A Broad Side - What to Sneak In

Okay please do not read the title and believe that I want you to sneak drugs in. Remember that you represent your home institution and doing something like that can get that school or even country banned from going to the location you are at. DO NOT SNEAK DRUGS IN.

Also you aren't really sneaking anything, it's just fun to call it that.

Disclaimer [check]

What to sneak in! After you have scoped out the country you plan to infiltrate there are some key essentials you will want to bring in with you so your mission can have the highest success rate.

As always communication with the home base is the utmost essential thing you need and what better way to accomplish that than your super high-tech spy computer. Able to make phone calls to home through google voice and utilize the all-powerful internet to find out any information you could possibly need. With this piece of tech you will never be bored as there are infinite possibilities on the web, just ask your local hacker.

Something important to keep in mind is that the target country may nor use the same technology as us so you will also need to make sure your tech is compatible with theirs. How terrible would it be if you get there and find out that your spy computer cannot get plugged into their outlet? Even countries that are "compatible" still share many differences. Japan, although compatible with the U.S. actually forsakes that silly ground hole and thinker/wide end on the plug. Make sure the adapter you bring allows you to adapt to even the harshest of conditions.

While on the subject of your spy computer's compatibility, you may want to consider picking up a VPN or proxy so you can enjoy the internet of your home country. There are a few companies that sadly do not allow you to use proxies, but as you are a super-secret spy you shouldn't be spending your time on Netflix anyways. (they work locally in most countries anyways.) there are both paid and free proxy services, while free ones are not always very reliable there paid ones are not typically very expensive. Also if you are an aspiring hacker needing to hide your location Tor may be how you want to browse.

Enough with the tech, now to consider your wardrobe. In order to help you blend in I recommend bringing several shirts that allow you to look different quite often, even though you have very few with you. Pants do not matter as much but you should bring enough that you can rotate your clothes out, or you will wear them out. A smaller wardrobe means that you wear the same things more often and actually wear the clothes out faster. A good spy can set up their wardrobe in a way the makes it seem like they have tons of clothes or at least hides that they are wearing the same things over and over, while only having a limited amount of options. Remember it doesn’t take very many clothes to fill up your suitcase and if you do where will you put your high tech gear?

Another important thing is to know how to properly stave off the locals. Sometimes it can be with your awesome looks, but some situations call for more crafty tricks. A good way is to shower them with cheap gifts such as postcards from where you came from. With this light weight and clever distraction you can show pictures from home and give presents they will enjoy all while saving luggage space and money.

Another powerful tool you need is your spy watch, able to track time at home and in the target country. Remember it never hurts to be informed, and when you need to make those phone calls back to home base you would best not wake them up at odd hours. HQ gets really grumpy when you do that. This is lightweight and able to travel in carry-on. Small, simple, but the enemy won't ever know its true purpose.

Worried that you may not have the entertainment you need? The internet just isn't good enough? Well there is a solution for that. Obviously you can rip CDs to your computer, but with software such as DVD Decrypter you can bring copies of your DVDs too. PSP Video 9 can then convert them to mp4s for saving even more space. Also services such as Steam allow you to download lots of games onto your hard drive and play them offline. Do not bring the disks for these things though, as they are quite heavy. If you need space grab a portable external hard drive. Once your data is safely stored you can travel without fear of boredom. Make sure you password protect it though so the enemy cannot steal it and access your information.

Toiletries can become a must depending on where you go. You may be surprised at what is common place in a country. Some countries may prefer spray on deodorants instead of stick and if you prefer stick then you may not find it. Some other countries dislike perfume, so you also may want to research it first. Remember to bring the things that you need not just really want. A toothbrush is a need, a hair dryer is not (and is really heavy for travel, just buy one there if you actually "need" it)

Your important documents scanned and saved as files on a secret hidden file or drive. Medical, travel, and other documents can become very necessary or if you lose things like your passport having a scanned backup could save you a whole lot of grief. Try not to bring paper copies as they will take up space and weight. Besides a passworded flash drive in your hand or pocket is a lot safer than a bunch of papers in a suitcase. If you bring paper it should be money, because not everywhere takes a card.

Finally we encourage you to bring along your spy camera. One with good photographic and videographic capabilities. You never know when you will want to document something, blog, vlog, or otherwise share your amazing experience with your fellow compatriots on the web. We know it is harder for you younger spies to resist the Facebook and YouTube, so if you are going to access them at least have good quality work to show for it. If you want to have a lightweight one, I recommend a mirrorless, but anything that has both video and picture capabilities is just fine.

Good luck on your mission. If you succeed you will be a hero.