My Travel Must-Haves... And What to Leave Behind

Since returning from my RTW trip, I've packed for smaller trips to Portland and Kauai, and I'm now about to pack for my trip to Italy.

Packing always makes me a little anxious — what if I leave something vital behind?? — but it's certainly gotten easier now that I have my own RTW packing list to refer to.

Of course, I don't need to bring as much stuff for a two-week trip as I did for a three-month trip, so I can eliminate several items from that list right off the bat.

On the flip side, I find myself packing several key items over and over, no matter where I go or how long the trip lasts, and I want to share those favorite things with you here — as well as my not-so-favorite things that I'll likely leave at home in the future.

Keep in mind that I determined my "love it" and "leave it" items through my own experiences, and you may very well need some of the items I would leave behind! It all depends on the circumstances of your trip and what makes you feel comfortable. Feel free to leave your own must-have travel items in the comments.


TECHNOLOGY

Love it:

• Kindle Keyboard 3G with lighted case. Nothing helps me get through international plane trips and 12-hour bus rides like a good book, and the Kindle is a lightweight, easy-to-use digital alternative to print books. The free international 3G was often spotty, but it was great for checking email and updating Twitter from time to time. The lighted case was essential for reading in dark hostel dorms and kept my Kindle well-protected.

• Belkin mini surge protector with extra outlets. If you're like me, you have multiple electronics to charge when you travel: phone, laptop, camera battery, Kindle, etc. Guess what? So does everyone else! Save yourself from the woes of jockeying for one or two coveted outlets in your hostel and plug in this surge protector to instantly produce a few extra outlets, plus two USB chargers. You win.

• Canon S95 digital camera. I love my big DSLR, but I don't always want to lug it around when I travel. I was incredibly surprised by and pleased with the quality of the photos I shot with the compact Canon S95 (the newer, shinier version is the Canon S100). I found myself reaching for it more and more throughout my trip.

One of my favorite photos from Australia — shot with the Canon S95.

Leave it:

• Steripen Traveler. I used this handheld water purifier once or twice in Thailand just to test it out, but it was incredibly cheap and easy to just buy huge bottles of ice-cold water everywhere I went. The other countries I visited either had safe tap water (New Zealand, Australia) or filtered water available in my hostels (Singapore, Malaysia), so the Steripen hardly saw the light of day. If you plan to spend more time in less-developed countries, the Steripen is a great tool. For me? It's a "leave it."

MISCELLANEOUS

Love it:

(Source)

• Ear plugs. Pack them now, thank me later. You'll want to have ear plugs handy on planes, trains and buses, as well as at your bedside when you try to fall asleep. You never know when your ears will be assaulted by a crying baby, loud cell-phone talker or drunk-and-noisy hostel-mate. Bring several pairs, since ear plugs are like socks — one always mysteriously disappears.

• Sea to Summit waterproof compression sacks. My backpack would have been a hot mess if I hadn't had these sturdy compression sacks to keep my clothes under control. I used an extra-small compression sack for sports bras, underwear and swimwear, and a large compression sack for all of my other clothing items. Some travelers prefer packing cubes, but I love how these sacks condensed my clothes to a fraction of the size they would otherwise occupy.

• Klean Kanteen. I'm a water-guzzling freak and keep my Klean Kanteen by my side 24/7, so I had to bring it on my RTW trip. It was great to be able to fill this practically indestructible stainless-steel bottle with safe tap water and filtered water, when available. I definitely saved money and plastic by not buying bottled water in four of the five countries I visited.

• TSA lock and combination lock. My sturdy little TSA lock kept the contents of my backpack secure on buses, trains and planes, as well as in hostels. It was also never, to my knowledge, actually opened by the TSA when I checked my bag. The combination lock was essential for storing valuables in hostel-provided lockers. Often, hostels that feature lockable units will sell locks at the front desk, too.

• Deck of cards. It can be tough to make friends every time you arrive at a new hostel. I found that the easiest way to attract fellow travelers was to bust out a deck of cards in the common area and start a game of something... anything. Bonus points if you have a box of wine to share! I loved my TrekDek playing cards; everyone had a blast reading the different travel activities suggested on each card.

Leave it:

• Point-it dictionary. This compact book of pictures is great for someone who plans to travel through areas where the locals speak little English. I could have used it once or twice in Asia, but simply forgot I had it! It remained tucked away in the depths of my backpack, and I did just fine using hand gestures and such, so I'll probably leave it at home for my trip to Italy. It does make a great gift for travelers, though, and doesn't hurt to have just in case.

CLOTHING AND SHOES

Love it:

• Lightweight, waterproof jacket. I endured torrential rain in nearly every country I visited, so I got a lot of use out of my Helly Hansen shell. It was lightweight enough to keep me dry without making me too hot in humid Asia, and it packed into a tiny ball in one of my compression sacks. I also layered it over a fleece hoodie for extra warmth at the tail-end of my time in New Zealand.

• ExOfficio underwear. I bought seven pairs of this quick-drying, anti-microbial underwear based on recommendations from other travel bloggers, and I'm a total convert. It's the only underwear I wear even now that I'm home! It is incredibly comfortable and has held up well over many rounds in the washer and dryer. It's expensive ($18 to $22 per pair for women), but worth it — and you may find certain colors on sale at REI from time to time.

