It’s one thing to say you’ll pack light, and another to actually manage it once traveling.  Just in case you need a few reminders why it pays to pack lighter….

1.  Ease of movement - less physical/mental stress when you’re on the move.

2.  Less stuff means you’re better able to account for what you do have (before leaving that bus terminal/hostel/couchsurf/etc).

3.  It’s easier to pack up in a dark hostel room at 5am for that early bus/ferry/flight without waking up the whole room.

4.  You’ll garner compliments and envy from the 99% of people with more stuff than you.

5.  You can take your pack as carry-on luggage for flights - negating any concern about misdirected/lost luggage during air travel.

6.  Leaving home with the bare minimum means you leave room to carry food or souvenirs without breaking your back (and spirit).

If I truly wanted to go superlight, I think I could drop down to just a medium size daypack, however I’m not *that* hardcore.  Happy Packing!

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Travel blog Gadling has featured my packing list!  Check it out, if you haven’t already through this blog.

So far, I’m quite pleased with the things I brought, and hope to share some feedback on what’s working especially well.

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Just a quick note to share I received my last paycheck, including vacation time payout, this morning.  I more than met my savings goals - I exceeded them.  I know the figures can seem daunting, however many people go abroad with far less than me, and either work or volunteer, or stick to the cheaper regions.  All I can say is I did it my way (Sinatra-style), and each person has to figure out how much is enough for him/herself.

Going forward, I’ll be updating my new spreadsheet, RTW Actual Costs, which should be very valuable info for those planning to visit similar countries in the near future.

I’m heading to Grand Central to catch a train to JFK airport in 3 hours.  My next update will be from the middle of the Pacific Ocean (even if just to say “I made it” again)!

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I created a really cool interactive packing list using Flickr notes. Please check it out here (opens new window). Below is the photo without the cool mouse-over feature. My itemized list below looks like a lot, however as you can see in the photo, it’s not much!

Trip Inventory (all pictured unless otherwise noted, including the clothing I’ll wear)

** Items marked “new” were bought in 2007 for this RTW trip. Items from previous adventures are noted as such.

Clothes and Packs

• Gregory Chaos backpack (2,800 cubic inches, from Summer ‘98 Europe)
• Patagonia daypack (new, not pictured, replaces green Jansport canvas bag)
• Merrell hiking boots (I might regret taking these, from Spring ‘05 Costa Rica)
• Saucony running sneakers w/custom molded orthotics
• Brazilian flip flops (from Spring ‘05 Costa Rica)
• North Face windbreaker (from Spring ‘05 Costa Rica)
• North Face khaki cargo pants (from Summer ‘98 Europe)
• North Face khaki cargo shorts (from Summer ‘98 Europe)
• Bathing suit
• 2 T-shirts
• 3 pairs of socks (2 new crew Smart Wool, and 1 Ingenius liner hybrid)
• 3 boxers
• 2 bandannas (from Spring ‘05 Costa Rica and ‘06 Belize)
• Baseball cap - DC Nationals camo (new, not a fan of the team - just like the design)
• Eagle Creek money belt (from Summer ‘98 Europe)
• Oakley sunglasses
• Prescription glasses w/case (new, though I have 20/20 vision)

Toiletries and First Aid

• Small paktowel (from Spring ‘05 Costa Rica)
• First Aid Kit - homemade w/Tupperware. Includes assorted band aids, gauze, Q-tips, digital thermometer, Sudafed, Imodium, Gas-x, Benadryl, moleskin, healthy travel and first aid booklets.
• Toiletry bag - toothbrush, dental floss, nail clippers, Motrin, Aleve, Gold Bond powder, Centrum vitamins, 2 safety razors, 1 roll toilet paper.
• 1 quart Ziploc bag with <3oz/bottle - Campsuds, suntan lotion, Neosporin, Cortizone, shaving cream, toothpaste, eye drops, bug spray, skin lotion, Prep-H

Electronic Gear (I think I crossed into official flashpacker territory)

• Canon PowerShot Digital Elph SD700IS camera w/soft case (new)
• 2 camera batteries and 2 memory cards (new, 2gb each)
• Canon battery charger (new)
• Petzl Zipka LED headlamp w/2 AAA batteries (new)
• Casio Pathfinder digital watch (new, love it!)
• Creative Zen V Plus 8gb MP3 player w/headphones, cloth pouch (new)
• Universal Adapter/Power Converter (new)
• Universal Charger by Creative (new, specific to mp3 player)
• Card reader (new)
• E*Trade digital security token (new)
• SanDisk Cruzer Micro 1gb Flash Stick (new, loaded w/Skype and Firefox + my personal bookmarks)
• Cheap headset/mic for Skype (new)

