The Challenge: Warm weather. Cold weather. Casual clothes. Hiking clothes. Six months. Two suitcases. Go.
The next big challenge for this adventure ... what do I pack?
A better question ... what do I NOT pack?
The Luggage Situation
If you've ever traveled with me, you know that I only travel with a carry-on bag. I hate checking a bag so much that Amy isn't sure whether to believe me when I tell her I'll uber home myself after a long trip rather than wait for her at baggage claim. :)
But packing for roughly six months on the road, with both warm and cold weather, with both casual and outdoor activities, definitely introduces a challenge I've not met before. This time, I'll be checking a bag!
Luggage
My plan is to take two suitcases. First, one large bag that I will use as a "closet" and leave behind in the car with out-of-season items. Brianne kindly lent me a 28" hard-side spinner. It is ENORMOUS. Well, I thought that until I put all my clothes into it, and boy, it fills up fast!
Second, I'll take a carry-on size bag to take into hotels / airbnb's that includes toiletries, in-season clothing, etc. For this, I have my trusty 20" hard side expandable spinner. This bag has been all over the world with me and I love it.
And finally, I'll take my laptop bag, which has a strap that fits around the handle of my roller bags, so at most I'll need to handle just two bags at a time.
Organizers
I bought a giant ziploc bag for my winter parka. Normally, this takes a TON of space, but once I put it in the ziploc bag and squeeze all the air out, it is flat as a pancake.
I also bought packing cubes from The Container Store - perfect for a big trip like this! I bought 5 cubes for undies, socks/bras, toiletries, medicine/wet wipes, and all my charging cords. I've never used these for shorter trips because I don't usually have that much stuff with me and I can deal with chaos for a couple days. But for a trip this long, it will be super easy to keep all these loose items organized and I can easily take them in / out of my bag.
The What To Pack Dilemma
Clothing
Here's how I handled the clothing situation. My closet is split into two parts. A couple weeks ago, I put all the clothes I think I'll need for my trip on the TAKE side that I will take with me. I put everything else on the LEAVE side that I'll leave in storage.
The next step: I went through the Take side again and took out half of it. Went through it again and took out even more. Do I really need that many jackets? I haven't worn that shirt in a year, what makes me think I'll wear it on this trip? That sweatshirt I wear all the time? Definitely taking that.
Then, I closed up the Leave side of the closet. Any time I took something out, I asked: do I need this for my trip? Or can I get by without it? Generally, I can get by without it.
The Plan
In a nutshell, I packed 3-5 casual outfits for cold weather / warm weather, 5 warm weather hiking outfits, 5 cold weather hiking outfits, and kept shoes to a minimum. I resisted the urge to pack any heels or dressy clothes - especially because I haven't dressed up for a year now!
Also, I haven't bought new clothes in a couple years, so the plan is to throw away whatever gets worn out and buy whatever I need along the way.
I kept taking more and more things out until I was able to fit everything into the large 28" spinner. Now I am able to easily split everything between the large suitcase and the carry-on bag without playing a game of Packing Tetris every time I pack up to move to a new location. Plus it gives me room to add things here and there ... portable computer monitor, extra sweatshirt, new jeans ... whatever I find I need along the way.
The Packing List
Shoes - the secret to packing light is to start packing from the shoes up. Less is more!
-- hiking boots
-- running shoes
-- casual sneakers (I will wear these through the airport)
-- flip flops (for the pool)
-- sandals (for "dressy" occasions)
Street Clothes
-- 2 pairs of jeans (I will wear one pair to fly)
-- 2 sweaters (I will wear one to fly)
-- 1 long-sleeve shirt
-- 3 short-sleeve shirts
-- 3 sleeveless shirts
-- one sport jacket (to throw on for client-facing video calls)
-- 3 sundresses
-- 1 jumpsuit (that can be casual or dressed up)
-- earrings, necklaces
Activewear
-- 5 pairs short stretchy pants
-- 2 pairs long stretchy pants
-- 2 pairs hiking pants
-- 3 t-shirts
-- 5 tank tops
-- 5 long-sleeve workout shirts
-- 1 sweatshirt
Outerwear
-- 1 light puffy jacket
-- 1 medium puffy jacket
-- 1 parka
-- 1 rain jacket
-- stocking cap + ear band
-- thick gloves, thin gloves, wind resistant gloves
-- quick dry scarf
Undergarments
-- 15 pairs of undies
-- 2 bras, 5 sports bras
-- swimsuit + cover up
-- 7 pairs of socks
Toiletries
-- standard toiletries, in a mix of travel- and full-size containers since I'm checking a bag!
-- sunscreen (because I have it, will buy more on the road)
-- hair dryer, curling iron
-- ponytail holders
Work Stuff
-- laptop, charger, mouse, airpods
-- phone and apple watch chargers
-- small notebook, pens, highlighters
Keep It Clean Stuff
-- hand sanitizer
-- wet wipes
-- face masks (thank you for the N-95 masks, Keyvan!)
-- tylenol, nasal spray, decongestant
Other
-- backpack for hiking
-- hat
-- mesh laundry bag
-- passport (you never know!)
-- audio books / podcasts
-- rosary from my Grandfather
-- professional microphone to record podcasts with Brianne
