How He Packed for a Trip Around the World

The following is Mike's take on packing for a 12 month trip. For Grace's perspective and to find out what she's been carrying, check out her post here. 

There is nothing more fun than getting ready for a trip around the world. The anticipation, preparation, and the epic unknown that is quickly approaching make for a thrilling combination. If you are like me, you have a wicked multi-tabbed Excel sheet in the works, with a tab that reads something like “Pack List” or “What to Pack.”

Before leaving for our trip, mostly for fun, I would Google things like ‘what to pack for a trip around the world’ and then try to put together what I considered to be the best of all worlds. After 11 months on the road I have disregarded quite a bit of it and sent a good bit else home. Below is what is left. Unless you count the surfboard and board bag I picked up last month in Australia, but we will leave that out for now.

Bags & Storage

Everyone has different opinions on what type of bags you should bring with you for long term travel. My original thought was to try and fit everything into one single bag that is as lightweight as possible. That philosophy shifted over time to two smaller bags one with all your important stuff like camera, laptop, medicine that will always be with you and weigh under 7 Kilos. The second bag will have everything else, extra shoes, clothes, etc. This way when you inevitably get to an airport and they finally force you to check a bag you don’t start stressing.

The other key is to have some type of packing cubes of different sizes for clothes, underwear, jackets, charging cables, etc. This way you can keep the bags compartmentalized and packing and unpacking becomes quick and easy.

Lastly, I brought an ultra-light dry bag to put my camera in. I also chose to pick up a lightweight Billabong dry backpack that I could use for day trips. When empty, it fit into into my Ketly backpack without a problem.  

• 1 x Kelty Redwing 44 Backpack
• 1 x Dakine Day Pack
• 1 x North Face Basecamp Travel Canister (Toiletries)
• 1 x Billabong Dry Pack
• 1 x Ultralight Dry Camera Bag
• Eagle Creek Packing Cubes

Clothing

Once you accept the inevitable lack of variety in your wardrobe, clothing ends up being the simplest part of a traveler's day to day. If you pack smart, it will all fit into a couple small packing cubes and leave plenty of room in your pack. With the help of a good lightweight down jacket and some clever layering you can also be comfortable in weather down to the freezing point. Although the majority of our trip was spent in warm weather which really helps cut down on the clutter.

A couple of caveats to this list: My nicest outfit was a pair of patagonia black rock pants and a short sleeve button down shirt, so no clubbing for this guy. That doesn’t include my finest pair of shoes which are dirty sneakers. Also if you are like me, expect to swap out some clothes along the way. Shirts end up faded with holes in them and shorts stop fitting after you shed a few pounds of working man's weight.

Whenever we were in a tropical beach area such as Thailand, Philippines, and Indonesia, the below felt like too much clothing. But when you are on a hike in New Zealand and its cold and starts to rain, the jackets really start to come in handy.

As far as laundry goes, we started the trip with a sink stopper and some detergent. We would wash clothes in the sink then dry outside, which worked pretty well in the dry heat of Africa. Although in Southeast Asia things take forever to dry. It was not long before I realized paying a few dollars for perfectly folded, nice smelling clothes was damn near the best way to spend money on the road. And once you start looking, you realize there is no shortage of people willing to wash your clothes on the cheap all over the world. Just make sure everything can handle high heat and an aggressive tumble.

Below is my optimal clothing set up after 11 months on the road.

(Upper Body)

• 2 x Wool T-Shirts
• 2 x Tank-Top
• 1 x Button Down Collared Short Sleeve Shirt
• 1 x Micro Fleece Pullover
• 1 x Rain Jacket / Windbreaker
• 1 x Mountain Hardwear UL Down Jacket
• 1 x Patagonia Hat

(Lower Body)

• 1 x Patagonia Rock Pants
• 1 x Lulu Lemon Kung Fu Pants
• 1 x RipCurl Boardwalk Shorts
• 1 x RipCurl Bathing Suit
• 4 x Exofficio Boxer Briefs
• 3 x Smartwool Running Socks

(Shoes)

• 1 x Lightweight Sneaker
• 1 x Chaco Sandals
• 1 x Cheap Flip Flops
  
  * UL - Ultralight

Toiletry Bag

This is pretty straight forward. My only advice is keep it simple and get a quality bag to keep this stuff in and everything else out. There is nothing worse than toothpaste all over the inside of your backpack. The beard trimmer is extremely handy as well, quick trim every couple of weeks and you're golden. I don’t miss shaving every day.

