Buenos Aires - My Favorite Travel Essentials

Coffee in the morning(ish) sun in Mocambo Cafe, Buenos Aires


A word of warning, what's essential for me may not be essential for you, and vice versa. I took my purse (see the article in Thrifty Tanguera regarding "Frankenpurse" -  and a freebie backpack my husband got from a vendor. I checked no luggage so everything I brought needed to be really useful to justify taking up room in my bag. Here's what worked best for me.

Clothing and Accessories

Scottevest Women's Trenchcoat - This is part of why I didn't need to check a bag. A couple of months before I left I needed to replace my old rain coat. I found this one online, read the reviews, then after getting a 20% deal, decided to get it. (In black of course.) I had to waterproof it before I left (thankfully I realized it wasn't as water-resistant as advertized before I left for Buenos Aires.) Other than that little hiccup, the thing was great. Warm, but not too hot. It holds a lot and very comfortably. I didn't take anything out of the pockets when I went through the airport, I just took it off and threw it on the x-ray belt. Didn't have the slightest problem. It also washes very well in the washing machine (on gentle cycle.)

Terramar Silk Pointelle Long Underwear - I got the top and bottom for $17.50 each at Sierratradingpost.com and I'm glad I did. Mostly it was very temperate in Buenos Aires, but it got quite cold a couple of nights and having these to wear under my regular clothes kept me warm without adding any bulk to my outfit or weight to my backpack.

Sprigs Phone Banjee Wrist Wallet from REI (which I'm wearing above) - this worked best when I had long sleeves on (and everything I wore was basically black) because it blended in and also covered my watch nicely. I had just taken my sweater off in that picture (since I was sitting in the warm sun) and it's much more conspicuous. Out and about, I would have stuck with either my SPIBelt  around the waist (under my skirt waist band), or the silk undercover money belt from Eagle Creek . Both are very comfortable and I switched them out depending on what I was wearing. I had both of those accessories in black. The SPIBelt I've had for several years for just running errands downtown or dancing in festivals when I didn't want to leave money in my shoe bag. It's always done a great job of staying in place and not being too noticeable.

Firm Support Coolmax Over the Calf Support Socks - My doctor recommended these and honestly, I was going to skip them. My grandmother wears these and I didn't want to admit they would do me some good. I'm so glad I rethought that (lack of) logic and got a couple of pair. These kept my legs from swelling up after the long flight (and some long nights dancing), relieved pain in my calves and dried very quickly after washing. Plus they're soft and comfortable.

The North Face Women's Crystal Wrap
-  -I wore this constantly! A black, wrap sweater that dries quickly but still keeps you warm. Perfect for packing - weighs almost nothing.

Capezio Free Form (Practice) Shoes  - I loved these for the trip. They fit in the pocket of my coat so I could slip them on any time I didn't want to wear shoes but wanted something on feet (on the airplane, in practice, in my room etc.).  They were fantastic!  Plus I could just throw them in the wash when I got back.


Health 

Medications in chewable/dissolvable (no water needed) form.  My motion sickness tabs, allergy tabs, Peptobismol - everything I could, I got in chewable form. Ten hours on an airplane when the flight attendants act like you're asking for 25 year old scotch every time you ask for water - you'll thank me. Another note on medications - about two months before I left, whenever I needed a medication refilled (that I knew I would need to take to Buenos Aires), I asked for it in the smallest bottle they could possibly fill it in. Since you have to carry the damned bottles with you, this helps save a little space.

Visine Multisymptom Eye-drops - I can't recommend these highly enough. I skipped bringing my contact lenses which turned out to be the right call. I would never have been able to wear them in BsAs - my eyes were just too irritated.
Emergen-C Immune +, Citrus - I hit the ground in Buenos Aires already sick and dehydrated. I didn't have time to try out the Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets I brought with me, I needed a lot of water and fast. I used the Emergen-C packets to give myself a little energy, to flavor the water so that I would actually drink more of it, and eventually, when I did have the time and inclination to use the Katadyn tablets, cover the taste of the "purified" water.  

