My stuff

Checking in at the Ljubljana airport

I was going to create a page where I would display a list of all the stuff I took with me on this trip, similar to what other long-term travelers have done on their blogs, to help others decide what to take along. But this resulted in a major fail on my part. I packed waaay too much stuff!

Come to think of it, what do you pack when you go away for 6 months? It’s not the same as packing for a two to three week vacation or for a business trip.

I know I can’t take 6 months’ worth of toiletries with me. I will sure run out of this or that and will need to buy replacements. I can’t take tons of clothes with me because I will have to carry everything on my back so I will have to take less and wash them frequently.

Will I need my computer with me? OK, that’s not really a question. Should I take my hard drive along to back up my computer? Is the camera on my phone good enough or do I have to bring my pocket camera as well? I should probably take headphones, a mouse, and my Kindle. How many devices is that, how many chargers, how many cables? Don’t forget the universal plug adapter to be able to charge them all.

What about a sleeping bag? I plan to be in warm climates so it shouldn’t be necessary. But what if I decide to go hiking (most likely) and it gets cooler in higher altitudes? Hiking shoes. Running shoes. Yes, I need both. I can't run in hiking shoes and I can't hike in running shoes. Should I give up either of these activities in order to bring one less pair of shoes? That's a tough one. Warm clothes, jackets, raincoats? I have no idea what I might need.

It goes on and on...

I was overwhelmed by so many packing decisions in the days before departure. I finally decided to throw everything that I think I might need on a pile, stuff it into my 65 liter backpack to see if it fits and weigh it to see if it clears the 20 kilogram airline baggage allowance. It did on both counts.

So I took it all.

I know it's too much. In fact, some items were actually packed in order to be ditched later. I wore an old pair of shoes when I left home because it was too cold to go in sandals. These shoes will be the first item to be discarded. I also packed about 2 kilograms of my son's old school supplies that he doesn't use any more since he has gone to university. I'll give them away to schools in some of the poorer regions I plan to visit. I also packed some duplicate toiletries because I had an extra toiletry kit when I traveled for work and I will use them up eventually. I'm going to throw away some of my old cotton T-shirts as they get worn and ugly from hand washing. Hopefully the amount of stuff will diminish with time.

I expect to have a good packing list at the end of the trip, that's when I will surely know what was really necessary and what wasn't, what I used and what I didn't.