• Yoga pants. I will never be one of those people who gets dressed up to travel by plane, train or bus. I need to feel cozy and comfortable above all else, and my stretchy, high-quality Lululemon Groove pants served me well throughout my trip. Here's a tip: If you board a plane/train/bus wearing shorts and flip-flops because it's hot as hell outside, have pants and socks easily accessible in your carry-on — nothing is worse than enduring 10 hours' worth of frigid transit A/C with bare legs. If you board wearing pants, keep shorts easily accessible if you're heading to a warm destination to minimize sweating upon arrival.

• Comfortable, stretchy jeans. I did not bring jeans on my trip, but I should have. In New Zealand, the evening weather was often chilly enough to require pants, and convertible travel pants just aren't cool enough to wear out to bars and clubs (see "Leave it" below). I wound up buying jeans on my last day in NZ, but made the mistake of buying them in my regular size. I should have gone up a size, or at least gone for extra stretch... because I love to eat. Let's just say I quickly grew out of those jeans, and they remained in the bottom of my bag for most of the trip. Sigh.

• Wrinkle-free dress. I packed the GoLite Cayambe Reversible Dress in black/gray and couldn't have been happier with it! (Many online retailers are sold out of it, so I just linked to a Google search in case you have luck finding it somewhere.) It was the perfect, comfortable little black dress for many occasions. I especially loved having it in Yosemite; while my extended family members took turns ironing their clothes for a fancy dinner out, I simply removed this polyester dress from my compression sack and unrolled it to reveal instant, wrinkle-free perfection.

• Durable flip-flops. I lived in flip-flops for 98% of my trip, but the cheap Old Navy pair I initially wore fell apart quickly. In Wellington, New Zealand, I bought a pair of silver Havaianas after noticing that many other backpackers favored them. Those comfortable and durable Havaianas stuck with me through the rest of my trip, and I still wear the exact same kind, although I did replace my original pair — they took quite a beating.

Leave it:

• Convertible travel pants. You'll find many travelers who swear by a good pair of convertible pants, but I'm not one of them. Sure, my roll-up pants were comfortable and fit well, but I just didn't wear them that much — and when I did, I felt like a conspicuous tourist. I realized early in my trip that, in most situations, I would be just fine wearing athletic shorts, regular shorts, athletic capris or even jeans. When you pack, it helps to ask yourself this question: "Would I wear this in my normal life?" If not, you probably won't be reaching for it much on your trip.

• KEEN Whisper sandals. "Would I wear these in my normal life?" Nope, and I wore them maybe twice on my trip. Lesson learned. I'll be sticking with flip-flops and running shoes from now on!

PERSONAL CARE

Love it:

(Source)

• Diva Cup. Ladies: Drop everything and get a menstrual cup right now! Imagine not having to worry about keeping tampons or pads on hand, not dealing with leaks, not creating messy waste — basically not having to worry about your period much at all. I've found that the medical-grade silicone Diva Cup is very easy to insert, remove and clean, and I would never go back to using tampons. It's a life-changer! Check out the Amazon reviews for more details.

Leave it:

• Travel towel. I brought a quick-drying Sea to Summit DryLite travel towel on my trip, but wasn't thrilled with its small size and relative lack of absorbency compared to a regular bath towel. I accidentally left the the travel towel in a New Zealand hostel, and instead used a smaller, thinner version of a regular bath towel for the next few months. I never missed the travel towel! My regular towel was more comfortable to use but didn't dry as quickly; I managed that by showering at night and hanging the towel from my hostel bunk to dry overnight.

• Sink stopper, portable soap sheets and clothesline. I was a bit paranoid about having access to laundry facilities abroad, so I brought all the items I would need to wash my clothes in a sink if I had to. I did laundry about once a week for three months, and I always had access to a coin-operated washer and dryer — or, in Thailand, access to someone who would wash, dry and fold my clothes for a fraction of the cost of coin-ops in other counties! If you want to save some money or plan to travel far off the beaten path, you can certainly hand-wash and line-dry your clothes. I always went the washer-and-dryer route, and often saved money by going in on a load of laundry with one or two trusted hostel-mates. I never had enough clothes to make a full load anyway!

What are your must-have travel items? What would you leave behind next time?

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Note: All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item using one of those links, my travel fund will grow a tiny bit and I'll be very grateful. Just wanted you to know. : )

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On Roadblocks, Breakdowns & Changing My Course

DAY 58

As I checked in for my flight from Cairns, Australia, to Singapore — tried to check in, that is — I realized I had made a rookie mistake.

The nice man behind the JetStar counter informed me that I needed proof of onward travel in order to enter Singapore without a visa, and I had no such thing. In fact, I had specifically checked Singapore’s entry requirements to see if I needed to book onward travel — that is, provide proof that I was going to leave Singapore within 90 days — and thought that I didn’t.

Apparently, I thought wrong.

Please let me in, Singapore. Pretty please?

