In 3 months I will be gone for 3 months on vacation/sabbatical/mini-retirement. At this point my mind is occupied with excitement of how awesome its going to be; a bit of fear, what if it is dangerous to travel alone as a female; wondering whether and how the trip it going to change me; figuring out how can I make it so that it is not lost time career-wise, but instead is an investment in my career; and tons of questions about practical matters. For example…
Backpack vs suitcase?
I just love my ZUCA suitcase. It looks cool, I can sit on it, my stuff inside it is well organized into pouches, its lightweight, its carry-on size. I have taken it to many weekend trips and several 2-3 week long trips to Europe. However ZUCA is a suitcase and it has wheels. For long term travel a backpack sounds more appropriate because the terrain I can take it on is way more versatile. Suitcase with wheels requires a decent road. Though I will be mostly traveling in developed countries (Western Europe, Japan, Singapore), so this is a wash. A bigger argument for backpack is that with a backpack I am more likely to blend-in whereas with a suitcase I will definitely look like a tourist. Let me tell you, it feels quite awkward to arrive at a social dance night in a club with a suitcase or a huge backpack and looking like an out of place tourist. I imagine I will be going social dancing quite a bit on this trip and it definitely could happen that I just have arrived at a city late in the evening and head straight to a club. So backpack it is.
Size of backpack?
I want to travel light and I have been quite successful at it in the past. I routinely bring less stuff for weekend dance events than guys. When people see me having just a backpack I have had questions like “Where is your suitcase?”. My big 65L backpacking backpack is way too big. My 20L Osprey bicycling backpack is way too small. My big-ish laptop backpack could be right about the right size, though its’ shape is awkward. It gets too fat in width and is thus sometimes hard to stuff in the overhead bins on airplanes. Also it has side pockets that awkwardly stick out and make me bump into things.
On the internet the consensus seems that 30L backpack is a good size for long term super light weight travel. That might be too much of a stretch. I love my Osprey packs and probably will get another Osprey. They have Wayport and Farpoint series. The Farpoint 55L packs looks pretty good. It is 40L main pack + 15L day pack. After reading this review I’m sold [http://www.answeringoliver.com/2012/01/my-rtw-backpack-round-two-osprey.html]. Will check out REI soon and get it so that I can try it out on upcoming weekend trips!
What to pack?
I will be mostly in places with warm weather. Yey for that! One of my constraints is that I will be attending dance events so will have to bring something nice too. What color wardrobe should I bring? I like bright colors, but dark/black is more practical. Maybe I should go with brown-ish so that I can match it with occasional yellow. Shoes? Light hiking/walking shoes + reef super comfy flip-flops? What about jeans? All the travel blogs say not to bring those because they are bulky, heavy and it takes long for them to dry.
Here are some great links describing packing for long trips:
http://eurosatemydollars.com/trip-planning/packing-and-gear/
http://away-together.com/2010/05/31/essential-gear-for-long-term-travel/
http://www.answeringoliver.com/2012/02/my-rtw-packing-list.html
http://www.25dollartravel.com/mmblog/2011/04/long-term-travel-packing-list/
http://yourenotfromaroundhere.com/blog/rtw-travel-packing-list/
I long time ago I read about Scottvest, the ultimate travel clothing with pockets. I think I finally have a reason to get one. I’m a sucker for well designed gear (if you can’t tell from my love for the ZUCA bag already).
Nexus 7 vs Kindle?
I will be reading a lot (super super excited about this part!). I already have a Nexus 7 and I like reading on it. In addition I really really like reading pdfs on it and be able to highlight and make notes. Finally I have found a way to read scientific articles without printing them out. Another aspect, Nexus 7 is more versatile in that I can read both Google Play books and Kindle books. I don’t have a kindle, but I hear battery life for it is phenomenal. I’m not going backpacking in wilderness for 3 months, but still.. which brings me to the next question.
Solar power?
Since I will be bringing electronics (laptop, smartphone, tablet/kindle) is there any reasonable portable way to charge them using solar power? I have seen some backpacks with solar panels. I think this topic will need quite a research.
All in all I’m super excited for the trip! Its going to be amazing! Well, sure, it probably will have plenty its downs too, but I’m excited to be stretched outside of my comfort zone. I think it can be summarized with this image:
http://blog.unstash.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/where-the-magic-happens.jpg
Can’t wait to see what magic awaits me!
April 19, 2013 @ home in San Francisco
