Ever since I took a rolling suitcase that nearly reached my shoulder to church camp when I was ten, I have pretty much vowed off of packing anything but the bare necessities. But when departure for Peace Corps rolled around, and I realized that I was planning to spend 27 months very far away from the USA, WalMart and Target included, I did get a little nervous. How on earth can you pack everything you need for two years in a camping backpack, a small duffel, and an overnight bag? The answer is that I found it surprisingly easy to do… and, with a renewed multi-year trans-continental departure looming, now seems to be the perfect time to attempt to recall whatever packing insight I can.
Here goes:
CLOTHING
-Consider seasons. Be sure to pack clothing that you can wear anytime of the year (t-shirts, jeans, socks of normal thickness), clothing for layering (long-sleeved, sweaters/sweatshirts/jackets etc.) and clothing you can wear if you’re twelve inches from the sun (shorts, skirts).
-Consider laundry. No need to pack 20 t-shirts, even if leaving for 20 years. People in all parts of the world buy and wash clothing, you can always purchase something new when your clothes begin to wear out, or if you find you can never do laundry more than once monthly. That said, always bring enough underwear… you can wear most things multiple times. Underwear, not as easily, though it does wash and dry faster than the clothing you typically wear on top of it.
-Consider dress code/ cultural norms/ personal comfort. If you know you need to wear a suit every day, bring suits. But don’t bring only sarongs simply because that is the culturally accepted dress code where you are headed. It is important that you balance your personal level of comfort with your adherence (or lack of adherence) to socially imposed dress code wherever you plan to go. So, do your research! Then, take it with a grain of salt and dress the way you want or need to.
-Get more for your money. Don’t pack the thick wool sweater from grandma as your winter-wear, even if it’s your favorite in the whole world. Pack things that aren’t bulky and compress easily, where possible– this may seem like simple logic, but, it’s important logic. You can fit more stuff if the stuff you are fitting is small. This general principle also applies to non-clothing items.
SHOES
-(Number of days of trip in which shoes will be seasonally appropriate AND useful for planned activities) / (Total number of days in trip). The rough magnitude of this calculation should give you a useful scale by which to grade your shoes. The larger the number, the more useful your shoes are… shoes that give you a “1″ on this scale should never be left at home, the “1/365″ shoes probably should stay in your closet. To calculate per-pound or per-cubic-foot usefulness, divide by the shoes’ weight or volume.
TOILETRIES
-Don’t bring them. If you can’t find some local version of hygiene products upon arrival (or, worse, you won’t use the local version), then perhaps you should pick a different travel destination.
-Buy a diva cup. I’m serious– if you are a woman and you use tampons, don’t. They are bad for the environment and for your body, and you will also save a lot of money in your travels with one of these. http://www.divacup.com/
-Do bring a small towel. You save space by only bringing a hand towel, and you can always buy a body towel if you crave one upon arrival.
TECHNOLOGY AND ENTERTAINMENT
-Think hard. Yeah, that’s useful advice, right? I mean it. What will you be doing on your trip? You might be sure you want a digital camera, but is it worth bringing the computer and ipod and all as well? You can always bring some extra memory for that camera. Particularly if you usually use your computer just for the internet, look into internet accessibility where you’ll be– it may only be found in internet cafes, rendering your precious PC useless. Also think about crime rates and environmental factors… both have a habit of destroying gadgets in many parts of the world.
-Consider juice-free entertainment. Often small, cheap, and easy to pack, you may want to bring things like a deck of cards, set (http://www.setgame.com/) or trade paperbacks. If you’ll have a lot of down-time, think about bringing a how-to book on something you’re interested in, but don’t know much about.
MISCELLANY
-Will you need tools or gear? Depending on your destination and planned activities, think about size/weight conscious choices for things like a multi-tool, flashlight, sleeping bag, tent, etc. A multi-tool is useful anywhere, but only bring things like a sleeping bag if you actually plan to use them.
This should be enough packing wisdom to get started…. we’ll see how this advice shapes up as the next departure approaches!
