Besides the obvious travel items, here are a few essential items you may want to consider packing/buying for your trip to Hong Kong.
1) Hand sanitizer and/or anti-bacterial wipes
Hong Kong is a highly congested city full of people and smog. When you go out on the streets you are bound to get dirty, so be sure to carry hand sanitizer or wipes with you so you can conveniently clean yourself before quick bites you find on the streets.
2) Pack tissue
Definitely a must have. You may need some tissues to wipe about the dirt from the streets or sweat of the humid weather you will experience during Hong Kong summers. Some restrooms do not provide tissue paper so you will need to bring your own. Also if you go to some ma and pop or countryside restaurants they may not provide napkins for you to use, so you will need to bring your own!
3) Cash or ATM card
While more and more stores (especially large chains) are accepting credit cards, there are still many local shops and cafes accepting only cash. Expect to be using cash more often than not, and be sure to have enough for your trip!
4) Coin “purse”
A corollary to the above, cash is the most accepted form of payment, especially in public transportation. You will need to use cash for taking public transportation like buses and trams where exact change is needed. The fares are all different based on how far you travel, so you will need to be prepared with the correct change ahead of time. If you have a wallet like mine, it doesn’t have much room for change, so a coin “purse” would be helpful to store all the coins.
If you prefer not to deal with a lot of loose coins, you may want to consider getting an Octopus card, which is prepaid and can be used for transportation and shopping in Hong Kong.
5) Unlocked cell phone
SIM cards are cheap. For just ~$12 USD you can get a prepaid SIM card for use for calling, texting, and data, and depending on which plan you select, this can last for weeks, if not months! If you have an unlocked cell phone, you can just pop in the SIM card and start using it right away. It’s definitely cheaper than paying for roaming.
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