


Time to See the World.....All of It!
Inspired by others (particularly Simon & Erin at Never Ending Voyage) we decided early to travel hand luggage only (in theory). Everyone writing a travel blog seems eventually to reach the same conclusion: less is more. And after 2+ months on the road I’d agree.
Before we left Scotland, a hardened traveler working at Tisos told us:
Duly motivated, we did a lot of research onto what we might need to pack, what to avoid etc. and the process was actually fun: a little like a highly researched game of “Desert Island”. So many questions generating yet more questions. What kind of bag? Will I need to purify water? What technology should I take? How should I ration clothing? Many decisions had to be made.
The bags we ultimately chose are small enough to class as hand-luggage, but because of airline restrictions on liquids and Swiss Army Knives, we ended up checking them anyway. And then we lost them in Mexico for a few days, which sort of proved the point (i.e. do what you can to carry luggage on board with you).
Others have podcasted on this topic and even held surveys, but without further ado, this is my (Toby’s) packing list.
Luggage
Alison won the research game here and found what have turned out to be great bags so far: Osprey Meridien 60 Wheeled Backpack. I had ordered another similar bag, but sent it back on the grounds it was too large and the straps were broken (Caribee Skymaster 70).
There are a few prevailing views on what type of bag is best: backpack or wheeled or hybrid combination. We went for a hybrid, which is a wheeled case with a hidden set of straps allowing it to be used as a backpack. We were struck by other travellers mentioning they had rarely had to use luggage as a backpack, unless bona fide trekking, and the idea of not carrying heavy bags all the time was appealing. So the Meridian 60 fit the bill: hand-luggage size, additional day-pack and good reviews. They arrived and we tried a dummy packing. It was a tight squeeze but doable…bags sorted. To date I’ve used the back-straps once: transferring Alison’s and my luggage between hostels when she was ill.
Compression sacks are invaluable for squeezing down clothes and I use two with a couple spare in case of disaster (they’re not that robust). I would recommend these for any trip (business, vacation, RTW). You put the clothes in and simply roll them up to squeeze the air out. The space-saving is incredible.
Packing cubes are a handy way to pack down smaller items into a shape that packs well and that keeps all those random bits and bobs together in one place.
This is all of our luggage for two people for potentially 12+ months of travel…not a lot!
Clothes
My wardrobe has expanded a little to deal with cold (hoody), heat (vest t-shirt) and ease of use (flip flops). I aim to have enough clothes for just under 1 week. So far it all packs down very tight, although I tend to wear my trainers when travelling since they just don’t fit into the bag easily.
We’ve learnt/reinforced two things on the clothes front:
– Layers are the best way to deal with multiple climates. But everyone knows that already.
– Sometimes you just need two of something. In the last week my shorts were overused to the point they could stand up by themselves. I didn’t have another pair so once they were in the wash I had to wear trousers for a day in tropical heat and humidity. More shorts required! Same thing happened with my fleece in Xela. I guess some might argue that you wash by hand and dry overnight but we prefer availing ourselves of laundries. And in some climates, clothes will not dry overnight.
Technology
Note: Alison has an iPad mini, Canon IXUS 100 and Samsung Galaxy Mini II with her.
So far so good with these items with one exception: the DSLR is big and takes up too much space. We brought it along for wildlife photography but have used it perhaps three times. It is too bulky to carry all the time and too big and conspicuous to pull out elsewhere. I’m now seriously considering sending it home and going mirror-less for the wildlife. Cameras have moved on in six years and the available ISO range has become much much better.
Personal Hygiene
Note: At the start of the trip, I tried moving back to shaving oil to save space but it just clogs the razor, so for now it’s simple soap lather.
First Aid & Medicines
This seems like a lot but doesn’t take up too much space when you remove the pill packets from the cardboard packaging.
We also learnt the hard way that while it’s good to have anti-diarrheals, sometimes the problem is reversed and you need the opposite (a laxative)…we can attest that mango smoothies and prune soup work well. 🙂
Miscellaneous
Voila… that’s it, how I travel. As we go along there is a constant maintenance process: items added and removed to restore valuable space. Travelers talk of the regular purge of items. So far I think we’re managing about right, except perhaps the camera and a colorful-but-as-yet-unused door wedge. Stay tuned to this topic, perhaps Alison will reveal how many socks she carries!
No spork?
Ah yes and a spork!