Gallon ziplock bags and compact-able pants are the way to go!
Accessories:
Top (L-R):
Small notebook
DSLR Camera (Nikon D7000) with 35mm lens
Case with UV/Polar lens filters
Camelback water bottle
Camera USB cord
Middle (L-R):
Notebook
4 pens
Extra SD cards/ Lens cleaner
Frogg Togg cooling towel (so cool!)
Kindle
Camera battery charger
Sunglasses
The red folder is full of copies of tickets, travel insurance, passport/ID/credit card copies
Bottom:
Passport
Extra plastic bags (for whatever reason may arise?)
Toiletries:
Top (L-R)
Tom's Lavender deodorant (apparently this one won't melt if it gets hot!)
Quart bag of liquids (sunscreen, DEET, face sunscreen, Dr. Bronner's)
Rehydration tablets
Toothpaste/brush
A variety of earplugs
Eyemask
Middle (L-R)
Blow-up neck pillow
Kleenex
First-aid bandaids, etc.
Drugs (a variety of vitamins, pills, meds, etc.)
Bottom (L-R)
Makeup removing towels
Makeup, razer, etc.
Not pictured:
Plug adapters (UK and Europe style)
Small flashlight
Everything together:
Aren't these packs beautiful? Even if the purples clash... Hopefully the backpack on the left will count as a carry-on, and the daypack on the right will serve as my "personal item" on the plane and as a day pack throughout the trip. My clothes are all in the big guy and the daypack holds my camera stuff, some toiletries, and documentation.
I'm starting a list and posting it here because I always tend to overpack. I need help. It doesn't matter if I'm planning a weekend Whistler trip or a week in Southern California-- my goal always seems to be to win the game of "how much shit can I cram in my bag and still zip it closed?" I feel a strong sense of accomplishment when I can (albeit barely) zip my bag. (Anyone else?) But ok, problem is, I get anxiety when I'm forced to have to choose the outfit I will be wearing three days from now TODAY. Who knows how I'm going to feel on that particular day? And feelings largely depict the style of the day (right, ladies?). I need choices!
For this trip, however, I'm really trying to keep it as light and condensed as possible! I know the less stuff I have to lug around place to place the happier I will be. This time around I'm playing "less is more", knowing that anything I need I can likely purchase over there (and for much cheaper at that). Laundry is easily done in a sink and left to dry overnight. I'm also trying to err on a more conservative style of dress than I'm used to-- I'll be visiting Muslim and Buddhist cultures and don't want to be pegged as the "skimpy American girl". I will be (attempting to) take everything as carry-on, so weight and size restrictions are even more strict.
Ok, here goes:
Clothing:
4 Short sleeve shirts (two from Value Village that I'd be happy to leave and switch out)
2 Long sleeve shirts (temples tend to require long sleeves and pants)
1 Long pants
1 Shorts
1 Maxi skirt
1 Light dress
1 Swimsuit
1 Rain jacket
1 Light sweatshirt
1 Tennis shoes
1 Sandals (with behind the heel strap)
1 Shower sandals (will make due with other sandals!)
3 Pairs of socks
7 Underwears
2 1 Regular bras
2 Sports bras
Toiletries: (All travel size in hopes I can get away with all carry-on!)
Dr. Bronner's peppermint and lavendar
Shampoo & Conditioner (Dr. Bronner's works as shampoo and I have hair moisturizer)
Sunscreen (which is apparently hard to find in Southeast Asia! No kidding?)
Drugs:
First-aid kit (bandaids, Neosporin)
Excedrin (10)
Ibuprofin (15)
Benadryl (10)
Multivitamin (30)
Melatonin (20)
Vitamin C (10)
Nyquil/Dayquil (5 each)
Anti motion sickness (2)
Rehydration Electrolyte tablets (12)
Accessories:
iPod & Headphones
Netbook
Chargers
Adaptors (Europe & UK style)
Notebook & pens
Plastic bags of various sizes
DEET bug spray
Water bottle
Small laundry bag (plastic bags will suffice)
Line for clothes hanging
Small towel
Book (from Value Village- easy to leave or swap out) Kindle
Sunglasses
Small flashlight
Snacks for the flight
Earplugs/eye mask
Small travel sleeping bag
Camera:
Body (Nikon D7000)
30 mm prime
55-200 mm (should I bring it or just rely on my prime!?)
Extra battery/charger
Polarizing/UV filters
SD cards galore (two 16gb, two 32gb.. more?)
USB plug
Misc. necessities:
Passport
ID
Debit/credit card
Cash
Photocopies of itinerary, passport, flight info/tickets, travel insurance info, ID (copies to leave at home, too!)
Packs:
Heavy duty backpack (I got a beautiful purple one at REI.. must post a picture!)
Daypack (folds down to near nothing to stuff in my bigger pack)
Small messenger style camera bag that stays on my front side kangaroo-style
What do you guys think? Any experienced long-term travelers or gifted light-packers have advice on what I should cut down or what I need to add? Any photogs have advice on lenses?
I'm hoping to finalize this list soon and once I do I'll take some visual photos of everything I'm taking!
On May 4th (aka Star Wars day- "May the fourth be with you...":) ) I will be leaving the rainy albeit cozy comforts of home in Seattle to embark on my journey through Southeast Asia! The journey from "SEA to SEA" is a long one-- I will be flying nearly non-stop for 24 hours (one short stop in San Francisco, another short stop in Taipei). As someone who has some A.D.D. tendencies, we'll see how that goes...
