I think everyone knows that feeling. That feeling of “ahhhhhhh” that comes after returning home and dumping your bags at the front door. No matter how great the trip, or even how long, there is something so sublimely comforting to finally be “home.” Well after nearly two years of traveling and living on other people’s boats, houses, couches, hostel rooms, hotel beds we’ve finally decided to unpack our bags for a while. And since we didn’t have a home of our own waiting for us when we got back we had been lucky enough to stay with family. Though it was extremely comfortable, specially the home cooked meals, and we appreciate the hospitality to no end sooner or later you just need your own place. Now the tricky part when you have no place is that choosing your new home means endless options. I mean we had sold all most all of our material goods when we left for our jaunt and had come home with just a few bags.

We did keep a few important kitchen items…such as chopsticks from Japan and a martini shaker

Though we seriously considered moving overseas to establish a home base we decided that this time we will stay in the U.S. There were a few reasons. I’m sure most who read this blog are aware that since getting back this year we have been building our own design and marketing biz and we figured that since we are still so little getting set up in the States where we are both citizens would be easier. Now the location. We dived the country up into four parts. The West Coast, East Coast, South, and Middle Area.

Before we left for our trip we had been living in Nebraska, which sits square in the middle of Middle Area, for work.  Both of us, though growing up in different parts of the world are both “southerners,” which means we are allergic to the cold.  The first winter in Nebraska we were woefully unprepared.  Completely underestimated what COLD could be.  Not having lived much with snow we were also very naïve to that whole experience.  The first time it snowed we were both so excited, I dragged my co-workers outside during our lunch break and made them build snowmen with me.  We were in love with the idea of a “white Christmas” and even went to a tree farm and trudged through the snow to find our perfect tree.  We were giddy with “I saw this on a movie once” feeling when the tree farm guys offered us hot apple cider while they loaded our tree in our car. 

It was a magical day! Hunting down the perfect tree in a snow covered field was a completely new experience for us

You see, our entire experience with snow had told us that this was a special occasion, that it won’t last long so better enjoy it.  Little did we suspect those first few weeks what people who live in the north knew all along…that it DOES last, it lasts an incredible amazingly loooong time!  After the snow didn’t go away for a month and the pretty white snow was by now grey sludge and driving to work was a death defining ordeal did it finally dawn on us that this was for real.  Winter does last longer than two months….

Walked out of the office to find my car…this is when I knew I was in deep trouble

So when we were looking at our map divided in four, the Middle Area was the first to be dropped from consideration. We’d love to visit, would love to learn how to ski, to dog sled, to throw snowballs all day again…but we had to be able to get out of it after a reasonable amount of time, and for us that meant winters shorter than half a year.

The West and East Coast were both alluring.  But after living in the country for six months we were really starting to look at cities as a change of pace and to help our little business grow.  Seattle and Portland in the West Coast held more intrest to us than California but having lived in Seattle for a year in my youth I recalled the seemingly endless gray days.  I know, there is a pattern emerging.  I’ve never been to LA but have flown in and out enough and seen enough bad TV to have a slightly bad taste in my mouth.  If you are from LA and would love to prove us wrong, let us know, we’d love to visit and see for ourselves!  San Francisco would have been on the list, but by then we had already shifted focus to the East Coast and the South.  We had really liked Charleston, but the areas we would have wanted to live in were a little posh. And the big cities of the East Coast, such as New York that we liked faced the same latitude problem.  Also New York is great, but man is it overpriced into absurdity.

The South was the last area we looked at.  We already knew the South so at first it didn’t hold the exotic newness we were craving.  Florida was off the list, just not our scene.  Atlanta was nicer than we had expected but not being close to the ocean always feels weird to me.  During this time we had been visiting New Orleans a lot for different reasons and our long lost desire to live there from our early days began to get re-kindled.  During our college days we had spent a fair amount of time in the city as it was only a few hours away from my campus.  We knew people in the city, we liked it’s chaotic nature and infectious character.  For us New Orleans is one of the few places left in the States that has not lost it’s original local character.  We had planned on moving there after graduation in another lifetime but like most people in the region, Hurricane Katrina forced our hands.  We were both living a few hours from the epicenter, the Mississippi coastline, here are just a few pics a few days after the storm wiped out the coast.

