What Should I Pack For 30 Days Of Travel?

And I’m Off…

If you’re asking “What should I pack for 30 days of travel” then you have packed too many clothes and wish you had left them all at home…

You have to carry them everywhere.
They are heavy, cumbersome, and unnecessary.

Why didn’t I just pack a swimsuit and sandals?
My friend Leon always said, “Pack half as many clothes and twice as much money”.

What should I pack for 30 days of travel?

Well, first, where are you going? For how long? It it a holiday visit or an adventure tour? Will you be walking the Vatican streets or the Great Wall of China?

Will it be cold or hot? And how much shopping do you intend to do?

Are you staying with friends and will you know anyone when you get there?
(That doesn’t have anything to do with packing unless you’re packing gifts.)

Always take a jacket, in case there’s a squall, a tsunami, or a snowstorm.
You should have an umbrella and a change of shoes.

If you are doing a lot of walking and camping, carry a collapsible cup; don’t forget your Swiss Army Knife!

These days it’s easy to check out the country you’re visiting.
We did not have the internet advantage… In the 80s, we winged it! 

There is a certain amount of fun in this. If you truly like surprises, just pack the same things every time.

I had a toiletry bag always ready to go. When it came out our dog ran around in circles.
He knew we were going somewhere.

There was also a time when I had Uggs in the car, for our trip to Greece, in the summertime.
Not a good look with a swimsuit. Customs can ask the most peculiar questions sometimes.
Click here to take in The Charisma Of Greece!

When traveling light it is important to decide what needs to go and what needs to stay.
If there is limited space the guitar should stay home.

If you need a roof rack, purge! … you would think we had never done this before.

Okay, so you don’t want to pack much, but what if you need it?
What if you only had torn jeans and you were invited to meet a head of state?
Do you think he would mind?

Do you think you will look back on this and cringe?
Will you die a little bit when you look at the photos? Will you make excuses?

My handle is to be ready for everything!

Tally-Ho

We ride a motorcycle.
Specifically, we like to tour on a bike.

When we first started long-distance riding we drove a Suzuki. While it was a great motorcycle, it did not have an armchair ride.

In those early days of biking, I did not know what the necessities were for a long-distance motorcycle trip.
I was determined not to disappoint anyone and I wanted to get it right.

I packed three of everything since laundry services would be limited.
It’s easy: You roll up underwear and socks in a T-shirt. You will always look wrinkled and a bit messed up, but you’ll be wearing clean and dry clothes.

I had fingerless gloves and long ones for colder days. Remember, on a motorcycle, these things are not easy to get to, and sometimes I froze while not having time to dig out my warmer gear.

Take extra glasses because the ones you love can fall off and break. I even packed a scarf and sweater. You can only wear one at a time!

It seems I needed a rain suit.
When the weather turns and you stop at the side of the street, in town, you need to suit up quickly… Make it fast! 

My boots were too big to get into the pant leg. I would have to take them off first,
but there was no time! … It was raining!

Not wanting to hold everyone up, I skipped the rain pants. I had the jacket on, and we could outride the rain! How bad could it be?

It rained so much that we stopped at a truck stop off the highway.
In the parking lot, we took a wrong turn and were blocked by a transport truck turning in.

There we were, sitting on motorcycles in the pouring rain, while we waited for the truck to give us a break. And we waited. 

Later… we went inside, fed up and miserable. The staff put us off to the corner, so we could drip in peace. We used paper towels from the bathrooms and puddled on the floor.

I started to sneeze.
My jeans were two pounds heavier… We were soaked through! 

We traveled further north. It was supposed to be nice at this time of year.
The cold followed us until we drove through sleet.

Why were we doing this? Was this necessary? Do I want to do this again?
What choice did we have now? We still had to get home and it was a four-day ride!

At one point we were so cold, that we put on all our clothes.
By ALL, I mean everything we had packed. Underwear, socks, t-shirts, and sweaters.

I could not zip up my jacket or my boots. I could hardly walk!
Then I had to get on the bike… it was comical and I looked like the Michelin man.
But, I was warm! Be careful what you pack…

But it’s for the freedom, that we ride!… We must be crazy. 

For What It’s Worth

This did not leave me disillusioned. I totally enjoyed the experience.  I felt like a pioneer!

Actually, I enjoyed every minute of it… Would I do it again?
Yes, and I would pack differently and be more prepared. 

That parking lot scene is something we always talk about. We laughed so much about how we wanted to strangle the truck driver, who did not see us and couldn’t turn any faster.

He felt bad! Yes, but he was dry!

I wouldn’t take the joy out of the trip by altering anything. Take it as it comes.
All kinds of things happen along the way. How much fun do you want to have? 

What Should I Pack For A Two-Hour Flight?

I  booked myself in at the airport. It was outside the terminal, designed to make things streamlined. I lifted my suitcase onto the scale and it was ten pounds over the limit!

This could not be – I am too experienced to miscalculate so badly!
Now, what to remove?

Quora asked, “How much does one pair of size 12 jeans weigh?”
One pair of jeans is about three pounds. A good thing to know!

I unzipped an outside pocket and found my tools from when I moved a few months ago.
I did wonder where my hammer was stashed… And look! I found my old belt!

This was great news – now I didn’t have to unpack my best jeans!

I was going on a two-hour flight. This wasn’t rocket science. How many clothes did I need for a long weekend? I did a very careful job of packing, forgetting nothing. 

Work with only three colors: e.g. – red, white, and blue. Make sure that each item works with the others.

Take just one purse; they take up too much space.
No hats; I could wear the visor I had on. One sneaker, one sandal, and one high heel. 

I was ready and so proud; this was a success.
I flew in and waited for my luggage.

By now my cousin was there to greet me. She said, “Why is your suitcase so out of style?”… What?… “It’s the wrong color for this season”. 

Did people really care about those things?
I learned it is important, even essential information.

She said, “You don’t want to stand out as an inexperienced traveler, do you”?… I wept.

As Barbeques Go, This Is A Gala!

We were invited to a gala, a ten-hour drive from home.
We couldn’t take much so we considered everything. By the time we arrived, everything we wore needed laundering.

We were okay… we had our dress clothes.
Our shoes were shined and I packed perfume!

The ‘gala’ was ultra-casual. Who calls a barbeque a gala?
We were the only people there in evening clothes.

Black tie and long dress.
Buckles on my shoes. I still don’t like talking about it.

Ah, Customs!

At customs, I had to unpack everything. Apparently, I look like a criminal. I am that dubious type who sneaks into countries with contraband.

They found nothing but I had to shuffle on. I repacked as I moved along the belt. The suitcase would not close.

You need to find the ‘sweet spot’ when you pack. There’s a certain procedure, a diagram of what it should look like.

I tried that once and was deathly afraid of touching anything. It was too neat, too clinical.
Can you really pack that much and still close things up? 

And how would I remember how to put everything back the way it was before?
I had to stick to what I knew. 

Once I saw this man folding in the most peculiar way. Everything fit. 
I watched his videos and could not master the art.

This can be compared to those little ivory balls inside ivory balls that are carved into little elephants… it’s that intricate. 

It wouldn’t help in any way if I wore a smaller size. It is reasonable to assume that you can fit more into the space if the clothes are smaller. I cannot win this.

I am a clothes-a-holic when it comes to not wanting to forget anything.
If I am away from home, I just might need it! 

Are you possessed by your possessions?  Do your clothes own you?
Don’t even want to answer that.

Regards, Corinne