A year ago, if I faced the possibility of being unable to board my expensive international flight, I would have gone red-faced and broken down into tears. I would have felt extremely embarrassed and angry with myself for not doing more research. I would have beaten myself up and let the situation ruin my day — maybe even my week.

But I’m amazed, even as I write this, to report that this travel snafu did not faze me. I simply took 20 minutes to hop onto the Internet and book a bus from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in three days’ time, emailed the itinerary to JetStar and then successfully checked in for my flight with plenty of time to spare.

No red face. No tears. I was slightly embarrassed, but it didn’t ruin my day. It didn’t even ruin five minutes of my day.

I was pretty damn proud of myself for that.


DAY 63

Having successfully entered, eaten my way through and exited Singapore, I was now at the the front desk of my Kuala Lumpur hostel, trying to make change for a 50-ringgit note so I could do laundry.

The nice woman behind the Reggae Mansion counter informed me that she could not make change for my note, and that I would have to go buy something small and come back for the 8 ringgits' worth of coins I needed.

My face went red. I felt tears prick the inside corners of my eyes. I mumbled a defeated, "Oh," and then hightailed it up to my room before I started to cry. Then I flopped onto my bed and let the tears flow.

Over laundry.


WHAT HAPPENED?

In one of these situations, I stayed cool and calm in the face of a potentially huge travel issue. In the other, I completely broke down over a tiny, insignificant roadblock. What the hell happened to that unfazed traveler I was so proud of?

The short answer is that I became really, really homesick on day 61 — the day I took that five-hour bus ride from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. The feeling came out of nowhere, but it hit me hard.

My seat was amazingly comfortable, and the bus' air-conditioning was heavenly compared to the thick soup of humidity outside. I had a row to myself. I should have been perfectly content to relax for five hours.

But as I stared out the window at the Malaysian landscape, it began to rain, and my mind wandered back to all the times I've stared through rain-spattered windows in Seattle. I love watching the rain. I love curling up with a cozy blanket, a good book and a mug of tea or hot chocolate even more.

Suddenly, the refreshing A/C felt icy. My spacious row of seats became incredibly lonely. And I longed for a blanket, a real book, a spot on my old couch to relax and maybe doze off. I desperately wanted to grab a milkshake and see a movie with my dad, or bake cookies with my mom.

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur to more rainclouds, and a particularly dark one seemed to hang directly over me. I felt miserable and just wanted to stay in the hostel and stew. I hated the way I felt — like that annoying homesick girl at summer camp who can't stop crying long enough to have some fun. I thought it would pass, but I couldn't ignore the ache in my chest and what it was telling me.

I wound up tearfully Skype-calling my mom and dad and arriving at a decision: I'm going to take a break. 


REVISE AND RESET

My plan has always been to fly to California in mid-May for a family trip to Yosemite, but I had intended on returning to Southeast Asia to spend June exploring Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before I attend Portland's World Domination Summit in July.

Now I realize I'd rather stay in the States until WDS so I can slow down, spend time with family and friends, and recharge a bit before heading abroad again. I was disappointed with myself when I got to Kuala Lumpur because I didn't have that thrill I usually feel upon arriving somewhere new. I feel like a really privileged jerk to admit this, but hopping between cities and countries had become the norm and lost its novelty.

I stopped crying long enough to visit KL's awe-inspiring Petronas Towers — wow.

I think, no matter what your circumstances are, that something being different is what makes it special. One short vacation a year can be a huge thrill, while a long period of constant travel — even to the most exciting places — can lose its luster, and you find yourself wanting to do things that used to seem mundane in your old life.

This is not at all meant to be an, "Oh, poor me, traveling is so hard," post. Most of the time, traveling is much easier than I thought it would be, and it's certainly a hell of a lot of fun. I just never expected the emotional side of it to get so intense — the side that has me missing my family, my hometown and all the familiar comforts of my former routine.

There are people who can travel nonstop for a year or more and thrive, but I like the idea of taking a step back after three months of being on the go, slowing down and rebuilding my appreciation for this incredible opportunity I have to see the world — not to mention the fact that it saves me from a few extra long-haul flights across the Pacific.


CHOOSING MY OWN PATH

At first I was sad to miss out on the Southeast Asian countries I'd planned to visit, but I realized I just don't have the same excitement to explore Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam that I've heard in so many others' voices. I've really enjoyed Thailand so far and am happy to be spending 30 days here, but does my heart leap when I think about wandering through Angkor Wat or inner tubing in Vang Vieng? Sadly, no.

My little bit of Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In college, I created a massive collage of Greece photos on the wall of my dorm. I've dreamt of driving along the coast of Croatia. I would die of happiness to eat just about anywhere in Italy. Those are the things I should be doing, regardless of how much everyone else raves about Cambodia, etc.

And I could certainly get more bang for my buck by continuing to travel in Southeast Asia, but time is a currency, too — something of great value and of which we have a finite amount. Why should I spend more time traveling somewhere just because it's cheaper when I'd happily drop more money to go places that make my heart do a happy dance?

In the next chapter of my travels, I will move much more slowly. I'll definitely struggle with the urge to see and do everything in every country, but I know I'll enjoy the overall experience more if I strive to ignore that pressure.

