How to pack for a year!? Of course there is no one right answer. But if you’re looking for a place to start, here are a few tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way.

LESS IS MORE!!!!

Everything you pack, you will have to transport with your own muscles. Resist the lure of bringing along the kitchen sink.

  1. It’s a lot to carry!

    • Even if you plan to check your luggage, you will undoubtedly be lugging it, often for hours, through busy metro stations, up flights of stairs, in & out of small vehicles (think tuk-tuk size), trains, buses, down dirt roads, cobblestone paths, through busy airports and on boats. Often this is happening for 30+ hours straight. It’s a lot.

  2. Enjoy less packing time!

    • You can pack as fast as the quantity of things you’ve chosen to carry. We plan 2 hours of packing/cleaning each time we move locations.

  3. Minimize loss!

    • The more you have, the higher the chance you’re going to leave something behind.

Luggage:

We travel with 8 pieces of luggage, all of which can be considered carry-ons (though we often opt to check the heavy backpacks if it’s free). The kids’ clothes fit in their small packs. The big parent packs contains all our own clothes plus the family’s shoes. We have two carry-on wheeling suitcases that we use for communal items (read on for the contents of these bags):

Contents of Our Small Personal Bags:

Eric: When we travel, Eric’s MacPac holds one computer, the iPad, his hip-bag (with 2 passports & wallet), glasses, journal, phone, Kindle, headphones and snacks. When not travelling, we use this as our dry bag (sailing, raining hikes, etc) or grocery bag.

Daniela: During travel it holds one computer, the “AJ bag” (read on), passport holder/wallet (with 2 passports), journal, headphones, Kindle, and glasses.

Grace’s uses a small hip pack for her phone, AirPods, Kindle, and a notebook (she tucks this into her main pack for boarding).

William’s small sling bag, purchased at a market in Madagascar) holds his phone, AirPods, Kindle, switch, and we think a small collection of rocks. Seriously.

Electronics:

Everything is electronic these days - computers, tablets, phones, headphones, books, toothbrushes…We highly recommend having ample options for plugging everyone’s devices in simultaneously, particularly in the event you find yourself with only one available plugin or you have restricted access to electricity.

The combination of two of these universal plugs and two of these multiprong charging cables work well for us. For computers and tablets, determine ahead of time if they can charge with just a basic USB or lightning cable. If so, leave the bulky computer cable at home!

Assess your work/school/entertainment needs to plan your electronic needs.

This is what we carry:

  • 2 small laptops with one shared computer charger - we use both for school, travel planning, writting, etc. There is no way we could travel with just one. If we had more space, we’d have 3 or 4 so we could all do our computer work at the same time!

  • 1 iPad that charges with our multiprong adapter - we use to watch shows and for art (highly recommend ProCreate (free app but you need an apple pencil). Charges with the multiprong cable.

  • 4 iPhones - we opted to let the kids get iphones (san cellular access) as their screens since they are smaller and lighter than tablets. Charge with the multiprong cable.

  • 4 Kindles - We opted to make the shift to electronic readers for our RTW. We all miss the smell and feel of real paper but have adapted well to our Kindles. Of note, we use the app, Libby, which we connected to the two libraries to which we belong, to check out free electronic library books that we send to our Kindles. They have a super long battery life and charge with the multiprong cable.

  • 4 sets of airpods - Charge with the multiprong cable.

  • 1 set of Bose noise cancelling headphones - bulky but worth it (and one of the greatest gifts we’ve received)! Charges with the multiprong charger.

  • 1 powerpack. Inevitably you’ll find yourself with dead phones and no nearby power supply. We found this solution to be really helpful as it comes with international adapters, charges itself, and offers plug-in options for multiple devices.

  • 1 wireless magnetic phone charger. We picked one up in New Zealand after Daniela’s phone temporarily stopped responding to the cord charger. We now carry it with us daily and use it for urgent top-offs. It charges with the multiprong adapter.

  • PoooliPrinter. This lightweight 3” square bluetooth printer as been a fun addition to our art supplies. We use it to print black and white pics from our adventure into our growing family journal. Although we’ve loved it, we’ve noticed the pictures fade a bit over time.

  • 1 toothbrush charger. We use Phillips electronic toothbrushes and carry one charger that uses a USB port for charging.

  • 2 small lights: we bought these on a whim for a sailing trip and have loved them for RTW. They recharge via microUSB and are super useful - as nightlights, miniflashlights, etc.

  • 1 headlamp. Recharges via microUSB

  • Steripen charges with microUSB

  • Nintendo switch with two controllers. Not sure if Eric and William could live without FIFA. And family MarcoKart tourneys have been so fun! Charges with the multiprong cable.

Contents of our 2 Communal Bags:

  • Art supplies, organized in our favorite travel pouches by BlueQ: Our family loves art. We are also keeping a family travel journal/scrapbook so we cart along all necessary supplies. We use this journal. Art supplies include brush markers, these watercolors with a few small watercolor brushes, tape, stickers, sketch pencils, erasers, small ruler, a tin of colored pencils, and washa tape. We also use this compact printer to add pictures to our journal as we go.

