"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Toiletries

Those of you who have even taken one plane ride know the struggle that is carry-on toiletries. While I completely value the need for TSA regulations on what can be brought on board an aircraft, these regulations have proven to be quite an obstacle for my packing, particularly in the area of toiletries. After some trial and error, I have managed to meet airline regulations without having to go without too much of what I'm used to using. Here are my best tips for traveling light and smart in the toiletries department:

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Cultural Dress

It's been a while since I posted about something in my suitcase. My break from blogging over the holidays was good for me, but now it's back to it! I am now in India, which is why I'm very grateful for my careful packing five months ago.

Typical dress in India includes a kurta (thoses dresses with slits down either side) over leggings or baggy pants with a scarf like the picture on the right.

I brought back a lot of traditional clothing from my previous trip to India in 2012, but my lack of packing space and variety of cultures that I would be visiting made it impractical to pack all of these. I still really wanted to be as respectful of culture as possible. This is especially important for solo female travellers that don't want to attract more attention than they already do. This post explains how I packed lightly with clothes that would work well in both Europe and India.

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Chacos

Alternate Title: "Ode on a Pair of Chacos"

Thou sturdy straps and rubber

How have we come this far?

Through rain and dirt and all things foul,

You truly raised the bar.

Never shall my suitcase be

Without your faithful fill.

For never shall I go a mile

Unless my feet you still.

 

Ok, that's enough of that. I thought maybe a beautiful poem would offset the picture of my feet after a day walking around Rwanda. I probably will wake up tomorrow and wonder why I embarrassed myself like that (with both the picture and the poem). Haven't written anything close to poetry since high school. Good to know I'm still just as bad. Here are the less poetic reasons why I packed my Chacos:

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Electronics

So I did a lot of research on RTW (round-the-world) packing before setting off on this adventure. Most travel blogs tell you mostly the same thing about clothes, luggage, and toiletries. However, I never found consensus on the topic of electronics. Some people travel with multiple items, all needing different chargers. Others have nothing but a cell phone.

I decided to strike a happy medium, but your decision on electronics for travel largely depends on what you actually plan to do while travelling. You have to be honest with yourself. Will you really have time to take million dollar shots with a fancy camera and multiple lenses on that rugged backpacking adventure? Do you really need to play a computer game that requires lots of memory (and more bandwidth than rural Ethiopia has even heard of)? Do you really have to carry your entire music collection in tow for the time you're spending away? Probably not.

My basic rules in making these types of decisions are:

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Layers!

The days have been getting colder, so my limited wardrobe is being put to the test! My secret to staying warm even without a heavy coat is lots and lots of layers. As you know from my travel wardrobe post, I only have a few long sleeve shirts, though, so I had to be selective about my few cold-weather pieces. Here are some of the most helpful ones in my suitcase:

Columbia Fleece

I'm convinced that this article of clothing is the reason I've kept warm so far. You get a lot of insulation out of a relatively thin jacket. That's important when needing to pack light! I made sure to get it loose enough to fit a sweater (or two) underneath. Like I've already said, it all comes down to how you layer!

This and similar products can be found at Sierra Trading Post for very reasonable prices.

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Cabeau Evolution Pillow

During the week that I've kept you in the dark in terms of blog posts, I have been preparing for, embarking on, and recovering from a voyage all the way from Rome, Italy to Athens, Greece. This journey involved a 4 hour train ride, a 15 hour boat ride, a 2 hour bus trip, a 1 hour train ride, and a 40 minute metro ride. All with my life for the next nine months in hand. If you do the math, you will notice that the total travel time exceeds 20 hours - and that's not including layovers. With layovers, I was somewhere between Rome and Athens for a total of 36 hours. I couldn't have done it without this trusty pillow you see to the left.

I've always been skeptical about neck pillows. They rarely perfomed their intended function - helping me get better sleep while in a seated position. After getting the Cabeau Evolution Pillow, I now know that is because most neck pillows are made completely wrong! If you plan to do any overnight traveling in your future, I highly recommend this pillow to you.

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Foldable Tote

I have to start off with an apology for dropping off the map for two weeks there. I promise I can explain. This past week was my boyfriend's Fall Break, so we spent 7 days in 9 cities. On this trip, I was very excited to have my foldable tote bag. Our first form of transportation was a RyanAir flight, so my maximum size carry on wasn't going to cut it. I also didn't want to lug around that big thing to multiple cities, so I opted for my black tote bag. Look at how light on our feet we were!

 

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Scrubba Wash Bag

It's ironic that I really should be doing laundry instead of posting about how to do laundry. I made this video for the company that makes the Scrubba Wash Bag, but I'd love to share it with you all as well. Enjoy!

 

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Eurail Pass

So this doesn't exactly fit the normal mold of my Wednesday posts, but I just had to find an excuse to share this incredible view:

That would be the Alps in the distance. This is taken from my seat in the train going from Austria to Italy. Since arriving in Europe, I have traveled exclusively by train from country to country. Here are some of the benefits of train travel as opposed to flying:

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Packing Cubes!

Large eBags Packing Cube

A few weeks ago I posted about my travel wardrobe in order to show you just how many outfits can be made from a small selection of clothing. I worked hard to limit my wardrobe for this fellowship, but I still have managed to pack an impressive amount into a carry-on suitcase - if I do say so myself. I can't take credit for this, though. Many different travel blogs helped me make decisions on how to pack well (check out these on my "How To" page on traveling the world).

The best decision I made was buying packing cubes. It's a simple concept, really, but it hadn't ever occured to me because previous trips were short enough to live out of a suitcase or only to one destination so I could unpack. This trip is different. I need to be able to unpack and repack often and in an organized way. Packing cubes help me do just that, and more!

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Black Maxi Skirt

As I was walking around yesterday in The Hague, wearing my amazing black maxi skirt, I suddenly realized that I have joined the ranks of solo female travelers. They're easy to spot - chacos, chambray shirt, maxi skirt, day pack... and usually a confused look on their face as they try to reach their destination. It was an exciting realization, though, because I have always dreamed of being just that! I never thought I could reduce my closet to a suitcase, though.

It's pieces like this that have made that possible. A black (or other neutral) maxi skirt is one of those essentials you should have no matter how much traveling you do. It's comfortable, versatile, and cute! I have worn it so many times already. Somehow it has been perfect for almost any situation - a party, a meeting, a day of touring in Amsterdam. Can't go wrong, really. Read on to see exactly why I love this skirt so much as a part of my travel wardrobe!

"What's in your suitcase?" Wednesday: Circle Scarf

Introducing the best thing you could ever ever buy from American Apparel:

 

The Unisex Circle Scarf!

Seriously, this thing is amazing. I have had multiple occasions that I've been glad to have it here - for multiple different reasons. Let me explain.

My Travel Wardrobe

That's just a sampling of the outfit combinations I've been able to make with the clothes I'm bringing next year. One of the first questions people ask when they hear about my fellowship is, "How do you pack for something like that?"