While in line for one of Mrs. Pa's famous fruit shakes in Chiang Mai, I shared a bit about my homesickness with Dave Dean. He's been traveling the world for well over a decade, so he knows his stuff, and he said this: In his experience, homesickness really means you miss having a routine, and you can help fix this by slowwwing dowwwn. Find a place you love. Get settled for a while. When you get the urge to move on, do that.

Sounds pretty good to me.


NEXT UP

I left my intense homesickness in Kuala Lumpur, thankfully. I thought I'd feel like a failure by changing my grand travel plans, but do you know what I actually felt when I purchased a one-way plane ticket to San Francisco for May 9? Relief.

Now I can enjoy the rest of my month in Thailand with the knowledge that I'll be seeing many of my loved ones again quite soon in California. I'll be able to spend my 25th birthday with family and friends in Seattle. And I can either hang out in Seattle until WDS, or take a few mini-trips to U.S. cities I've always wanted to visit — New Orleans, D.C., Boston and Chicago come to mind.

And after that? I'd still love to visit Iceland in July, and Europe is calling my name.

I'm incredibly excited for what's next.

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My RTW Packing List

I've landed in Auckland, New Zealand!

The weather couldn't have been better for the first day of my trip. Auckland greeted me with blue skies and warm sunshine, and I was more than happy to don a dress and flip flops while checking out the city.

But let me back up a bit first. I didn't have time to put together my packing post before I left Seattle, and I want to get it up quickly so I can move on to posting more exciting stuff!


PACKING FOR MY RTW TRIP

I collected everything I needed for my RTW trip over the course of two months. To determine what I needed to buy, I looked at several other bloggers’ packing lists and noted the items that seemed to pop up again and again. I would have been lost without those lists for reference!

So, here’s my contribution to the collection of RTW packing lists already on the Interwebs. I ended up packing at the last minute — literally, about two hours before I left for the airport — and, miraculously, everything just fit in my pack. (Every smart traveler will tell you to do a test pack first, so don’t be like me.)

My DSLR camera and its bag almost wouldn't fit. The bag is wonderful for hauling the camera around and protecting it, but it’s pretty big. I wound up cramming it in my daypack, and I can carry it separately when I’m not on flights in which I’m trying to pass off the main pack as my carry-on and the daypack as my personal item.

I thought about leaving the DSLR behind and just taking my Canon S95, but… but… my heart wouldn’t let me. Those stunning New Zealand vistas deserve a DSLR.

Without further ado, here’s my complete packing list with photos. I have no clue how much everything weighs since I didn’t have time to weigh it.

Also… I don’t want to know! (Edited to add: As of one month into my trip, my pack weighs 11.7 kg, or just about 26 lbs.)

Note: Since this is a very popular post, I edited it in Sept. 2012 to add further details and notes about the items I brought on my RTW trip, as well as links to where they can be purchased. All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links, which means if you purchase an item using one of those links, my travel fund will grow a tiny bit and I'll be very grateful. Just wanted you to know. : )


PACKING AIDS

Osprey Farpoint 55 pack with detachable daypack
Sea to Summit waterproof compression sacks (XS and L)
Eagle Creek packing cubes (thanks, Mindi!)
Large Hefty plastic zipper bags
Small Ziploc plastic bags
DSLR camera bag


ELECTRONICS

15" MacBook Pro laptop and charger
InCase neoprene laptop case
Headphones
Western Digital My Passport portable hard drive with USB cable
Belkin mini surge protector with extra outlets
Canon S95 digital camera (not shown) with protective pouch and battery charger
Canon Rebel T2i with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens and battery charger
Memory cards (3)
Kindle Keyboard 3G with lighted cover and charger
Outlet converters — Australia/New Zealand and Europe/Asia
Steripen Traveler with AA lithium batteries installed
Energizer Trail Finder headlamp
Samsung Vibrant Android smartphone (unlocked) and charger
Garmin Forerunner 305 and charger


MEDICAL STUFF

Doxycycline (malaria pills)
Ciprofloxacin (for diarrhea)
Azithromycin (for diarrhea)
Fluconazole (for yeast infections)
Imodium
Ibuprofen
Allegra allergy pills
Bug spray with 30% DEET
Aquaphor
Antibiotic gel (generic Neosporin)
Band-aids
Moleskin
Muscle gel
Antibiotic wipes
Pepto-Bismol tablets
Kleenex
Multivitamin (not pictured)


MISCELLANEOUS

Large Sea to Summit DryLite travel towel
Deuter backpack rain cover (I originally bought a Deuter pack, but this cover also fit my Osprey well)
Sink stopper
Doorstop
Silk sleep sack
Point-it dictionary
Sunglasses
Carabiners (attached to the outside of my pack)
Pocket mirror
Large Hefty plastic zipper bags
Sewing kit
Clothesline
Portable laundry soap sheets
Ear plugs
Locks (3) — TSA luggage lock, cable lock, combination lock
Safety whistle
Duct tape
Business cards by MOO
Klean Kanteen water bottle

Cross-body zipper purse
Lightweight hat
TrekDek (from the WDS swag bag!)


