Traveling is exciting. Researching and planning the trips are fun. Packing for trips is not as much fun. It is easy to pack for a week at the beach or a weekend getaway. Packing for several months should be just as easy, but it is not. Packing for a longer-term trip requires some advance planning a lot of ‘would you rather’ sessions. We could cave in and take larger bags, but, as we learned on our trip to Central America in 2020, we do not want to be bogged down with stuff.
When we went to Central America in 2020, we took one large checked bag, two carry-on-sized luggage, and four backpacks. We took a lot of things that barely got used, but took up a lot of room like baseball gloves. We found that it was hard to wrangle the larger bag and two carry-on-sized bags with Lucas and Henry. It was also hard at times to move the luggage because streets were not always paved and sometimes we had to walk long distances, like when we crossed borders.
Lucas and Henry are older now, so we decided to go with each person taking a carry-on-sized bag and a backpack. Each person is responsible for their own technology, clothes, toiletries, etc. The boys each picked out the toys they want to take and they are each carrying their school books. We still think we are bringing too many things, but it is hard to decide what to cut out.
Here is a packing list of what we are bringing on our next adventure:
Clothes: roughly 5 outfits each (mostly warm weather, but some long sleeves), plus swimwear, 1 jacket; sandals; sneakers.
Technology: computers, tablets, gopro, iphones and all of the chords and attachments that go with those, and walkie talkies. The walkie talkies came in handy in South America. Lucas and Henry also spent their own money on power adaptors, so their technology doesn’t die when we travel.
Entertainment: Cards, dice, toy cars, bouncy balls, tennis raquets and pickleball paddles, and a 2,000 piece puzzle (Michael thinks I it is silly for me to take the puzzle, but I know it is a great packing choice). We also have a few workbooks for the boys, but a lot of what they will be learning is online and a lot of what they will be learning is waiting for us when we arrive.
Toiletries/medicine: toothbrushes, a first aid kit, and an assortment of medicine including antibiotics and ointments for various potential ailments.
Passport/paperwork: passports and copies, proof of insurance, cash.
A packing break was in order for extra time with Josie and Dexter.
Our bags are all mostly full, but that is ok because when we travel we do not buy things. We opt for experiences and adventure. We will be able to find most things where we are going and there isn’t really anything that we would miss that is not replaceable.
