6 Weeks: Happenings

This was a big week... I mean, seriously guys, loads of, um, not much at all.
-I worked nearly 40 hours in three days.

-I stressed myself out so badly because of work (and after being hit on the head last week by a bookshelf) that I literally was unable to turn my head for two days. My amazing brother-in-law happens to be a chiropractor and he fixed me up. Well, he's been fixing me up, every day this week, because let me tell you, everything is so inflamed in my neck/back that we've had to work on it in steps. #imightaswellbeinaneckbrace

-I undertook a massive writing project three weeks ago. I finished said project one week ago. This week I redrafted said project when I wasn't working. Or sleeping. Or writhing in pain.

-I packed a box. One. Didn't want to over-exert myself, for crying out loud.

-Round two of my vaccinations happened. One more to go. And a few meds to pick up to have along the way. Antibiotics and anti-malarials and the like. All of those anti's. No one wants the pros, because believe me, there is nothing good about malaria or a screaming bout of the pharaoh's revenge.

-I realized that I have been WAY overstocking up on the things I use for my trip. That's what happens when you have too much going on and you think you're too smart for your own good by thinking that because you're going to be spending time in the South Pacific that you'll need to bring the contents of an entire makeup counter/feminine hygiene aisle/face wash case with you and you really don't, all you really need is enough for the two or three months you'll actually be IN the South Pacific... And wasn't that the most epic run on sentence ever?

-The office move I thought was happening last weekend is, in reality, happening tomorrow. Today I say goodbye to my lovely, quiet, spacious office, sadface:

And last, but not least, today I had my first monkey wrench thrown at me. Don't worry, nothing big enough to change my plans, but a wrench, nonetheless. (You can't plan to do big things without expecting these things to pop out at you from nowhere, because they just will!) I went to the Dentist for a cleaning and pre-trip check. I've had a feeling that I would need another (!!!) root canal sooner than later. (On the tooth next to the tooth I've already had TWO root canals on... Yah, I was hit in the head crazy hard with a basketball back in college, so hard my head rang like a bell for a couple of hours. The hit was centered on those teeth and they have been slowly dying ever since. #truestory). Well, root canal day has come! Plus I get the bonus of two cavities that need fillings, too. Am I lucky, or what?

Yah, that's $3k worth of dentistry that will come directly out of my travel budget. But honestly, it's a bit of a relief. I have a fabulous dentist, who is a dear family friend and I trust him to do a wonderful job. Had this happened in a few months, cringe! Picturing witch doctors and pulling teeth in the middle of a south pacific island... NOWAYJOSE.


So that's that.  
What are you up to?

Packing: My Process

I'm certain you all have your own plan (or not) for packing. My packing process is almost a religious experience. It's varied, by length/type of trip, of course. For short, weekend trips, I toss a change of clothes and my always-packed sundries bag into a duffel and go.

For longer, international trips, the experience is much more detailed, and usually takes a good 6-8 hours.

I know, that may seem like overkill, but let me explain my neurotic ways:

Step One: After work, the night before the flight
-Strip and remake bed.
-Tear apart bedroom finding appropriate clothing, camera, laptop, chargers, passport, travel wallet.
-Establish a "pile" in the living room.
-Start a load of wash for anything that needs laundering.
-Reassemble bedroom.
-Switch laundry to dryer.

Step Two: Late night, while watching a movie in my living room
-Laundry is done and clean clothing added to "The Pile"
-Whittle down "The Pile" - omit any packing redundancies
-Ziplock baggie everything into submission. Gallon ziplock bags hold my extension cord, adapters, etc. Quart ziplock bags for medications, shampoos, etc.
-This trip I'll be trying out Eagle Creek's Packing Cubes (Eagle Creek is not my sponsor, I purchased their cubes on my own dime.) for the first time for my clothing. I'll let you know if they're worthwhile.
-Pack everything into suitcase (For this trip I'll be using my new Osprey Sojourn rolling backpack, again, no Osprey is not my sponsor, etc...) except toiletries, which I'll need to shower and prep with before leaving.
-Vacuum the living room/clean the bathroom and bedroom (I like my house to be clean when I come home... it makes coming home much less stressful!)

