How to Pack for a Four Month Trip

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Sunscreen for the beaches of Thailand? check
Winter gloves for the mountains of Switzerland? check
Bathing suit for snorkeling in the BVI? check
Warm coat for winter in Tokyo? check

This is an exerpt from our packing list. Sounds a little random and a little nuts but when I tell you we are going around the world it begins to make sense. We created an opportunity to travel out of a challenging situation at work and will be on the road for the next several months on sabbatical.

We bought our tickets through the oneworld alliance - 20 "segments" over 4 continents total with 4 segments permitted in each continent. Pros: still cheaper than buying individual tickets; access to airline lounges due to my Platinum status; changes to dates/times for free after the first intercontinental hop. Cons: each connecting flight counts as a segment, not just destinations where you actually leave the airport (Seattle-Dallas-St. Thomas burns 3); no airline partner in the alliance for getting around Africa (you'd have to go back to London to get from Ghana to South Africa); hops within a continent are dependent on the hub system (no getting from Zurich to Budapest without hopping through London and burning a segment). J figured out the way to get around this is to fly hub-nonhub-hub-nonhub-hub within a continent. For some reason, the more complex tickets have to be written by hand and cannot be issued electronically. You would think a computer would handle the more complicated stuff, but whatever. When we arrived at the airport for our first leg (at 4AM mind you), we collected our tickets at the desk where we were greeted with "Oh, we've heard about you guys with the crazy ticket."

We managed to get everything down to two medium sized bags from MEC (Canadian REI). The key is to get those "space bags" that you can squeeze all the air out and really compress things down. We actually managed to each fit 10 days worth of clothes in each bag, plus expandable mosquito net, all "liquids" not allowed on flights anymore and several winter coats, pairs of shoes, swimsuits and dress clothes.

J's carry-on is a single Cannon camera backpack with a ridiculous amount of high end photo gear, GPS, L\laptop and external hard disk. CM handles the "official paperwork", reading materials and 4 months of prescriptions.

We're going to leave the exact itinerary a surprise, so stay tuned!

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Photos

That's All?
Our luggage...

Comments

[Pamela]

the wonders of the "space bag"
Well, i'm completely impressed with your packing tackic (I have to confess, I was a bit curious how someone packs for a 4 month trip around the world). Could you please give Tim some advice!!! He always over packs and he has so many "products".... eeks. I'm so excited for both of you. Can't wait to get the next blog.

[Jessica]

WHAT?
Wow! I had no idea you were going around the world. I'm excited to read all about it! I'm just sitting in front of the computer with wet hair since Logan woke me up at 5:45 but by the time I was out of the shower he was back asleep--where I would like to be! Oh and he's walking now. Take care!!!

[Unka Jeff]

No car parts?
What! You packed without any race car parts for me? I needed a new transmission!

[CM and J]

Space Bags...
The space bag is really useful, as is reducing the number of shoes you bring. They're pretty much the bulkiest to pack. My latest idea is to go on a trip to Thailand with no supplies but camera. I think you could completely outfit yourself for a month in the tropics for about $200 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Then you could take it home, or just donate it when you leave. How crazy would that be? Just leave for Southeast asia with the clothes on your back and some expensive camera equipment!