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Beard Trimmer & Charger
• Eye Mask
• Ear Plugs
• Fingernail Clippers
• Tweezers
• Tiger Balm

Technology

To each his own when it comes to what gadgets you are willing to lug around the world with you. One thing is for sure: if you are a photography junkie like me, your backpack is going to get a lot heavier. You need your camera, a couple of lenses, a computer to edit those photos and hard drives to store them all on. You are talking and extra 10lbs of weight right there. I debated bringing the camera gear for months before I left. My opinion now is that it is definitely worth the effort but try to go as light as possible. I decided to trade in my Canon Rebel about seven months into the trip for a much lighter mirrorless option and I have not looked back since.

I could write an entire blog post on data protection, hard drives, challenges with cloud storage abroad, in fact I probably will. For now know we kept two 1TB hard drives in two separate bags with all photos backed up at all times. I also bought another harddrive about eight months into the trip, loaded all the photos onto it, and sent it home.

The Kindle Paperwhite is underrated. Unlimited variety of books, small form factor, battery lasts for weeks and no glare even on the brightest day.

It is probably pointless to mention the benefits of an iphone or any smartphone considering the entire world is addicted to them. But I will reaffirm that it is still the most valuable device I have on the road. You can pick up a SIM card with lots of data for cheap in almost every country in the world. Which means instant access to internet for planning, booking travel and activities, vetting a restaurant on tripadvisor and so on and so on. Without coverage you can still use GPS map apps like maps.me to get directions everywhere. Not to mention it’s a source of music, audiobooks, banking, social media all with almost zero weight repercussions.  Enough said.

• 1 x World Power Adapter
• Iphone 6 with Lifeproof Case
• Macbook Pro 13" with Power Brick
• Bose In-ear Headphones
• Sony A6300 Mirrorless Camera with Extra Battery
• Tamron 18-200mm Lens
• Sony 35mm F2.8 Prime Lens
• Travel Tripod
• 1 x 128gb USB Flash Drive Full of Movies
• 2 x 1TB Seagate Hard Drives
• Cable Bag for assorted charging cables
• GoPro with Red Filter, Handle, 2 extra batteries
• Amazon Kindle
• Suunto D4i Dive Watch

Accessories

The only thing in the below list that we could not replace (except for in the remotest areas of the world) is the passport and maybe all the signatures in the dive log books. The UL travel towels were used almost every day so don’t forget one. No stress on the rest.

I added the Charles Schwab ATM card to the list because I can not imagine traveling without it. They refund all ATM transactions fees anywhere in the world. Which means you don’t need to carry a ton of cash with you. You also don’t need to worry about getting ripped off at money changers which are notorious for bad exchange rates and scams. There were very few places we visited this year even in Africa that didn’t have an ATM somewhere within range. And when that was the case you made sure to bring enough cash which you got at the last ATM fee free.

• Passport
• 10 x Passport Photos
• UL Headlamp
• UL Towel
• Nalgene
• Travel Lock/Cable
• Sunglasses
• Permanent Marker and Pen
• batteries (3xAAA, 3xAA)
• Paracord Rope / Clothes Line
• Dive Logbook
• Bug Spray
• Sunscreen
• Sink Stopper and Laundry Detergent
• Charles Schwab Checking Card

First Aid & Medicine

This is the stuff you hope not to need very often. The below looks like a lot but it all fits into two small pouches and I would not travel long term without them. Often times it’s the simple stuff that saves the day though. Things like Advil, tweezers, Neosporin and bandaids. You would not think it but the thermometer is really helpful in not jumping the gun on antibiotics or vice versa it gives you that last bit of confirmation that it’s time to eat some pills.

As far as medicine goes, sad to say Imodium will be your best friend when traveling in places like Southeast Asia. Also a prescription for a sleeping pill like Ambien will keep you sane when you need a time out. (This will make sense eventually.)

I can’t tell you how many times I started taking our antimalarial pills then just stopped for whatever reason. I paid extra to get Malarone which had no side effects and works almost everywhere in the world. I would spend the extra bucks to get it again if I had to.

