Tag Archives: road schooling

The Pack List

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?

Eight months of clothes?

Compression Bag = Magic!

Compression Bag = Magic!

No heels in sight.

No heels in sight.

When a duff becomes the bling.

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

IMG_0477

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

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

IMG_0419

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

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!

Road Schooling Part II

Education Wherever You Are

Education Wherever You Are

By George, I think I’ve got it! For many of you, this will be a dull post. However for those with wee ones who dream of an escape, this is a practical post. Here’s the approach for taking a year on the road while still paying homage to the Seattle Public School system, so, you know, your darlings will graduate and go on to accomplish great things.

1. Fill out the Declaration of Intent to Homeschool: http://cppp.seattleschools.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/1708901/File/Declaration%20of%20Intent.pdf and submit to the school district. I was happy to hear that as a college graduate, I qualify to homeschool my lucky little ducks. Poor mallards.

2. Home school my nuggets! Easier said than done, however between Khan Academy, http://www.khanacademy.org, and Stanford online, http://epgy.stanford.edu/, to handle the math and science, I am covering the reading and writing based on where we are in the world. And I’m relying on Japan, SE Asia and South America to add a little art, music, language AND confidence building along the way!

3. Re-enroll the monkeys in the Seattle Public School system in early spring of 2014 for the 2014/2015 school year.

Voila!

Here’s what I know from a life in business, when strategy is implemented, the unplanned gaps appear. So stay tuned for the “solves” along the road.

On a different note, here’s a tease of one of the places we’re staying in Thailand in the national park of Khao Sok: http://www.khaosokaccommodation.com. Monkeys and spiders and snakes…oh my!