Packing – svbedouin

I had learned that the pleasure of travel

increases in direct proportion

to the decrease in baggage.

Richard Halliburton

The Royal Road to Romance

A great trip starts at home when you pack.

Here’s what you should know:

There’s a few simple tricks of the trade when packing to come aboard:

PACK LIGHT. There’s not a ton of room to store things and there isn’t a need for a lot of clothes when you’re warm weather cruising. Especially if you’re a naked swimmer like the captain.
AVOID HARD SIDED SUITCASES. Space is limited and all luggage has to be stowed in the forward lockers. Duffle bags or Collapsible Rolling Duffle bags make the best choice.
POWER. Bedouin runs on 220 volts, which is different than the American 110. We have euro adapters on the boat for low amp draws like computers and USB plugs.

Documents you’ll need to bring aboard:

PASSPORTS. They need to have at least two blank pages and be no less than 6 months before its expiration date.
VISAS—if needed.
MEDICAL INFORMATION.
- List of all your current medications.
- Prescriptions for any medications you may need to replace or refill.
- Current medications in original bottle.
DIVE CARD—if you have one.
DRIVER’S LICENSE.

OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS:

INTERNATIONAL DRIVER’S LICENSE—This is often required if you want to rent a car overseas

Be a Mule

Ask if there’s anything you can bring to the boat that might be helpful or enjoyed by the crew. Sometimes we have a need for small parts for the boat, or silly snacks we’re craving from the States.

Things you’ll want to pack:

MEDICATIONS.
PRESCRIPTIONS for your medications. (if your meds get lost or spilled, you’ll want the ability to try to replace them.)
Light weight BACKPACK for day hikes and trips into shore.
ELECTRONICS: Kindle reader, camera, etc.
HEADPHONES. if you want to listen to music or a book. This is great during during quiet hours.
Easy-on TREKKING SHOES for land.
WINDBREAKER.
SUNGLASSES.
HAT.
SWIMSUITS, of course.
Lots of HAIR TIES. if you have long hair—keeps the wind from blowing hair in your face.
SPF LIP BALM

Optional things you may consider bringing:

SEASICK MEDS to have on hand.
BOAT SHOES, specifically and only used up on deck, IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO PROTECT YOUR FEET. (We prefer bare feet.)
EAR PLUGS—if you need quiet to sleep.
YOUR PERSONAL DIVING / SNORKEL GEAR if you have a preference. We have a variety to choose from on board but don’t guarantee the fit or quality of what we have on hand. See bottom of page for details.
CAMERAS or DRONE
Small WATERPROOF BAG to carry your valuables to shore in the dingy.
FLOATING SUNGLASSES STRAP. (we lose a lot of sunglasses overboard.)
A GOOD BOOK. We have a small selection of books on board but if you love to read consider bringing a book or your Kindle.

What to pack for kids:

Well-fitting USCG approved LIFE JACKET.
Children’s CHEWABLE SEA SICK MEDICATION—like chewable Dramamine.
SUNGLASSES, and perhaps FLOATING NECK STRAP to wear around their neck.
A BOOK. Consider bringing a book that has an ocean theme, reading on the ocean brings that genre alive. Here’s some book suggestions, here and here and YA suggestions here.
BOREDOM BUSTERS; word search puzzles, mini Lego kits, favorite travel games, etc.
LEARNING MATERIAL. Bedouin is a floating classroom so bring anything compact to help them learn about weather, knots, oceanography, or the history about the area we’re sailing.
see Sailing with Kids for more ideas.

Things you DO NOT need to pack:

Sunscreen.
Bug Spray.
Hair Dryer.
Towels.
And of course, anything illegal.

The Scoop on Water Gear:

We have locker with a lot of miscellaneous snorkel gear but we can’t promise it will fit you properly. The best thing to do is to check with us before coming aboard and we can check our inventory to see what sizes we currently have.

Bringing your own gear that you prefer is a great way to go. We have miscellaneous masks, snorkels, and fins for sharing, but typically we don’t share our personal gear since masks tend to mold to your face over time and fin pockets stretch when worn by other feet. So we keep our gear separate.

If you’re looking into gear for the first time, here’s a basic rundown so you’ll know what you might want.

MASKS

There’s two basic options for the beginner snorkeler when it comes to masks:

Basic Mask and Snorkel

This is the standard for basic snorkeling and scuba.

Nose guard is squeeze-able so you can clear your ears for diving down.
Snorkel has a clip to attach to your mask

Full Face All-in-One Mask

This is a newer mask on the market for beginners. There’s no way to plug your nose to clear your ears when diving down. It seems to be a casual surface mask that beginners enjoy.

Snorkel is attached

FINS

There’s a lot of different fins on the market and the right one depends on what you want to do in the water.

If you’re in the market to get fins, you can find ones in every budget. Do a little online research to see what is best for you. Keeping in mind:

Fins should fit snug, water tends to loosen them up.
Fin socks help limit blisters.

FULL FOOT

This is typically a warm water fin that slips on like a shoe. These typically slip on your bare feet but some like the snug fit with a neoprene fin sock.

OPEN HEEL

These have a buckle and strap and definitely need to be worn with a fin sock.