| Hats and specialty gear.
Of course a good hat is indispensible for sun protection and comfort. Since I no longer have nature’s protection in the form of hair, I need a hat to protect me from sun and cold. Since the best souvenirs are those that serve a purpose, we often buy hats during our travels.
A wide brimmed hat is best, but then you end up holding it if it doesn’t have a string, like the one being held here in the gardens of The Hermitage in Nashville, TN.
When you can put it around your neck your hands are free, and you’re less likely to lose it. We don’t think you need to buy a kerosene lamp for your travels, but they did supply this one to us in Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky.
Some favorite hats:
The hat below cost about $5 USD in Kathmandu, Nepal. They claim it is Yak wool (it is wool, but of undeterminable origin) and lined with polar fleece. Very warm and cozy, and so terrific that we got one stolen right off our shopping cart at the supermarket near our house.
Nepalese hat comes in handy for shoveling Boston snow.
We visited Argentina late spring when it was in the 80s in Buenos Aires, but in Bariloche it was not at all warm. We found a small Mom & Pop shop (literally, but more like Grandmom and Pop shop) where we purchased a bunch of fleece hats for about $3-4 each. They are not the warmest, but they kept us warm enough. Here I am in my new hat the day after I bought it.
The Thai parasol purchase didn’t work out so well, but we did purchase a couple of hats with a “Thailand” logo and embroidered elephant on the front. When we wear them locally they do strike up conversations with people who ask if we’ve traveled there, and these hats have a string that keeps them from flying away. The string also lets you toss it near your back so you don’t have to hold it and risk losing it (see Annabella with the hat tossed back on our “About Us” page – that photo was taken in Uruguay).
Wet wallets are indispensible for swimming vacations. These double as a neck pouch, and if you remember to properly close them they will keep your money, credit cards, and keys dry and safely around your neck while you swim. They are mildly annoying, but worth the peace of mind. Here we can we relax during a swim at Ching’s Pond in Maui, Hawaii.