  • Sketch book/paper

  • Game bag: contains cards, dice, small poker chips, monopoly deal, dragonwood game

  • This container which holds most of our chargers/cords.

  • Our toothbrushes/travel toothpaste in this reusable Ziplock bag.

  • Deflated soccer and volleyball along with a travel pump and pin for inflating.

  • One grooming bag with the occasional hair cutting shears (until they inevitably get confiscated), trimmers, razors and nail clippers.

  • Our personal toiletry bags (of which we each have one). Less is more here - every country sells floss and shampoo. Replace in small quantities as you go.

  • Stuff sack pulled exceedingly tight with our puffy and rain jackets.

  • Shoes: we’ve changed our shoe situation multiple times on our adventure. We’ve all had ~2 pairs at any given time: one pair of sandals and one pair of tennis/hiking shoes. Eric and Daniela also have city walking shoes.

  • Medicine cabinet. This takes up a lot of space. Since Eric’s a doctor, he took on loading us up with all we might need. Luckily we haven’t needed to rely on it much. More details below.

  • 6 pairs of sunglasses (two extra) - all in compact hard cases.

  • Small Bluetooth speaker

  • Snorkels, goggles and masks. Note - we tried to save space by taking one mask out of it’s bulky container and it shattered during our commute to Sri Lanka. We ultimately had to ditch it. Either skip bringing masks or plan ample space to keep them protected.

  • This UV water sterilizer. This has been helpful on hikes and in countries where we can not drink the water. Of note, it broke on month 7 because it got squashed in our bag. Keep it protected!

  • Laundry line (we used a 30 foot piece of paracord) and small container with Dr. Bronner’s soup, a few detergent pods and a shout stick.

  • Zip lock with any large liquids: this is only if we plan to check one bag. It generally includes left over shampoo/conditioner/sunscreen from the previous country. Of note, pack zip locks from the get-go. You won’t find them in many countries.

  • 2 Nintendo controllers

  • Portable theragun (not a joke and a total win!) and exercise bands

Medical Kit:

You may want to consider visiting an international travel clinic long before you depart to ensure you are up-to-date on any necessary vaccinations (some countries require proof to attain a visa) and receive any pre-travel prescriptions.

Based on our travel itinerary, we all updated our vaccinations and we carry our yellow vaccination cards with our passports. Our kit includes all our medical prescriptions (mainly malaria prophylaxis), swimmer’s ear drops (highly recommend!), first aid supplies, antidiarrheal, loads of topical creams (antibacterial, antihistamine, antifungal), melatonin for jet lag transitions, ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

Clothes:

We all use packing cubes to keep our clothes organized during travel. This strategy actually doesn’t work for the kids. They just sprawl their clothes all over the floor. It does, however, serve us parents well.

Choosing what clothes to bring was daunting for us. Let us spare you the stress. Make your selections and go with it. You can and likely will replace much of your base wardrobe along the way anyway. It can be part of the fun.

As for clothes, we recommend first considering how you normally dress. Then try to replicate your style as much as possible when you pack. If you don’t wear REI sportswear everyday now, you’ll probably hate your wardrobe after only a few days of dressing like you are going camping when you are actually walking the streets of Paris. Yes, cotton takes more time to dry and yet we’ve never been stuck with wet clothes, despite the fact we’ve barely seen a dryer on our RTW trip.

We opted for a blend of quick-dry, wrinkle-free staples mixed with some more normal pieces and some cozy cotton comforts. Our light weight puffy jackets and raincoats have largely remained packed away but have been useful when needed.

Pack like you are travelling for a week. Wear, wash, rinse and repeat. You need far less than you think. We’ve replaced lots of pieces along the way based on weather, cultural inspo or the rapid growth of our children. Some new clothes we sent home with visitors and some we’ve shipped home with other little trinkets we’ve collected along the way.

  • For Daniela it looks like: 2 dresses, 1 pair of jean shorts, 1 pair of linen shorts, 1 pair of hiking pants, 1 athletic jumper for travel days, 1 pair of joggers, 1 pair of yoga pants, 1 light weight sweatshirt/jacket, 1 long-sleeve hooded sailing shirt, 1 raincoat, 1 puffy jacket, 2 tank tops, 3 bathing suits, 2 t-shirts, 1 hat, 2 headbands, 1 athletic skirt, 4 bras, 3 pair of socks and 7 pairs of underwear.

  • For Eric: 1 pair of hiking pants, 4 board shorts (dub as shorts), 1 button-up linen shirt, 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of joggers, 4 t-shirts, 2 athletic quick dry shirts, 1 puffy jacket, 1 raincoat, 2 long-sleeve sailing shirts, socks, underwear, walking shoes, tennis shoes and sandals.

  • For William: 6 soccer jerseys, 2 cotton t-shirts, 2 pairs of joggers/sweatpants, 4 soccer shorts, 1 hoodie, 1 raincoat, dirty socks, 3 bathing suits, 1 button-up shirt, sandals and tennis shoes.