Step Three: Late Late Night Prior to Flight
-Pretend to try and sleep.
-Fail miserably.
-Be ridiculously tired when my alarm goes off alarmingly early.

Step Four: Morning of flight
-Pry my unslept body from my barely-used, fresh-sheeted bed and get dressed.
-Pack sundries into bag
-Pack electronics into carry-on
-Double check I've got my passport, trip details and cards.
-Get to the flight!

Step Five:
RELAX, sleep, watch a movie, read a book... enjoy the ride.

How do you prep for an international trip?

Gearing up for Greece

A few things in my travel pack stay packed all the time. That way I know where they are always. But any traveler knows that you pack specific things for specific regions. There are a few things that I've been collecting slowly over the past couple of months just for this trip. (I haven't received endorsement for any of the products/companies listed here!)

Here's the list for this trip:

-New swimsuit. Most of this trip involves sun, sailing, beaches and water. I've got a suit I love, but I'm going to need another. I'm a big fan of Athleta swimsuits. I'm a girl with curves, and I'm active and Athleta suits are built for people like me.


-Linen pants/capris. I LOVE linen pants/capris for traveling. Especially in hot regions. Lots of people don't care for Linen because it wrinkles. I say: Who freaking cares? It's lightweight, easy-to-pack, dries quickly and breathes well. If you aren't wrinkly, a bit worn and dirty while traveling, you aren't really a traveler, you're a vacationer.

Also, I can pack four pairs of linen pants (not that I take that many) in the space it would take to pack one pair of jeans.

-Tank Tops. I only have one, so I'll need a couple more. I normally don't wear tank tops. I'm Mormon and we believe in modesty. That won't change while on vacation, but I'll be wearing a swimsuit a lot more than normal (cringe!) and tank tops are great cover-ups. (Note: Mormons do believe in appropriate clothing wearing at appropriate times - ie: sports uniforms, swimsuits, etc.)


-Dry bag. I'll be sailing on this trip. On ferries, possibly on a gullet boat, and on a 50-ft sailboat. Sailing. On the water. Of course I'll be taking a couple of electronic gadgets. Dry bag to protect. Common sense.

-Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom. I've wanted one of these for ages. It's a great little bendy tripod that is lightweight and it's legs can be bent/wrapped around stuff to anchor it. There are SO many great shots I've wanted to get but didn't have a tripod for steady long exposure. It all changes on this trip and I'm pretty excited!

 

I have contemplated taking my snorkel kit, because it just doesn't get enough use and I love it - it's mine! But there just isn't room in a frame pack for a snorkel kit. Plus, the sailboat I'll be on has kits onboard. Que sera!

Oh yah... SUNBLOCK! I'll be stocking up, thankyouverymuch. Costco has a great four-pack of sunblock right now and I'll be taking an entire four-pack with me. Three weeks + Sun + Water = One very Crispy Christy. (Even with the sunblock.)



Have you visited Greece and/or Turkey? What items did you take that were crucial? What did you wish you'd taken?

Departure Diaries #6: Packing your Backpack

If all has gone as planned, I'm in at Petra today, enjoying the selfsame ancient structures used in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Meanwhile, please enjoy the backpacking guide I've authored just for you. Also, my cruise guide is finished and headed your way on Monday.
Cheers!

--
Undoubtedly there are numerous travel writers who have guides on how to pack your travel backpack, what to bring and how to keep it all organized.

Well.

My way is better. (At least for me).

Here it is. Ready?

1. Subdivide and Conquer:
The trick to maintaining your sanity whilst living out of a backpack is organization. I like to categorize, compartmentalize and subdivide my packing space.