Medicine Pouch

• Antibiotics - Ciprofloxacin 500mg - Africa
• Antibiotics - Azithromycin 250mg - SE Asia
• Antimalarial - Atovaquone/Proguanil (Malarone)
• Sleeping Pill - Ambien 5mg
• Laxative - Sennosides 25mg
• Acid Reducer - Ranitidine 150mg
• Anti-Diarrea - Loperamide HCI 2mg
• Antihistamine - Diphenhydramine HCI 25mg
• Anti-Nausea/Motion Sickness - Meclizine HCI 25mg
• Electrolyte Tabs
• Neosporin
• Thermometer
• Yellow Fever Card

First Aid Pouch

• Bandaids (Large, Medium, Small)
• Survival Bracelet
• Advil
• Moleskin
• Medical tape
• Zip Lock Bags
• Rubber Gloves
• Neosporin
• Eye Drops
• Wound Clot
• 3ml Water syringe
• Sutures
• Gauze
• Alcohol wipes
• Steri strips
• Bandage Scissors
• Q-Tips

Some of the stuff that I sent home, got rid of or would like to toss:

• 1 x Long Sleeve Button Down Shirt
• 1 x Beanie
• 1 x Smartwool Long Underwear
• 1 x REI Event Rain Pants
• JBL Clip Mini Speakers
• UV Water Sterilizer Pen
• Notebook
• Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Pack Cover
• Sewing Kit
• Premium Silk Travel Bed Liner
• Hacky Sack

Private Beaches All Day

In Thailand, we saw some truly awe-inspiring, I-can't-believe-nature-made-this beaches. They were remote, hidden, and had even been featured in movies freaking titled The Beach.

The only hiccup? Those "hidden" beaches were found decades ago. We were sharing them with a few thousand other tourists. And, not to be negative, but it's a little hard to enjoy even the world's prettiest beach when you can barely see the water from where you stand on the sand.

And then we arrived in the Philippines.

In Philippines, we saw beaches just as amazing, if not even more ridiculously beautiful. The difference this time was that there were very few people around. Sometimes, there were no people around. (Thanks to Tao Philippines for brining us to remote islands.) 

We found ourselves in a reverse-Castaway situation. We knew there were other people on the island somewhere and that we had a way off... but what if we just sort of hid and waited until they left and then we could stay forever... that was the train of thought. 

Now, I'm not just bragging. This post does have a purpose. (At least I think it does. As usual.)

Before we left Denver, we met a couple who had just returned from a year-long trip and had visited a lot of the same places we'd be going. They told us that they had expected to like Thailand a lot more than they did, since they found it overrun with tourists. And, they told us about the incredible month they'd spent in the Philippines, strongly advising that we added it to our list. Did we listen? Sort of. 

Sometimes in life, and definitely in the travel-life we've been living, you can't just take someone's word for it. You need to go and see it for yourself. Even if you know what you're getting into, you just need to have the experience firsthand. And so, we planned for four weeks in Thailand and just over two in the Philippines. 

Thailand had been at the top of our lists for a long time. The iconic long tail boats, diving in turquoise water, the addictive spicy food... I could go on and on. But because we'd heard from a few different fellow travelers that Thailand was a step beyond well traveled, we tried to keep our expectations in check. Then, before we knew it, three weeks turned into four and we were spending a month there.

We'd never have skipped it. We needed to see it for ourselves. (And we did have some great times. Of course we did.) 

When we left, we found ourselves telling other people how we had liked it, but did think it was hard to find a unique experience since the entire country seems so accustomed to catering to tourists. Particularly of the young, wild, on-their-parents-dime variety. 

And then we arrived in the Philippines. Obvious differences aside (Philippines is a country made up of 7,000+ islands, Thailand is arguably more accessible, etc.), with minimal expectations for the Philippines, we were blown away.

Immediately after arriving in Coron, our first stop, we felt a refreshed sense of traveler-ness. We didn't see hoards of caucasians teens on iPhones or older couples walking arm in arm with their private guide. There were only one or two "tourist shops" on the main road, instead of occupying every other storefront (or worse, every storefront, a la Bangkok's Koh San Road). 

Even though others had offered their friendly advice and told us that the Philippines was better than Thailand - urgently throwing in, "exceptforthefood!" - we still had low expectations for Philippines and very high expectations for Thailand, a county that had been at the top of our list for years. 

