What to pack for Cape Town in May

Water reflects off the Atlantic and bounces off buildings; polarized lenses cut the glare.

Humidity at 79 percent keeps mosquitoes active through May.

Check ankles and, if there's a dog, paws and ears every night.

Tap water isn't safe; cuts and scrapes need proper care in a new place.

Tap water isn't safe here. A filter bottle beats buying plastic twice a day.

This country runs on Type C, D, G or N. Get one with USB-C so you're not fighting over the single outlet.

Set it up before you land. Signal drops for long stretches outside cities.

Dark by 5:50pm. Every campsite chore after that is a two-hands job.

Two weeks of clothes, toiletries, and layers for 68°F highs fit an overhead bag without checked baggage.

Day trips to the national park and urban markets need a separate bag for water, snacks, and layers.

Fits the overhead on every airline that matters. Skip the checked-bag line entirely.

For the passport, the chargers, and the one dry pair of socks.

Treat the clothes once and it lasts weeks.

Traveler's diarrhea hits fast in places where tap water isn't drinkable.

One brick charges the laptop, phone, and camera.

Hotel and cafe wifi is shared with everyone else in the building. A VPN keeps your banking and email to yourself.

International travel and urban crowds make pickpockets work overtime.

Airport transfers, train stations, and crowded markets separate bags from owners fast.

One bag for two weeks of clothes needs organization or everything wrinkles and mixes.

Seven rain days and 79% humidity mean clothes stay damp unless you wash and dry them mid-trip.

Airport noise, train stations, and crowded hostels make sleep difficult without blocking sound.

Ten hours of daylight means ten hours of direct sun on your head.

One outlet at the guesthouse and seven unwashed hands a day means germs spread.

Mosquitoes bite, sun burns, and treating one without worsening the other requires the right cream.

Cables tangle in a daypack, so short ones fit tight spaces without the knot problem.

International checkpoints and crowded markets require documents within arm's reach, not buried in luggage.

International travel means your bag passes through multiple hands and checkpoints.

Hanging storage keeps toiletries accessible in a guesthouse bathroom shared with other travelers.