Pack Rats

I love to travel and have done a lot of it. I have visited over 40 countries in the past 12 years and I have learned many important things like: Don’t over plan, stay long, and pack light. I write this knowing full well it is definitely easier said than done. For example, we are going to South Africa in high season this winter, and unfortunately that requires advance booking, otherwise we may find ourselves without a place to stay. So being spontaneous is out of the question this trip. Also, in a country with so much crime, being well prepared, and knowing where you are going at all times is probably diligent. Most challenging however, is taking only carry-on luggage for a four month long trip.

I am certain organizing our bags for this trip to Africa will take a few trial runs. For Stephane the task is monumental given the size of his feet: one shoe takes up half his carry on! Then there is all his hair products. Funny thing that is.

There is one good travel tip I try to keep in mind when packing: unless you are heading out to the far reaches of the Amazon, almost anything can be purchased once you get there (except maybe super large shoes in Latin America...).

Another trick I have learned is to keep a small zip up bag in your small carry-on personal item that has the following items in it: 24 hours of medications (if you require them), earbuds, a credit card, lip balm, eye patches, ear plugs, 1 mg Ativan, toothbrush, Clorets, and reading glasses if you need them. These are all the things you will likely need when on a long flight. The whole zip up case can be placed in the seat pocket in front of you thus avoiding the nightmare of having to crawl over two people to drag down your suitcase and dig through it to try to find what you need. Unfortunately, no one has yet solved the issue of how to not have to pee once an hour on a long flight...

In general, I try to avoid overnight flights, but when going to South Africa from North America it is quite unavoidable if you want to arrive there during the day. I have also learned that more often than not, aircraft entertainment systems are broken and it is worthwhile to have some movies downloaded onto your tablet or phone. Steph and I always carry an earbud splitter so that we can plug into the same movie. Syncing our seat back screens has become an art and we are quite good at it (I know, our talents are endless!).

A few years ago I bought a kindle which takes up less space than a book and can be read on the beach without glare. It took some getting used to, but means I can carry several books with without the weight and space issues. Alternatively I have found that no matter where I have travelled to, there are always good books to be found...books other travellers have left behind.

All in all, packing light requires thought, but has so many benefits...no lost luggage, no waiting around on arrival, allowing you to get through customs first before the long line ups form, and less back aches dragging all that weight around.

Now if I could just solve the shoe issue...