This is it! I am leaving for my Round The World trip tomorrow, and my first destination is - Australia! Packing for a trip like this is no easy feat. I had to do tremendous amounts of research, interview several other travel bloggers, and pick out a winning backpack. Believe it or not - I actually thought I could have done this thing with a big luggage in tow. Thank goodness for friendly travelers who knocked some sense into me.
OK. Everyone says - Pack Light. Take ONE WEEK'S WORTH of clothing, and just keep washing 'em every week. I don't know if I necessarily followed that rule because I got a little creative with reversible and multi-wear apparel, but I think I managed to pack only what is necessary. The REAL challenge here is packing for 4 different seasons. They say LAYERING is the key. I've never been a true layering master, but I'm up for the challenge!
Alright, here it is. My Ultimate Packing List! Let's start with...
OUTER WEAR
Eddie Bauer's Orange Weather Edge Shell Jacket - It's the outermost layer, can be used as a windbreaker, and the pockets have a "handwarming technology" - which sounds pretty cool. I'd like to believe it works.
REI Blue Thermal Fleece Jacket - For colder temperatures, to be worn inside the Shell Jacket if needed.
Icebreaker Merino Black Quantim Long Sleeve Zip Hood - My favorite! It's light but it keeps you warm in cold temperatures, and keeps the cool in in warmer temperatures! I have a feeling I'm going to wear this thing out.
LONG SLEEVES
Obviously I'm not very good at "staging"...
American Eagle Outfitters Plaid Top - To harness the hipster in me
Icebreaker Merino Black Lightweight Base Layer - It's Icebreaker's version of a thermal layer... cuter and lighter
Icebreaker Merino Blue Body Fit Long Sleeve - Which could also be a layer, but could be worn by itself. It will keep me warm just as it is if I wanted to go snowboarding or something. Pretty awesome
Random Blue Top from Random Store - Just something extra to wear as a variation. I like stripes!
TANKS and TOPS
Four Tank Tops - Black, white, red and stripes
Two Shirts - One black, one white
Cardie - Thin and black
BOTTOMS
Champion Capri Reversible Leggings - Pink and Black
Champion Long Reversible Flare Pants - Gray and Black
New York and Company Jeans
Champion Skort - Both for sporty and sleeping purposes
Tennis Warehouse Reversible Skirt - Stripes and Navy Blue (reversed)
Cargo Skirt
Coral Skirt
DRESSES
Magic Skirt - The one you can wear 100 different ways. I am also bringing the paper guide it came with.
Sun DressStrappy Dres
FOOTWEAR
About the boots - let me explain. (I have a feeling other pro-travelers took one look at it and started screaming - "NNNoooooo!!!")
It doesn't seem very practical to bring these TALL boots but hear me out. First of all - see how small they fold? They fold down to the size of a normal shoe. They're very soft and easy to pack. They are also ADJUSTABLE... I can change the length of these boots depending on the weather. ALSO - they are very old and very cheap... when the time comes for me to ditch them for a more practical pair, I won't have a problem tossing 'em out. :)
K Swiss Vertical Tubes Recovery Shoes - will function as my everyday running/walking/comfy shoes
Foldable Flats from Payless
Dual Purpose Flip Flop Sandals - I can take out the back straps to use them as normal flops...
ALL CLOTHES
This is pretty much all the clothes I'm taking with me, plus a scarf I didn't have photo of. THATS IT! That's what I'm going to wear for this whole trip!
PACKING THEM UP
To make them all fit into my backpack, I resorted to the pure genius of packing cubes and compression sacks.
Basically, all the clothes from the previous photo are all condensed into these two. The Sea to Summit Large Compression Sack is an amazing little gadget that practically squished everything into that little ball. BTW I'm not bringing that red shoe. That's only there so you can see the sizes. :)
OK so that compression bag on the right contains my orange Shell, the Fleece and my jeans. It's from Eagle Creek, and you can push all the air out of it to compress the whole bag to make it flat! No need for a vacuum cleaner! :)
All the shoes including the boots fit inside one large Eagle Creek Packing Cube (except for the ones I'm wearing to the airport)
OTHER STUFF
In a Medium Eagle Creek Packing Cube (shown above), I packed the following:
8 pieces of underwear2 Bra's
1 Sportsbra
1 Beanie
1 Bikini
1 pair of tights
3 pairs of socks (2 normal sized, one pair of foot socks)
In the White Eagle Creek soft packing cube, you will find:
Shampoo
Conditioner
Vitamins
Facial Wipes
Small Absorbent Towel
Cotton Buds
Toothpaste (prescription)
Sunblock
Hooded Rain Poncho
Rubber Doorstop (follow this link to find out why)
Sewing Kit (travel size with tons of safety pins)
Small Insect Repellent
This is what it looks like inside my Osprey Farpoint 55 Backpack
They fit!! Phew!
Moving on...
These are the things I'm going to pack into my Daypack
Zoom Lens
Portable External Hard Drive
Extra TSA Locks
Passport Photos
Chargers
Kirkland International Travel Adapter
Safety Whistle (which is also a compass and a thermometer)
Tiny flashlight
Tiny Travel Umbrella
4 extra SD Memory Cards
Duct Tape
The small white Eagle Creek Packing Cube on top is my little first aid kit. I won't go into detail as to which meds I'm going to bring because I am such an anomaly - I need to bring a lot of random ones.
The clear envelope is where I'm going to keep all my travel documents, itineraries, etc.
The small Eagle Creek Packing Cube on the right is my toiletry kit (toothbrush, floss, Diva Cup, etc)
I'm also bringing a small travel journal and a tiny 2013 planner.
Others not shown in the photo:
My trusty Olympus PEN EPL1 Camera
My Asus 11.6 Ultrabook
My Ipad Mini
My Ipod Touch
My Samsung Galaxy SII
Small Make-up kit
This is all of them packed up and ready...
Yippee!
The big back pack, I will have to check in. The detachable day pack (which can be zipped into the big pack) is what I will be carrying.That thing on the bottom is my Runnur Pack - The cargo strap I had my friend, Graphic Designer Hannah Javelosa, design. Here's the close up, and what it looks like when put on!
This is going to function as my purse! The strap has a compartment for everything! From money, to your phone, to a water bottle! And Hannah did a WONDERFUL job on the design!!! (click on image to enlarge)
And there we have it! My ultimate RTW packing list! I don't know if I did it the way I'm supposed to, or if I missed out on travel essentials... but I did my research well... no two lists are exactly the same. You pack what you need for the kind of trip you're taking... and for what I'm about to do - I think this is as good a list as it gets. :)
OK. This is it! I'm coming for you, World!
Australia - I'll see you tomorrow!
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Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
Hi There! Have we met before? You look familiar! Those shoes look great on you, by the way! I’m Eartha and I recently decided to quit my job to travel the worrrrld! Join me in my adventures by checking back on my blog, and leaving me a comment or two!
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Come and visit me again soon! :)
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