36 Days, 4 Countries, 2 Continents- What am I packing?
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Donnie and I are on day 6 (I think) on our summer travels that will take us to 4 different countries on 2 different continents over 36 days. When we travel we are all in on #teamcarryon, meaning we only travel with our carryon item and our personal item. Both of us prefer to travel with backpacks rather than hard-sided cases. Donnie is carrying his TLC Mother Lode from ebags.com and a packable day bag that I think I also got on ebags. I caught a screaming deal over the winter and purchased an Osprey Fairview travel pack. This backpack comes with a detachable day pack. I am very much looking forward to long travel with it after it worked great on some of our shorter trips.
Donnie’s Mother Lode all packed up. I have one of these as well and love it but opted for the Osprey bag because it connects with the daypack making it easier for me to carry. You can check it out below:
My Osprey main backpack all packed. he link below is to Amazon but watch for good deals if you like the bag because I bought it on sale for $100. For more details or buy your own click the link below:
Many airlines offer cheaper fares if you are able to pack light. In this instance our bags are covered on our airline ticket so it really would not be necessary for us to but we will be moving a lot and need to be able to move around without hauling a bunch of luggage everywhere. On our trip we will also be taking 3 other flights on economy airlines and they do charge for bags so it is nice to keep our packing footprint light to save money.
Alright let’s get down to it. I know you all are curious as to what I am packing!
Clothing-
- 6 pairs of pants- 5 packed, wearing one pair on plane
- 5 shirts
- 6 tank tops- I like to layer colors to make it appear like different outfits; wearing 2 on the plane
- 5 undergarments
- 2 bathing suits & spf shirt
- 1 dressy shirt or dress
- 3 quarter zips- wearing one on the plane
- 1 rain jacket
When traveling everyone thinks that they need a pair of clothes for everyday and that is just not the case… unless you feel like dragging along and paying for all the baggage it would take to pack it all. When we travel we carry laundry sheets so that we can wash our clothes and then hang them to dry in our hotel room. To allow yourself all the space you can in your bag plan to wear your bulkiest clothes on the airplane/ travel days. Here are a few tips when deciding what clothes to pack:
- Choose pants and shirts that can easily be matched with each other. This gives you the ability to come up with numerous different outfits.
- Bring clothes that are easy to wash and dry.
- Bring clothes that are able to get squished up and not be wrinkly when you pull it out.
I plan to wear a quarter zip, long leggings, rain jacket and tennis shoes on the plane.
I only take the bare necessities for personal items. These include things that I am particular about like toothpaste and deodorant and will travel in my personal item. I like to do it this way so that if I need access to these things mid-flight I can just grab them rather than have someone get my main back from the luggage storage above. If you are staying in a hotel on your trip they almost always provide soap, shampoo, and conditioner so I do not see the need in carrying these things to possibly make a mess in my bag.
Personal Items-
- Medications
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Feminine care
- Razors
- Laundry sheets
Other things I am bringing:
Electronics-
- Phone cord
- Plug adapter
- Computer
- Computer cord
- Portable charger
Documents-
- Passport
- ID
- International Driving Permit
- Itinerary with all travel confirmations- I always have a book with printed confirmations because you never know if your phone will be dead and you need to show your reservation.
Extras-
- GoPro
- Selfie stick- I can’t believe this but I broke down and bought one LOL
- Snacks- take snacks that don’t crumble easy. Some of our favs are:
- Nuts and trail mix
- Granola bars
- Twizzlers
- Gummy bears
- Water bottle- Instead of buying bottled water, just fill up your water bottle if you have access to a safe water source
- Dog bags- it is nice to have baggies on hand to keep trash until you can get to a trash can
As a person with a spinal cord injury and paralysis I need to carry items for daily living. Most airlines will allow a “medical bag”. This bag does not get counted as a piece of your luggage and so you will not get charged. Please check with your airline before you do this. Even though I am allowed this extra bag I will not be utilizing this perk this time because I do not feel like lugging an extra bag around. In my bag I will also be carrying enough catheters and other supplies I need for 36 days. Parents with small children should know that diaper bags also fall under “medical bags.”
Also, I will be carrying an extra tube for my wheelchair tires (it is a weird size) and a small bike pump. (I forgot this and hand to buy a hand pump in Segovia lol)
Finally, I always pack with travel cubes! The ones I use are compression so they save space. These allow you to keep clothes in one place and organized. You can see them above. You can see above all the clothes that I packed into the 2 cubes I used for clothes. Below is the inside of my main bag and how I have fit everything in. I attached link to our bags above but below I am including links to some of our favorite travel items. We have found that they make our life easier when we travel and so they may help you too.
There are tons of options on Amazon but I have found these two items to work very well and have not only simplified our travel packing but saved us space in our bags. Links to travel items we use often:
I know many of you are thinking there is no way I can pack everything I need in that small of a bag. Do me a favor… next time you travel make a note of all the things that you packed that you did not use. Then the time after that remember that you carried all that stuff and never used it. I assure you that we are so used to our creature comforts that we are afraid to leave anything behind for fear that we may need it/want it. I urge you to free yourself and try to leave a bit simpler while on your travels. Stop worrying about “things” and open yourself up to taking in all the fabulous sights, sounds, smells and life going on around you!
Safe travels friends!
