How did they do that? (Aka. The real travel MVPs)

A month long trip doesn’t just require good planning, it requires good gear. And, as a farewell post to this amazing trip, I thought I’d take a minute to answer some of the questions we’ve gotten and some of the endless conversations about ‘how do you pack for that’ (and in carry on!).

5. Packing Cubes

I feel almost silly talking about these, because EVERYONE knows about them already, right? And yet, I’m constantly surprised that not everyone is using them! Seriously, if you’re not packing in cubes, are you even packing?

Not only do these handy compartments keep your bag looking neat as a pin and create handy crevices to cram extra stuff in, they double as drawers in hotels and AirBNBs. And, as the trip goes on, they can be rejigged from bottoms/tops/essentials (or however you pack) to clean and laundry. They are a true travel revelation.

And of course, they work best when placed inside a great bag! We only have good things to say about our Away Carry-On Pros. They have been dragged across cobblestones medinas, heaved on the roofs of tuk tuks and ferry boats, and been both carried on and checked for too many flights to count. They take a lickin and never stop tickin. (Or however that saying goes).

4. In-House Laundry

Sure, you can send out for laundry, but it’s often expensive and inconvenient. On a busy trip, we find it’s best to be in control of your own needs, and not risk a a late departure due to delayed laundry.

For this trip, we purchased a suction-cupped clothesline, and wow did we make use of it! Whether we had taken over an Airbnb washing machine to launder the contents of our bags, or simply had damp bathing suits to dry, this easy to pack accessory definitely earned its place in our near-perfect pack.

And to facilitate anytime laundry, a small ziplock bag with laundry detergent sheets, colour guard sheets, and some travel detergent sink packs that I pick up anytime we come across them does the trick.

Oh, and did you know that Magic Squares are the world’s best sneaker cleaners? I never travel without one in my bag. Try it – you won’t either.

3. Electronics (and back ups!)

I often think back to my travels of yesteryear, and how many things I needed to pack: A journal. A novel. A discman and CDs (yep, I’m that old!), a crossword book (yep, I’m that nerdy!), and of course, a camera. It still blows my mind that today, all these individual items have been replaced by one category killing smartphone. The fact that I can toggle between making notes, taking pictures and uploading them to share (with a fun soundtrack!) all in a couple swipes, is really pretty remarkable.

On this trip, we built out our iSuite to include iPads and magic keyboards. And WHOA, will never travel without them again. These mini-computers were the perfect way to watch trashy tv on planes (I watched a lot of Below Deck on this trip!), and to keep this blog fresh. You’re welcome.

Of course, the one iSuite complement that we can’t live without is our camera. The Sony A6000 has been good to us, and takes pretty awesome pics. We complement our official footage with too many iPhone photos and videos to count. For the amount of packing space that our iPads, iPhones, ear buds and single camera take, we get a whole lot of connectivity and functionality back.

And NB: As important as the devices themselves, we’ve learned the hard way that we need a way to back it all up. On this trip alone, our portable storage bank failed, J’s phoned died, and our friends’ GoPro suffered a water breach on its first sail. (On a previous trip to Portugal, we fried our memory card and had to seek the shady and expensive help of a hacker in a small-town garage in Germany to fix it). In an effort to prevent future incident, we are vigilant about cloud storage and the right cables to keep it all streaming. Losing photos has overtaken the a lost passport as my greatest travel fear.

2. Sleep essentials

The older I get, the more I love good sleep. Whether it’s a solid 8 hours, an afternoon nap, or a few hours on a plane, a number of supplies now make sure I’m making the most of whatever sleep time I have.

Have you heard me talk about my NiteHood? Probably.

What about these little blue pills? Best. Sleep. Ever. (And even better when taken with a glass of airplane champagne!)

Add a good neck pillow, earplugs and a jacket worn backwards like a blanket, and I’m out. Try it, you will be too.

1. Tilley Hats, FTW

The was no debate regarding the #1 spot on this list: Tilley Hats For.The.Win.

If you’ve never heard of a Tilley Hat, trust me, you will. I’ve always thought of them as being specifically for old people, and old people who travel. Turns out it’s also for nearly old people who travel! We might be early to the club, but these hats could not have come soon enough.

As you may have read about in other adventures, Jay is a shade walker. He seeks shade with every step and chants “Shade. Shade. Shade,” In the style of Game of Thrones, should I dare to travel towards the sun. On this trip, his Tilley Hiker’s Hat offered its own shade. “I don’t need to walk in shade anymore, now I make my own!” Jay stated incredulously. Indeed, it was a revelation.

South America seemed like the perfect place to put these hats to the test. We were basically Icarus-level close to the sun, and outside all the live-long day. Even with the combined protection of this fetching hat and Trader Joe’s SPF 50 Sunscreen, I have never been a more bronzed shade of vacation glow.

These hats also boast waterproofness, the ability to float, and wind-resistance with their patented double-string sitch. And above all, they’re pretty cool looking too. Right?

As you can see, our friends Jason and Alex have also entered their Tilley Hat Era (actually, they were here first). We look forward to being in increasingly good company with these looks in years ahead.

And that’s a wrap!

The perfect pack and good gear are an evolution. It’s a fine balance of science and art that I’ve been curating since 2000 when I bought my first backpack and set out to see some things. I travel lighter today than I did back then, and get a little better at it every time.

If you have good packing tips (like transporting small amounts of cream in a contact lens case! Thanks, Alex!) lmk. I’m already thinking about what to pack for my next adventure…