
But if you’re like me, you’ve had it with lugging heavy suitcases over cobblestone streets and opt for one four-wheel roller bag and one large soft carryon tote that you can take with you on a commercial airline.
Packing for this long a trip starts with the shoes. I have a pair of road-tested Vionic red leather sneakers (these shoes are great for lots of walking), a pair of red Mephisto sandals and a pair of navy Skechers (with memory foam inner soles) that have already seen some mileage.
In real life, I love clothes and all the accessories that go with them. But when I travel, I leave the jewelry at home, often go without make-up (just some sunscreen on my face) and try to be as low-key as possible.
My entire wardrobe for this trip is red and navy, with bits of white and khaki. Every top will work with every bottom, so as I get bored with outfits I can mix and match. Yes, I know I will want to burn these clothes after living with them for 60 days, but it beats the heck out of lugging three suitcases around the world.
For this round-the-world adventure, my niece, Kelly, and I are staying in warm climates, so one hooded jacket should be all the cool-weather gear I need. I carry the jacket on the plane in case it gets cold.
I’ll wear these amazingly soft and comfy navy slacks I found at Talbots (I know they look geeky on the hangar, but they really look great on and are so stretchy) on the plane, along with my leather sneakers (so I don’t have to pack the bulkiest shoes) and a t-shirt.
I should have enough outfits to make it for 18 days without doing laundry. We’ll be in Thailand by then and we’ll have clothes washed at our hotel there. I know, it costs a bit to have the hotel do laundry, but I don’t want to sacrifice a day of the trip to hang out at a do-it-yourself laundry.
Here’s what will be in my roller bag.
- One pair of navy slacks and two matching tops (I wear slacks/shorts twice, but have a clean top for every day.) Since we are spending 1/3 of our time in the Middle East, I am bringing long-sleeved cotton shirts and two scarves so we can be respectfully covered when necessary.
- One pair of red slacks and two matching tops.
- One pair of red/navy print slacks and two matching tops.
- One pair of red crop pants and two matching tops.
- One pair of khaki safari pants and two matching tops.
- One red skirt and two matching tops.
- One red/navy knit dress.
- One pair of red bermuda shorts and two matching tops.
- One pair of khaki bermuda shorts and two matching tops.
- 18 undies; 3 bras
- 2 shorty pj sets
- large brimmed hat
In my carryon tote, I’ll have my travel documents, a small crossbody purse I will use when sightseeing, my iPad, charging cords, cosmetics, kleenex, medications, cash, camera, two scarves, some extra undies and a clean t-shirt.