I thought I would continue the water bottle article with a slight offshoot just briefly mentioned. Flavor Packets. Flavor Packets are the newest additions to my pack while traveling. Drinking water saves a lot of money, and when you get tired of plain old water, it helps to have a low cost alternative available wherever you go. In addition to cost, it’s never a bad idea to lay off the soft drinks and chug the agua. That’s where these flavor packets come in handy.

The typical flavor packet can be used for about 12-20 ounces of water, depending on how strong you want it. A few different companies make these flavor packets and the number of flavors has dramatically increased.

Crystal Light is kind of leading the way with marketing, and at last check they had 12 flavors available. Great Value also makes a cheaper alternative. Kool-Aid and Lipton are also just entering the market as well. Lipton seems to be pushing their green tea, which I have yet to try. Kool-aid obviously has kid friendly flavors such as tropical punch, cherry, grape, and orange. Actually, when you think about it, Kool-Aid has been doing this for years, now, they just put it in a smaller packet and call them singles. Airborne is a new provider as well, trying to corner the immune conscience consumer, and marketing it as a dietary supplement.

I added these to the packing list because they almost force me to drink more water, which saves money, and they are so small and can pack anywhere with no problem or worry about additional weight. The downside I suppose would be the cost, I just know that buying things in smaller quantities is never a good value. So, for the extreme shoe-string budget traveler, think about buying a larger supply, or see what’s available in your kitchen, and instead of individual packets, dump the powder in a 35mm film case. Those hard plastic, well sealed containers are small and sturdy and can probably hold the equivalent of 3-5 flavor individual flavor packets.

Folding cups, bowls, and complete dinner sets from a company that apparently loves to travel. Actually, the guys who developed the Orikaso product line are more utah outdoorsmen. But as a traveler, I appreciate this kind of product. If you can’t tell by the picture, they are designed to pack down flat, so you aren’t taking up precious backpack cc’s. They fold into cups, bowls or dinner plates so you can take them anywhere and have a meal just about anywhere. Plus, the company is just plain eco-sweet.

It’s a pick me up drink used for socializing…that should be enough to justify it’s existence on this list. Although Mate is served in a few South American countries, Uruguay has made it culture….pure gourd hourding bombilla-suckin’ tastic. Even if you don’t like teas, you have to admit, this one is unique. If you’re interested in more nativayerbamate.com has plenty.

Of all the pigs in the world, all the pork, all the different ways to prepare it….this is the best. Fed only acorns and raised in Spain, these Spanish Hams are the most unique, unfortunately, they are a bit expensive. Not expensive enough to not deserve an appearance on the encounter list. Just hit the tapas bar and it’s not so pricey!

The National Pride alone for this beer I feel qualifies it’s existence on the list. Presidente is A great tasting beer, that is little known except by the locals. It is also a great value for budget travelers. I enjoyed this beer so much I brought back some coasters just to dream about. Somebody please tell me if you’ve found it in the states.