TOILETRIES

Shampoo
Conditioner
Body wash
Face lotion with sunscreen
Comb
Headbands (3)
Bobby pins
Hair ties
Makeup
Mini loofah
Wet wipes
Body lotion
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Retainer
Vaseline
Blistex
Diva Cup — a must-have for female travelers!
Face scrub
Tweezers
Nail clippers
Deodorant
Razor


CLOTHING

In an extra-small Sea to Summit waterproof compression sack:

ExOfficio underwear (7)
Sports bras (3)
Regular bra (1)
Socks (3 pairs)
Bikinis (2)
CEP compression sleeves (for running)
Sleep shorts


In a large Sea to Summit waterproof compression sack:

North Face convertible pants
Lululemon Groove pants
Champion leggings

Old Navy chino shorts (2)
Brooks running shorts

Old Navy tanks (4)
Lululemon running tank
Old Navy tees (3)

Reversible dress
Forever 21 dress

Lululemon pullover
Lululemon long-sleeved tech shirt

Helly Hanson waterproof shell
North Face fleece hoodie


SHOES

KEEN Whisper sandals
Flip flops — I started out with cheap Old Navy ones, but bought Havaianas in New Zealand and highly recommend them for comfort and durability!
Tieks foldable ballet flats
Brooks Ghost 4 running shoes


DOCUMENTS

Passport
Immunization certificate
Driver’s license
Debit card
Credit card with no foreign transaction fees
Back-up “oh, shit!” credit card
Starbucks gift card (I recently hit a Coinstar!)
New Zealand currency
U.S. currency
Extra passport-sized photos
Eagle Creek travel wallet
Extra copies of important documents
Copies of prescriptions
Folder with printouts of itineraries and confirmations
Notepad, pen, Sharpie (not pictured)


Here's everything all packed in the main pack:

And I packed my laptop, DSLR camera, S95 camera, Kindle, wallet/money and important documents in the daypack, which I kept with me on both flights.

My main pack passed as a carry-on for the Alaska flight from Seattle to Los Angeles, but Air New Zealand made me check it because it exceeded the airline's carry-on weight limit. I'm glad I packed all the valuable items in my daypack! Even so, I locked the main pack, and nothing appeared amiss once I landed in NZ.

I'm still on Day One of traveling, so I'm learning where to keep certain items and how to keep track of things as I move from using my full pack to the daypack to the purse and back again. I have no doubt that I'll learn something new every day!

Aaaand I'm finally starting to feel tired from my big day and night of flying, plus my day walking around Auckland. I have one more day to explore Auckland before I hop on a Stray bus up to the Bay of Islands, and then I'll continue with Stray down through the rest of New Zealand. Time to rest up.

Good night!

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How I Can Afford to Travel the World

If you read my last post, you know that two years ago I was deep in debt and had exactly $0 in savings.

So how was I able to quit my job two months ago to plan the round-the-world trip that I'll begin this Sunday?

And how much money do I have to spend on this trip, anyway?

Here are the short answers for those of you who don't want to wade through this whole post:

• a lot of self-control, some extra effort and a bit of good luck
• $26,000

Interested in learning more? Read on, my friends.

LET'S START WITH THE LUCK

I was desperate to find a job after I graduated college, and in the fall of 2009, I began working as a proofreader at an advertising agency. 

It wasn't my dream job — I had studied journalism and was unsuccessful in my this-close attempts to land a job with The Seattle Times — but it was work, and I was in no position to be picky. I had big credit-card payments to keep up with, you know.

This particular ad agency paid quarterly bonuses to all employees once they had worked there for three quarters. I began earning bonuses in July 2010 (after I had already become debt-free), and I collected six bonuses during my time there.

Each bonus was in the mid-to-high four figures, and a few were five figures. Altogether, they more than doubled my annual salary.

I consider that to be very lucky indeed.

NOW FOR THE SELF-CONTROL

I could have easily raised my standard of living to meet the amount of money I was making. I could have bought a new car, upgraded to the latest iPhone every time one came out and updated my closet with nicer clothes. It seemed like many of my co-workers did just that.

Instead, I continued to live on my base salary (less than $30,000) and squirreled those bonuses away in my savings account. Maybe I wasn't the coolest kid in town with my 1993 minivan, my lack of an iPhone and my arsenal of cheap, plain t-shirts, but I had more than $10,000 in the bank by the end of 2010.

I eventually gave myself permission to spend money on some stuff — including expensive stuff — but only if that stuff was really important to me. In 2011, I bought a new laptop and a DSLR camera, entered several road races and traveled to Hawaii, Portland, Vancouver, B.C., New York City and Las Vegas.

Sure, I would have a lot more money in my travel fund now if I hadn't spent money on those things, but I don't regret a single penny. Every purchase and experience was planned and meaningful; none of it was frivolous shit.

OK, maybe this beer was frivolous, but I stand by it, too.

Plus, it kept things exciting when the ultimate goal — a round-the-world trip — seemed so far off in the future.

A LITTLE EXTRA EFFORT GOES A LONG WAY

It was awesome to watch my savings grow by leaps and bounds every three months, but I felt like I could be saving even more.

In July 2011, I took a good look at my fixed monthly expenses and realized I had no immediate need for $350 of each paycheck. That's an extra $700 a month, or $8,400 a year! (I guess I lived wayyy below my base salary.)

