The (elusive!) Perfect Pack

Some people are nervous travelers, I am a not. Instead, I am perfectionist traveller. Which is why this blog post starts well in advance of us getting on a plane, or anything close to departure time. Because, friends, if you know me, then you know that planning this trip has been a multi-month affair.

To be fair, I’ve had more time to spend prepping for this trip than I typically do. And in between networking coffees, ‘working on myself’ and trying new recipes for vegetarian things that I love and Jay doesn’t hate, I have made this trip a PROJECT. And as with any project I’ve tasked myself with, I am aiming for nothing short of perfection.

Importantly, that doesn’t mean that everything will go to plan. In fact, it’s guaranteed not to. But that doesn’t mean that a perfect prep isn’t required. And for a trip that’s a month long and months in the making, the prep has been extensive.

First, the itinerary. We like to have framework locked in before we travel, and then we fill in the gaps when we’re there. For this trip, a little more planning was required…

Going all the way to Peru and THEN trying to figure out what time we needed to take the train up to Machu Picchu…or having to find a local guide to HOPEFULLY point us to the right hikes at the top all sounded like a good way to miss out on a lot of what we’d come all this way for. For that reason, some organized touring was in order. And, we knew that we needed to lock in our plans for the Galapagos well in advance too. Booking and tour planning started months ago (though admittedly for Peru, were only finalized in the last couple weeks. And we booked our Airbnb in Lima the day before leaving Toronto 🫣).

Because we collect points on many platforms, we also chose to book all our own flights and accomodations. This was a CHORE. Fare classes across various local airlines, and accomodations booked through multiple platforms were a lot to select and keep track of. (As usual about Jay’s hours on hold with Booking.com over a 4Kg luggage discrepancy !) It made me grateful for unemployement and the time to triple check my work and make sure the dates all lined up. But don’t worry, all this information is housed in a great spreadsheet that links to each confirmation and piece of info we may need. Obviously. 😁

But most of my attention has been focused on – you guessed it… ‘the perfect pack’.

At night, when I close my eyes, I imagine folding my clothes into neat squares and tucking them into my packing cubes tightly. I find this activity soothing as it lulls me to sleep. Even in my imagination, I crave the satisfaction of knowing that I have perfected compressing just the right number of black bottoms for the trip – options that will take me up mountains, out to dinner and on endless city wanders (for the record, on this month long trip, that number is 7).

The ‘perfect pack’ isn’t just about fitting it all in the bag. Oh no. It’s about packing exactly what you need – no more, no less. Immediate regret at having left that extra t-shirt at home? Not the perfect pack. Had the perfect outfit for every occasion, plus a bunch of extra clothes you never wore? Not the perfect pack either. It’s a tenuous balance (and mostly ridiculous effort given that only I will ever know what was or wasn’t in my bag. But alas, a lifetime of striving to attain this elusive perfect pack isn’t going to subside anytime soon!).

For this trip, the perfect pack is a particularly tight squeeze. Though I’ve graduated from my MEC backpacking years to my Away Carry-on Pro era, the contents contained within it are nearly as limited in quantity as they were when I carried my life on my back for 3 months through Asia and Europe (a shocking 25 years ago!). Thank goodness fabrics have changed; In the space once occupied by cotton blend shorts and jeans, a variety of technical fabrics and quick dry items now live. I often think of the bulky clothing I relied on in my backpacking days and consider it one more thing that young people today ‘will just never know’.

Wardrobe choices for this multi-climate adventure required much shopping and returning prior to departure. I tried every pair of white sneakers North America has to offer, and landed on my existing Adidas superstars. The purchase of our inaugural Tilley hats will be covered in a future post all of its own. But all in all, I am feeling good about the variety of items ‘in the bag’, and the room to add a few more along the way.

I’ve also packed a careful quantity of cosmetics for our journey. Having tested out innumerable solids and minis, I’m generally striving for a ‘minimalist healthy glow’ and limited under eye bags for the next 30 days. 🤞. We are stocked up on sunscreen, blister bandaids, pepto bismal and other sundry items to address whatever adventures might come our way. Our bags also include a pair of new ipads through which we plan to fill this blog with memories. We’re so excited you’ll be joining us!

So now you’re caught up. Vamos!