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.
• 

• 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!

Getting to the Galapagos

Every now and then, interspersed between photography and narratives, I like to post helpful information for other would-be travelers.  This post is for anyone who is thinking of visiting the Galapagos in the future.  Since I have only been here for a week, I know this is not a comprehensive tutorial, but I hope that it will be helpful, and give you an idea of what to expect in getting to the islands. 

Mixed in with a general how-to narrative, I will also mark specific tips of importance (*NOTE), so if you are a skimmer, read those.

Flights

The first hurdle in getting to the Galapagos Islands is flying in.  Most international flights land in Quito, and then you must find a connecting flight to the islands.  There are airports on 2 of the islands: Santa Cruz and San Cristobal.  Depending on which island you want to get to, it may be easier to fly to Guayaquil instead of Quito.  There are only 3 airlines that fly to the islands: AeroGal, Tame, and LAN.   Not all airlines have flights every day, and flights usually depart early in the morning.

*NOTE:  Though 3 airlines service the islands, only LAN has the capability to sell tickets online before you arrive.

It is also the most expensive.  Because of all this, it is often easier to just fly in, and buy a ticket in person, as I did.  This method does, however, require you to be flexible with time.  You may not get the exact date or time you want, but it does give you options between the three companies.  It worked perfectly for me, as I landed in Quito at 6pm and bought a flight for the next morning, staying at a hotel right next to the airport.  Upon arrival, only Tame had flights available for the dates I wanted.  The other companies required I stay longer in Quito first, or departed earlier from the islands than I had hoped.

*NOTE: you will have to buy a return flight.  In order to enter the Galapagos, they will check that you have plans to depart.

Once you have a flight, make sure you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours early.  Even though it is a domestic flight, there are many precautions taken to protect the island, and you will need at least 1.5 hours before boarding.

Precautions

*NOTE: When you first arrive at the airport, do not go right to the airline window.  You must first complete 2 additional steps from the normal flight procedure.

Before they will give you your boarding pass, you must first pass through a series of preparations.  First, you will be asked to pay $10 for a tourist card.  This process is surprisingly long considering the simplicity of the form.  It took about 45 minutes before I was at the window myself.  They will start the form for you, and then you must complete the rest to hand in upon arrival in the islands.

After you have your tourist card, your bag will be screened for safety to enter the Galapagos.  They will be looking for seeds, fruits, plants, and other organic material that could have damaging effects upon the environment.  Once scanned, your bag will receive a tag verifying its approval.

Once these two steps are complete, go to the ticket window.  They will ask to see your tourist card, passport, flight information, and verification of baggage check. Then you check in as usual.

Entering the Country

The next unorthodox step, is that just before landing on the islands, the flight crew will open all of the overhead bins, and spray insecticide--also to prevent invasive epidemics.

Once you have landed, head to immigration, where they will collect your tourist card.  Here also, you will pay a $100 park fee, since the entire archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At this point, almost all precautions are done.

*NOTE: They will give you back a tourist card stub.  Hang onto this, because they will collect it when you leave. 

The last step is another bag check.  Workers will unload all of the baggage and form it in rows.  A canine crew will then come in, filing up and down the rows until they are satisfied that nothing unsavory is being shuttled in.  Once you have finished this step, you are free to go.

To Tour or Not to Tour

At this point, it's choose-your-own-adventure.  Much like my previous post about Mexican beaches and the do-it-yourself vs. resort holidays, your experience here could be just as different.  The vast majority of visitors to the island, come in packaged tours ranging from 3-8 days in length.  As you probably have guessed by now, I am not the tour type.  I've just never been able to travel in a pack.  I always had my own drummer, right mom and dad?

So, of course, with that spirit, I made my way to the islands without a tour.  If I had done a tour, I would have probably been met at the the airport by one of those happy signs with a company name on it, where henceforth, all preparations would have already been made, and I could kick back and enjoy the ride.

However,...

That's not what I did. 

So now I am on this marvelous adventure solo, and while I would probably do it the same all over again, I want to share this with you:

*NOTE: due to the great restrictions placed on travelers to protect the environment here, there are many places on the islands where foreigners are forbidden to go without a guide. 

While there is still a lot to do without a tour, you may be disappointed if there are things you cannot do without joining a group.  So, starting on Sunday, I will be joining a group.  I had the chance to see a lot of incredible things on San Cristobal (which is my next post), and I have a few days before the tour to explore the island of Santa Cruz, but there is a lot more that I want to see, and I just would not be able to see it unless I take one of these boat tours.  So, Jess will be a pack animal for once.  We'll see how that goes!  More later!