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After all these years of travel, I still don’t enjoy packing nor do I feel good at it (always pack more than I need). When going on an extended trip I try to use my smaller Osprey Ozone 75L luggage which forces me to pack less. It’s a rugged bag that can easily navigate cobblestones in Europe or dirt roads with chicken shit in Vietnam.
Essentials:
✼ Cloths (pants and shirts) don’t overdo it, like I do. Also, it’s not a fashion show so you don’t need to bring your finest cloths. Be practical. Pants can be worn more often, shirts maybe 2 or 3 times depending on the heat level. If I’m going somewhere for a month or more, I’ll pack about 4 pants and 7 tops. You can always buy local. Less is better. It’s a good idea to bring one pair of comfortable black pants you can dress up with a nice top in case you go to a local theater or show. Try to pack cloths that don’t wrinkle as much. I roll my cloths and put in a packing cube. I like Eagle Creek packing cubes. I try to get different colored cubes so when in a hurry I grab the correct cube.
✼ Socks and underwear and undergarments. I usually bring a week’s worth and hand wash as I go. BTW shampoo works just fine as laundry detergent. If on a long trip, I will get my laundry done somewhere, possibly through the hotels unless they are super expensive.
✼ Shoes. Ugh, always a dilemma. These days I take two pair of tennis shoes and one pair of black flats. Again, it’s not a fashion show. You will walk a
✼ Pajamas.
✼ Toiletries
✼ Meds and supplements: Whew – don’t get me started. I am a plan B and C type of person, so I bring a condensed medicine cabinet in a unique system of rolled up bubble wrap from a mailing envelope (I should patent this). But trust me, I’ve needed most off and on and many countries don’t have the same meds, so if going local you can spend hours looking for something.
✼ Adapters
✼ Water filter if in third world countries. I like the BeFree brand.
Discretionary:
✼ Small towel to use as a place mat in dirty places, or for wiping my sweat off my camera. I like REI’s compact towel.
✼ Umbrella
✼ Swimsuit
✼ Blank cards and/or thank you cards. Just in case someone does something super special on your trip
✼ Trinkets or something from the states to give as a gift to locals or children, like maybe keychains. You’d be surprised at what people hang on to from encounters with visitors.
One time in the port of Naples, Italy, Steve and I were sitting at a wonderful café having a cappuccino, and then the waiter realizes we were American. He whips out an old beat-up photo of himself and Walter Cronkite. Apparently, Walter Cronkite had been an avid sailor and would dock there and have a café. The waiter must have had that photo for at least ten years. It made me realize that one encounter in life can have such an impact. By the way, I would have loved to run into Walter Cronkite in a port café in Naples. How cool would that be?
