Don’t leave home without…

Although I wouldn’t classify Travis and I as hardcore travelers to the likes of those who have lived out of their comfort zones for long periods of time, we have definitely had a taste this year of making do with the limited contents in our suitcases. In case you ever decide to hit the road for more than a month, here are just a few suggestions of things you might want to include in your bag:

Small electric teapot: The perfect item to bring the “comforts of home” into our teacups every night before bed. No need to sacrifice all of our favorite routines.

Travel Iron: Not a day went by when we weren’t well pressed (except on the farms). Why look like all the other tourists with wrinkled clothes when you don’t need to?

Ziplocs: Half-eaten bags of chips or crackers you want to save, leaky shampoo containers, etc. Good for everything. Enough said.

Ethernet Cord: It brought the World Wide Web to our laptop whenever wireless wasn’t available. A must for blogging.

Small backpack: Our little green REI backpack was a staple accessory to be worn on one of our backs anytime we left “home.” Big enough to carry a camera and water bottle, yet not flashy enough (like a purse) to attract theft.

Trail mix: Without a supply of good ole’ fruit and nuts in our pack, those days of long train rides though meal times, or walking hours looking for a descent (and affordable) restaurant would have been unbearable. Not to mention the times our home stays didn’t serve us enough dinner to fill us up…

Tissues: Essential for Travis’s allergies, and also for wiping his brow on the travel days. Crucial to bring along for many bathrooms this year too.

Luggage bag separators: These Rick Steves mesh storage bags were gems that aided in our organization among the big black holes of our suitcases. By the second half of our trip we had names for these (“tech bag” “food bag” “toiletry bag”). This continues to come in handy for me every time Travis asks, “Where’s that at?”

Rain jackets: Small, foldable and waterproof. With this last month of rain especially, we’d have been very wet without them.

Plastic silverware/ salt, pepper & sugar packets: With all the spontaneous picnics we did, we never had to eat with our hands or without seasoning. There’s still room for good manners when on the road.

iPods: Downloaded podcasts on every topic under the sun entertained us through long train rides and hours of monotonous work while help-x-ing. We also downloaded several city and museum tours that were a great free way to gather more insight while sightseeing.

Electric Adaptors: It’s not only essential to have one for each country, but multiple. With so many nooks and crannies in our bags, it seemed we could never find the right one when we needed it.

Hand Sanitizer: Great for times without access to a sink; also useful to do a quick clean of fruit and veggies bought on the street.

Small Notebook: You don’t want to be without paper when that inspiration for a poem comes to mind, when you need to write out a hotel address because the bus driver doesn’t understand your English, or when you want to pass the time waiting for your bill at a restaurant writing lists about every random topic of the year you can think about.