A Post about Packing for Epic Adventures

Many years ago, before I set out on my first round-the-world adventure, I was faced with an intimidating challenge: 
How do you pack for 12 months on the road, travelling across the diverse landscapes and climates of 24 countries?
I knew I’d have to pack light, remaining nimble for the opportunities while avoiding excessive weight, unwanted attention, and painful waiting at airport arrivals.   I knew I’d have to be prepared for any situation.  I knew my clothing would have to be lightweight, high performance, and work in any number of combinations.
I knew all this, and still I got it all wrong.

The last-minute jeans I threw into my backpack (at the insistence of my Mom) were used more than other garment in my possession.  My colour combinations were horrific. Gray pants and gray shirts?   My hiking boots were too heavy and I had to buy cheap sneakers on the road that quickly fell apart.  I brought way too many medications and toiletries when I could have just picked up what I needed when I needed it.  And I did not heed the sound advice from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, that the only thing a traveller really needs is a good towel.    And despite reading that one should pack everything and then halve it, I packed way too much, not accounting for the stuff I’d inevitable buy along the way (Indian hippie-threads! Thai pants!  Souvenir T-Shirts!) to cram into my overstuffed backpack. ​

In the years since, I’ve became much more adept at packing, so much so that I can usually pack an hour before leaving for the airport.   Two very solid pieces of advice have always stuck with me:

1. There’s two ways to dress:   Stay in the same place and wear different clothes every day. Or wear the same clothes and change places every day.  When you’re constantly on the move, nobody knows or cares that you’re wearing the same shirt day after day, at least until it becomes stained and stinky and due for a well-deserved wash!
2. Pack for one day in which absolutely anything can happen:  A beach day, a wedding day, a big night clubbing, meeting royalty, jungle trekking, mountain climbing, monsoon, desert, a game of tennis, snow, job interview, painting a house.   It’s all about layers and combinations, and you’ll be amazed at what you can get away with in the clever use of scarves, sweaters, a collared shirt, and loafers.

Some of the most impressive travellers I’ve met pack everything they need for a two week hot climate adventure in their day pack.   Personally, I’m not one for hard-core packing sacrifices.  I’d rather pack at least a week’s worth of clothing than scrub one of two pairs of underwear every night.   Still, you can stuff a lot into your carry-on, or my spanking new, lightweight 69-litre wheeled duffel.

For my family’s upcoming 10-month adventure to four countries, I’m heeding all these words of advice.  Victorinox (Swiss Army) have provided us with outstanding luggage options, from wheeled duffels to medium sized hard cases for the kids.  Travelling with children, of course, is a different ball game.  They can burn through clothing like a pyro with a matchbox, oblivious to the time and effort cost of laundering clothes covered in yoghurt, snot, mud, cream cheese, blood, drool, vomit, or any combination of the above.   They’re also a lot less amenable to clothes choices.  My daughter already insists on wearing her stained Elsa princess shirt for every and any occasion.

A dozen years of professional travel has certainly taken the panic out of the process.   The same rules apply, as they always have, even if we’re packing diapers and wipes, stuffies and bedtime books.    You lay it all out on the bed.  Pack the best combinations for that one incredible day where anything can happen. And while anything you forget can be replaced or picked up on the road, the most important packing tip comes from within:  Wherever you go, it’s essential to pack the right state of mind. ​