Preparing for a four-month trip with 3 kids is not an easy task. However, with some research into the internet and a bit of creativity, it can be done. Our starting point in this trip preparation is to scour the internet for people with similar needs. This forms the basis of our packing list. Then we add things that are particularly important for us. In the end, we are quite comfortable with the result. Here are the items that I’d like to highlight (note that most of the links below are affiliate links to help maintain this website.):

Voltage Differences

If you are bringing or buying any electrical appliance, make sure it supports the voltage of your destination. For example, China, South Korea, and Hong Kong are 220V, Taiwan is 110V and Japan is 100V. If you live in North America, your appliances are rated 110V. If they are small appliances, they can usually be used in Japan too.

Day to Day Operations

When it comes to packing clothes for a long trip, our rule of thumb is 3 sets of clothes for everyone. It is easier to carry but it means we will need to do our own laundry.

  1. Vacuum Roll up bags - These bags can literally save you half of your luggage space, especially if you are travelling across seasons. The only drawback is that you do need to apply some strength with your wrist. If you can’t, you can use ones that need a small hand pump.
  2. Travel Clothesline - To reduce the number of clothes to wear and the need to find a laundromat (or launderette), we opt for doing our own laundry in the hotel. A travel clothesline will give you the much-needed space to dry your clothes.
  3. Sturdy Bag for laundry - There is an expensive variation like the Scrubba wash bag. But you can easily do your laundry in a sturdy bag like this that is a lot cheaper but still gives you the advantage of not needing to wash your clothes inside the sink. An added bonus is that you can use it to carry your variables when you are doing water activities. Be noted though, the bag I mentioned is NOT water-sealed. I.e. water inside can still leak to the outside (but not the other way around)
  4. Small drying towels - If you are like me and want to interact with the locals, there is nothing better than staying in a hostel with the host family. Unfortunately, they usually do not provide room service and you would need to have some drying towels handy.
  5. Earplugs - Yes, you can get noise cancellation headphones but they are either expensive or uncomfortably large. A pair of simple earplugs can do the trick most of the time when you need to sleep a bit on the plane. Also, some Asian countries are noisier than others. A good pair of earplugs will help you sleep.
  6. Foreign Cash - For each destination, bring at least enough cash to last a few days. It can be difficult to find ATM machines in remote areas. There are ways to make getting cash abroad a bit cheaper depending on what credit card you have or what bank you use. This is a big topic and I will discuss some of the ideas in a separate post.
  7. Nail Clipper, Haircutter, Shaver - We often overlook the tools we use regularly. If you are travelling for longer than a few weeks and don’t want to risk being misidentified as an escaped fugitive, you’d need to take care of your look.
  8. Waist Bags - These are harder to steal than your wallet. So, put your IDs, insurance card, and extra money in there and don’t touch it unless you feel completely safe. Your wallet should contain daily cash and one credit card only. Be very clear about what you have in your wallet so that you know which institution needs to be notified in case the wallet was lost. Besides money and personal identities, you can put the following in your waist bag: a portable fan for hot weather, tissue paper (some country charges you for tissue paper when you use the washroom), immunization records, EpiPen if you have a severe allergic reaction, and an allergy information card (See below for an example).
  9. Metamucil - Given that you are going to eat out every day and chances are you won’t have enough fibre to keep your intestine happy. Metamucil can sometimes help to maintain a healthy bowel movement. Note: I am not a physician. Please consult your doctor if in doubt.
  10. Benadryl Caplets - When you are first exposed to foreign cuisine, you never know how your body would react. This simple medication is great if you are hit with an unexpected allergic reaction. Again, please consult with your doctor if you are not sure.
  11. Non-metal belt - With one of these belts, you don't need to worry about taking off your belt and risking embarrassment.

Techie Stuffs

  1. SIM card tray removal tool - Not every phone has an eSIM and when you are travelling, you’re likely going to need to switch your SIM card. Instead of looking for a replacement and risk damaging your phone (you definitely don’t want to get a replacement phone when you are abroad unless it’s part of your plan), having one of these little guys would save you the headache when you switch your SIM.
  2. Universal Plug - The world would be a better place if everything is powered by USB. Unfortunately, we are not living in a perfect world. So you’d still need an adapter. Before you travel, search around the internet to find out what kind of plug is needed for the countries. Chances are, you can find an all-in-one universal plug that works for the countries you are going to visit.
  3. WIFI repeater - This one is for the techie but with a bit of experimentation, you can probably do that too. In some hotels, especially remote areas, their WIFI signal can be pretty dismal. To make sure you and your family get strong WIFI signals, put one of these as close to the strongest hotel WIFI signal as possible and have it repeat the signal with a different SSID. For extra security, you can also set up a VPN on the repeater so that all of your family devices are protected.
  4. Phone backup battery - Running out of battery in the middle of the day sucks. So, be prepared and get a couple of these battery packs in your day bag. These batteries must be in your carry-on luggage and cannot exceed 10,000 mAh.

Kids Essentials

  1. ID bracelets for kids - Using one of these bracelets give you some peace of mind as you travel with kids. They are just like the ones you use when you go to a theme park or water park. The difference is that these are reusable and waterproof. I suggest you put their names on the bracelet and your name and phone number in the local language so that the locals can refer to your kids easily. Google translate comes to the rescue. If you are travelling to multiple countries, you can prepare ahead of time by printing paper slips with the information and tape them on the bracelets as you move from country to country.
  2. Portable Fan - This one is mostly for kids. But if you can get one cheap like these ones, why not get one for yourself too. You will enjoy your vacation in hot weather a lot more.

Example Allergy Information Card

An allergy card can be very useful when you travel. You can use it to show the restaurants so that they know how to prepare the food and what to avoid. I would print and laminate each of the phrases below (We have a food allergy. We cannot eat peanuts.) and bring them with me as I travel. The following phrases are translated using Google Translate:

English

We have a food allergy. We cannot eat peanuts.

Chinese

我们有食物过敏。我们不能吃花生。

Korean

우리는 음식 알레르기가 있습니다. 우리는 땅콩을 먹을 수 없습니다.

Japanese

食物アレルギーがあります。ピーナッツは食べられません。