A note about the Katadyn Purification tablets: For the record, 'chlorinated' would be a more accurate term than 'purified'. The part of their advertisement that reads "improves the taste of water" is a gross exaggeration. It tastes like pool water. Not awful, but not better. Also, I ended up having no problems at all with the water in Buenos Aires. Eventually I gave up using the tablets because I had to wait 4 hours for it to do its work and I'm just not that great at remembering to fill the bottle. Frankly the water in Tennessee gives me more problems and tastes worse.

Technology and Logistics

Skype - I can't say enough good things about Skype (and also Google Voice). There were times when Skype didn't work because the wi-fi signal wasn't strong enough, but I could still get a text message through on Google Voice. I did not take a cell phone/service with me and I didn't buy or rent a phone while I was there. If necessary I was ready to buy a calling card if I needed one, but I never did. The wi-fi wasn't very reliable where I was staying, but the ice cream shop down the block had great signal so when I needed to, I would go there, get some food and catch up with everyone.

Streetwise Buenos Aires Map
  Thanks to my friend Pat and my aunt Melissa for the recommendations on this. Foldable and laminated - this was a great map, except that it didn't go quite as far out as I needed it to for some of the places we went. That's why I also loved the Offline Buenos Aires Maps for Android.

Samsung GAlaxy Tab 2 Tablet 7" - This thing was a gem. I turned my old LG Ally Android phone into a PDA relying on wifi for everything. The problem was that the antenna  was so small, and battery so weak, unless the signal was very strong, I couldn't rely on it for Skype video. The Samsung Tab on the other hand, did a great job getting and staying connected to even the weakest signal.

Copy of Passport in my wallet - I only needed it once, but I did need it. And I felt much more secure not carrying the original with me.

Makeup

As far as makeup that travels well, I had great luck with these (which is lucky, because I brought very little in the way of cosmetics) - Stila Waterproof Smudge Crayon in Smoke which I used on my eyelids and on my eye brows, Physicians Formula Eye Booster Eyeliner which doesn't boost anything but is very water resistant. L'Oreal Double Extend Waterproof Mascara with a coat of Anastasia Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat over the mascara (and on my eyebrows). Finally Benefit PosieTint Lip and Cheek Stain. The good news is that my makeup stayed on no matter what happened, the bad news is it takes a bit of work to get it all off. Still, it's nice not to have to check my makeup during milongas. I forgot my face powder which was a bummer - I really could have used that. I have a travel size of Smashbox Halo powder that I would have brought had I remembered it.

Which brings me to Make-up Remover Pads - I was doing everything I could to avoid carrying liquids, so I didn't want to take a bottle of makeup remover (and I have to use makeup remover to get the waterproof makeup off at night.) The Almay Moisturizing Makeup Remover Pads are the only things that remove my makeup, but the canister they come in seemed too big for just 9 days worth of pads. So I took 10 or so pads and stuffed them in a little sample tub. By the way, these are also great for getting oil-based stains out of clothes.

Services

Delta Sky Lounge Day Passes - When you have almost 5 hours to kill at the Atlanta airport, it's worth the $50 bucks to check in to a Delta Skylounge. There's snack food (Nutella, hummus, fresh vegetables, etc.) plus free wine, beer and wifi.  It sounds decadent, but being able to charge your electronics, catch up on email/Skype etc., and have some wine, olives and hummus made what would have been an unpleasant and long chunk of time much nicer.  We were also grateful that we had the presence of mind to put a few packets of nutella and hummus in our pockets (hey, don't judge) as there were some mornings we were living on those.

There you have it. I'll probably think of more but for now, that's the list. Thank you to everyone who gave me recommendations before the trip and keep giving me great recommendations now. I look forward to more travels in the future, and I've learned so much from all of you!

1 comment:

Frances R said...

Mari, you are beautiful, and you look so happy on this photo.