Some places that we travel to are less comfortable than others. They may be fascinating and lively to visit and explore, but it will be more work. For me, they tend to be the hot, sweaty places. If you find yourself riding on the roof rack of a bus because there is no room inside, the insect:human is noticeably high, or the atmosphere has a distinct ‘eau d’ordure’ tang, you are probably in one of these places. Gear and daily practices are tweaked.
In addition to the ideas on Health and hygiene consider these suggestions:
A pair of AAA and AA batteries. When lucky enough to land in a place that has air conditioning it is especially miserable when the remote control is fading out from low power, or the guest before you has stolen the batteries.
A silk sleeping bag liner. For when beds or, more often, pillows are looking pretty ratty this is a really nice layer of insulating comfort. Also for when nights are so hot that regular sheets are too much. At about 150g I no longer carry one since I was not using it often enough.
Really pay attention to your clean hand/dirty hand ritual. Up your standard stash of toilet paper sealed in a ziplock bag. In the absence of running water and soap, mouthwash is a pretty good sanitizer.
Do not feed or pet street animals. The downside to a scratch or a bite from a rabies infected animal is death.
I am unable to wear flipflops. But if you can, you might want to spring a couple of dollars to have these to wear into the shower. A lively range of fungal invaders may be loitering there.
To reduce the chance of bug hitchhikers I avoid putting my backpack directly on the ground. I never carry anything sweet or sticky in my pack. I normally leave my shoes upside down on a raised surface. You may need to rig your karibiner and laundry line to hang your gear.
Be prepared to be hungry. I have rolled in to towns where I could not find any place that offered food that I was comfortable eating (in Costa Rico and Sudan). I do not normally carry my own food, but if you are someone who gets hangry, you definitely should.
Mosquitos are the closest that I have to a nemesis (nemeses?). They are relentless, and are spectacular in hiding then hunting for days at a time in that otherwise perfect bungalow location (love/hate this mosquito book). I have tried the ultrasonic wrist bands, the smoking coils, the shaman stuff, the no-scent oils, the embarrassing hat net, the dweeby Permethrin impregnated clothes, DEET. For a very brief period I even carried a full bednet, nylon cord and duct tape. As anyone who has lived in countries other than Iceland and Seychelles knows – they will find you.
Truly the only advice I can offer is zone defense. Decide whether your (hopefully fully enclosed) bathroom or your bedroom is sanctuary. Arrive ‘home’, lure the minions of Satan into the other zone, then nip out and close the door. I have slept in bathtubs, shower stalls, and on closet floors to avoid these bastards.
A recently developed idea to counteract the murderous ankle biting mosquitoes. Put your big boy shoes on, with socks. Inside the socks wrap your ankles with strips ripped from and a plastic bag. Works really well, so that I only have to swat like a crazy person at bugs above table height.
