A note on packing

Jacob and I decided to travel light for this trip. We did not want to lug pounds and pounds of luggage over who knows what kind of terrain for three months. Moreover, Jacob wanted to bring some electronic equipment for possible dj gigs. So what did we bring with us?

As for clothes, I brought two pairs of long pants (and one pair of pajama pants), one pair of shorts, three tank tops, two t-shirts, one short-sleeved button down one long skirt, one short, four pairs socks, 5 pairs underwear, two bras, one rain jacket, one thermal shirt for colder weather, one swimsuit for the beach, and one long scarf. For equipment, I have my tiny digital camera, two 1G memory cards, my Ipod, a cell phone, and (coolest of all) my Kindle electronic reader with a 4G memory card and about 1,000 books I bought on Amazon or downloaded from other sources on the Internet. I always bring books and love to read in my down time. I was having a hard time deciding on what to bring on this trip when Jacob gave me the Kindle for my birthday. It was the perfect solution. I also have travel toiletries and a little bit of make-up.

Jacob went even further and outfitted himself in special travel gear from REI and other camping stores. He packed only one pair of special quick drying, long wearing pants, 3 boxers, two quick-drying, long-wearing button-down shirts (one short-sleeved, the other long), one pair of shorts/swim trunks, one quick-drying t-shirt, 3 pairs of socks, one rain jacket, a couple of handkerchiefs, and one bandana. This light packing was so that he could also bring along his PDA cell phone, his leatherman, the laptop computer, an audio interface, a MIDI controller, a digital audio recorder that our friend Chris, a pair of headphones, a whole bunch of cables and adapters and connectors, and one book. He also has some toiletries.

We also brought along a pretty stocked first-aid kit with a small knife, bandages, water purification tablets, antibiotics, etc. in case we run into emergencies. We each brought along a hand towel-sized travel towel.

We're carrying all of this in one carry-on sized roller bag, one padded back pack, my purse and a smaller day pack.

Overall, it hasn't been so bad. We had to adjust a few things for weather in Belfast, which while warm was a lot cooler than the weather we left in DC. However, we were able to borrow extra layers from Paul, which made things so much easier. In Belfast, Jacob also bought a gaelic football t-shirt as a souvenir. He broke down in Paris and bought a pair of jeans at the outdoor market in Belleville for 8 Euros because he was finding it difficult with only one pair of pants when he had to do laundry.

As for souvenirs along the way, we figure that we'll just mail things as we accumulate them. Eric has volunteered to carry stuff back to the US for us when he returns at the end of June. To be honest, though, our budget's pretty tight. While we've been doing a good job staying under budget in Paris, we don't have a lot of leeway for souvenirs. I think we'll probably end up buying more in cheaper locations such as Egypt and Southeast Asia.