Travel Packing- The Mental Game

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!

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