How to stay warm as a Tourist or Traveler?

I have been extremely cold or uncomfortable for hours on end in the most tropical climates of the world.

ABSOLUTELY MUST DO:

1. Take or wear long pants and sweatshirt on any bus in the world. This is not quite as important with other forms of transportation, but I always carry a light blanket in my carry on rucksack.
2. Have a good sweatshirt or light jacket anywhere in the world.
3. Always have on you or with you enough clothing to protect you down to freezing temperature. Do not allow your baggage or backpack to become separated or un-available when you are suspicious of heating situation.

WORST MISTAKES YOU WILL OR MAY MAKE.

1. ASSUMING SHORTS OR BATHING SUIT IS GOOD: Getting on any transportation as you leave the beach, tropical area in shorts of bathing suit.
2. ASSUMING THE EQUATOR IS HOT: There are extremely cold situations at the Equator.
   1. High Altitude
   2. Air Conditioning.
3. ASSUMING THEY HAVE BLANKETS IN HOTEL: The world does not provide blankets.
4. ASSUMING THEY WILL HAVE HEAT IN HOTEL: The world does not heat rooms. They will heat their own room, and not provide you with heat.
5. ASSUMING THAT BUS OR TRAIN IS HEATED:

PLACES YOU WILL BE COLD:

1. BUS TRIP: Bus in the tropics from the air conditioning.
2. HIGH ALTITUDES: Very high altitudes even if at the Equator.
3. CONCRETE ROOMS: In the concrete rooms of all Hotels of the world. The world has concrete rooms, and the concrete will stay colder or hold the cold longer. The benefit is that you will stay cooler.
4. OCEAN FRONT: If you rent a room or hut too close to the ocean. The breeze will freeze you.
5. INDIA: India, as they will not provide blankets. Sometime yes, but you can be caught with nothing.
6. MONSOON WEATHER: Monsoon weather you may get damp.

STAYING WARM

1. Use layers of clothes, i.e. Shirt, sweatshirt, undershirt.
2. Always carry on a bus or any type of transportation long pants, shirt, and a small jacket or sweatshirt. I carry with me a blanket always. I have found that air conditioning in Tropical climates can make life horrible. The bus driver will not normally care about your comfort, but since he is cooking in the front window area he thinks you are also cooking.
3. Speak up and tell people, especially the mom and pop hotels, make sure they supply you with blankets. Strangely it is necessary in very cold places to tell them to heat the room. They will believe that since you are only staying one night that if you do not complain, then they save on heating bills.
4. Electric heaters - I carry a hot plate and often heat my room with the hot plate.
5. Sometimes the air outside of your room is warmer in the morning than inside your room. If you are in an all concrete room the outside may be warmer. Check and open your door and windows.
6. You need to block off all the places that air enters your room. The more airtight the better.
7. Keep room dry or free from moisture and maybe your towel will dry.

PRINCIPLE OF AIRTIGHT OR BODY HEAT

1. You body temperature is a constant 37° C (98.6° F)
   
   1 - thermal energy that is a by-product of metabolism in higher animals, especially noticeable in birds and mammals, which exhibit a close control of their body temperature in the face of environmental fluctuation. Birds and mammals can conserve body heat by fluffing up feathers or erecting their hairs and by reducing blood flow to the exterior surface and extremities. They can increase body heat by shivering and exercise. Excessive body heat is dispelled chiefly by increasing blood flow to the surface and extremities, by sweating or panting, and by maximizing exposure of the body surface to the surroundings.
   
   In humans, body heat is regulated to provide a normal temperature of 37° C (98.6° F). The brain stem, specifically the thermostatic region of the hypothalamus, is the centre of temperature regulation. When it becomes deranged, as during infections, heat is conserved unnecessarily and the temperature can exceed the normal range (see fever).
   
    
2. The body will heat the air around the body to the temperature of your body.
3. The ingress and egress of air will make it more difficult to heat this encapsulated or pockets of air.
4.  

CLOTHING PRINCIPLES:

1. Layers of clothing
2. Air-tight clothing will hold in the body heat.
3. Clean Clothes will keep you cleaner.
4. Make sure your clothes are completely dry after being washed.

HEATING YOUR ROOM:

Sources of heat:

1. Electric Hot Plate
2. Light Bulbs
3. Maybe a light bulb inside a tent.
4. A computer will generate a lot of heat.
5. Televisions will generate heat if left on.
6. Heating water for a shower.
7. Opening the door when the outside is warmer is sometimes good and sometime bad.
8. Rent a room with two beds so you can steal the covers, sheets, and pillows from the second bed.
9. Sleep with another person.
10. Fill buckets of water with hot water.
11. If there is a hot water heater in the room it should heat the room some.
12. Choose a room where the sun shines in during the daylight hours.
13. Pour alcohol on a non-painted concrete floor in a small puddle, light with match, it will burn clean and free of smoke.
    Do NOT use gasoline or kerosene.

The room:

1. Rent a room as small as possible so you can heat easily.
2. Rent a room with no windows.
3. Put a rolled blanket or sheet over the crack below the door. I will place my backpack in front of the door and pile all my loose clothes, jackets, or miscellaneous clothes on top. If I am really cold I would wrap in plastic bags an place under the door.
4. Keep the bathroom door shut so you do not heat the bathroom.
5. Hang your clothes organizer, towel, and all your jackets and clothing over the windows as insulation.
6. Plastic bags stuffed in cracks of window will seal. Open the window and place the plastic inside the area, close the window on the bag.

WINDOWS AND DOORS

1. Lay your backpack in front of crack at bottom of door.
2. Have a carpet or towel outside the door so when you are not there.
3. Close the curtains at night, but open when the sun is shining, better to keep the window shut because it will create a greenhouse effect, sometimes in completely concrete rooms it is better to let the hot air inside.
4. Hang things in front of windows to buffer cold.

MOISTURE OR WATER

1. Rubber gloves over liners will keep you warmer, but you must take care not to perspire.
2. Turn the taps off in the toilet, a leaking faucet can keep your room humid.
3. Close the lid on the toilet if too humid in room.

KEEPING CLOTHES CLEAN - WASHING CLOTHES

You are not at home, you may only have one sweatshirt or maybe one jacket. If there is not heat you may find that you do not want to sacrifice your jacket to be cleaned. But clean clothes are also warmer than dirty clothes.

1. Wear long shirts and/or T-shirts under all your sweatshirts and jackets. This will preserve or keep your top level of clothes from becoming smelly quicker.

EXAMPLE WHEN I FROZE:

1. 48 Hour bus trip from Cancun to Acapulco, Mexico. The driver had the air conditioning on and refused to turn it off or down. We was stuff paper and anything we could into the vents of the air conditioning.
2. Train from Uluni Bolivia to Chile - There was no heat on the train at the 4000 meter altitude and all the passengers had on 10 blankets. I put on every piece of clothing I owned and covered with the one blanket I owned. It left at 3 in the morning, and travel during the night. It was hot on the train during the day.
3. Koh Chang, Thailand - The one close to Myanmar or Burma. The wind was blowing in off season period and came off the ocean so strong that it blew directly through the hut. I was not close to the ocean. I was high up on the hill.
4. El Libertad, Salvador. I rented a room that over hung the ocean. The waves and wind blew and bang so hard that I froze.