If you can imagine, this Casino was floating over half a mile down the road on water!!

This street used to be lined with houses, you can find everything they once owned in the treetops

And so we did

Five years later, in parts of New Orleans, you can still find the signs of the storm but the city is rebuilding back, hopefully even better.

While walking down the oak lined streets of  St. Charles one afternoon two months ago we decided to just do it.  We could over analyze our next destination to death, but heck, we liked it here and it fitted most our criteria: warm>cold weather, city life, culture.  So that weekend while were there for business on a whim we began house hunting.  After a near obsessive internet stalking of new listings, and a very clearly defined area of the city that we were willing to look at, we found our new home.

Finally “home” for a while

This week marks the end of our first month living in The Big Easy.  It’s been a whirlwind of a month, but we are finally settled.  I had prepared a video blog introducing our charming Garden District neighborhood to you but my poor computer has finally crashed and burned into oblivion, taking with it my files and video clips as a final parting gesture.  I will be getting a new one one day soon (listening Santa?? I’ve been good) and will be posting the video.  We also have been given permission to give away a few awesome prizes so stay tuned for that installment.

On a side note, we’d like to introduce a “new” member to the Hop & Jaunt crew! His name is Blue and he’s been with us since John & I first met.  Long story short Blue was my family puppy when I met John, six months later my family had to move to New Zealand and no one would take Blue.  It was very traumatic, specially for my Mom as she spent the most time with him, as everyone who had promised to take him began dropping out only 48hrs before boarding the plane.  On the last day with no other option my Mom and sister took Blue to the shelter, they stayed there a long time begging everyone who entered to adopt him.  He is one of the best dogs we’ve had, his personality more than making up for his rather awkward appearance. Never has a dog been more laid back either.  So that next day while a teary-eyed family loaded a plane, John went down to the shelter first thing in the morning and rescued Blue.  At John’s home in the country Blue has had some 60+ acres to roam freely in, a pond, and a home.  That was over eight years ago.  By a twist of fate John and I not only ended up in the same country again but only a few hours away a few years later, and as they say , the rest is history.  Blue has been on John’s family property since, as we were either in college or a thousand miles away working, or another thousand miles away traveling.  We’ve always talked about wanting to have him with us, specially as he’s getting older.  Now we’ve finally been able to make good for Blue.  His dreams came true, he’s allowed inside now, gets all the attention he cares for and is within reach at all times.  And in turn we’ve gained a loyal friend, who’s snores are a strangely relaxing backdrop while working.

‘ol Blue

With only a little more than a week left on our journey we are faced with round two of packing our bags. We had driven from Nebraska to Alabama towing a mini-trailer with our worldly belongings in it. This time, however, we are leaving by plane with only two check-ins allowed. My parents have already claimed two bags for their stuff and we need to pack light in case we end up on foot backpacking later on. Since we start off on a sail boat in the Caribbean, and that requires another set of needs, it is hard to figure out what to take or not. What we have done is to prioritize our luggage:

1.) Can’t Live Without

2.) Can Live Without But Would Love To Sneak In Bag

3.) Can Live Without

(The concept works well for those with over-flowing closets and garages too!)

Can’t Live Without

This is the not-so-fun nitty-gritty necessities. Things in this category include such items as passport, cash, debit/credit cards, laptops, and certified copies of important documents. Most travelers will not need the last items. However for those like us at Hop and Jaunt who literally have no idea of what we will be getting ourselves into, it may turn out to be a life saver. The ‘can’t live without’ list can include such things as:

- Diplomas

- Immunization Records

- Birth Certificate

- Social Security Cards

- Clothes

- Cash (should be top of list)

