WHAT DID READ PACK?

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I have to say, packing for this trip has been very freeing, mentally. I've limited myself to one bag, which means only the bare essentials--less to carry and less to worry about. In my bag, I'm carrying my clothes, shoes, our toiletry bag, and our electronics (excluding our laptops, which we each carry in our personal bags when on the move).

First, let me start with the bag (which is awesome). It's made by eBags--you know how I love my brand names. It's called the Mother Lode TLS Weekender. Kind of a misnomer...I've packed it more on the side of Mother Lode than Weekender.

The bag is really well made--it's got a framed inside compartment like traditional luggage, but it's soft, so it can be compressed or expanded as needed. It has tons of useful pockets and seems altogether really well thought out. It has a long padded shoulder strap for carrying it horizontally like a duffel, as well as padded straps to carry it vertically like a backpack. Both shoulder and backpack straps can be hidden when the other is in use.

Packing The Bag

The key to packing light while being prepared for a variety of weather conditions is layers. I didn't bring a warm jacket, but I've got the ability to combine things when needed.

• 3 t-shirts: 2 active dry, 1 cotton
• 3 thin, light-colored button-down collared shirts
• 1 thin, long-sleeve thermal
• 1 thin, zip-up hoodie
• 1 ultra lightweight waterproof windbreaker/raincoat

If it gets cold, I can put on a shirt, the thermal, the hoodie and the windbreaker, which, altogether, should cover me down to maybe 45 degrees.

Thanks to David's suggestion, I've really embraced the quick-dry products. They're super lightweight and will help combat the extreme humidity we can expect to encounter as we travel through Southeast Asia in monsoon season.

• 2 quick dry shirts from Old Navy's athletic section (mentioned above)
• 6 pack of quick dry socks by Champion (their quick dry stuff is awesome and some can be bought cheaply at Costco)
• 6 pack of quick dry boxer-briefs by Champion
• Quick dry pants by Columbia (which look like fairly normal khakis)
• Quick dry microfiber towel

I've also packed 4 pairs of shorts--2 casual, 2 athletic and another pair of fairly ill-fitting pants made of linen. It was pretty challenging finding lightweight pants in NY in January, but I'm hoping to find a plethora of Enrique Iglesias-on-the-beach-style pants when we get to India.

I've also got a bathing suit, some tiny disposable ponchos in case we get caught in a downpour and 2 pairs of cheap polarized sunglasses.

In an outside pocket of the eBag (which is lined with a water resistant synthetic), I've got a pair of amazing sneakers also made by Columbia--they're actually sold as water shoes, as they are fully submersible and are designed to drain water through the sole and mesh upper. I can explore in these, workout in these, and walk through a typhoon in these.

I brought one more pair of shoes, made by Olukai (what up Hawaii). They're completely mesh for hot weather use and are made to be worn without socks. They can kind of be dressed up with the khakis and a collared shirt (maybe not to your standards, Dad), and are very functional as a daily shoe. I also plan to pick up some flip-flops when we get to India.

Toiletry Bag

Our toiletry bag is a work of art. It is.

The top mesh compartment is filled with over-the-counter pills of all kinds. We took them all out of their bottles and put them in small ziplocs and labeled them. Thanks to my brother, we've brought a bunch of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE), which is supposed to be a great cure-all for the many stomach afflictions we'll likely face eating our way through the third world. We're trying to avoid "Delhi Belly," "Bali Belly," "Traveler's Trot," "The Khmer Spews," "The Malay Spray," or the more technical "Traveler's Diarrhea." But nobody cool calls it that. 

Also in here is melatonin for jet lag, allergy medicine, anti-diarrheal pills, Dramamine, and AfterBite anti-itch gel for mosquito bites.

The second compartment is sealed off in clear vinyl, so this is where the liquids go. I got a bunch of 3 oz spray bottles (unsurprisingly from a Chinese seller on eBay). One bottle is hand sanitizer (we keep more on us in our day bags), another is a concentrated mouthwash, 3 bottles of sunscreen, as we were warned that foreign sunscreen is not only priced for tourists, but may contain unsavory ingredients...not sure how true that is...and more GSE in liquid form.

The third row from the top holds our prescription medications (Ativan for flying--we're talking 30,000 feet in the air, people--and Cipro for extreme sickness) as well as some disposable mini toothbrushes.

The bottom zipper compartment holds a bunch of individually packed sanitizing wipes, a mini first aid kit, and a mini pack of tweezers/scissors/nail file/nail clippers (Target travel section). There's also some 30 percent DEET wipes for mosquitoes (we'll be picking up some reportedly highly effective repellent local to India called Odomos upon arrival), and a bunch of earplugs for drowning out the sounds of the jungle when needed.

