay our driver. The ATM at Ecobank (which didn’t work before for me) had a red barrier preventing any cards from entering. At another local bank, Liz’s Visa card wouldn’t work. At Bank of Africa, Lindsey’s card wouldn’t work, but Liz could get money. One down, two to go.

Knowing that there was an Ecobank in Mopti (fifteen minutes away), we stated to the driver that we’d give him another 5.000CFA to take us there. Well, the Ecobank ATM in Mopti accepted the card, but my money never came out of the machine! I checked the balance of the account and the ATM debited the 200.000CFA ($450US) I never received! Where’s my money?!

As the bank was closed (Friday evening) and I had a panic attack, a man popped up out of nowhere and inquired why the foreigners were so alarmed. Luck was on our side as he was the chief of the branch and just happened to own a boutique across the street and saw us. After explaining the situation, he brought us into the branch and called the main office in Bamako. He was also kind enough to allow me to use his phone to call our contact in Cameroon – too bad she hung up on me!

He filled out a Reclamation Form and stated that Cameroon will take care of crediting my account, but there would be nothing that could be done that day. And Lindsey? She tried three other ATMs and still could not pull money out…sigh…c’est la vie.

I bet this guy doesn't have to worry about ATM issues

*As of October 23, 2011, Ecobank Cameroon credited the missing 200.000CFA! All was not lost!

The Start of our Hike of Dogon Country, Mali

Today, we would trek what many seasoned travelers rave about: Dogon Country, Mali. Settling on a three-day hike, we received the contact of tour guide Amadou from Malian PCV, Jeremy Coats.

After calculating everything for Dogon Country (50.000CFA/person, 30.000CFA/car ride to Sangha), I would have about 3.000CFA left ($3US). Thank goodness for my travel mates as the Ecobank ATM was out of commission!

Amadou arranged a driver for us (who was appropriately named Amadou as well), but as a good husband, the driver decided to stay at home to tend to his sick wife. Thus, our chauffeur ended up being a very elderly senior citizen that barely spoke a word of French. His age would have fooled you though as his playlist included Rihanna’s “What’s My Name?” and Cyndi Lauper's “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!”

After the driver was lost for a bit (story of our lives), we found a farmer that showed us the way to Bandiagara. Bandiagara was only about an hour from Mopti – too bad it was another two hours to Sangha!

Note: Tours of Dogon Country usually begin in Bandiagara or Sangha. Bandiagara is the more typical path as there are the Falaise de Bandiagara/Cliffs of Bandiagara with sandstone cliffs labeled as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; however, Sangha is more off the beaten trail. Dealer’s choice!

Traditional medicine man, Sangha, Dogon Country, Mali

Amadou had just finished hiking for three days with Jeremy and instantly came to hike with us! I was a bit surprised at his announcement right before lunch though.

“We are going to hike for 15km this afternoon. That will take about five hours if you walk well,” he stated. Sigh…this is being told to a former New Yorker that used to take the subway from 34^th Street to 42^nd Street.

Tip: Always get the porter! It’s only 5.000CFA/person for all three days, but he will hold ALL your baggage with ease!

This is a happy me before the five-hour hike...photos of an angry me after the hike will not be posted

So off we went hiking underneath the beating African sun with just a bottle of water in one hand and a camera in the other. After our starting point at the village of Sangha, we walked straight on a continuous (and sometimes never-ending) journey. There were barely any people and each small village was miles from the next one. There was no end in sight until…

We reached the beautiful village of Tiogou! To the right of us was a river and to the left were the village houses. We walked down a bit more and realized the village was built on rock formations and water would trickle down step by step forming a village on waterfalls! Each step was more beautiful than the first – silly me for wanting to conserve my camera battery and not making a video!

The beautiful village of Tiogou!

We had the opportunity to ford some small rivers, but I just let the porter and tour guide carry me over (i.e. as the rivers could have diseases like schistosomiasis!). We reached the village of Yendouma right at sunset. With a population of only 800, Yendouma brings enough tourism to have Hotel Mare aux Caima cater to guests.

Our sleeping arrangements on the rooftop of Hotel Mare aux Caima complete with mosquito nets

Sunset over Dogon Country - gorgeous!

The spaghetti and meat dinner with Yogi tea (thanks RPCV Eric!) was an excellent way to finish the day before going to bed on the rooftop (way too hot to sleep inside!)