It’s hard to pack light when traveling in Indonesia, especially when visiting remote parts and planning for every scenario. Here’s a peek inside our suitcase:
- Sunhats: not just any hats, waterproof ones with a strap (which we can wear while swimming, bodyboarding and surfing…)
- Children size life vest (Adult sized one may be provided, rarely the case for children size)
- Several sets of long sleeve rashguards or swimsuits (we’ve used shortsleeve in the past and did not love the bicolor arms!). We get them from Decathlon, Quicksilver/Roxy, or Billabong. They are great for surfing, sun protection and showing less skin in a country where it’s not the norm. Swim shorts and leggings are a must too (watch out for those bum burns when snorkeling).
- Headlights – Sooo fun for night hunting!
- Snorkeling gear
- Sea shoes for everybody (it’s not always all sand on the seafloor)
- After sun balm. French people swear by Biafine, but I’ve found Aloe Vera gel to be equally (if not more) effective and widely available locally.
- For the face, we use sticks
- This Shiseido stick is the only one our kids don’t hate (so easy to apply, totally transparent, and does not feel sticky).
- We also use Supergoop’s clean creds, this one leaves a white film and is a bit strong on the smell side but resists well in water.
- And we use these refillable applicators for the rest of the body, and fill them with any UV cream
- Mosquito bite relief (coconut oil + lavender essential oil inside a roll-on we get from Tokopedia – really works!)
- Mosquito repellent – we like Utama Spice’s
- Basic Medecine (allergies, stomach aches, fever, small wounds…)
- Entertainment in case of rain, our favorites are: Compact games (kids love Exploding kittens, Dobble, Taco Cat, Uno)
- Watercolor pencils, drawing paper and coloring books
- Cash for tips
- Binoculars – not a must but always cool to have on hand
- Books And Snacks always 🙂
All of our holiday gear is grouped into large boxes that we simply pull out whenever we go on holiday.