So, I have been known to dabble in the travel. An exchange program here, a study abroad program there ... initially it was a harmless footnote of a hobby. However, in the summer of my 26th year this hobby developed into a full blown addiction, complete with heat rash and withdrawal symptoms. Sexy? You bet. To appease said addiction, I booked a 6 month round-the-world ticket with stops in eight countries.
I packed one lone backpack to accommodate everything that I'd need for trekking in Vietnam, nursing injured wildlife in Greece, teaching in Milan and going out Edinburgh. Really, I think I'm just as proud of my packing list as I am of those stamps in my passport.
No, no. Definitely more proud of my packing.
So you wanna know what to pack?
1) Sarong. Or can I say Sa-right? (Oh, stop groaning. You know that shit is funny!) I cannot sing the praises of Sarongs loudly enough. It's a skirt! It's a dress! It's a pillow, towel, sheet, shawl and scarf! These come in especially handy when you are traveling in conservative countries and periodically need to cover your shoulders or knees to enter specific places. They're thin so you can hand wash them and they'll dry really quickly. I would also recommend going for a sarong in a more sophisticated print. It's not nearly as convincing as a skirt if it's tie-dyed and covered with lizards.
2) Really nice flip flops. Nothing says pain-in-the-ass American Tourist louder than athletic sandals. I know that athletic sandals are really comfy and your feet won't hurt after three hours of walking around cathedrals ... but people are going to giggle at you in French. While these look like casual, vaguely fashionable flip flops they are actually cleverly disguised athletic sandals! They'll give you heaps of arch support, dry off quickly after that mid-morning downpour, and you won't look like a douche. I really like the ones made by Chaco.
3) Stretchy, convertible black skirt/top. Oh, these are so useful. It can be a top or a skirt! Good for a top when you eat too much and want to hide your food baby, good for a skirt when you have to pee on the side of the road in Cambodia.
4) Watch. I know one of the best parts of vacation is losing track of what time/day/month it is. That being said, you will often need to know what time it is because you have to get to the airport, or catch the bus to the catacombs or call your family in a different time zone. And this fancy timekeeper will dress up an outfit and count as one of your few pieces of jewelry.
5) Shampoo bar. You know what weighs a million pounds and takes up lots of space and spills all over your clothes? Shampoo. Shampoo bars will last forever and weigh a fraction of their liquid counterparts. You won't have Pantene commercial hair with a shampoo bar. Your hair will actually look something like this. But isn't that exponentially more sexy?
6) Leave in conditioner. This will help with the sexy beach hair, and it can also double as lotion or shaving creme.
In addition these essentials, I'd highly recommend several stretchy black pieces in synthetic fabrics, zippered stuff sacks for everything, some black ballet flats and a huge sense of adventure.
Bon Voyage!
Got the travel bug? Check out my ebooks and podcasts on making long-term travel a reality! Only $15 forpetessake!
I packed one lone backpack to accommodate everything that I'd need for trekking in Vietnam, nursing injured wildlife in Greece, teaching in Milan and going out Edinburgh. Really, I think I'm just as proud of my packing list as I am of those stamps in my passport.
No, no. Definitely more proud of my packing.
So you wanna know what to pack?
1) Sarong. Or can I say Sa-right? (Oh, stop groaning. You know that shit is funny!) I cannot sing the praises of Sarongs loudly enough. It's a skirt! It's a dress! It's a pillow, towel, sheet, shawl and scarf! These come in especially handy when you are traveling in conservative countries and periodically need to cover your shoulders or knees to enter specific places. They're thin so you can hand wash them and they'll dry really quickly. I would also recommend going for a sarong in a more sophisticated print. It's not nearly as convincing as a skirt if it's tie-dyed and covered with lizards.
2) Really nice flip flops. Nothing says pain-in-the-ass American Tourist louder than athletic sandals. I know that athletic sandals are really comfy and your feet won't hurt after three hours of walking around cathedrals ... but people are going to giggle at you in French. While these look like casual, vaguely fashionable flip flops they are actually cleverly disguised athletic sandals! They'll give you heaps of arch support, dry off quickly after that mid-morning downpour, and you won't look like a douche. I really like the ones made by Chaco.
3) Stretchy, convertible black skirt/top. Oh, these are so useful. It can be a top or a skirt! Good for a top when you eat too much and want to hide your food baby, good for a skirt when you have to pee on the side of the road in Cambodia.
4) Watch. I know one of the best parts of vacation is losing track of what time/day/month it is. That being said, you will often need to know what time it is because you have to get to the airport, or catch the bus to the catacombs or call your family in a different time zone. And this fancy timekeeper will dress up an outfit and count as one of your few pieces of jewelry.
5) Shampoo bar. You know what weighs a million pounds and takes up lots of space and spills all over your clothes? Shampoo. Shampoo bars will last forever and weigh a fraction of their liquid counterparts. You won't have Pantene commercial hair with a shampoo bar. Your hair will actually look something like this. But isn't that exponentially more sexy?
6) Leave in conditioner. This will help with the sexy beach hair, and it can also double as lotion or shaving creme.
In addition these essentials, I'd highly recommend several stretchy black pieces in synthetic fabrics, zippered stuff sacks for everything, some black ballet flats and a huge sense of adventure.
Bon Voyage!
Got the travel bug? Check out my ebooks and podcasts on making long-term travel a reality! Only $15 forpetessake!