  • Grace: 1 pair of yoga pants, 3 pairs of shorts, one dress outfit (from Madagascar market), 2 dresses, 2 tank tops, 3 t-shirts, 1 sweatshirt, 1 raincoat, 1 puffy jacket (we lost it in Spain and didn’t replace), bras, socks and underwear.

What We’ve Ditched and What We Gained:

THINGS WE’VE DITCHED ALONG THE WAY: Travel ukelele (we didn’t play enough to justify the prime real estate it was taking up), heavy watercolor journals (replaced with a stack of postcard-size cardstock), telescopic fishing rod (we just rent rods where we go), our blow-up neck pillows (they never worked for us), hip packs (we started with two too many!), water bottles - we keep losing them so we’ve resolved to buying one large plastic bottle and try to keep it for that country.

THINGS WE WISHED WE WOULD HAVE PACKED: More toothbrush heads and travel binoculars. We also wish we would have packed these single use Deet wipes instead of bringing a small bottle of insect repellent because the bottle leaked on a flight and the Deet ate through a dry bag, Daniela’s rain jacket, and partly through our patagonia duffle!

THINGS WE’VE GAINED ALONG THE WAY: We bought a small pair of binos in South Africa to share during our safari drives. Eric bought a ceramic coffee mug in New Zealand and he treats it like his 3rd child. Based on an odd but genius request from William, we got a mini theragun and LOVE it. It’s perfect for the post travel and workout muscle aches.

We’ve replaced clothes because we were just sick of wearing them or because they were too worn/stained. We bought loads of warm weather clothes when we lived in Spain because it was chilly and everything was on sale. We then sent our new wardrobes home in a suitcase with our sister who had flown out to visit. We also send home the last of our cool-weather clothes with friends who met up with us in New Zealand.

We keep restocking on little things like toiletries, art supplies, and journals. We’ve purchased books and boardgames to enjoy for a country or two, and then left them for other travelers. We’ve replaced shoes, accumulated new hats and have purchased some small souvenirs. We shipped a few packages of clothes and gifts home when we were in Spain, Hawaii and Japan. Shipping costs were minimal and it was important for us to keep our luggage compact.

All and all, we haven’t accumulated all that much. Anything you might need you can find out in the world. We suggest not over buying before you depart. Plus, it’s fun to restock with things you wouldn’t otherwise find at home.

Travel Day Packing/Planning Tips:

  • Go early. Most airports will not allow you to check in more than 3 hours in advance. We always plan to arrive at least 3 hours in advance (and never do) as a) it always takes longer than you anticipate, and b) we like to monopolize the free food and wifi at the lounge prior to flying. Going early decreases so much unnecessary stress and allows breathing room for things like: accidently driving to the wrong airport, forgetting to fill up the rental car with gas and having to turn around, highway accidents, flooded roads, cows blocking the only route to the aiport, waiting for metro/train arrivals in your commute to the airport…. (we’ve experienced all of this).

  • If you can bare it, wear your heaviest clothes and shoes to save room in your pack.

  • Keep toothbrushes with you.

  • Wear pants with pockets.

  • Outside of the US, push carts in airports are free. Find one immediately and use it!

  • If you’re interested in bringing scissors, prepare to lose them. Although international rules allow you to have scissors less than 6mm in blade length, many airports will confascate them anyway. We’ve tested our luck and lost at least 4 pair so far!

  • We divide 2 passports (one kid/one parent) per adult. Storing them in pairs ensures an easier time at the US consulate if, God-forbid, we should lose a single wallet that contains all 4.

  • Get lounge passes and have the app downloaded on your phone for easy membership card (QR code) access. Not only will it save you $1000s in airport meals, the clean, tranquil environment makes travel days feel luxurious. We got the Venture Capital Card from which we earn countless travel miles, we also have access to priority lounges.

“AJ Bag”:

Our dear friend, internationally travel buddy, and organizational QUEEN, helped us pack a small zipper pouch bag to carry with us always. Somehow, through AJ’s genius, this tiny green pouch always has exactly what we need in a pinch. It has been our lifeline and lives in Daniela’s day pack or the rental car console.

It contains:

  • 2-3 Band-Aids

  • 2 hair ties

  • small container of Advil

  • These tummy gummies

  • Wipies - regular

  • Wipies - sanitizer

  • small nail clippers

  • small sunscreen

  • chapstick

  • eye drops

  • 2 of these individually packaged bug wipes

  • anti-itch cream

  • anti-bacterial cream

  • small tube of Aquaphor

  • barf bag (we “borrow” them from planes)

  • women’s hygiene products

Laundry:

You will not find clothes dryers in almost any other country. We recommend bringing a laundry line to augment your space to dry clothes. You can buy nice ones that zip up or just buy 20+ feet of paracord at your local hardware store. The latter works well for us.

We carry a few laundry pods and a small container of Dr. Bronner’s soap for clothing care. Many AirBnBs supply laundry soap.