I have noticed a sudden surge in posts on Pinterest (travel) about packing and taking just a carry-on for one, two, three weeks in Anywhere.
Good posts, with illustrations and uTube videos showing how to cram all your stuff in. Most include a list of what you should take. The one thing I notice they all lack is the thing that has made the greatest difference for me: learning, over time, what to leave out. And this is going to be different for each person. Here is what I mean: The first long trip (one month) we traveled with just carry-on luggage, we read some advice, made some decisions and then crammed in as much as we could, without going over the size or weight limits. BUT, upon return, as we unpacked we made three piles: stuff we actually used and needed, stuff we used once or twice, and stuff we didn't need. I listed all the stuff I took, and crossed out the unused items, and highlighted the seldom used stuff. The next trip (six weeks) I had a little more room, carried a couple extra clothes items, and the weight dropped. After that trip I again sorted my crap out, and found out that I didn't need the extra clothes I had taken. By the third trip (two months long) and ever since I have hit a sort of equilibrium for myself; my pack is about five to seven pounds under the weight limit (22 lbs is about the norm for most foreign carriers; I have seen limits vary between 18-26 pounds.) and I always have open space left over. We have survived long, long hot summers, and one trip when it rained and was cold 35 of 40 days, carrying the same basic stuff. A good example of something I took on the first trip which I dropped and have never missed, is a flashlight. They have these things called "electric lights" in Europe, and I know from years of mountaineering that you can hike at night, all night, without a flashlight if you just let your eyes adjust first. So... My packing list and requirements will be different than yours, hell, my wife and I don't carry the same stuff. Yet by just keeping track of what we didn't need, she has her weight and space requirements down as well. I noted before about how useful it can be to have a good translation app. Google Translate is my favorite, and it has been updated. It is a great app, because it not only provides a translation, but also gives alternatives to the first choice, speaks the words to you, and has a way of saving commonly used words or phrases in a "Phrasebook." For example, if you keep having to ask, "Where is the bathroom." but you just can't quite memorize it yet, simply star it and save it into the phrase book. Next time you need to ask, there it is! To see how I used this in real life, read the Albania blog posts, in Travel (Follow the link below to day 22 and day 23). Another practical application: Learning New Languages post in Comment Faire on 02.16.2013. |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2015
AuthorThis is me, at home in Northern California. like the photos?
Please credit me, and link to my website. please note:
This website is best viewed on a desktop or laptop computer. |