What's in your suitcase?

Boy, it's been a busy week. Working on my note, plotting white collar crimes, and packing for the trip has kept me pretty busy.

Trying to finish the note before I fly out Sunday hasn't left a lot of time for preparation, but I've completed the most important task -- buying all the necessary medications. A quick peek into my suitcase:


This is all the stuff -- the ONLY stuff -- I refuse to travel without. I spent 2 weeks last summer in Eastern Europe living out of my standard, school-sized backpack. I speak from experience: clothes are WAY less important than medication and flip-flops.

Some new additions to the travel bag this year include malaria medication and a RIDICULOUS amount of bug spray. This is a trade-off: I decided to forgo the vaccination for Japanese encephalitis and constantly apply bug spray instead.

May I just add that I'm ridiculously excited about taking my first trip that required a battery of vaccinations in advance. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the threat of Japanese encephalitis at least slightly thrilling.