I Love Technology

Even though I've left Artistech behind, there's still a good amount of tech that is coming along for the journey. To simplify everything, I managed to organize it so that all of our electronics are powered or charged by Micro-USB, as proprietary chargers add considerable weight and are difficult to replace if lost on the road. Here's what I've got using Micro-USB:

• Google Chromebook in black--it has a proprietary high power Micro-USB charger, but I can use it for any of the other devices
• My android phone (global phone, so I can pop in a local SIM card for phone/data)
• My Sony point-and-shoot camera
• Both Kindles (older Kindle touch and new Kindle Paperwhite bought for the trip)
• Tiny router/repeater--which has already proven to be helpful
• Rechargeable beard trimmer/hair cutter
• JBL Bluetooth Speaker (Thanks Bro!)

All of this is being charged through a sweet Belkin travel surge protector that is plugged into the appropriate adapter for the region we're in and then into the wall socket. We can plug in 3 devices with plugs and charge 2 devices with USB cables simultaneously, which is more than we should ever need. And all of this tech fits into a single gallon ziploc bag...

Cecily is carrying an Asus Zenbook, which is the only device with a non-universal charger, but it's light and is our only real computer (love my Chromebook, but it's not a full computer). She's got her iPhone which we were able to get unlocked by a guy on eBay who offered the service, so she can also get a local SIM card for phone/internet if needed. She's also using her iPhone for the camera, which seems to be the best way to sneak some good candids...

A man and his monkey on a bicycle...

Cecily is carrying a purse with her and I've got a packable day-pack, which has two water bottle pockets and room for a couple items (camera, phone, maps, notebook, flashlight, a snack, etc.).

And that's it! 10 months and a lot of laundry to do!

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WHAT DID CECILY PACK?

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Packing for this trip took almost four months and a lot of trial and error via Amazon Prime.  In the dead of New York winter it wasn't easy to find linen and swim suits, but luckily one of our weddings took us to Hawaii in November where we went buck wild in an Oahu Old Navy.  If you live in a place with seasons, plan early, or be prepared to try on a lot of weird items from Amazon's travel section.

After looking at multiple backpacks, I decided that I wanted wheels.  We’re traveling for ten months and I didn't want the responsibility of carrying the accumulation on my back—so while Read opted for straps, I’ll be pulling my stuff.  We’re both using the brand ebags, which was the best combination of affordability and sturdiness we found.  

Luckily, with the exception of our first week in Morocco, the weather will almost always be hot so I only needed to pack for variations of one season with regular clothes, modest clothes, and dress up clothes. 

Suitcase, Purse & Itinerary Book

Here's the breakdown:

Pants: Two pairs of linen pants (Old Navy, cheap), pair of light jeans (old), pair of “nice gauchos” (oxymoron?), one pair of athletic leggings (Gap Body) for layering underneath if it gets chilly at night. 

Shirts: One long sleeved, two short sleeved, two tank tops. (cotton, Old Navy or otherwise cheap).

Dresses & Skirts: Two tunics that can be worn over pants for modesty, one black cotton maxi for “formal occasions”, a skirt for going out in more western settings.  These things were mostly light and small, so I was able to bring something for every occasion. 

Shoes: One pair of tevas, one pair of dressier sandals, one pair of sneakers (old).   The plan is to pick up a pair of leather walking shoes in Morocco or India.

Shoes like these!  Hand crafted Moroccan leather, $20

Light raincoat (Gap Body), swimsuit (durable), nightgown. 

Two scarves to use as sarongs, as head coverings, as shawls, as means of looking more dressed up.

LAYERING is key.  In conservative countries, t-shirts and scarves can be worn over sleeveless tunics and pants can be worn under short dresses.  In beach communities and less modest locales, the summer clothes can be worn alone.

Tools: A blow dryer for both hair and clothing, a flat iron for hair and Read’s shirt collars.  Laptop and iphone.  

Purse: “Leather” across the shoulder bag from Target, easily traded for something more fun along the way but sturdy and inconspicuous enough for daily use. 

Anything we’re missing, we should be able to pick up along the way.  I was warned that decent bras are difficult to find in Asia so I've brought a supply of those as well as quick dry underwear. 

A huge part of planning for this trip was parting with a ton of material possessions.  After purging so much of what we own, I don’t feel particularly attached to anything in my suitcase so Read and I have decided that for every clothing item we buy, we need to shed something we came with. 

The objective of this trip is to experience, not to acquire, but I wouldn't be surprised if we both return with a suitcase full of replacements.  We’ll see how well we fair!

Phillipe, our French guide, pulling my suitcase in Marrakech.  So chic.

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