Day 1-2: I arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on the morning of May 6th and have set transportation to my hotel near Chinatown. (One less thing to worry about upon arrival- I like it.) In the afternoon I'm meeting my fellow travelers and the rest of our time in Bangkok is wide open to spend how we decide!
What I'm most excited for: My first impressions of being by myself in a culture that feels completely foreign (Scary? Liberating? A rush of various emotions?), The FOOD!, Khao San Road (apparently popular with backpackers, full of shops, street food, bars, dancing, etc.), experiencing the bustle of this huge capital of Thailand.
The evening of Day 2 will be spent on a sleeper train to Surat Thani in the south of Thailand, which really just serves as a take-off point to get to Koh Phangan.
Day 3-4: Koh Pha Ngan.
Yep. That's it. Need I say more?
The 'Ngan' of "Koh Pha Ngan" means sandbar, of which, I am assuming, are bountiful here. Koh Pha Ngan is the home of the infamous "Full Moon Party"... which I will miss... (but now I have a reason to make my way back in the future).
What I'm most excited for: The beauty. Snorkeling, hiking, yoga class, meditation... I want to soak in absolutely everything this beautiful tropical island has to offer.
Day 5: Koh Samui. The largest of about the 80 islands that are here. Known for its tropical island beauty, not unlike Koh Pha Ngan.
Day 6: Nakhon Si Thammarat. This city used to be a major trading hub in the 17th Century. It is apparently a beautiful blend of Muslim Mosques, Buddhist Temples and old factories and houses.
Day 7: Penang, Malaysia. This will be a long bus riding day, but I'm excited to shop and eat here (apparently Malay food is a delectable blend of Thai, Chinese, Indian...)
Day 8-9: Cameron Highlands. Established in 1885 by William Cameron, a British surveyor. A drive up through the mountains.
Lots of tea plantations! I'm excited to take a serene walk and feel a different climate.
Day 10-11: Kuala Lumpur. A busy city and a change of pace. Night markets! (That means food!) The Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, are here.
Day 12: Melaka. An old port town. It was the most important trading port in S.E. Asia in the early 15th Century when China began to trade here, followed by India. Islam soon came to Melaka, and thereafter the Portuguese, Dutch, and British came to join the trading party. Melaka sounds like a crazy mix of cultures and times, as it has experienced both important history and recent economic growth. Temples, churches, mosques, museums, forts... Looking forward to soaking up the history as well as the hustle and bustle.
Day 13: Singapore.
Singapore has a night safari which I really hope I get a chance to see! It's like the nocturnal section they have at the zoo where they trick the animals through lighting that it's night time when it's really day time. (However, not everyone likes the game of night-time, day-time....)
...wut?
Day 14-15: Jakarta, Indonesia. I'm flying here from Singapore in the morning on a flight that cost me less than a decent pair of shoes. I'll be sure to bring my parachute! Morbid jokes aside, Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and is the economic heart of Java. Definitely on the search for some coffee here! (As a Seattleite, Java is going to have a tough critic on their hands...)
Day 16-17: Cianjur. Going to visit a 100 year old "Gunung Mas" ('Golden Mountain') Tea Plantation. There is also a ton of rice production here. A lot less tourism here, and we will be doing a homestay with locals, which I find incredibly exciting.
Day 18-20: Yogyakarta.
Borobudur is the famous Buddhist Temple in "Yogya", built in the 8th century. This temple was undiscovered under volcanic ash layers (lying in the shadow of Mt. Merapi), until 1815! Art markets, dance performances, Kraton, and old 18th century palace built by the Sultans of Yogya...
Day 21: Solo. Also known as Surakarta. Hindu temples, art, the "heart" of Javanese culture. Kraton Surakarta is an 18th Century palace.
Day 22: Malang. The second largest city in East Java. Cooler temperatures and higher altitudes. Many parks, a bird and flower market, Singosari temple.
Day 23: Mt. Bromo. Mt. Bromo is part of the Tengger Caldera, which is the largest volcanic range in the area. It's top has been completely blown off and is constantly smouldering with white smoke!
Day 24: Kalibaru. Coffee plantations! Coffee was brought to Java by the Dutch and now Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee grower in the world!
Day 25-26: Pemutaran. Hello, Bali.
Apparently the diving here is pretty amazing. I will at least snorkel around and explore some rainforest. I really want to see some monkeys.
Day 27: Sanur. The drive through Bali from Pemutaran to Sanur is supposed to be spectacular. My plan is to try to soak the last of everything in before I take off on Day 28.
Day 28: Back to Seattle. Or at least starting that journey.. which will take another, oh, 30 hours of travel time...
Writing out my itinerary makes my excitement exponential!! The fact that everything is already planned out has its good side and bad side; it calms my frenetic nerves, especially being new to traveling this long with nobody I know. Yet I don't have the freedom to decide to stay longer in a particular spot that I might really dig... Then again, I have a feeling this won't be my last time to S.E. Asia, and next time I will have an idea of where I would like to spend more time!
I'm posting my itinerary early so I can get some feedback; has anyone been to any of these places? Words of advice? Tips? Warnings?
Disclaimer: I don't own, nor did I take any of the photos in this post. I WILL, however, be taking my camera along with me on my trip to post photos from my experience.