I immediately opened an ING Direct savings account — nickname: Freedom Fund — and set it to automatically withdraw $300 from my checking account each payday. I decided to save $300 per paycheck instead of $350 just to give myself a bit of a cushion.

Guess what? I never missed that $300 per paycheck. Not once. 

I continued contributing to the Freedom Fund all the way through the final paycheck I received on Nov. 30. The account now holds more than $3,300. That represents thousands of dollars I never missed, but easily could have wasted on a bunch of little things if it had remained in my easily accessible checking account.

PRIORITIES, PRIORITIES, PRIORITIES

I had planned to continue working through 2012 to become fully vested in my employer's 401(k) match, but I became absolutely miserable and just couldn't stick it out.

By changing my initial plan, I missed out on adding thousands of dollars to my 401(k) and tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses to my travel fund. At first, I felt crazy to give it all up.

But it just wasn't worth another year of my life. In this video, I said, "Over the course of my life, I can make the money back. I just can't get the time back."

You know what, though? I doubt I'll ever make that money back, and I'm not at all torn up about it. I will never regret my decision.

My friend Mike Krass once left this incredible comment on my blog: "No matter how rich or poor, young or old, wise or foolish you are, there is no force powerful enough in this world to recover time for those who have let it pass them by."


BACK TO THE MONEY I DO HAVE

See how easy it is to get caught up in the money you could have, no matter how much you already have? Ugh.

$26,000 is quite a bit of money and I'm happy to have it. (This is what I have after being unemployed for two months and paying for all of my pre-travel preparations, by the way). It may not be much to speak of in terms of getting by for a year in the U.S., but it's more than enough to have some fun around the world, especially while traveling in developing countries. (Check out Shannon O'Donnell's detailed RTW budget — it cost her about $18,000 to visit 15 countries in 11 months.)

I'm operating with a fixed amount of money, though, with no current plans to make more money as I go. My travel fund will only go so far, and I have to consider how much I'll need to return home, if that's what I end up doing. Who knows!

It'll definitely be a challenge to keep an eye on my spending while also making sure to enjoy myself. That's why I'm going to New Zealand and Australia first — they're expensive! I want to visit them while I still have plenty of money.

I plan to use these frugal strategies throughout my travels:

• Stay in inexpensive hostel dorms and guesthouses
• Couchsurf
• Cook my own food when I have access to a kitchen
• Seek free Wi-Fi or use my Kindle 3G to connect
• Refill my Klean Kanteen instead of buying bottled water (and use my SteriPen in areas with unsafe tap water)
• Use my credit card that has no foreign transaction fees (Marriott Rewards Premier Visa — also earns points that can be converted to miles)
• Redeem points and miles for major flights
• Travel slowly and overland as much as possible

Feel free to add your money-saving travel tips in the comments!

I've loosely planned my trip through July, and the rest of the year is open. If I still have money to travel by then and I'm not sick of life on the road, I'll keep going. If not, I'll do whatever I need to do.

I consider myself extremely privileged to be able to travel for any amount of time, let alone for a full year. I'll do my best to stretch my money far and wide, but no matter what, I'll have a hell of a time.

***

I plan to put together a post about my packing list this weekend and set it to post on Monday. After that, full blog posts will likely be few and far between due to my uncertain access to Internet.

I should be able to update my Twitter and Facebook page via the Kindle 3G, though, so check them for updates!

There are only two days to go until I depart. While many of you are watching the Super Bowl, I'll be in the air heading to New Zealand!

Let me know who wins. : )

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Final Days at Home: Couchsurfing, Packing & Eating

When I moved back to my mom's house after college in September 2009, I was more than $8,000 in debt.

Moving home was necessary. With no savings, a small student loan and a big balance on my credit card, I had absolutely no idea how to manage my money, let alone how to afford living on my own.

My mom had turned my high-school bedroom into her office and filled it with big, heavy furniture. I was more than welcome to move my stuff back into the room if I would pay to move the office furniture into a heated storage unit, but I was already so deep in debt. No dice.

Instead, I stuck my bed into a nook at the back of the one-story house and slept there, with only a bookcase partially blocking the area for privacy. I lived that way for 16 months.

The nook. Picture my queen-sized bed on top of this rug. At least I had a skylight!

In January 2010, I began focusing on paying off my debt, and I became debt-free just six months later. I continued to budget and save like crazy, which allowed me to move out of my mom's house that December with more than $10,000 in the bank.

I was so thrilled not only to move out, but to have a bedroom again. Four walls, a whole closet to myself and a door — that locked, even! — seemed like such luxuries. And to top it all off, my room was huge and had its very own balcony. I caught some incredible sunsets on that balcony.

Thirteen months later, I've left that awesome, private room behind...

...to return to my mom's house once again. I sold all this furniture to the next tenant, so I don't even have my bed anymore.

This time, though, I haven't moved home because I have to. I'm just crashing on the couch for a few days as I prepare to travel the world.

Try telling that to the girl who, two years ago, sat in this house sobbing because she was completely drowning in debt.

She never would have believed this adventure was possible.

