Loose Ends
What to pack?
Susan Nienow

We'll be gone for three weeks. The first week we'll be living in very Third World conditions not that far from the equator and light years from here. There are no tourists there. Actually, we may be the first since the 1960s. We'll be visiting our female offspring - the adventurous one, the one who doesn't whine when the power goes out for days on end. She didn't get that from me.

It will be hot there so I need deodorant. Can't pack too much of that! And SPF 400. And I am going to cave in and buy an ugly sun hat that is infused with sun, bug and snake block. She lives in a city so maybe I won't need the snake stuff, but better safe than sorry. I'll stock up on my Deet supply. Maybe I will invest in a few foggers to take along. I don't think I can repel too many bugs.

My hair will flop in the heat and humidity so I need my hairdryer and curling iron. Will they let me on the plane with mascara in my carry-on bag? Does lipstick come with bug repellent in it? How about hairspray?

I need my morning coffee. That's seven mornings and enough for my other half and No. 1 daughter. If one of us is on caffeine, we had better all be. Apparently coffee is available, but too expensive for her. So we'll just carry it halfway across the world.

I am also going to take a "practicing medicine for dummies" book along with a needle and thread, some peroxide and extra batteries for my flashlight in case I have to perform surgery on someone in the dark. (My other half has banned me from watching any more movies until we get back.)

But I am taking my own pharmacy. Creams for cuts and itchy bug bites, pills for headaches and pills for stomach aches. Antibiotics - just in case.

Weeks two and three will be spent in cooler and much more developed areas. I can leave behind the ugly hat, the 34 bottles of Deet, the rest of the coffee and any unused foggers for the next visitors.

I have never traveled for this long. How much shampoo will I use in three weeks? The travel books don't say a thing about shampoo. And Deet? How much do I take? Maybe I should just get some mosquito netting and make a personal tent that I can wear over my clothes. I am a natural bug attracter, so I can't take too much Deet either.

After weeks of worrying about what I should pack, I found the recommendations for the last two weeks of our trip. It is pretty standard fare except for anti-diarrhea medicine. I am going to a place where that is necessary? And I'm going on purpose? And, it says to take a hat - the sun is strong. Do you know how bad I look in a hat?