Many have asked how we are possibly doing this trip, through 18 countries this first half alone, with carry on luggage. If you don't care, than skip this post!
Realistically, all three of our suitcases (Briggs & Riley expandable for me and K, Brics for S) are carry on eligible, but we are checking them so that we can carry on our backpacks, also filled to the brim. Keep in mind that K and S have school books and I have work technologies including back up, and we all have T1D supplies. We are also changing temperatures quite a bit from 50s to 100s and back and forth. So what I can’t live without is:
Arcteryx light rain/wind jacket which is a magical outer layer over warmer clothes, or simply to repel the elements. It packs into its hood but also is a soft, sturdy and beautiful fabric.
2. North Face and Mountain Hardware pants which feel more like leggings or sweatpants but look like simple black pants and pack up to nothing in a suitcase. I had to donate (in South America) the one pair of jeans I grabbed in Scandinavia, missing jeans so much I couldnt resist, because jeans simply take up too much room and they are heavy. Fortunately S wears only leggings, which pack to nothing.
3. A small pair of scissors and sewing kit, because we constantly need to open things and/or pin them, remove luggage tags, etc. We have gone to Zara in a few cities, our go to ‘in the moment’ and very reasonably priced store to grab something warmer or cooler, sometimes donated when we head to the next continent and temperature. Small scissors and a sewing kit have been indispensable .
4. A neutral nylon foldable tote that packs into a tiny pouch and fits easily in my purse with a good shoulder strap for anything we purchase while out and about avoiding all shopping bags whether for food, pharmacy, clothes or souvenirs.
5. Bombas hiking socks. I have no idea what they are made of but they are soft and fluffy, protect ankles from bug bites, but they arent hot. I do think there is some marino in them, but they are heaven.
6. Salomon short hikers that double as sneakers and have an ortholite footbed. I bought them years ago and never made the connection with the ortholite footbed until I pulled them out for this trip. As you may know, Ortholite is the kick ass insole maker that Scarlett Chase engaged for its fully custom, patent pending, orthotic grade, rebounding foam and mesh and microsuede covered footbeds. Ive included a picture of a newly arrived Scarlett 75 pump and perhaps you can get a peak at the luscious insole.
7. An insect repelling gauze wrap. This was maybe $15 on Amazon and was purchased to go to Brazil years ago and is still magic today. It works as a head scarf, a neck warmer, a shawl, a lightweight blanket and a bug repeller, and the gauze is soft and its thin and takes up very little room.
8. An eddie bauer foldable backpack with awesome padded shoulder straps and great space but still packs down into the tiniest pouch. This has been magic for day trips as it fits the computer and camera, water bottles, coats and snacks comfortably.
9. James Perse tshirts. Articles have been written about these and why they cost a decent sum for something as seemingly simple as a tshirt but Im truly convinced that on a per wear basis they are at least well worth it and on a trip like this indispensible. They weigh literally nothing and feel like that on, they wash and dry very easily and have an amazing shape to them. They take up zero room. Both the long sleeve and short sleeves are a daily staple and go from an army green for the jungle to a chic black for the city with the same amazing comfort.
10. K was given a magic multiport universal charger by his sister which I have coveted since the first night in the first hotel and have asked for, for Christmas. It is amazing vs my massive mess of plugs and multiport extension piece and converter/charger. Its available right on Amazon under the name universal travel adapter international and it comes in a lovely rose pink! Ill never travel overseas again without one.
11. Buck Mason sleeveless tshirt maxi dresses. They also pack up to nothing, dont wrinkle, look dressed up with just a necklace added and some flip flops, or work as a cover up. In countries where seeing legs and arms is not welcome, they work perfectly with a long sleeve tshirt under them, or a cardigan on top.
12. A belt that doesnt need to be removed at security, stretches and goes with everything. I had found this belt in Portugal last year and gave it to K for xmas last year. He wears it everyday and only had to remove it once through countless flights.
13. Our doTERRA oils and vitamins. The roll ons for peppermint, lavendar.copaiba, frankincense, adaptiv and the yoga blends have been saviors along with the On guard capsules.
14. US medicinal items you simply cant find easily in other places. We have multiple trial and small sizes of items and work through them and discard so we are acquiring some extra room as we go!
We do send a package back via DHL or FedEx every month or so. And our souvenir purchasing, while K may disagree, has been extremely minimal given the places we’ve been. The reason is not only the coordination of shipping back, which necessitates an itemized list, but also the cost of shipping which can quite literally triple or quadruple the cost of the item.
I have also added a more sturdy backpack to the mix found at an unexpected North Face store in Cusco, Peru after having my computer screen break because the bag it was in, attached to the suite case handle, fell over. This moment cost about $2000 as I had to ship the computer back to the states as the vendor wouldnt take it direct from a foreign country, and purchase a new computer with a danish keyboard and a european plug. I hope to swap back over the holidays given the challenges of the unknown keyboard/symbol locations on the keys, but the european plug has been a plus.
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