GETTING ORGANIZED

Now that I've moved out of my townhouse, all I have left to do is pick up a few last travel items and start packing. 

I've been buying things over the past several weeks and collecting them in one big bag. Yesterday I dumped everything out and began removing excess packaging, cutting off tags and organizing the items into categories: clothing, electronics, toiletries, medicine, etc.

No, I'm not bringing that remote control. I was watching Inside the Actor's Studio with George Clooney. : )

I was happy to find that everything fits nicely and compactly into my packing cubes (toiletries, medicine, cords/chargers) and compression sacks (clothes, underwear, socks). This was the first time I actually looked at everything and envisioned how it'll fit into my backpack.

Once I pack for real, I'll put together a detailed post with pictures and a list of everything I'm bringing. I found other travel bloggers' packing posts to be so helpful when it came to determining what I needed for my trip!

QUALITY TIME

I'll be seeing my mom quite a bit before I leave since I'm, well, living in her house, but my dad and I have to make more of an effort to spend time together. We had lunch this past weekend, and last night he took me out to a wonderful going-away dinner at Big Fish Grill.

Lately, I've been torn between trying to eat healthily because I'll probably be wearing a bikini soon and wanting to indulge because I'll be hesitant to splurge on good ($$) food and treats for myself while traveling.

I did a bit of both last night. : )

I had the Big Fish Cobb Salad with salmon, scallops and shrimp, as well as all the traditional Cobb fixings...

...and then rounded it out with the Double Chocolate Brownie, featuring vanilla ice cream, candied pecans and caramel sauce. My dad and I could have split one of these huge, evil creations, but we each got our own and I ate most of mine.

I may not be training for a marathon anymore, but I can still pack food away just like the good ol' days!

A note on food: I love it, and I'll try anything. I hope to sample tons of new, exciting and weird foods as I travel, and I plan to document the highlights and lowlights. The only thing is that I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy foods — hello, Southeast Asia — but I may just have to put on my big-girl pants and suck it up.

Three-and-a-half days until I leave!

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Clearing Out & Going Away

I spent this weekend clearing out my bedroom, hauling most of my belongings to Goodwill and storing some of them at my dad's place.

I'm getting down to bare bones — check out this emptiness.

Since I sold my desk chair ($5, even though I originally dragged it off the street for free), I can compute in bed without feeling too lazy. : )

I'm very happy with the amount of stuff I've gotten rid of versus the amount of stuff I'm keeping. It was tough to part with some items at first, but as I sold and gave away more and more, the easier it became.

The key question was: What is replaceable?

Photos and letters from loved ones are not, and I've kept those neatly bundled together in a plastic storage bin. Clothes, furniture and random trinkets, on the other hand, hold no meaning for me, and someone else will find them much more useful if I pass them along.

I'm also happy with the money I've brought in from selling stuff to friends, to thrift stores and on Craigslist — more than $1,000!

• Furniture: $550
• Clothing: $164
• Miscellaneous: $305

Now I just have to finish cleaning up and clearing out of the townhouse today and tomorrow. I'll miss this place, but I'm also excited to move forward!

LAST HURRAH

I had a little going-away gathering Saturday night, which seemed to come out of nowhere. How did it get to be time for that??

First, my closest girlfriends put together a Mexican feast of tacos, rice, beans and Coronas. Delish.

I requested this just so my friend Gillian would make her amazing guacamole, and it totally worked.

Later, we met up with more friends and enjoyed more beers at a few bars in Fremont. It was a laid-back, low-key night, which was exactly what I wanted. 

I loved being able to catch up with — and, sniff, say goodbye to — some of my very favorite people.

The good times and goodbyes continued on Sunday with a visit to John Howie Steak in Bellevue. My friend Amy told me I must experience the happy hour burger and Beecher's mac and cheese before I leave, and I was all too happy to oblige.

It was incredible. I could happily drown in that mac and cheese.

There may have been some deep-fried bacon involved. It wasn't my idea, but I didn't fight it, either!

My only problem is that I have a bunch of food in my fridge, freezer and pantry that I need to use up, but people keep insisting on taking me out to delicious meals. Take Friday's lunch that I shared with Meg at Poquitos in Capitol Hill, for example.

Man, it's just such a tough dilemma. How will I ever manage? : )

THE FINAL WEEK

This week will be all about tying up loose ends. I need to:

• finish moving out and establish my place on the couch at my mom's house (which will also serve as my permanent address)
• cancel utilities accounts
• forward my mail
• sell my car (not looking forward to this — I have no clue who will buy a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan with a cracked windshield and missing hubcap)
• cancel my car insurance
• obtain New Zealand currency
• pick up the last few items on my packing list
• test pack
• freak out
• actually pack
• LEAVE!

Did I miss anything? (I've already done my taxes and have a $2,100 return on its way — woo-hoo!)

Six days to go...

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9 Days To Go! Pre-Trip Odds & Ends

I'm one of those people who always feels extremely disorganized, yet ultimately manages to convert chaos into productivity.

I'll often write to-do lists and intend to focus on a few specific items each day, and then I'll ignore the list and instead randomly choose a task from the clusterfuck of Things That Must Get Done that lives inside my head. I'll put something off for weeks, and then suddenly become fixated on doing that one thing right away.

