Some simple
clothing concepts:
If I'm going somewhere hot, like Cambodia, I grab my light colored hat and
light colored shirts (they reflect the sun and keep me cooler )
If I'm going somewhere cold I grab my black baseball cap, my dark colored
shirts and my black fleece jacket. In the Himalayas or the Andes, where you
are at high altitude and the sun is strong a black hat and a black jacket
will soak up heat and keep you considerably warmer than a light colored jacket
and hat.
New high tech fabrics that dry quickly are wonderful I carry 3 pairs of travel
pants, 4 travel shirts, 5 pairs of cotton underwear and 5 pairs of merino
wool-lycra blend socks. That means I can go a minimum of 5 days before having
to do laundry, and if I do an occasional load of laundry in the hotel sink
or shower, I can go even longer.
More on doing laundry on the road:
One efficient way of doing laundry is to toss your dirty stuff on the shower or bathtub bottom and while you soap, shower and rinse your body, just walk in place on your cloths…the soap goes down you, onto the cloths…you "agitate it" by walking in place when you are done showering rinse and wring out your clothes.
If your clothing is heavily soiled you can even start your shower fully clothed. Applying soap to clothes while they are still on is a bit easier, allowing you to concentrate the soap on specific areas like knees, elbows or seat. After the initial "soaping", proceed as described above. Shampoo or bar soap usually works well, but you might even pick up a small "blister pack" of laundry soap from local vendors. In much of the world laundry soap is sold in single use, small, colorful tinfoil or plastic packages hanging like "sausages" in shops and in market stalls.
If after your shower, you are in a hurry to have things dried, first wring the cloths as best you can, then roll the garment in a dry towel and twist tightly. Try hanging wet clothes in an area of your hotel room other than the bathroom. The relatively high humidity of a bathroom slows the drying process. I carry a small braided elastic clothes line which allows me to create a drying area just about anywhere.
If you are staying in the same place for a few days don't forget your other option, which is to send your laundry out. In most of the developing world laundry service is incredibly cheap. I'm not talking about hotel service, I mean the laundry services you find outside the hotels. Many laundry shops charge only a dollar per kilo, to hand wash, line dry, and neatly fold your clothes. Be advised, in some places they will even IRON your clothes....although well meaning, some people are not familiar with synthetic fabrics,and I have had several high tech shirts, melted beyond repair. Be sure to specify both in your best rendition of the local language, and with "sign language" that you do not want your items ironed !
Using a laundry service frees you up to enjoy a few extra moments of relaxation or work, and it helps the local economy. When "laundry shops" are not readily available, don't be afraid to ask the maid, the front desk clerk or other worker at the hotel (if it's a small locally owned hotel) if they know anyone who might be able to do laundry. Nine times out of ten, you'll find that someone knows someone who would like to earn a few dollars by washing your clothes.
Always allow extra time if you send your clothes out to laundry, and never do it the night before you depart. Deadlines and shop hours in most of the world are only loosely observed. One time in Hanoi, it took me two days to get my laundry back from a place that advertised "in by 10:00 am out by 4:00pm"
More about High Tech clothes:
The
perfect travel jacket ?
A bit about Articulated elbows, pit zips, back vents and other innovations
that really do make a difference (coming soon).
Shirts (seam atop the shoulder help hold camera straps)
Pants
Socks (merino wool combo)
Mosquito
repellent clothing
More travel
clothing
Magellans Travel supplies
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