In two days I leave for a long-awaited and meticulously planned journey that will take me south, then east, to every continent except Antarctica and South America as I gradually make my way home to the US over the course of the next three months. Preparation has been vital (just look at my giant Google spreadsheet full of flights, trains, hostel and Airbnb reservations), but what made this trip tricky is that I'm doing it all with a carry-on. This won't be a backpacking trip in the sense that I'm not using a backpack (I'm so short I would just look like that little kid from the movie Up, not to mention I sweat like a motherfucker and in previous experiences backpacks just exacerbate it) nor am I going to the jungle or climbing mountains. Nope, I'm just your average urban explorer with a small rolling suitcase.
Here's what I'm taking:
- Painstakingly curated selection of clothing
- My two North Face jackets for after I cross the equator (one of them even folds up inside the pocket)
- Shower shoes, Jesus sandals and espadrilles
- Toiletries and make-up (liquids ready to go in a Ziploc bag)
- iPad with Bluetooth keyboard case
- Day bag
- DSLR with wide-angle lens
- Moleskine
- A bunch of drugs prescribed to me by a travel doctor here in Paris. Everything is in French so hopefully if/when the time comes I'll know how to use them properly...