At the end of the year I'm heading off to Ecuador to do some volunteering. It's now getting to the countdown stage and as I've mentioned before, I like to be prepared, so it should come as no surprise that on the weekend I bought myself a backpack. My husband and I have been looking for a while, trying to decided what style and size to get and how much we wanted to spend. We've been reading a whole heap of blogs about how to pack light and seen so many recommendations to only use a backpack you can carry on the plane so you don't have to worry about your luggage getting lost.
We did debate getting a small backpack and in the end decided on a compromise - not the biggest and not the smallest. Mine is 65L which is 50 litres for the main pack and 15 litres for the day pack. I wanted enough room to be able to buy a few souvenirs, but not too much room that I filled it and had to lug it around everywhere.
The next trick is what to take in the suitcase. I think I'll get a couple of packing cubes/cells to put my clothes in as that seems to be highly recommended and I'll go for a compact toiletries bag.
In terms of clothes, I'm already thinking in layers and buying neutral colours which will go with everything. My mum suggested getting an infinity scarf which her friend swears by when travelling and while I was checking out that I discovered the infinity dress, which allows you to style it about a hundred different ways. I wanted to take a dress with me, just in case we get to a restaurant in Quito and this looked like the perfect option. I've ordered one and hope it's not going to be too bulky. I'll have to wait until it arrives.
I've written a list of all the other things I need to buy; things like a small torch, medical kit, new bathers and new pyjamas, and of course a heap of books for my ebook reader. (I just hope I'll find somewhere I can charge it!)
It seems as if the end of the year is hurtling towards me. Luckily I've found a house and dog-sitter who is going to take care of everything while we're away. It's one less thing to worry about.
When I finally get everything I need, I'll do a mock pack and see how well I've done in regards to packing light. I'll keep you posted! In the meantime if you have any tips for travelling - things to take or how to pack light, leave me a comment!
Picture credit from macpac
