Last year, I was hiking on the Gandhi Salt March route through a dusty stretch of coastal India when I developed a bit of dryness of my own. It was north of the knees, south of the belly button.
As the Gandhi crowd entered a small city at dusk, I turned to a new found Indian friend and mentioned how chafed I was by my situation. A few blocks later, the friend-for-life calmly led me into a corner shop where a clerk handed over a lovely bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder, a finer remedy I could not have bought at my local pharmacy.
Too bad things do not always end so smoothly far from home.
For a traveler to distant lands, the trick is how to pack lightly, yet still be prepared for those days when, as Dr. Seuss reminds us, ``Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. "
What to take, exactly, when riding the rails of Southeast Asia, or following the drum beats of West Africa?
I put the question recently to several experienced and expert travelers I've come to know: Dr. Edward T. Ryan, director of the Tropical and Geographic Medicine Center at Massachusetts General Hospital ; Dr. Patty Gray, a professor and cultural anthropologist at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks ; Rolf Potts, author of ``Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-term World Travel" (Villard , 2002) ; Olaf Malver, head of Explorers Corner, an innovative adventure travel company ; Blue Magruder, public affairs director for Earthwatch Institute ; and Essdras M Suarez, a Globe photographer, former Air Force corpsman and Ninpo Taijutsu black belt who has traveled rutted roads in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Their answers ranged from the general -- medical kits -- to the specific.
``Gold Bond Extra Strength ," Malver wrote in an e-mail, one-upping the pharmacist in India by suggesting a medicated talcum powder.
``COFFEE," wrote Gray, who has spent many frigid mornings in remote villages of the Russian north. ``It can reduce culture shock to be able to prepare your ritual cup, just the way you like it, at least once a day."
Suarez took a decidedly more doomsday approach.
``Life vest," he wrote. ``How many times have you read about an overcrowded ferry boat . . . which overturned killing 300 people and . . . two Americans? I never want to be the tag line on such a story, so I carry my own life vest wherever I travel."
Earplugs, duct tape, and needle and thread were on many lists. Padlock, power converter, and plastic baggies got votes, too. Interestingly, no one listed ``Swiss Army knife."
From all the suggestions, and experience s of my own, I have come up with two lists: one for comfort and to keep things going right, the second for safety when they are not. They are meant to be bare bones for people leaving well-worn tourist routes but staying in populated areas. Those heading into wilderness or out to sea have other worlds to consider.
2. Toilet paper, for when you get there.
3. Baby wipes/sanitizer, for a quick hand wash before lunch in the public market, or to bathe at the end of the day.
4. Small gifts, because tokens are common introductions around the world. Squishy toy Red Sox baseballs pack nicely.
5. Phrasebook, for making friends and finding everything else you need far from home.
1. Sterile medical kit, including a clean syringe and needle, at least, if not a small scalpel. Yes, for someone to use on you.
2. Basic medicine , including antibiotics for stomach and respiratory problems and flu suppressants.
3. Water purifier kit or purification tablets, to get you to the next market that has bottled water.
4. A lighter or matches, for when the batteries or the heater die .
5. Cash, for . . . an emergency ride to the capital? Bond to get out of jail? You never know.
For worst-case medical accidents , Ryan recommends evacuation insurance to get you to a state-of-the-art hospital.
``It's one thing," Ryan said, ``if you're in Paris . . ."
Contact Tom Haines at thaines@globe.com . 
