Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Packing for 8 months of travel




This was definitely a daunting task for my current trip. Of course it wasn’t the length of time that made this such a hard trip to pack for but it was the diversity of places and experiences I was going to have. Basically I had to pack 2 wardrobes- one for my summer in Europe and one for my semester in Nepal. Normally I love to pack diverse things that work for all travel. But I was given specific packing instructions for Nepal and a lot of the clothes just didn’t translate well for a summer in Europe. I needed hiking boots, long skirts and conservative pants and tops, long underwear, and fleeces. So I picked out some thing that were compatible with both, tried to consolidate what I was going to take, and packed as best as I could. I still think I over packed a bit but I just have no idea what to expect in Nepal so I really think it was necessary. I am going to do a follow up post when I get back in December to see what I really used and what I didn’t. Additionally, since Budapest will be my base for the summer and I will stop back in the winter before heading home, I can leave most of my Nepal gear there over the summer, and most of my summer gear there while in Nepal. I hope that will really help to lighten the load for me.

So what did I pack?

Summer clothes
- 6 tanks (colors)
- 5 short sleeve tops
- 1 long sleeve top
- 1 white sweater
- 2 jean shorts
- 2 skirts (yellow flowers and blue with stripes)
- black raincoat
- toms
All of this, compacted into this. I wore my black raincoat on the plane.


Beach stuff
- coverup
- 2 tops and one bikini bottom
- 1 cotton tank
- 2 athletic shorts *
- 4 t-shirts *
- long durable black leggings
- Haviana flip flops

** I also plan on running while abroad since I am a big runner so those are mostly for running **


Nepal Clothes
- jeans
- light linen style pants
- 2 long skirts (one heavier, one lighter
- 6 tops (3 long sleeve, 3 short)
- black sweater
- 2 lightweight scarves
- light black ¾ zip
- vest
- Patagonia zip up
- wool socks and wool hat
- long underwear top and bottom
- lightweight hiking boots

 I also compacted this in a compression bag, to become this. 

I will also take 3-4 of the colorful tops from the summer and bring those for Nepal as well.

Clothing odds and ends:
- 3 under tanks
- 6 pairs underwear
- 5 pairs socks
- 2 bras
- 3 sports bras
- boxers
 


The “Stuff”:
- iodine drops (for Nepal trekking)
- antibiotics
- laptop
- water bottle
- hat
- kindle
- notebooks
- passport, paperwork, and program information
- sunglasses
- quick dry towel
- headbands
- flashlight
- gum
- chargers
- pencils
- plastic bags
- camera

This stuff was packed into a north face backpack for later use.


Toiletries-
- Meds! (i have lots of stomach problems)
- contacts
- toothbrush
- razor
- medicated toothpaste
- nail clippers



No pictures-

I brought a lot of fun, but unnecessary for most people, stuff to wear costume wise in Budapest, since it is just the way things roll down there. I didn’t get pictures but I brought for that
- nerf gun and darts
- onzie PJs (also for sleepover parties with the girls in Amsterdam)
- hawaiaan lay
- USA headpiece
- face paint
- body paint
- body glitter
- stripped leggings
- cat ears
- rainbow mustache
- Massive bottle of Ranch dressing (Americans living abroad miss their ranch)

These definitely took up some space but its dead weight that I will get rid of right when I get there, will be a lot of fun, and I had space for.



On the plane:
I wore my light hiking boots, durable black leggings, long sleeve blue t-shirt, black raincoat and Patagonia on the plane. Everything else fit well into my backpack and little pack. I checked my big back pack and carried on my purse and little backpack



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