It's a weird way to operate, but it's my way. My own haphazard, neurotic way.

Now that you know a bit more about how strange I am, here's a round-up of Things That Must Get Done that I've recently done! I am, after all, just nine days away from my RTW departure. Eeeee!


I BOOKED MY FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA

This is important because I need proof of onward travel arrangements in order to enter my first country: New Zealand. The Kiwis are more than happy to welcome U.S. residents without a visitor visa as long as:

• they plan to stay for three months or less
• they are actually going to leave and have proof of this
• they have enough money to support themselves while visiting (NZ $1000/month)

That means I'll need to have my passport, Australia flight confirmation and a recent bank statement in hand when I fly to Auckland.

I booked a Qantas flight from Christchurch to Sydney on March 5, which means I'll have 28 days to enjoy New Zealand before I hit Oz. This was the first time I ever redeemed frequent-flyer miles (American Airlines AAdvantage miles to Qantas via the oneworld alliance), so I was quite excited to just pay taxes rather than the full ticket price!


I SOLD ALL OF MY FURNITURE

...almost.

One of my roommates is staying in our townhouse, so she recruited new girls to replace the two of us who are leaving. The girl who is moving into my room conveniently needs furniture and is happy to buy almost all of mine! That means I don't have to move a bunch of heavy crap down two flights of stairs.

Look! An unwieldy dresser I don't have to deal with!

I've also got something of a Facebook scuffle going on over this couch. It's a really comfortable couch and I absolutely love it... but it needs to go. Luckily, I have several friends who would like to have it. Come and get it, someone!

I will certainly miss this couch's nap-ability. Ah, well — I'll always have the memories.


I COMPLETED MY VACCINATION BONANZA AND HACKED OFF MY HAIR

These two achievements are completely unrelated, yet nicely demonstrated in this one photo.

My final three travel shots were a piece of cake compared to the six I received during my first visit to the travel clinic, and I'm oh-so-happy to be done with them. Any fear of needles I used to have is long gone by now!

And I cut about six inches off my hair because I needed a change and haven't had my hair this short since junior high. I'm not bringing a blow dryer or straightener on my trip, so expect to see either crazy hair or ponytails in most of my travel photos!


I SCANNED, MADE COPIES OF AND BACKED UP MY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS

I'm bringing my passport, driver's license and immunization records on my trip, but I'll also bring backup copies of those documents in case the originals get lost or stolen.

Last night, it took me less than a half hour to scan my documents, save copies to my laptop and my email account, and print a few color copies of each to have on hand. I even laminated a copy of my passport and a copy of my driver's license with clear packing tape, just to be safe (and extra neurotic).

Side note: This whole process was made much more enjoyable by a few glasses of red wine.


I UNLOCKED MY SMARTPHONE

I know next to nothing about how cell phones really work, so bear with me if this explanation is fuzzy.

My Samsung Vibrant smartphone was locked, meaning that it would only work on T-Mobile's network, so I had to unlock it to be able to insert a prepaid SIM card and use the phone in other countries. My understanding is that one can buy a global SIM card that will work across many countries, or local SIM cards for each country one visits. Is that right? Kind of?

Anyway, I had to unlock my phone, and I found that it's impossible to get an actual human being on the phone when calling T-Mobile. I ended up live-chatting with a customer service rep on T-Mobile's Web site, and she was happy to forward my request to the T-Mobile SIM Unlock Team (yes, that's a real thing). The following day, I received an email with my unlock code and instructions on how to do the deed.

I had my tech-savvy friend do the actual unlocking, as the process required the use of a non-T-Mobile SIM card and I don't just have those lying around. He popped in his AT&T SIM card, entered the code and boom — it was done.

My phone still works just the same, as far as I can tell, but now I'll be able to connect to other networks once I'm on the road. Good stuff.


I BOUGHT A KINDLE

I've seen the Kindle Keyboard 3G top many bloggers' lists of travel must-haves. It's obviously a great source of entertainment for reading, but its automatic access to free global 3G is the real draw for travelers. It means that, even in the middle of nowhere (with some network limitations, of course), one can hop onto the Kindle's experimental Web browser to check email, update Facebook or send a tweet for free.

I'm not so Internet-crazy that I'd die without 24/7 access, but it's certainly nice to know that I can connect if I really need or want to, regardless of Wi-Fi availability (which is notoriously sketchy in New Zealand and Australia).

And check out Benny Lewis's story about how his Kindle 3G saved him big-time. I hope I never get into a similar situation, but who knows — crazy stuff happens.

I'm already a little obsessed with my Kindle. I used to be a big book-reader before I got so into blog-reading, and I look forward to catching up on books I've been meaning to read for years. I'm also thrilled that I can "check out" e-books for free using my Seattle Public Library card! Technology is so freakin' cool.

***

This weekend, I'll be busy selling more clothes, donating much more stuff to Goodwill, driving a few must-keep items to my dad's place and otherwise clearing out of my townhouse (I'll be staying at my mom's house for several days before I depart). Oh, and my going-away party is Saturday night!

I can't believe next weekend is the weekend. Time flies... but I'll be ready.

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