Packing and Unpacking

I enjoy my traveling lifestyle, but I what I don't enjoy is all the packing and unpacking.

In the year and a half that I have been On The Road, there has been a LOT of packing and unpacking. And my luggage keeps getting smaller. 

We started with a 29 inch duffle bag each because we thought we might be moving to Europe. In addition, we had clothes for changes of seasons and dancing clothes and shoes to deal with. On succeeding trips we downgraded to a 26 inch case, then a 24 inch case. I have now packed just one carry-on bag only for my next trip, two weeks in France. I'm traveling on my own this time so I have no help with stairs or any other luggage obstacle. so I need to keep it small and light.

It isn't the clothes that are a problem for me, it is the miscellaneous stuff. Each year it seems like I have more of those miscellaneous items, drugs, toiletries, a small travel pillow, flower vases. Yes, really. In Canada  (our summer home)  I have five small vases with me.  Good thing too, as my garden was full of roses and hydrangeas. This next trip I am adding rain boots as it can rain plenty in Europe. I have yet to figure out how I'll fit those in. They really screw up my packing but I don't want wet feet all the time. I guess I'll stuff them with clothing.

For years, decades really, I have kept packing lists from all my trips, what I took. And when I return home I note things I didn't use. I was a pretty good packer before we started this Nomadic Adventure but after 18 solid months on the road, I am even more efficient. I thought I'd share this miscellaneous part of my packing list. I bring the things I find indispensable at home and there may be a few things here that could enhance your next trip. I am not on a vacation, this is my real life and occasionally I need all this stuff. Here is my list:

collapsable shopping bag

collapsible lightweight day pack

baggies in various sizes

a kite. Yes, I travel with a collapsible kite. Not going to Europe this time though. But it once went to Bali and has been to Canada and Mexico numerous times.
a selection of herbs and spices

a small ice/hot pack

a small travel pillow

a night light (internationally I take votive electric candles)

a few tea bags

stitch witchery (for hem repairs)

detergent

a tape measure

a Sharpie

pens

duct tape (wrapped around a pen)

packing tape (wrapped around a pen)

a small scissor. I use this almost every day.

a corkscrew

a sewing kit

safety pins in various sizes

an eyeglass strings. Actually, I wear one all the time so I don't lose my sunglasses in places I will never return. I also have a heavy-duty one for water sports and horse riding

single-use superglue (several)

rubber bands

hand sanitizer (I never use it. Maybe I should leave it out)

ear plugs

eye mask

small screen cleaning, lens cleaning cloth

mini Swiss army knife

mini flashlights

spare batteries in various sizes

suction cup hooks that give me hanging space on walls on cruises and rooms without enough hangers.

a rolling foot massager

extra memory card

clothes pin (to close window curtains)

I was a girl scout. I like to be prepared.

This may sound like a lot of stuff but with the exception of the few items on the top of this list, I keep the rest in a small (14x8) two-sided hanging bag with 8 pockets that lies flat in my suitcase. It isn't even heavy. Not much more than a pound.

You may find my list helpful. Ort not. Not everyone needs the same stuff. I recently read a list from people who have been on the road for 5 years and their list is completely different, more kitchen supplies, many more office supplies. And I met another couple with the same lifestyle as us.  Surprisingly they are the first senior nomads we have run into. They don't travel with many of these items, they buy it when they need it. But I find when I do that I don't know what to do with it when I move on. Throw it out? How many bottles of olive oil have I deserted in the past year? How many rolls of scotch tape? These miscellaneous items and toiletries accumulate and seem to multiply when left alone in a dark space.  

I have spent the past few days unpacking, repacking and organizing for

Portland and France, plus organizing for future proposed trips. Canadian money out, American money in, set aside a few Argentine pesos that snuck into cracks and crevices. Rejoice that I  found three euros just when I need them. I might point out that Franklin spent these days going to the gym and hanging out. No sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve issues for him.  Grrrr. 

I pack in advance, then delete or add clothes over the next few days. I actually packed for this trip to France two weeks in advance to make sure I could close the suitcase. 

 I don't even know for sure that we're going to all these places we propose to go on these future trips next spring, but I do know that it's a bummer to own exactly the right garment or own some pesos... but it's a thousand miles away when you need it. Of course there is a lot of duplication of stuff in these trips, but still it it is pretty tricky planning this out.