In addition to the tips offered in the companion article to this piece, there are some additional useful items to consider before packing your bags for that Latin American adventure you?re planning. These items will help to make your land trips by long-distance bus, more comfortable, pleasant and memorable by staving off some ?unpleasantries? typical of such unavoidable long hauls. Be sure to add these to your travel repertoire.

Other Useful Items

A few other indispensables include any number of the following items. We?ve found all of them of value on numerous occasions.

? Playing cards

? Portable board games

? Digital or video camera

? Poncho

? Blanket

? Towel

? Swim suit

? Toilet paper

? Sweater or light jacket

? Cap

? Box of tissues

These items allow you to strike up a conversation or friendly game with fellow passengers who are just as bored-out-of-their-minds as you are. Chess and checkers are well-know and played extensively. So is a version of ?Parchesi?. Portable boards that fold and tuck away into a tiny corner of a bag, pack or suitcase can break barriers and build friendships like almost nothing else can. Stay comfortable on chilly nights or in the cold rains of the high mountains with a light jacket or sweater. Locally in South America, you can bargain for an inexpensive llama-wool poncho. Stave off the turned-up-too-high bus air conditioning with a large poncho or light blanket.

Take documentary (and sometimes saleable) photographs of scenery, fellow passengers and the new foods you?ll undoubtedly be sampling on a continual basis. My wife Doris and I never travel without a roll of toilet paper. Sometimes, we even each have our own. It?s cheap insurance against ?accidents? and unkempt public lavatories. A cap, swim suit and towel can come in handy many times in many ways. The ladies will make ample use of the tissues. For what, you query? Ask your wife, daughter or girlfriend for a list. In about three days they?ll be back with one; likely written on a roll of toilet paper to handle the length.

Food for the Soul

A few pieces of fruit will boost your spirits to no end if the need for a snack should arise. Apples, oranges, pears, tangerines and bananas are all good choices, locally available and inexpensive in season. Don?t forget at least a liter bottle of water per person. You?ll need it. Forget the sugary, salty snacks. They?ll just cause more problems than they solve.

Another handy ?food? item are some small limes. Called ?lemons? (limones) in most of South America, they can be used to ?spice up? your bottled water. To clean odors and stains from your lips, fingers and mouth, rub the squeezed out half of a fresh lime on them. Believe me, works like a charm.

So wherever you?re heading to from Mexico or Panama to Chile and Argentina, don?t let your Latin American travel adventure become a nightmare. Use these tips and a bit of planning to smooth out the pains and boredom of a marathon bus trip in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile or whereever. Turn possible migraines into pleasant memories. Be sure to read the companion article, ?Surviving Marathon Bus Rides in Latin America: What to Do?. Now start packing your bags.