Quandary: Eight months + ten countries + three seasons + one backpack = What to wear?
No rtw blog would be complete without the infamous packing list. It serves as a resource for those other brave souls who climb on the rtw bus after us. It is meticulously curated to ensure pragmatic efficiency. Fashion, sadly, takes a subservient role.
I’ve combed rtw blogs for months hungry for packing lists. The most useful of all was at http://www.answeringoliver.com/2012/02/my-rtw-packing-list.html and you’ll see that my list closely resembles Devon’s.
As our 10-day countdown begins, here’s what we are packing:
Clothing (Rachel’s list – kids & DH are similar)
- Hats (one baseball & one newsboy)
- Ex-Officio BugsAway Pant (to keep Dengue fever, malaria & Japanese encephalitis at bay!)
- Ex-Officio BugsAway Hoody
- Ex-Officio BugsAway Tee
- Shorts (1)
- Capris Pants (2)
- Belt
- Quick Drying Dress (1)
- T-Shirts (3)
- Tank Tops (2)
- Sports Bras & Regular Bra
- Quick Drying Undies
- Quick Drying Socks
- Bathing Suit (1)
- Keen Trail Shoes
- Teva Sandals
- Patagonia Fleece Pullover
- Patagonia Rain Shell
- Buffs (2)
- Scarf & necklace (my limited bling)
Eight months of clothes?
Compression Bag = Magic!
No heels in sight.
When a buff becomes the bling.
Electronics
- iPhone (unlocked)
- iPad
- Kindle
- Assorted Chargers (not shown)
- Anker External Battery
- Headphones& Splitter
- Digital Camera (not shown because I used it to take this pic!)
- Outlet Converter
- Headlamp
Other
- Doorstop (helps secure doors from the inside if we end up at a sketchy guesthouse)
- Silk Sleep Sack
- Point It Dictionary
- Cheap Sunglasses (I expect to lose them so nice glasses will stay at home!)
- Carabineers
- Sewing Kit
- Clothesline
- Portable Laundry Soap
- Portable Fan
- Ear Plugs & Sleep Masks
- Duct Tape
- Barf Bags (I know my family well)
- Security Belt
- Baggallini Triple Zip Bag (small bag that attaches to my belt — telling myself its NOT a fanny pack)
- Instant Cold Towel (Loews)
Travel necessity: mustache duct tape
Medical
- Malaria Pills
- Ciprofloxacin (traveler’s diarrhea – fun!)
- Azithromycin (same as above – hope we don’t need both!)
- Imodium & Pepto Pills
- Acetazolamide (altitude sickness)
- Advil
- Allegra Allergy Pills
- Benedryl
- Epipen
- Bug Spray w/Deet
- Neosprin
- Band-aids
- Moleskin
- Antibiotic Wipes & Gel
- Kleenex
- First Aid Kit
Toiletries
- Mini shampoo / conditioner (purchase upon arrival)
- Body Wash
- Face Lotion w/Sunscreen
- Sunscreen (purchase upon arrival)
- Hairbrush
- Headbands
- Wet Wipes
- Body Lotion (purchase upon arrival)
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Floss
- Blistex
- Nail Clippers
- Tweezers
- Deodorant
- Razor
Homeschool
- Singapore Math 7th & 8th Grade Curriculum
- Two Graph Paper Notebooks
- Writing Workshop Lesson Plan Loaded on Ipad
- Two Writing Notebooks
- Pencils
- Sharpener
- Calculator
- Kindle App Loaded with Fiction & Non-Fiction Books
- Kids Ipads Fitted with Keyboards & Loaded with QuickOffice
Traveling classroom
Documents
- Passports
- Immunization Records
- 2 Sets of Photocopies of the above plus copies of birth certificates, drivers licenses, marriage certificate, health insurance coverage
- Health Cards
- Credit and Bank Cards (Capital One Venture Card has no foreign transaction fees)
- Itinerary & Travel Notes
- Notebooks of Different Sizes (for journaling & jotting down travel notes)
- Much of the Above Scanned on iPad
What I Am not Bringing that I will Miss
- Flat Iron (high maintenance, I know, but I’m just being honest!)
- Jeans (I live in my jeans but they are too bulky for the trip)
- FitFlops (DH will be so glad not to see these for 8 months)
- MacBook Pro (despite much advice from seasoned travelers, I’m only taking my iPad – lugging my 13” MacBook across continents flies in the face of simplification, so I am leaving it in Seattle & hope not to regret it)
I should note that we’ve packed a box of winter clothes to be sent to meet us in Germany. Now if only it all goes as planned…as I appreciate we won’t really know what we needed and what we could have left behind until we’re actually on the road!
greenleycoffeebreak 