What do you pack for a year-long trip around the world with 5 kids? The quick answer is “as little as possible!”The simple truth is that you can buy practically everything, everywhere these days so we really don’t need to bring a lot of stuff. We learned this the hard way 12 years ago when we flew to China to pick up Yve and packed EVERYTHING per the instructions of the adoption agency…we brought diapers, cheerios, diaper ointment, etc. It was ridiculous! Then, when we arrived in China with our huge duffle bags, we walked about two blocks from our hotel and there was a Walmart!…. valuable lesson learned.
So this trip we have some hardcore rules when it comes to packing:
1) Everyone must pack the items on the mandatory list (see below)….no exceptions.
2) Everyone has to get special permission to bring extra stuff…even me J
3) Everyone will need to carry their own stuff
4) Don’t pack anything you can’t afford to lose
5) No cotton clothes! This is BY FAR the hardest rule….try buying underwear for toddlers that doesn’t have cotton in it….even Kmart doesn’t sell polyester toddler underwear J
The biggest challenge will be trying to keep the electronics at a minimum! We are a tech heavy family so leaving behind our smartphones, iPads, computers, huge cameras, etc will be really challenging…..stay tuned….we will take a pic of all of our electronics before we leave to see how successful we are at keeping it to a minimum.
Another challenge for me, personally, will be to not bring a zillion craft supplies! I always pack a heavy suitcase when traveling that has more craft stuff than clothes. Especially googley-eyes and a glue gun…is it possible to travel for a year without googley-eyes? Or a glue gun? We will see J
Finally, there are also some items that we will needs as a group and we will divvy up to share in our bags…these include ziplocks, a camping clothes line and clothespins, water purification tablets and a filter, sharpies, bug spray, a deck of cards, a soccer ball and pump, a sewing kit, first aid supplies, etc.
MANDATORY LIST
these are the items that everyone needs to pack:
5 prs underwear and 5 prs socks
2 bathing suits
2 pr pants
3 pr shorts
1pr water shoes/ sandals… something you can walk on slippery rocks with like Keens
1 pr shoes that look nice for dinners
1 pr running shoes
1 pr shoes for hiking…if these can be the same as running shoes, great!
micro down jacket in stuff sack
Rain jacket or poncho
Hat for sun
Hat for warmth
2 fleece
3 short sleeve shirts (boys need one to be a collared shirt)
2 long sleeve shirts
Sleeping bag in stuff sack
Snorkel set
Sunglasses with croakies
Skirt (girls)
Toothbrush
Toiletries
Ironman watch
Head lamp
Earbuds (2 pr)
Binoculars (for safari)
PJ bottoms
Light gloves
Cheap/tiny calculator (to carry for currency conversion)
String bag (older kids only)
Bandana
*****
The idea will be that everyone has their bag PACKED by August 15th and will not use those items for the remainder of the summer. This will help us make sure minimize the forgetting of important items and that everything is clean when it is packed J Between now and then, each kid is doing a “mock packing” …see Yve’s earlier blog post! It is hilarious!!!!
Otto, Jones and Tuck sporting their new microdown jackets for trip!
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