Packing Tips for Long Trips

Here we go again!  After a two year travel hiatus, I'm happy to say that we're back in business!  I'm so excited to reignite my love of travel, and to again feel the joy of seeing a whole new part of the world.  Today's topic is packing.  When I tell people I travel for 2 months with just carry-ons, they can't believe it.  I have been asked for packing tips more than once, so hopefully this will give you at least one good idea to help you pack for your next adventure!

When I first began this blog, I posted photos of what I was bringing with me on my European exploration.  Now, after visiting 20+ countries, and spending a cumulative total of over 2 years abroad, I have refined and perfected my packing practices.  I don't presume to be an authority on packing, and I know everyone will have different purposes for travel, but I'd like to share with you here my advice and tricks to get the most out of your packing.

Believe it or not, there are 3 components to packing.  The first two are easily solved:

1)  Luggage Selection:  Different types of trips require different luggage.  

• Small backpack:  Perfect for weekend trips.   Compression straps allow things to be compacted and less bulky.  
• Pros: simple, easy, lightweight, maneuverable, easy to find what you need. 
• Cons: limited space, not good for clothes that wrinkle, pressure on your back.

• Rolling bag:  Perfect for week-long trips where you will always be in a car, or staying in one hotel.  Not at all practical for multiple destinations.   
• Pros:  easy to open, things stay flat, different pockets, saves your back, easy to wheel on flat surfaces, easy as checked bag.  
• Cons: hard to bring up and down stairs, heavy when empty, not maneuverable on dirt, sand, rocks, cobblestone and other non-paved surfaces.  Plus, often when people bring these, they tend to over-pack.  This leads to struggling to find what you need, time spend packing and unpacking the mess, and an unnecessarily heavy bag.
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• Framed backpack:  Perfect for long distance, long-term travel where you will be moving around.  This is my personal favorite for just about every occasion.  
• Pros:  adjustable to fit your body type, large capacity, lightweight when empty, easy to move across any surfaces, comfortable, easy to bring on different forms of transportation.  
• Cons:  takes time before checking to tie loose straps, if not properly fitted it can be uncomfortable, can wrinkle clothes.

• Large duffel and rolling bags:  These are really only appropriate for moving in and out of college, lol.  They are too impractical and unwieldy for any sort of travel.  
• Pros:  holds a lot of stuff.  
• Cons:  bulky, heavy, hard to carry any distance, difficult for any transportation transfers, forces you to pack WAY more than you need.

2)  How you put items in the luggage:  The second aspect is often overlooked.  Most people just pile up their clothes in their baggage, but really how you pack your bag can makes a big difference.  My personal recommendation is to roll clothing.  This makes it easy to find what you need and to keep things organized.  I go one step further.  I put clothes into waterproof stuff sacks by type: tops, bottoms, warm layers, undergarments, etc.  I color code the bags, so that I only need to remember that tops are in the red bag, for example.  This makes it very easy to pull out what I need quickly, and likewise to put everything back in neatly.  Plus, they are waterproof, so getting caught in a rain storm isn't as big of a deal.

3) What you pack:  This is the last and most important component.  From clothing to technology and toiletries, choosing the right items to pack can save you time, money, and make the difference between comfort and a miserable day.  There are 4 main things I consider when packing:

• versatility-how many ways can it be used/worn.  There's a lot of great products now that do multiple things: multi-tools, reversible or zip-off pants, etc.

• cleaning requirements-can it be washed by hand with water?  Does it need to be dry cleaned?  If something is complicated to care for, then it doesn't make sense for a backpacking trip.

• lightweight and compact-the less I carry, the more flexible my plans can be, so each individual thing needs to be the smallest and lightest possible.

• easy dry-any clothing I bring need to be able to air dry within a day so they can be packed the next day.  Clothes can get that musty sour smell if they are packed when they are still moist.

To wrap up, here are some of my favorite travel products.  I have chosen them for how well they meet the 4 qualities above: versatile, easy to clean, lightweight, and easy dry.  I'd also just like to say that I am receiving no compensation of any kind for endorsing these products.  I just genuinely believe in them and use them myself.  :)

From left: 1) a pillowcase:  In a pinch, you can stuff this with clothing to make an impromptu pillow.  Also, if you have any trouble with allergies, this can provide slight relief when covering a mildewy pillow.

2) Doc Bronner's bar soap:  This awesome stuff is a general purpose soap.  Use it for shampoo, laundry, dishes, body wash, even toothpaste!  Plus, it's environmentally responsible and can be used in the wild without causing damage.  It's available in lavendar, eucalyptus, and my favorite: peppermint, among others.

3) cord: great as a clothes line, or to be used to lash any larger items.

4) Nuun re-hydration tablets:   These are AWESOME!  Drop one into a bottle of water, and you have a fizzy, tasty drink that serves the purpose of gatorade without all the extra sugar.

5) Quick-Dry towel:  rather than making space for a huge towel, bring a pack towel that packs down to the size of a shoe.  Plus, it absorbs tons of water and dries in half the time!

 6)  Adaptor/Charger/USB Port:  Instead of bringing a large adaptor kit with one wall socket like I used to, this year I invested in a combined adaptor, surge protector, and USB port.  This way, not only can it be used all over the world, I can charge one standard plug item, in this case my netbook, and 2 additional USB cords, charging my phone and camera batteries.

7) USB SD Card:  This SanDIsk Ultra II SD card works like a typical camera memory card, but it saves you space.  It converts to a USB in a snap, so that you don't have to bring any cables to connect camera and computer.  I especially like this, because when I am traveling in areas that may not be as safe, I don't have to have an expensive camera with me at an internet cafe.  Now I just slip in the memory card, and no one is the wiser.

I hope this is a little helpful!  Enjoy your travels, and please feel free to share any questions or your own favorite products and packing tips!