Documents and Money (all items to be scanned and e-mailed to self, copies left at home too)

• Passport w/Chinese Visa
• Photocopy of passport info page
• Printout of Australian electronic Visa
• 9 extra photos (for Visas)
• Driver’s License
• Anthem health insurance card
• WHO Immunization card
• 4 flight e-ticket receipts, NYC bus reservation
• Lonely Planet Tahiti, Rough Guides New Zealand
• E*Trade Visa debit card
• Suntrust Visa debit card (back-up, expires 9/08)
• Capital One Visa credit card
• 3 paper E*Trade checks
• $150 in travelers checks
• $300 cash (USD)

Miscellaneous

• Notebook and pen
• Camera and watch manuals
• ~ 70 Moo/Flickr mini cards w/blog and e-mail address
• Sewing kit (from Summer ‘98 Europe - yet to be used!)
• Gum

Things I might have done differently:

• Picked 1 debit or credit card to be MasterCard instead of all Visa
• Bought Merrell crossover-type trail runners instead of full-fledged boots (thus not needing to bring a separate pair of sneakers)

Am I forgetting anything????

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If I could pick a theme song for today, it was “Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta” by Geto Boys off the Office Space soundtrack. It’s from a montage scene where Peter appears to be living a care-free life at work, knocking over his cubicle walls, and outside work, fishing with Jennifer Aniston.

I slept in on my first weekday without a job, woke up feeling as though I’m 99% complete with trip preparations, drove (traffic-free) into DC to apply for my Chinese Visa, pulled into a parking spot a 1/2 block away, was the last person in the queue to submit my application by the 11:30am cutoff (for same-day service), spent the next 2.5 hours exploring Georgetown (see below for details), picked up a great new Patagonia daypack, paid $130 to get my passport back (w/12-month multi-entry Visa), drove home with little traffic, and was all but sold on keeping Sprint service with only their $4/month flat fee for international calls (plus local international rates, and no contract, for emergency use only).

Exploring Georgetown

After dropping off my passport, I drove the short distance down Wisconsin Ave to Georgetown. I seemed to automatically slip into curious, observant backpacker/vagabond mode, slowing my pace down, walking along the empty waterfront in the chilly drizzle. I came across the House of Sweden (aka Swedish Embassy) which had fantastic architectural qualities like glass exterior panels which served absolutely no structural purpose. I happened across Citronelle restaurant (one of the best in DC, if not the USA), and curiosity lead me to look inside, along the windows, which allowed me to catch a glance of world-renowned chef Michel Richard conversing over papers on the lower level (perhaps picking out the menu for the evening?)!

As I criss-crossed streets, memories of past experiences in the neighborhood came back to me. I bought a sourdough Asagio pretzel and coffee at Barnes and Noble, over which I read a few funny short stories in a Lonely Planet compilation “By the Seat of My Pants,” edited by Don George (who was also in the same NBC news bit I was part of).  I made use of the restroom too.

I stopped in the Patagonia store, and came across a great little daypack which I bought. I had planned to stay with my Jansport canvas bag after returning a small messenger-style bag from REI (because it was too small, heavy and not as comfortable), however the Patagonia one fit my litmus test: 1.5-liter bottle of water, my jacket, with room for a notebook, guidebook, and camera. It has padded back support, and two adjustable support straps, which will make it more comfortable than the Jansport, plus while slightly heavier, it rolls up about the same. At $50 it was a little steep, however I’m confident it presented itself to me today for a reason!

With new daypack and water in hand, I stopped into Dean & Delucca to ever-so-briefly contemplate the purchase of 1-ounce of white Italian truffle for the cost of a month in India ($437). I made my way back up Wisconsin Ave, ducked into Whole Foods for a few free samples of cheese, and then to the Visa office which had a short line for payment and pick-up of passports.

Earlier, upon applying, the lady had only one question - was I employed? I had listed “independent traveler” as my occupation. I responded that I was unemployed, and traveling for 12 months, and that’s all there was to it!

Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta (lyrics)

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IMG denied my application for their Global Medical Insurance plan because of my recent knee condition and treatment. I have a much better understanding of why so many people are frustrated and uninsured in America as a result. It seems unfair that insurers will deny coverage for people who are (or were recently) sick or injured - in short the people who need the coverage the most - because they might have to pay $$$ after any pre-existing condition clauses expire (IMG Global Gold is 24 months - not that I’d still be with them that long).  As a result, tens of millions of Americans are without health insurance coverage.

