I've done the puja in my house a lot of times. I try to do it every pournami. I also do it without a pandit. I do have a casette with the puja procedure, which is available in different languages in Indian stores.

Apart from this you need to have a picture of Sathyanarayana swamy, a kalasam, panchapatra (can use a glass & spoon) and a small plate, coconuts, beetle leaves, flower garland / flowers, beelte nut, camphor, haldi, kumum, vibhudi, fruits, a prasadam made with suji, and panchamrutam ( milk, yogurt, ghee, jaggery & a fruit).

You need the coconut & beetle leaves to

…details…

You most surely can. Dont stop yourself from praying for silly reasons. You can go ahead and pray all you want, and chat the stotra as well. If at all you feel bad doing it, and if it's not too much of a problem, you can remove them and chant.

To keep track, a lot of people use a string of beads, coins, flowers etc. Since you'll be travelling, a string of beads shd be a better option. Coins are also not too bad.

…details…