- Camera

Why? Well for the diploma; we are hoping to get a job again one day, and hopefully overseas. Just as in the U.S. most places require a degree. And most will want to see it. Similar line of thought goes into the other papers we will be taking. The reason for the certified copy is clear: to keep the originals safe. In the past I have found that certified copies are accepted in all but the most extreme cases. Most likely we will never have to produce these, but if we needed it we will have a copy on hand. I know some of you may have an issue with the laptop and certified documents being on this list but we are not just backpacking and coming back. We will be living in places, for unknown periods of time, without a return ticket. What we take will be it, hopefully for a long time before we get back. So unfortunately the paperwork must come with us. Clothes and cash, need I say more? There are several online articles about what to pack and everyone has different budgets. Ours is on the bottom rung but I have heard of others actually having enough to buy stuff! Thus the paperwork for any remote possibility of a job. If you haven’t noticed yet our planning runs on the chaos theory, the further back you stand the better. Everyone needs a camera. Even if it’s just a throw-away one time type you’ll wish you took a few six months later. Trust me on this one.

Can Live Without But Would Love To Sneak In Bag

Being designers and doodle masters since we were wee-little we will be adding extra weight with various sketchbooks and even our beloved wacom tablet (an electronic sketch pad of sorts). This is obviously not going to be on most peoples list of must-pack items but for us it is. Have you ever seen kids with crayons without a coloring book? You’ll have colorful “art” on the kitchen walls. We are really keeping ourselves out of trouble more than anything. I think you need to make room for one thing you love. When traveling slow and without much structure, you’re bound to find a lot of downtime. Not every town will be open and scenic after nightfall.

In this day and age most of us will be carrying around one gadget or another. The cold hard truth is that 93% of us truly don’t need it but owww- we want it so bad. If you can carry it on your back, won’t lose it, and it’s not an obvious “rob me” sign then you should take it with you. If not, leave it home.

Can Live Without

- Change of Clothes

- Hair Taming Gadgets

- Shoes for Every Occasion

- Extra Cash

- Routine

This is our third time packing our bags before and I still have too many clothes. I know that, but when I start to put the clothes in the bag I see something in the corner or my eye that shouts out “you will need me when it is slightly breezy and rainy but you still want to look chic.” Or some other random nonsense. I know deep inside, even as I am agreeing with that thought and packing the shirt, that I will most likely never even get to wear it. Yet in the bag it sits. This is where the ex-pat part of me shows. I am new to the concept of backpacking and more used to building a life wherever I land. This time, the space that will be our “room” on the sailboat will be about the size of a bathtub. It’s time for re-pack number four. The shirt gets the boot.

No more room for hair dryers, straightner, and whatever else I use to tame the mess of hair on my head. In preparation for the trip I did go cut my hair short. That should help somewhat. John has an opposite solution. He is just going to let his grow out. This could get interesting.

We each get three pairs. Flip-flops, tennis shoes, and some sort of boat/water friendly shoes. If we leave the sailboat scene and head inland at any point we will have to leave behind one pair.

The most important thing one will need to be able to live without: extra cash and a routine. In truth it’s not extra cash so much as reliable money. Knowing when that next paycheck is coming. It goes hand-in-hand with having a reliable routine. There is comfort in the expected, such as being able to plan a future. The reliable source of income will be missed. However routine in life, even if comforting, has always made me feel claustrophobic. I appreciate having a general plan for the next few days or even weeks, but if I look down the road and see what is coming for months, even years at a time, I need a change. A breathe of fresh air. This could be me, or it could be a side-effect of the nomadic life-style of my first twenty years. Intellectually understanding the concept of “grass is greener on the other side” doesn’t mean I don’t want to check it out anyway. All humans are creatures of habit, even me. It’s just at what degree you fall into. John is a man of daily routines. He could be anywhere and within a few weeks will be deeply ingrained in his routine. My routines are harder to notice but they are there, more akin to a habit. The important thing that allows us to travel is that both of our routines are self imposed and thus could be taken anywhere. The question one needs to ask them selves is how much of their daily routine and comfort factor comes from internal versus external forces. If it’s more internal than external you will be far more likely to be comfortable in any environment.

Now that you know what you need is basically just you and very little of your stuff it’s time to head out!

]]> http://www.hopandjaunt.com/blog/travel/travel-packing-the-mental-game/feed/ 3