Top 7 Things to Pack for Lithuania

MY PACKING LIST FOR LITHUANIA
(this is already on top of the essential travel items which you would already have brought along)

No. 1: Peanut Butter

If you are a fan of Skippy Peanut Butter, you should bring a bottle along with you because as far as I know, there is only one brand of peanut butter and that's from the Felix brand. One brand and one kind, and it is the creamy kind, no crunchy version with peanuts in it. :(

Image taken from dailynewschannels.com

taken from foodwholesale.lt

It has never (ever) crossed my mind that I would crave for peanut butter even though that is the last thing I would eat back in Singapore. But there you go, you should put it in your luggage if you are a fan(or not).

Fun fact: Peanuts contains a good amount of monosaturated fats, Vitamin E, Niacin, Manganese, Folate and protein which helps to reduce cardiovascular risks.

P.S It helps to prevent malnutrition if your diet on exchange consists of spaghetti and instant noodles.

No. 2: Skipping Rope

All the travelling can make one feel lethargic and exhausted physically and mentally. But keeping in shape is important to ensuring an enjoyable experience while travelling. Besides having a good pair of shoes for walking and running, skipping rope comes in handy when the weather outside is freezing cold. For people living in the tropics, we can hardly understand or imagine how cold is COLD in seasonal countries but trust me, when the weather turns cold and seasons change, your thick blanket is your best friend.

(image taken from http://www.boxfituk.com/)

Packing your skipping rope with you is a good idea because it is light and portable. It hardly takes up much space but the health benefits you can reap from it are tremendous. Skipping can improve your cardio-respiratory fitness, stamina, flexibility, balance, co-ordination and helps to tone your calves, giving you a shapely pair of legs.

Fun fact: For a more effective workout, try different styles of skipping to engage your whole body like pretzel.


P.S This is what I do during Muay Thai trainings too! Coach will make us skip for 5 mins as part of warm up. 

No. 3: Thermal Wear

If you are coming during the fall/winter season and expecting to buy thermal wear here, you might be in trouble - thermal wears are hard to find and it is not easy to find those that can really keep you warm.

Thermal wear is not popular with the locals here as most of them are used to the chilling weather in Lithuania. They usually layer (chicly) for the top and a pair of stockings/leggings and jeans plus a pair of boots to top it off.

So far, MARKS & SPENCER is the only shop which I spotted that sells top quality thermal wear at reasonable prices. They have different designs and cuttings suitable for a variety of preferences.

Here's the address:
Gedimino pr. 20/Jogailos g. 1,. LT-01103 Vilnius.

No. 4: Macdonalds Garlic Chili Sauce (or your favourite sauce)

You may laugh, chuckle or snigger but do not underestimate the power of garlic chili sauce. Majority of the chili sauce sold here are the sweet kind (thai-style) and mostly found on the asian shelves. You may not find it exciting for your palate with just a sweet chili sauce and we all know that the (all-hail) Macdonalds garlic sauce is the one that tantalizes our taste buds and pairs up so well with fried food (especially FRENCH FRIES). ;)

Also, pack enough of the small little packets of sauces when you travel around and eat out. Most of the places, especially Fast Food restaurants, in Europe charges a fee for sauces (e.g Ketchup, Mayonnaise, etc). You might want to save your coins for buying some nice souvenirs back for your friends. :)
Fun fact: The curry sauce in Lithuania's Macdonalds is not the same as those we have in Asia countries. They call it the Salsa Curry sauce which tastes like 80% ginger and 20% curry. You get it, it doesn't taste like curry, at all.

No. 5: Travel Adaptor

This is a definite must to bring when you are coming to Lithuania or Europe from other places not mentioned. It is almost impossible to find shops which sells travel adaptor. Be sure to write it BOLD and BIG on your packing list. Make it the FIRST if possible.

Lithuania uses Type C Europlug and Type E/F Schuko. They have the same electric sockets in Europe.

The good news is, if you forget and you are flying into Lithuania by Ryanair, you might be able to purchase a travel adaptor for 10 Euros in-flight. :)

No. 6: Japanese/Korean/Taiwan beauty products


If you are a fan and user of these products, this part is important for you.
Remember to pack an extra bottle of your favourite moisturiser if you are living in Lithuania for extended period of time. The presence of well-known Japanese and Korean beauty brands is non-existent here. Speaking of which, I am only left with a third of a bottle of HADA LABO and I still have two months to go. :(

BB creams are not a fad here either. Lithuanian girls have really good skin here, they are fair and almost flawless. I think they just need a very good mascara to enhance their pretty peepers.

The dry air here can rip your skin off the necessary moisture so packing enough masks for your trip is essential to keep your skin healthy and moisturised. The masks sold here are very limited and mostly can be found in (the one and only beauty chain shop, i think) Drogas (acquired by Watsons). So, pack your Skin Food/My Beauty Diary/ Face Shop's facial masks into your luggage!

No. 7: An extra lung 
(Not possible but just for laugh)

Lithuanians SMOKE ALOT. A survey done in 2009 revealed that 36 percent of respondents are smokers. Just walking along the streets of Old Town, you can easily spot groups of smokers huddled together outside the doors of restaurants/pubs/bars/schools.