For instance, nothing in my pack is packed "loose." I don't just shove things in the pack. One of the best investments I made for backpack travel was a set of stuff sacks. About six or eight of them. Different colors. Divvy up your stuff however it makes sense to you. One stuff sack (or two) for shirts. One for pants, another for unmentionables, one for electronic adapters, etc. Like so:

The Toiletry Bag
Don't you just love my "C" bag? I'm not the type of girl to buy a bag with my initial on it, this one was a gag gift from a dear friend and has actually been used quite practically as a toiletry tote for a number of years.

And don't just fling things about in your toiletry bag either! Air pressure wreaks havoc on toiletries. You've all experienced the exploding shampoo bottle at one point. Avoid a repeat by not filling the bottles completely full, allowing room for the contents of your bottles to expand in high air pressure situations. Also,  ZIPLOCK BAGS ARE YOUR FRIEND. Seriously. It may seem a bit ghetto, but I can't tell you how many times packing containers with liquids or gels in a ziplock have saved my butt while traveling. I won't leave home without them.

See?

2. Pack heaviest to lightest.
It's a weight distribution issue. Frame packs are made to sit on your hips. Pack your heaviest items at the bottom of your pack and the lightest on the top - so the weight rests on your hips and not your shoulders. It will save you a lot on Chiropractic bills later. Yes, I go to a Chiropractor. I heart my Chiropractor.

3. Keep things like sunscreen, toilet paper (yes, you should take a roll with you to third world countries!), bug repellent, et al in a highly accessible compartment (or in your day pack).

4. Take a day pack.
I don't want to carry my huge frame pack with me everywhere, so I ditch it at every opportunity. On flights I check my frame pack and carry on my day pack. It can be a bit awkward when you have to carry both at the same time, but generally that's just through airports so it's not bad. If you don't need a lot of space in your day pack (if you don't carry your DSLR and three lenses with you everywhere like me) get a small day pack that can be clipped to your frame pack without a lot of hassle.

Pack in your daypack:
-Electronics (Camera, phone, laptop)
-Makeup (Girls)
-Socks (I'm a habitual sandal wearer, but airplanes are COLD)
-Your travel wallet, passport, money (Or wear this wallet on your person)
-Camelback bladder. I love my Camelback packs and bladder. 
-Copy of your Itinerary (Also keep a copy of this in your frame pack, along with photocopies of both sides of your travel credit cards and passport, to assist you in the eventuality of theft)
-Any other in-flight entertainment or luxuries you might want: Books, magazines, snacks, sweater

5. Get a lock.
'Nuf said. Nix that. I'll say more. For this trip I purchased both a combination lock (not to be used for flights as the type I purchased is not TSA approved) and a metal mesh security net made for my frame pack. I chose the security net because I'll be sharing rooms with strangers on this trip and want to secure my belongings.

6. Take a towel
Just do it. You can thank me later.

7. Love your backpack; buy a travel cover for it.
Use it for flights, bus rides, etc. It will save unnecessary wear and tear on the body and straps of your pack. Because we've all had shredded luggage at one point or another.

8. I know it sounds extravagant, but truly: Take half as much stuff as you think you'll need and twice the cash.

Got it? Hopefully you've found some helpful tips amongst those. As an added bonus:

Some things I ALWAYS Pack for international trips.
-Flashlight (torch) and spare batteries. Usually I use a headlamp.
-Voltage Converter
-Plug adapter kit
-Extra ZipLock bags. Gallon and Quart sized.
-Power strip. (Seriously, think about it: you've got four things to charge and one plug adapter.)
-Two pairs of shoes. Usually a pair of hiking boots and a pair of Chaco sport sandals (LOVE them!). I generally walk as much as possible when I explore and this is hard on the hoofs. Changing shoes really helps keep my feet happy. Well, that and a foot massage.
-Tide pen (I'm clumsy and accident prone. The Tide pen was a game-changer for me.)
-Tide travel packs.
-Antibiotics
-Excedrin
-Poncho (To cover my frame pack in case of wet weather)


Happy Packing!