pack list

my packing list. i’m not sure why i post this before each trip. maybe it helps me to look back and continue to weed out things i don’t need for future travel. maybe it just goes to show you don’t need much to leave home. regardless, here’s what i’m taking. (camera stuff to come in a later post)

clothing:
-4 t’s
-2 button down shirts
-2 pr. shorts
-4 pr. drawers
-1 bathing suit
-2 pr. shoes
-1 pr. flips
-2 pr. socks
-1 beanie (would i ever go anywhere without this?)
-i’m also going to be taking a pair of jeans, a thin fleece, a long sleeve shirt, and a fleece vest which i’ll probably wear on the plane over.

other things:
-13″ macbook pro (with photoshop cs4 and lightroom 3)
-sleeping bag (mine’s pretty small. it’s the black and grey thing below the green shoes.)
–pacsafe 85
-iphone 4g
-ipod shuffle
-earbuds
-cloth tape
-led headlamp
-chargers, outlet converters, cords
-2 check cards, 2 credit cards, copies of passport, immunizations, passport photos, and other travel documents
-trusty timex watch
-mountain hardware belt
-shades
-100 100 nepalese rupee bills. 100 rupee = ~$1.40. so that means i’m pretty much taking a gangster roll of $1.00 bills. the bank messed up, i get to feel like i’m traveling 40 hours to go to a gentleman’s club.
-quick dry towel from REI.
-three books: Inside of a Dog, Running with Scissors, and The Worst Hard Time. while i was only planning on taking one, i just can’t decide which one looks better. so i’m taking all three. (thanks so much MAR!)

toiletries/meds:
-toothbrush / paste
-shampoo
-campsuds
-razor
-compact mirror
-q-tips
-inhaler
-chapstick
-bandaids
-tweezers
-needle / thread (i’ve actually used this on every trip i’ve taken)
-kleenex
-deodorant
-Malarone (anti-malarial RX)
-Cipro (for traveler’s diarrhea. laugh now, but all the Imodium in the world won’t kill the bacteria that cause this illness that affects up to 50% of the people who travel overseas every year.)
-Bonine for motion sickenss
-Tylenol
-Advil
-Pepto tabs
–Hearos. want the best night’s sleep ever? try these.

i always think i’m taking way too many toiletries, but find i use them all. i’ve also found buying stuff on the road is a bit trickier than it might seem, so i’m fine with the little extra weight. (case in point – i needed some eye drops in Japan, and ended up having to choose between the red, blue, or purple bottle due to the language barrier. i couldn’t read a word. i chose purple, which was obviously the wrong color to choose. it felt like i was dropping straight rubbing alcohol in my eyes. hell, it might have been rubbing alcohol for all i know – i couldn’t read the damn label. i did the eye drop motion thingy to the clerk and he pointed them out, but who knows.) plus, there’s nothing worse than trying to find meds when you’re not feeling well. so now, i carry it along.

that’s pretty much it. i left my clothes line in Venice and haven’t yet replaced it. that said, i think i’ll be ok as i’m either staying with a family or in the orphanage where they do their own laundry. i’m sure they’ll have a line to hang my clothes. i still need to pick up a sink stopper – i forgot this in Europe and it sucked. everything pictured fits nicely in the green REI duffel pictured top left. it measures 21″ x 13″ x 13″, and fits everything i need to survive for the month i’m there.

i also should add i had to get a few more vaccinations for this trip. i needed my second dose for hepatitis A, and i was due for my tetanus. what surprised me was that i needed an adult Polio vaccine. i’m not going to lie – this kind of makes me wonder where i’m heading that i need to worry about getting polio even though i was vaccinated as a child. but that risk is now gone, so one less thing to stress about.

i’ll be putting up a post with all the camera / electronic stuff i’m taking shortly. it’s not a ton of gear, but i’ve got a few projects in mind that require a small amount of studio lighting which was a bit tricky to pack for carry-on. i’ll fill you in on those projects in the weeks to come.