I’ve had employees who had to choose whether to take their children to the doctor, or themselves, yet I didn’t really get the rub until now. The underwriter said I could reapply in 6 months if the knee problem doesn’t persist, nor do I seek treatment for it. Of course there’s no guarantee they’ll cover me then either!

So on to Plan B, paying COBRA premiums month-to-month to maintain my employer-based plan. It’s 3-4 times as expensive as the IMG policy, however it also covers a lot more, and I have the added security of knowing if my knee problem recurs, and self-treatment doesn’t help, I don’t have to assume the whole cost of further treatment myself. I still intend to reapply for an IMG policy after 6 months. Luckily, I obtained all the necessary medical records myself rather than having them sent to the company. I can scan them all, e-mail them to myself, and have them readily available to forward next May. Just don’t tell IMG - I’m still mad at them.

While I have access to the BlueCard Worldwide network outside of the United States, it’s geared more toward trying to ensure I’m using an “in-network” provider or facility, versus emergency evacuation support. For that reason, I just paid for 6 months worth of travel insurance through World Nomads at a cost of $238.

It still surprises me how many people seem to rely on travel insurance alone. I was recently reminded by a wise man that if I ended up in a worst case scenario (such as a cancer diagnosis) without medical insurance, it’s not just me that’d be financially impacted, it’d be my parents as well.

Despite the unforeseen (and souring) cost of insurance for this trip, I’m so close to leaving it’s hard to be upset. I quickly passed the anger phase and moved on to acceptance. There are still a few ways I can make up for it along the way:

• Dares! - I know readers are hard at work coming up with weird and embarrassing things for me to do, such as pick my nose in front of the Sky Tower in Auckland.
• Couchsurf - I’m batting 0 for 8 in Tahiti and Auckland, however I know there’s a couch out there with my name on it!
• Advertising - I constantly run a full inventory of 10 Text Link Ads, so contact me directly if you’d like to advertise on this popular PR 4 travel blog.
• Donations - While Dares are interactive, I’m fully prepared for a no-strings donation or two!

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Liz sent me a question about what I intend to pack, however my e-mail back to her was returned, so I thought I’d share with everyone instead. I will post a more comprehensive packing list before departing.

In the meantime, I can answer your question because I’m decidedly low maintenance (or so I like to think). You can probably get more for your money today than when I got the camera last Christmas and mp3 player over the summer.

• $300 cannon sd700 powershot digital camera - 6 megapixels (+ two 2gb memory cards, 2 batteries, wall charger)
• $150 creative 8gb mp3 player
• $50 universal power adapter/charger (x2 - I got one specific to my mp3 player, meaning the other is for my camera charger)
• $40 petzl zipka LED headlamp

I think that’s it from the technology end. If I find a cell phone would be helpful, I might get one along the way, however I’m going to start off without one. Lots of people have asked about a laptop - I just don’t have the will to lug even a small one around, let alone worry about it.

I’ve already got the backpack, daypack, North Face khaki cargo shorts/pants (from ‘98 summer in Europe), socks, boxers, etc. I do think I’m going to buy a new t-shirt or two given I’ll be living in them for quite awhile (it’d be nice to start off with something new to wear). I have to put together a little medical kit too, though because I want my pack to be carry-on, I’ll have to leave out a bunch of items.

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CAR - My speedy Jetta is officially in the hands of another person, and I’m going to be truckin’ around in my Dad’s Ford Escape for the next two weeks (thanks!).

DRINKS - Thursday is my “goodbye” happy hour at work. I’ve shared this blog address with a few people so far, however I won’t be ready to send it to a wider audience of coworkers until I’m literally ready to walk out the door.

MAPS -If you only read these posts through a feed reader, be sure to check out my Maps page from time to time - once I hit the road, I’ll start posting “Map Views” which will take you directly to the location on Google Maps, however you won’t see the link through the feed.

SOCCER - MLS Cup 2007 is Sunday, and though DC United didn’t make it, I’m still excited to see the match in person.

VIDEO - I owe readers a video of me taking a shot of Absinthe next Wednesday, to celebrate my last day of work.

INSURANCE - Trying to collect medical records from various providers to submit to an underwriter who will decide whether the insurance company will cover me SUCKS! I did not leave myself enough time.

MY JOB - I’ve worked for Lumenos, a start-up health insurance company, for the past 5 years, though 2 of those years were technically after we were bought by behemoth Wellpoint (owner of 14 state BlueCross/Blue Shield plans). Feels good to share my company name, however don’t worry, I won’t mention it again!

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