What to pack when traveling?

My carry on is usually 100% food products.    Aside for visiting during winter months (heavier clothes), anywhere from 25% to 50% is food and/or drugs (Prescrips) or other necessaries.   So sad but true.

Hello GISgirl

Your discussion has been reintroduced as a new thread.

Regards,
Sheetul

Hi GISgirl. Despite what you may have been led to believe, the food situation really isn't that terrible here. Almost all the ingredients that you would need to cook the foods you like are readily found. The only things you might really miss from the US are most of the processed food brands you might be used to, but I wouldn't regard that as a tragedy.
Most junk food and candies that you are familiar with ARE available here (absolutely no difference in quality), such as but not limited to Snickers, Twix, and Kitkat, Lay's potato chips, Pepsi, Coke, etc. And usually two or three new brands become available on the market every year (this year we got Bugles chips and Mountain Dew). While we aren't likely to get things like Chips Ahoy or Oreos very soon, the selection of imported cookies and things to be found is good enough.

Now, as for what to bring. While almost everything you might need is available here, there are things that you will have a very hard time finding (if you manage to find them at all that is). There are several things that I try to come back from the US with as much as I can of. I'll go ahead and share my list with you:

1. Chocolate chips. Not to be found here.
2. Brown sugar (you need it to chocolate chip cookies). Although I technically did manage to find some in the end, the above also applies.
3. Brownie mix.
4. Muffin mix. Again, unheard of. Cake mixes are available here though. But you might wanna bring a few boxes of your favorite variety if you like.
5. Cake frosting. Unheard of.
6. Kraft mac and cheese. At least a couple dozen boxes.
6. Cheese. If you like cheese, then bring plenty. There are very few varieties of cheese to be found here. I admit I've never tried bringing cheese myself, but according to several reliable people I know it shouldn't spoil on the way. Just buy it fresh, keep it refrigerated until you're ready to go, and then wrap it up good.

Here's a list of things you don't need to worry about:
1. Ketchup, mustard, mayo. All easily found, no worries about quality.
2. Baking powder, vanilla extract, stuff for baking.
3. Coffee, cocoa. If you want you can bring your favorite cappuccino powder.
4. Laundry soap. There are cheap local varieties, but you can find imported Tide detergent as well as Clorox.

That about sums it up. If I manage to think of anything else I'll add it in a separate post (in case you overlook it if I add it here).
Also, please don't listen to the people advising you not to bring clothes and just pack food. That is literally the stupidest thing you can possibly do. Their advice is probably given based on the fact that they are settled down with a place to live, and so they are able to leave (the bulk of) their clothing here when they leave the country and come back. This is your first trip so bring plenty of clothing, both for cold AND warm weather (even if you are planning on going back to the states in the summer, we still get heat waves every so often in late winter/early spring). I'd also recommend bringing several pairs of shoes.

Overall, don't worry about coming here. It isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. If you have any other questions, just ask.

Big Tuna is right!  You can get pretty much all you want in the food line out here in Benghazi, but you do have to search for it.  Recently I found poppadums, for example.  BT is right about the cheese situation too - in Tripoli i think you can get just about any cheese, but out here....  It's a sea of Edam, sadly (different flavours though! )  Just bring a selection of comfort foods would be my advice, to help you through the first few (stressful) weeks.  Don't bring any chocolate bars - the place is stuffed full of European and American chocs!!

If it were me, I think I would bring some novels over, because I haven't found a reading bookshop out here for English books.  I also brought out lots of mozzie spray (Jungle Formula) because for some reason in a country rife with mozzies, I can't find this for sale!! 

If you want any Benghazi advice, just ask.  We are all in the same boat.

PS Food fans! Poppadums on sale in the supermarket by the pedestrian walkway on Pepsi Street

Thanks to all who replied.  I won't be able to bring anything perishable because I will be in the UK for about a week and then Egypt for another 2 before arriving in BG. The cheese packets from the mac % cheese are a fantastic idea – thanks BT.  I guess tortillas are out of the question…wonder what tacos made from pita taste like…without the shredded cheddar cheese. What about the blue (brand name PB) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough?  Good thing for me I love Libyan food…even osban. 
Thanks for the tip on the bug spray too…wasn't sure what a mozzie was though.  Looked it up and will bring some Deep Woods …with DEET - are we really not allowed to mention brands????  I'll see if I can get some books on an external drive… you can download them here in the US but I guess (from the forum) that downloading media files is quite tedious there.  I've also heard about sites where writers “self-publish” on line.  I have never had the time to look in to it, but who knows, it may be my salvation during those cold periods.  Two weeks until lift off…..

GISgirl wrote:

I guess tortillas are out of the question…wonder what tacos made from pita taste like…

They don't taste good. At all. Trust me.
Can you vacuum-pack the tortillas? The only reason tortillas go stale is cause they lose their moisture. If you can get that machine to vacuum-pack them in plastic bags they should be fine through the time you spend in London and Cairo.

I'm not familiar with the brand you mentioned (pillsbury?) but if they need refrigeration then bringing cookie dough is not a good idea. If you wanna bake cookies all you need to bring are the chocolate chips and brown sugar. You can easily find all the other ingredients.

Good thing for me I love Libyan food…even osban.

lucky you
   

wasn't sure what a mozzie was though.

Oh come on. Was it really that hard to figure out it meant a mosquito? A "poppadum", on the other hand...

I guess (from the forum) that downloading media files is quite tedious there.

It's not really that big a deal. The internet is pretty decent here (speedwise at least), but the main problem is that your bandwidth is capped at 15 GB a month (recently raised from 10). It's just that not many people are familiar with the wonderful world of online piracy

Wildcats wrote:

but out here....  It's a sea of Edam, sadly

Hahaha so true.

Don't bring any chocolate bars - the place is stuffed full of European and American chocs!!

Ditto. But now that I think about it there's one exception that she might miss because there's just nothing at all like it, which is Reese's peanut butter cups. That's just about the only candy I'd wanna bring back a stash of.

If it were me, I think I would bring some novels over, because I haven't found a reading bookshop out here for English books.

Tell you what. I've got a portable drive that's loaded with ebooks. They're almost all nonfiction so might not suit your tastes, but I've got some interesting titles and if you like I can give you some (or many). Free of charge

You might also wanna check the downtown area. I've seen a couple of bookstores by the Tibesti hotel. I wasn't paying much attention at the time but I remember seeing Time and other English magazines in one. Might wanna go check em out.

And by the way, you're still planning on going to see the Logos Hope when it comes to Benghazi right? If you are maybe we can meet up there and have a chat.