I am all packed. I leave on Tuesday, not tomorrow, but as I realize anything I may have missed, this way, I can pack it right away instead of taxing my overstressed brain with trying to remember it later.
I have officially gone from this:
to this:
(minus the pillows and bed and linens of course)
So for anyone interested in what I am bringing, here is the complete packing list. It sounds like a lot, but it all fits in my pack with room to spare, and it weighs about 26lbs - all very manageable for what I am doing.
I'll do a post-mordem in July to analyze my mad packing skillz, but this is where I am starting out:
clothing, etc:
tank top
2 tee shirts (one wicking)
2 longsleeved (one wool)
3/4 sleeve button down
pants
jeans
bermuda short/capri
skirt
fleece
tee/cami/yoga pants (pajamas)
sarong/big ol' piece of cloth
4 socks (1 wool, 1 running, 2 cool booties)
swimsuit
packable rain jacket
sun hat
underthingies (girl's gotta have some secrets...)
buff (it's like a bandanna, but better)
flip flops
sandals
trail runners
toiletries et al:
shampoo bar
soap
toothbrush
toothpaste
floss
mouthwash
hair styling cream
face moisturizer
body moisturizer
face wash
deodorant
razor
sunblock
nail polish
polish remover pads
purell
bug repellant
concealer
foundation
mascara
tweezers
mani scissors
emory board
bobby pins
laundry soap
travel toilet paper
tissues
shout wipes
extra lip balm (i have these tucked everywhere - Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper, my addiction)
travel towel
first aid:
excedrin, benadryl, laxative, anti-diarrheal, eye drops, abreva, band aids, itch cream, decongestant, neosporin
odds & ends:
lock
head lamp
eye mask & earplugs
travel alarm clock
sleep sack
blanket
chargers
plug adapter
spoon
ziplocks, twist ties, duct tape, sharpie
nylon back to pack the pack in for checking
carry on:
book
calendar
little notebook that i've written everything in
passport
credit cards in wallet
flash drive
spanish phrasebook
pens
water bottle
ipod
guidebook pages
itinerary & paper tickets
sunglasses
watch
I think that is everything - I may have forgotten things in the list, but I think I have most things in the actual pack. I'll add anything I find I've forgotten.
Under the best of circumstances, I am an absolute sucker for new beauty products--good smells, cute packaging, grandiose claims, whatever, I'm sold, give me the new face masque. Or lotion. Or scrub. Or all three.
So combine that with the fact that I have been under a spending embargo for pretty much a year. I have been trying my very best to save, and while success has been dubious at times, I have gotten better as my departure date draws nearer and the costs of all I want to do become more real.
Pretty much the only thing left that I can buy guilt free? Items "for the trip." OK, so maybe I played a little fast and loose with the definition of "for the trip" a time or two, but when I don't buy ANYthing but gas and asiago bagels from Panera, I go a little mad sometimes. So what if I justify a heady dash through the world of product as "for the trip?" I need to make an educated decision as to what toiletries I am taking with, don't I? I can't wind up in Patagonia with an oily face and stringy hair, can I?
I know that every RTW book, blog and forum tells chicks doing long-term travel to give up vanity and embrace the low maintenance/inner hag look. To that, I say: Pshaw and whatever, book, blog and forum clearly written by men (And yes, I regret it on the road or in hindsight, I will absolutely and publicly eat my words.). In my day-to-day life homeside, I am not very high maintenance, but what I need, I need. My hair is about 1.5 inches long at its longest. I don't need to wash it every day, I don't ever condition it, I don't need to comb it, but I also do not have the luxury of the ponytail option. So I am sorry, I need some product. I am not talking about a barrage of serums and gels and lotions and a fistful of straightening/curling/flattening ionic whatever irons, just my one beloved bottle of Bumble & Bumble. Otherwise, quite frankly, my hair will feather itself into a gigantic butt on my head. That is not a look I need to take on the road.
I've been deep in love with Lush because it really does complete me. Not only is everything so very soft and smell so very good, but they sell most things like meat at the deli -- you want a thin slice of 3 soaps, they price 'em by the pound and wrap them up. It's a dabbling shopper's dream: I get to appease my evil consumerist tendencies without getting tons of different stuff, just a bit of this and some of that. Plus, Lush has mastered the genius of solid shampoo. How great is that for travel? No liquids! Just rub a little on your scalp, and you are good to go; 8 of a pound lasts months! I was so set.
So, yeah. All of this really is my justification for going to Lush today and buying, buying, buying. But, see, they are discontinuing the shampoo I had already chosen! It's been tried and tested, does not give me butt head, does not let my hair get greasy or dry or flaky or flyaway or lifeless (when you have short hair, which I love, it sort of magnifies any of your hair's negative characteristics, which I do not), plus it even gives a little red hue. I mean, I won't be devastated if I can't buy more of it when I get back, but it had already made the cut and was on my list! In pen! And now it's a limited-time purchase? That huge chunk I bought is totally justified. It's for the trip.
to this:
