Goa What to Pack

Luggage and bags: Bring the largest hand luggage you can and pack the heavy stuff in there on the way home. We bought so much we had to buy new hand luggage bags just to fit it all in!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Girls don't take your high heels, the roads are very uneven and there is no such thing as a pavement. I lived in flips flops for the whole forntnight. Take a pair of the cheap plastic ones for daytime as the ground is the colour of chilli powder and will ruin anything nice. Then buy the fancy ones when you get there for night time. They have hundreds everywhere you look in every colour you could want. Also don't take trousers because if they touch the floor they will be stained with the red dust. Skirts and flip flops are the best bet.
Daytime whatever you wear will end up filthy, the dust from the ground coats your skin and you clothes so take things that are easy to wash. But pack light as there is so much to buy.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Wet wipes are a must, take as many as you can carry and keep some in the fridge. It gets so hot and dusty you will want to wipe your face down about 50 times a day and the result will be a very brown wet wipe when you're done.
Also take something for your stomach if you're planning on eating lots of local food and not used to the spice or the malaria tablets may upset your stomach.

Miscellaneous: Take sterling. i was advised by my travel company to take US$ which was completely wrong. You can even pay with sterling in some places and in the airport you will be bombarded for pound coins.

Luggage and bags: Take a little bit of home , by packing your favourite supermarket/shop carrier bag. They make good wet swimming costume bags or laundry bags. Use them to wrap up your toiletries, just in case of leakages. Nothing like your favourite store carrier bag to provide you a giggle on holiday

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Malaria tablets can be bought from a pharmacy when you are in Goa for a matter of a pence/pounds, rather than 17 pound from BOOTS. If there is a couple of you going to India and you are worried about Malaria, buy one box of tablets from BOOTS, and share them between you. Take them a week before you travel. There are plenty of chemists about. There must be at least 5 in calangute, and a few in Baga and Candolim. Then when you get there, just get the local tablets. If you then plan on making a second trip back to Goa within the next year ( six month tourist visa), buy some more whilst you are there, to take for your next trip.

Luggage and bags: Take a small rucksack for travelling around

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Take very little and buy from local shops, get a tailor to make your clothes for you, it is very cheap to do this

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Chemists sell virtually everything but bring your own anti malarial pills (paludrine)

Photo Equipment: Bring your own films as the film here could be totally useless due to how it has been stored in the heat.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Buy Lungi from the beach sellers use it to sunbathe on or to wrap around you.

Luggage and bags: Take large case with you - you will be glad of the space when you fill it with all of your bargains...handbags, wallets, bedspreads, jewellery and lots more !!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: For daytime you will only need T.Shirts and Shorts, Swimwear, Sarongs. For evenings casual holidaywear

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: There are plenty of supermarkets selling everything that you will require ( Garnier products much cheaper than in the U.K )

Luggage and bags: A backpack should do for the traveller on the road. Especially if you intend to do a lot of moving around, its best to travel light! Take a handbag and some extra packets, because one is prone to go on a shopping binge at Goa!

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Light summer clothes, swimming things, raincoat is a must if you are travelling during the monsoon. Shorts and cottons, things that dry easily.Sandals and slippers for footwear. Caps, sun glasses, and umbrella if you want to save yourself the DARK tan that one is likely to get there.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sun tan lotion, oily emolients as the sun tends to burn your skin fairly easily. Medicines for gastroenteritis and other misc. tummy upsets that one may fall prey to, due to the sea food. Mosquito repellants...though I dont recall needing them at all.

Photo Equipment: Pack 3 rolls of films and make it a double! Goa is as colourful and vivacious as it gets, and you would want to capture every moment of it!

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: One could try camping on the beach, though I am not sure how feasable it is. There are enough shacks already, you could try staying there.

Miscellaneous: Try carry a road map and ask around..people are friendly, simple, and glad to help!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Hand sanitizer tube (optional). Not all, but many of the stomach problems are avoidable easily with simple hygieny of hands before meals. Liquid hand sanitizer tube is, umm, handy to carry along. Quite easy to find from local stores; no need to pack it in advance.

Miscellaneous: Maglite and candles. Blackouts and shortages of electricity are very common, specially in the evenings, when tourists start to use lights, televisions etc. In outdoor, Maglite is very handy; inside, candles can be decorative also.

Your credit card 4-digit PIN number. It is *much* more flexible to transact with ATMs than try to find open cashier from Calangute area.

Mosquito net (optional)
Not critical gear, but might be useful, depending where you sleep. Due to very light sewering system of Goa, mosquitos are quite common in the places, where concrete meets standing water, like baths and toilets. See also my General tips.

Mosquito electric zapper (optional)
It is an alternative to mosquito net, not in effeciency but in weight, *if* your accommodation has energy supply. Quite easy to find from local stores, starting from 20 rps; no need to pack it in advance.

Luggage and bags: Travel light. a backpack would do. you don't need much stuff in goa. A beach bag is essential though. this can be bought there as well.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: first things first - bathing suit, sun block, hat and a sarong. all of these you can buy there as well. Clothes - shorts, t-shirts and something for the evenings

irrespective of where you are staying, hotel, shack, room, resort - the clothes are the same - the less the better ;)!

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: most of the things can be bought there. Bring along your fav sunblock though and lots of it! If you need special medication, then bring it with you.

Photo Equipment: For God's sake donot forget the camera! Film can be bought at Goa - wherever you are.

Miscellaneous: Bring along your driving license or some kind of identification. When and if you do rent a bike, you need the license.