We obviously didn't see all of either country. Are there parts of the Philippines that suck? Yes, pretty much every large city. Does Thailand have rural countryside waiting to be discovered? Probably. 

Maybe it's that we didn't try hard enough in Thailand to escape the well-beaten path and pack of tourists.* Maybe Palawan in the Philippines is still a hidden gem. No matter the reason we found Philippines beaches better than Thailand's*, we did. And we felt obliged to share that information with you. 

So, is Philippines the "new" Thailand? I think you'll have to go to both and then decide for yourself. Oh, come on, like you weren't going to anyway... 

* the one exception to all of this is that the Similan Islands, off Thailand's west coast, are pristine and amazing and void of tourists, since only liveaboard trips go there. Come to think of it, maybe the secret to private beaches is just a private boat...... 

Podcasts: a Traveler's Best Friend

Like everyone else I know who listens to podcasts, I discovered the amazing world of the audio series via Serial, one story told week by week™. I don't know if it was the frustrating-yet-fascinating, whodunnit nature of Adnan Syed's case (which was been compared to the more recent Netflix hit Making a Murderer) or Sarah Koenig's deep, soulful voice, but I was hooked. 

After binge-listening to the first half of Serial's first season, I waited for each week's installment with the tenacity of an awkward teen waiting to get her braces off. After it ended, I downloaded a few other podcasts to listen to while commuting to and from my office. Among my favorites were NPR (they have a bunch to choose from) and Freakonomics because they usually supplied interesting, bite-sized factoids to drop into random conversations and sound smart(er). But none were as addicting as Serial and over time, I opted for Hype Machine and Spotify playlists, pretty much forgetting about podcasts.

Fast forward to embarking on this year-long trip around the world. It was my first podcast love, Serial, that got me hooked on the medium once again. But this time, it's sticking.

Serial’s second season was drastically different than its first, not surprising given the subject matter (Bowe Bergdahl, the now infamous Army soldier who walked off his post and was held captive by the Taliban for five years). But it was still every bit as addictive. I’m proud to report that I converted Mike and we were both super into the second season. But, as all good things do, it came to an end back in April.

This time, I was ready for the break, my Podcasts app loaded with new shows to sink my teeth into. And, I had some time to fill. 

Podcasts complement a travel lifestyle in many ways. They’re small files, so they download quickly, even on the sh*ttiest of internet connections. They cover all genres, so whether you’re feeling sentimental, or like you need to laugh, or want to learn something, there’s a podcast for that. Best of all, they make the inevitable downtime of a traveler’s life pass quickly, but still leave you feeling like you did something (at least slightly) productive. Oh, and they're all FREE.

Without any further rambling, here’s a list of some of my favorite podcasts at the moment. I'd recommend them to anyone needing something to do on a plane, train, or in the car on the way to work:

Modern Love
I am as obsessed with the podcast as I already was with the column that started it all. Episodes feature heartfelt, relatable essays, which all originally appeared in The New York Times, read aloud by a different celebrity each week, as well as a postscript with the author of the piece. At about 30 minutes long, they're absorbing nuggets that will make you laugh out loud and bring you to tears. 

TED Radio Hour
If you like TED Talks, you'll probably love the audio form just as much. The interesting episodes cover a wide, unpredictable range of topics. Typically, bits and pieces from previous TED Talks are pulled in to create a new discussion around a specific topic. Bonus: it’s the kind of information you'd find yourself brining up at dinner with your significant others’ parents or a blind date (I imagine), to spark some dynamic conversation. 

The Skift Podcast
The Skift Podcast is everything I hoped to find, but never did, when dialing in to the generic travel marketing webinar back in the day. The episodes are brimming with industry insights, stats, and news. They're generous with the information and fellow travel nerds will enjoy the smart dialogue around the complex travel industry. Some of the episodes are so interesting, I find myself taking notes. I can’t promise that non-travelers would love it quite as much but I'd be shocked if anyone listened and didn’t find at least something interesting. 

Anna Faris is Unqualified
This one is all about entertainment, although depending on your current relationship status, you just might learn something along the way. When I first heard Anna's reason for starting the podcast (because she loves hearing about peoples' relationships and prying in with her own, often totally unqualified, advice), it felt like something I would daydream about doing. Although the episodes can be a bit chaotic at times, the unscripted nature of the show makes you feel like you're one of the people in the room. Each show features a celebrity guest, all bringing their own unique perspective to the show and the advice they give callers. 

