Review of packing strategy after 4 months on the road.

Oct 7

Oct 7 Review of packing strategy after 4 months on the road.

When we first started planning for our world trip we debated in what would be the most efficient and effective way to pack for all 5 of us. Once we settled for backpacking (i.e. limited space) we started reading blogposts, travel forums, reading books and talking to other world travelers to get some ideas about how to pack. In the end we incorporated some of these tips and adjusted to our family’s needs. (And we crossed our fingers!)

After traveling for several months with our backpacks in tow, here are some thoughts about our packing strategy:

Clothes: You need less then you think! At first I thought we needed many more outfits and types of clothes, but we really don’t!!! Having a limited amount of clothes makes it easy to get dressed in the morning. And it actually helps with decision fatigue! We have mostly solid colored bottom and top parts that match well. (Think cream, black, olive green, mustard colors) So I can have bottom A that matches with most of my tops or top B that matches with most of my bottoms. Of course, we all have some fun pieces of clothing, like a cute dress or a busy top or skirt. But those are minimal. I can honestly say that it has felt great to be able to have minimal amount of clothes and not get bored with the options! (And scrolling through our pics, we seem to have different outfits every day!) We have around 7 outfits each, and by mixing and matching, we can produce dozens of different looks! Same for shoes, we have now reduced to 2 pairs for the kids (flip flops and running shoes) and 3 for adults (Birkenstocks, flip flops and running shoes!) You need a good walking shoe (for me that can be my running shoes or Birckentstocks), a shoe for the pool (Havaianas) and a workout shoe (running shoes). Important to point out that we make sure that most of the Airbnb’s we stay at will have a washer or laundry service nearby. (I also have a small bag of laundry detergent in case we need to wash some clothes in the sink)
Traveling cubes! I can’t even imagine traveling without these! Besides helping to stay organized, they pack up and unpack easily and keep things efficiently ordered. Each member of our family has their own color, so we can easily find our cubes. The different sizes also help the kids find their clothes easily (the smaller cube is for underwear, socks and swimsuits) the medium one has tops and the larger one bottoms. I also have some extra cubes with our winter clothes; though those cubes are packed in the bottom of the backpacks for now…
Microfiber towels. These have been used A LOT! Most places we stay offer towels, however when going to the pool or beach, the microfiber towels are perfect. These towels dry fast and can also be used as a picnic blanket! We have 4 of them and when they are not in use they easily can be packed down in the compression bags.
First aid kit. Even if you don’t take regular medicine, we packed a first aid kit with some basics like thermometer, paracetamol (adults and kids), imodium, anti nausea pills, antibiotic cream, anti itch cream and Bandaids (we seem to use a lot of these, especially for the little one… it’s amazing what a Bandaid can heal ;-)
Basic grooming kit with small scissors, nail clipper, tweezer and a hair clipper for Kaio and Jason’s hair (having an easy haircut is also crucial!)
Toiletries: one extra toothbrush for each of us, travel size shampoo, toothpaste and soap (in case we arrive late somewhere and those are not provided) and some specific facial cream or shampoo that I know I won’t find anywhere. For example, I love my Lush shampoo bars. For other basic toiletries: we buy as we go. There is no need to carry around tubes of toothpaste or soap, as we can find these anywhere in the world (as long as you are not picky about brands!)
Universal travel adaptor/charging plug: I bought this one and it has been very useful! We love that you can easily switch the cords to charge our phones, computers, Kindles, sport watches etc. We carry all cords in a cable organizer case. When we arrive at a new place, we set up a ‘charging area’ with the cable case nearby. This way, we don’t have cords everywhere or get frustrated trying to find a cord or a plug.
Lightweight rain jackets: these are light and foldable. I just roll them together in the compression bags and get them out when we need them!