Packing!!

Tomorrow is the big day when I head off to Myanmar for my Fund for Teachers fellowship and tour with GEEO. I have spent some time packing over the last couple of days and here is what I am bringing:

Myanmar stays kind of hot and humid, but shorts aren’t really worth bringing from what I have read. We will be spending so much time visiting temples and pagodas where you have to keep your knees and shoulders covered that I don’t think I would get much use out of a pair of shorts. So I am bringing two long skirts and two convertible type pants where I can zip off the legs and change them into shorts if I wish. The pants themselves are lightweight and one pair is even pretreated to repell mosquitoes! The black yoga pants are what I wear on the plane and they can also double as sleep pants for cooler nights. I threw in the blue skirt because it is lightweight and doesn’t take much space, but I am not sure that it is long enough to cover my knees.

I usually keep it simple with my shirts when I travel–inexpensive, solid color tshirts from Target are pretty versatile and I don’t feel bad throwing one away if it gets completely ruined.

I like to use these vacuum seal bags to pack my clothes because it squeezes out all the air and packs the clothes down really tight. I packed all my clothes in these two bags and packed an extra, larger vacuum seal bag to put my dirty clothes in. I plan to wash my clothes at some point halfway through the trip.

See how nicely the bags fit side by side in my carry-on size soft-sided suitcase?

For jackets, I definitely need a rain jacket because it will probably be raining every day while I am in Myanmar. I don’t need a lot of warm layers though since, as I said, it is pretty hot and humid there right now! I am taking the Smart Wool cardigan in th middle of the picture. I just bought it so I don’t know if this is true, but it is supposed to be warm, yet lightweight and breathable and not retain odors. I will wear that on the plane and probably anywhere where there is air conditioning. I have decided against taking the fleece because it seems like it will just take up space.

I like to limit the liquid toiletries I take even if I check my baggage (where the size limitations don’t apply) because a lot of times the pressure in the airplane makes liquids explode. So instead of dealing with a mess, I bring as much solid as possible. I am trying out the Lush shampoo and conditioner bars on this trip–everyone says good things about them and it is another way to limit liquids. Although hotels provide shampoo most of the time, I have found this is not always the case in other countries. Also, my hair is vey curly, so I can’t use just any old shampoo. I also have a sunscreen stick (not pictured) that I will bring, but I had to get special sunscreen for my face because the stick made my face break out too much. Unfortunately, the face sunscreen does not come in sticks yet. Also in my liquids, I am bringing hand sanitizer, toothpaste, hair cream, and bug spray (with DEET–malaria is pretty prevalent in Myanmar).

Here are all my liquids, nicely packed in the regulation quart-sized bag!

I am bringing my swimsuit and a pair of Chaco sandals. I anticipate wearing the sandals most of time time because we will have to take our shoes off at all the temples we visit. The flip flops are there for showers–some showers can look questionable and you don’t want to stand in them with bare feet. I will be wearing my Chaco sneakers on the plane because they are more bulky, so they take up more space in my bag. Also, my feet get cold on the plane.

I am also bringing a light scarf because it can come in useful in many ways.

I don’t bring lots of electronics when I travel because they are heavy and also I don’t want them to get lost or broken. I don’t really have time to use them anyway. The only things I am bringing are my phone and a camera. To be honest, I will probably use my phone for most of my pictures (it takes better photos and it’s easier to upload photos) but I am taking my small point and shoot camera as backup in case something happens to my phone. It’s kind of old, so I can’t be too careful! With these electronics, I also need to bring their chargers and an adapter for the electrical outlets (I have a universal adapter that should work to meet the needs of any electrical outlet I should encounter). I am also bringing a portable charger for times that I am not near electricity and need to charge my phone.

I have a gallon-sized ziplock bag for my medications and first aid needs (bandaids, pepto bismol, Tylenol, etc). I also packed some snacks, a paperback book, sunglasses, a journal, and a folder that holds all my important paperwork, itineraries, and FFT information. To top it all off, I packed an inflatable neck pillow and an eye mask so I can try to get some sleep on the plane!

A few things I packed are not essential and might not be used, but they are nice to have. For example, I made the gaiters pictured above. It is possible that they may not be practical to use in Myanmar due to having to take our shoes off so much, but I figured if we go on a hike and it is muddy, they would be nice to have. I also packed a Life Straw. I’m not sure that I will use it because bottled water is probably easy to come by, but it is nice to have just in case. The last is a card game called Backpacker. It is a lot of fun, but it is also a long game and we will be so busy that I’m not sure we will have time to play. It’s small, though, so I’m bringing it anyway.

I think that is it besides the obvious passport, debit/credit cards, cash, and money belt. All packed up, it looks something like this:

Now I’m still on the fence on whether I’m going to check the bigger bag or carry it on. I have done both and there are benefits of going either way. Checking the bag would mean I wouldn’t have to lug it around at all my long layovers and worry about finding space to jam it in an overhead compartment. However, it could also mean my bag gets lost, which would be a big problem for this fellowship because we aren’t staying in one place for very long, so waiting for my bag would not be an option. There is also a chance with my long layovers that I would have to pick up my luggage and recheck it anyway when it is closer to boarding time (this has happened to me on long layovers before) so I would end up having to haul my bag around one way or another. I am leaning towards just going carry-on style, but it may be a last minute decision in the end. I did pack with the mindset of carrying on, but could easily go either way.

What do you think? Do you usually carry-on or check your luggage? Why?