There are so many amazing places in the world. The first challenge of taking a trip around the world is figuring out how to narrow it down to a manageable lot.
Initially, I had more than 60 places in 30 countries and my trip was going to last 2 years. But honestly, that included everywhere I'd ever thought to go and didn't pay any thought to the 'why' of traveling.
The Bootsnall RTW30 program helped me focus my choices by first asking, what are my 'must-sees'. What did I definitely not want to miss?
For me, my list of 'must-sees' was a lot shorter than the 60 places I had initially chosen. This is the list:
1. Taj Mahal
2. Taipei 101 Tower
3. Junket ride in Ha long bay
4. Stay in beach hut on stilts IN the ocean in Thailand
5. Pyramids
6. Machu Picchu
7. Lake district in Southern Argentina
8. Marrakech
With these eight pillars in mind, I created a route around the world that would include them all.
I discovered it would only take about 5 months to complete the trip. Then a few places were added in, like Singapore and London, because you actually save money to fly through those cities. And a few places were eliminated, like the pyramids in Egypt due to the internal strife going on there, and all of South America was eliminated because I would end up arriving in winter.
Then the order was shifted around. I moved New Zealand to first instead of last so I wouldn't have to cross the Pacific twice, saving a cool grand there. And India was moved earlier in the schedule to try and get somewhat cooler weather there.
Finally, about six months into the planning, I had a fairly constant itinerary. You can check out my actual route here:
http://indie.bootsnall.com/IAH-AKL-ZQN-SYD-SIN-MAA-CCU-DEL-BOM-GOI-TPE-HAN-SGN-REP-BKK-LON-MAD-RAK-CAS-SYR-HOU-1389654862
That's the long and the short of why I'm going where I'm going.
Now, what to take with me.
For this step, I did a lot of research. I knew I only wanted to take one carry-on size bag. And I knew I wanted it to be a rolling bag with a backpack option. My back is not the strongest and I knew from regular travel that pulling a backpack on wheels over long distances would be way better than trying to carry it around. After a little searching, I found a great bargain on the Eagle Creek Rolling Backpack. See pre-departure photos for a look at this.
I also did a lot of research on packing lists and came across a lot of great ideas, including bar shampoo and conditioner from LUSH. I can't say enough great things about that. It lasts so much longer than a 3 ounce bottle will, it works great, and you don't have to show it to security. Thank you, lush! And because it lasts so long, I won't have to worry about buying more while I'm traveling.
I know many of you think it's impossible to travel with such a small suitcase, so I will admit that technically, I have a second bag. I bought a small backpack, the kind that folds in on itself so it's the size of a clutch purse when you're not using it. I'll use this as my daypack and also when traveling on planes, trains and buses, to have a bag under my feet with little things I'll want to have access to, like snacks, pen and paper and of course, my teabox. But, don't worry, it's not anywhere close to full. See pre-departure photos for a look at this.
So how will I go for six months with so little?
1. Yes, I will be doing laundry. About every 10-14 days I guestimate.
2. It will be summer everywhere so there won't be any need for big coats or heavy boots.
3. The basics are covered. If I decide I need a special item along the way, like a snorkel, I'll just rent or buy it.
For the curious readers, here's the list:
Bags:
Suitcase and bag lock
Backpack/daypack
Packing cubes - 3 (sm, med, large)
Garbage bag for rain coverage (of my suitcase, not me)
Clothing:
Outer layer:
Brown travel jacket - doubles as my purse with lots of inside pockets
Blue windbreaker with hood and front pocket
Lightweight sweater
Light fleece hat and sunhat
Knit gloves
Three scarves -one heavy, one lightweight, one small, for warming, covering head and shoulders, beach blanket, slipcover on trains, etc.
Insulating layer:
Leggings/Yoga stretch pants
1 long sleeve shirt
Mid layer:
jeans, 1 pair
Casual cotton pants - also double as pajama bottoms
Black capris
Blue shorts - comfy and loose-fitting
Purple flowered Silk 3/4 sleeve shirt
Black and white india 3/4 sleeve tunic shirt
Pink yoga tank - also used as swimsuit top
1 tank top - dressy
2 short-sleeve shirts - brown tee & flowery button-down
Pajama bottoms - capris - suitable for hot weather, but not revealing since I'll be staying in hostels
short-sleeve pajama shirt
blue sun dress - also use for swim cover-up
swimsuit bottoms
long blue skirt
Underwear layer:
15 underwear
7 socks, 5 sport, 1 dress, 1 wool/warm/travel socks
3 bras and 1 sports bra
Footwear:
Sneakers
Sporty Sandals
Dressy sandals
Flip-flops
Toiletries:
These are loaded into the packing cubes:
Comb, qtips, cotton swabs, vitamins, toothbrush, dental floss, eye mask, hair ties, shaver & batteries, wet wipes, tampons, lip balm, clotrimazole, toothpaste, face soap, shampoo, conditioner, witch hazel, moisturizer, sunscreen, insect repellant, deoderant
Emergency med kit, Tea kit, laundry line, door stop
2 Microfiber towels - hand/hair towel and bath/swim towel
Other:
Itinerary and reservation folder, photocopies of immunizations, ss card, b cert scanned and emailed to me, proof of funds, extra passport photos
Ziploc slider bags for dirty laundry etc.
Inflatable back pillow
Purse items to be carried in my jacket or in a packing cube:
flash drive, nail clippers, nail file, toothpicks, wallet, passport, pen, pencil, ear plugs, glasses case, phone, phone charger, power adapter, extra phone for sim cards
And that's it. You can see it all in the pic and yes, it does all fit in my little suitcase.
If you're interested in checking out the planning program I used, you can sign up to receive the 30 days of e-mails here:
http://www.bootsnall.com/rtw/30days
Next up: Day One of My Adventure
