Packing

Utilising our existing tramping spreadsheets we formulated a rough guide to our packing. A tricky task when we are in both +40 degrees and -10 degrees Celsius within a matter of days.

We are in colder climates for the first 3 months of our travels and will then consider sending a box of winter layers home (or donating them if the postage is overly pricy).

Even some of our warmer climates are tricky – places like the Namibian and Botswana deserts can be 30 degrees during the day and single digits at night. These factors pretty much dictated our clothing choices. Layers, and lots of them.

In New Zealand we are blessed with a number of high quality adventure clothing designers and manufacturers such as MacPac. Whilst very few of items are made locally they demand a high quality finish and back their products. We were lucky enough to have a knowledgeable and experienced staff member (Thanks Chris at MacPac, Petone) to help us come up with a final shopping list – which we put together and waited for the ‘Black Friday’ sales. 

Everything new has been opened, unpacked, tried on or tested to check for any faults before our first use. 

With our Round The World (RTW) ticket different airlines have differing baggage allowances, so we settled on one pack and one carry on each – we have opted for a large wheelie for the first few months (because of the cold and bulk of the clothing – but should just have a pack each for 9 months of the trip.

Unusual things we are taking:

A Bubble Bum – an inflatable car seat – this serves two purposes. Firstly it is safer for our smallest traveller. It will also afford her a much better view from aircraft and vehicle windows (I’m also considering using it as my pillow to save space.

A laptop – with two school age children they each have their own login and their own workspace for writing, creating and if they choose, blogging. I also have an interest (hobby) in videography and having the ability to store and edit footage on the way is invaluable. 

A phone each – Our daughter has never had a phone – but the tracking, communication and photography advantages outweigh the downsides.