Stuff You Should Know
These episodes are 40-60 minutes long, an ideal time for most commuters. Each one covers a different topic, providing an in-depth look at what it is and why it matters. All kinds of topics are covered. The only common theme is that they're all things that responsible adults should know, but may be embarrassed to admit that they don’t fully understand. Examples of past episode topics include El Nino, dark monkey, labor strikes, the gender pay gap, nitrous oxide, the Big Bang, and why lead is poisonous. If you’re thinking to yourself, “I actually don't know how that works,” then this podcast is for you. 

If any of your favorite podcasts weren't included, please comment below or send us an email to let us know what we’re missing!

Under the Sea: Scuba Diving in Komodo National Park

Mike put together a highlight reel of sorts from our dives in Komodo National Park, Indonesia. Check it out!

Packing List: What to Bring on a Liveaboard Trip

If you type the question "what is a liveaboard?" into Google, you'll get a somewhat confusing response, since "liveaboard" has a few different definitions. It can refer to a person who lives on a boat, or a boat that is designed for people to live aboard it. But in reference to recreational scuba diving, we're talking about a different definition: a boat trip lasting one or more nights, usually organized by a dive shop, that's totally dedicated to scuba diving. (And yes, despite the harsh red underline in my screenshot above, it is one word!)

For scuba divers, choosing a liveaboard rather than single day trips offers many benefits, including visiting more remote dive sites and forming a closer relationship with your dive master as well as fellow divers on the boat.

We recently got back from our very first liveaboard trip, which we absolutely loved. For four nights, we travelled by boat around the Similan and Surin Islands in Thailand, diving four times each day. From the incredible diving to the wonderful people we met on the boat, it was luckily a fantastic first experience. 

But when reflecting on the trip, I realized that I only used about 5% of what I had brought on board. Despite advice to pack light, and a securely locked room in the dive shop for any unwanted bags, I somehow ended up with a backpack stuffed full of things I thought I'd definitely need. So, I created the following packing list, which I'll use for future liveaboards and thought could be helpful for any liveaboard newbies. 

Scuba Diving Liveaboard Packing List:

• Swimsuit(s)
  Obviously, you need at least one. Trust me, you'll live in it. We only wore bathing suits for five days straight. I recommend bringing two (or more, but no need to go crazy), because if you feel like taking off your wet bathing suit, it's nice to have a dry one to put on.
• Towel
  Our boat provided one microfiber towel per person but, again, if you have a lightweight travel towel, it's nice to have a dry/clean one for after your evening shower. 
• Cover-up
  For guys, this means a t-shirt. Basically, if you're not comfortable hanging out in your bathing suit in between dives, or you want something to block out the sun, bring along a lightweight shirt or dress to throw on. 
• Toothbrush & everyday necessities
  E.g. eyeglasses, contact lens case and a few extra pairs (if you're blind as a bat like I am). The key word here is everyday. Don't focus too much on the diving gear and forget something simple like this!
• Camera and/or GoPro
  You will be seeing some amazing stuff, both above and below the water. Definitely bring something along to take photos so you can make all your family/friends/coworkers jealous when you get home. 

Those are the basic must-haves. Simple, right? Here are a few more optional items for consideration:

• For work: a computer if you'll need to upload photos before the end of the trip (we did)
• For play: playing cards, a fun inflatable float (wish we brought this - would have been great for photos!), a bottle of booze (depending on your boat's policies)

As far as what you definitely don't need to bring...
I can't believe I'm saying this, but leave the clothes behind, aside from the aforementioned cover-ups and maybe pajamas (I slept in my bathing suit. Told you I didn't take it off!). I mean, I'm not trying to boss anyone around. So, sure, bring clothes. But you will not wear them. Same goes for shoes. As we boarded, they told everyone to put their shoes in a bin and we didn't see them again until we disembarked.

Makeup is also pretty stupid unless you have some kind of miracle makeup that doesn't come off when you submerge your head in the ocean (as far as I know, this doesn't exist. If you have some, please send me the details immediately.) 

If you follow these liveaboard packing tips, all that's left is to have a wonderful time in the water! 

Surf's Up in Raglan, New Zealand

Before paddling out, Mike took a few quick iPhone videos of the sets rolling in at Manu Point in Raglan, New Zealand. Check 'em out: