Physical Packing List
Thinking through a packing list for 1 year of travel can be tricky. I have to pack light, which I define as packing everything to fit in a 40L backpack. Packing light is important because it supports the goal of traveling cheaply. 1I consider 40L the magic number, and it has worked well for me in the past. Nothing wrong with a 45L or even maybe a 50L backpack, but the smaller the pack, the less the weight, and in turn, the fewer the costs. For example, a lighter backpack makes walking a breeze; the heavier the backpack, the more incentive to take a taxi or an uber instead. Bigger bags often have to be checked if you fly, incurring extra costs. And the bigger the bag, the less likely everything will fit in a common hostel locker, which in turn could make theft of your items more likely, and there is cost to replace them.
To pack light, I’m generally looking for multipurpose items, appropriate for hiking, camping, beachside lounging, clubbing, bar hopping, etc. Ideally, it’s a blend of swag and sensibility, style and… still functional. With those criteria in mind, here’s my packing list:
Clothing
| Item | Quantity | Reasoning |
| Shirts | 6 | 4 regular short sleeve, 1 specifically for hiking (has extra wicking stuff) and 1 long sleeve henley which is more for going out |
| Underwear | 3 | Ex Officio brand, these are specific camping underwear which go for $30 a pop, but they are insanely comfortable, are anti-smell, and can be washed and dried overnight very easily. |
| Socks | 4 | 3 pairs SmartWool merino wool socks (excellent smell protection and re-usability) and 1 pair of nike dryfit, which also works in a pinch |
| Shorts | 4 | Boardshorts are great for either pools or walking around. I choose solid colors, so they work as “going out” shorts too – most people are surprised to discover they are board shorts. 3 pairs boardshorts and 1 pair basketball shorts, specifically for working out |
| Jeans + Belt | 1 | Necessary for nights out |
| Sweatpants | 2 | great for any situation that does not require jeans, but is somewhat cold. Unbeatable comfort. |
| Coat | 1 | I use the patagonia nano puff, which can fold up into itself in the size of a large burrito. Unbeatable warmth to weight ratio for a jacket. It’s also rainproof, but because it does not have a hood, I have another piece of raingear |
| Raincoat | 1 | A poncho that has a hood |
| Hat | 1 | This is a clutch sun protector. I take my sun exposure super seriously. Sunscreen + hat makes for a solid level of protection. |
| Beanie | 1 | Protects the ears when it gets cold, also can push my unruly hair down into something more… ruly. |
| Flip Flops | 1 | Great for the beach, or as shower shoes in hostels |
| Shoes | 1 | Athletic wear Nike shoes, neutral gray, which should work well in both active and going out scenarios. For salsa dancing, not so much – too much tread. |
Gear
| Item | Reasoning |
| 1 person tent | You never know when you might have a hiking or mountain adventure. I use the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2. It’s one of the lightest tents on the market at 1lb 15oz |
| Sleeping Bag | Made of down, which has better warmth to weight ratio then synthetic |
| Sleeping Pad | Keeps an insulating layer between myself and cold ground when camping, also a smoother surface to sleep on, to avoid cramps or bad sleep |
| Standard camping gear | Headlamp, spork, collabsible bowl, first aid kit, light shovel, 50ft of line, 4 carabiners and a compass. |
| Lock | Often have to lock up the backpack in communal dorm hostels |
| Large size microfiber towel | Towel whenever the place I’m staying does not provide. Made of a material specifically to dry off quickly like a shamwow. |
| Fanny pack | Not super swaggy, but incredibly functional and generally when wearing it, swag is the last thing on the mind. Functions as my daypack, since it can fit the essentials – wallet, phone, headphones, sunscreen, bugspray – when i want to go hands-free. 2Thanks Dennis for gifting this! |
| Stretch band | For stretching my back or other parts of my body as needed |
| 2 smell-proof bags | For storing the dirty clothes (or other stuff in a pinch) |
| Moleskin notebook and pen | I’m a big fan of journaling3 Shout out to Sian for putting me on to this! |
| Toiletries and Passport | Duh |
For electronics, I’m bringing a Chromebook4Samsung Chromebook Gen 3 has 11in screen, is super lightweight, cost $250 including tax, has a battery life of up to 12 hours, and can handle all basic needs quite snappily. In other words, it’s the perfect travel computer., iPhone 7, and associated headphones and chargers. Also, a universal adapter.
Digital packing List
Spanish Specific Apps
- Anki – as mentioned, flashcard app for spaced repetition + active recall. Works offline too which is clutch.
- VidaLingua Offline Spanish Dictionary – great spanish dictionary, complete with all the conjugations to most verbs. 5This is my go-to when I need to look up a word, as the dictionary includes multiple potential meanings of a word, while Google Translate will just translate 1:1.
- Google Translate Spanish <> English – another amazing app, lets you translate entire phrases while offline. 6I translate if there’s more than a couple words I don’t understand, and then add translations to Anki. Additionally comes with photo and audio options, which can view and translate text or hear and translate soundbites, respectively. Even though I know how this works, it feels like magic every time.
- SpanishDict – the best Spanish Dictionary, but requires wifi
General Travel Apps
- XE Currency – classic app for converting foreign currency, to see if you’re getting a good deal or not
- Maps.me – allows you to download maps offline. It also comes with a feature to search for wifi which is incredibly clutch.
- Couchsurfing – essential for the couchsurfer on the go
- Workaway – essential to find jobs on the go
- Hostelworld – great for finding hostels on the go for super touristy spots. Though for most places, I don’t book ahead, I just show up to the city and find something
- Airbnb – if I want something private every once in a while
- Tinder – typical connotations aside, it’s a great way to meet locals, practice spanish, and find the authentic side of a city. Meeting someone really compatible is a great bonus, of course.
Emotional Packing List
In the summer and fall of 2018, I was working out, eating right, surfing and hiking every weekend. I was probably in the best shape of my life.
Longboarding back from the car rental on September 12, my board caught on a rock. The wheel caught, the board came to an abrupt halt, and I was thrown off at 25 mph. I braced my fall entirely on my left wrist, and immediately knew something was wrong. The first hospital that showed in the Uber search was the Veteran’s Hospital of Greater Los Angeles, so there I went. Once arrived, it was clear that Veteran referred to the patients, not the doctors – no way was this hospital was in network. Still, the security guard saw how bad my wrist looked and ushered me in anyway on “humanitarian aid.”
After triage and X-rays, 3 doctors entered my room to tell me the prognosis – it was bad. I would need surgery, and although it wasn’t entirely clear then, I had all sorts of issues – bone damage, nerve damage, ligament damage, tendon damage. They had to set the bones or I’d need emergency surgery. The resident injected local anesthesia directly into the wrist and waited 5 minutes for it numb up. Then, I was told me to brace myself – now that the hand was good and numb, it was going to hurt.
For an excruciating 10 minutes, the three tried to put my bones back in their proper position. Apparently, this was very tricky. While one held my arm down, the others would yank on the wrist, and I could feel bone grinding on bone. I also heard cursing:
“Damnit, it slipped back!”
“I couldn’t get it, let’s switch!”
“Nah, this won’t work – why don’t you try?”
Eventually they did set the bones in place, so I avoided emergency surgery. However, they were unable to prescribe me any pain medicine, since I was at the wrong hospital. Waiting for the Uber, I told my story to the security guard who had let me in, and she pulled out half a pill bottle full of ibuprofen – “don’t worry honey, I have a full one in the car.”
The next week, I had surgery. The surgeon told me this sort of thing usually took him 30 minutes to fix, but that mine took 2 hours. “You have a lot of titanium in you now; you’re worth more than you were before” he chuckled.
Two weeks after surgery, I started hand therapy. My therapist, Pamela, pushed me to my limits each time, and I was better for it. At the start, I could barely move my fingers; I couldn’t move my hand up or down, or turn it in or out. Claws were more flexible. Hand therapy was 3 times a week, and I did different exercises every day. I was fortunate that my previous project had rolled me off after the surgery, and that I had little work to do on the bench while I could only type with 1 hand.
Within a couple weeks, I was ready for Dynasplints. A sales rep came to my house and fitted my for 3 splints, each of which applied steady pressure in a different direction to help me get motion back in the wrist. The pressure was constant; the pain slowly increased the longer I wore them, until I couldn’t take it anymore and had to rip them off.
I increased the time I was wearing the splints each day, until I was wearing one of the Dynasplints 14 hours a day. To hit the magic number 14, I had to wear one of the splints the entire time I slept. For the first week I did so, the pain woke me up at 4am each night.
Including the couple of hours a day I spent on additional exercises, plus therapy (now 2 times a week), I was averaging 16 hours a day on wrist therapy. I was on a real consulting project at this point, but work felt like a side project compared to therapy. Half of the workday, I had to wear one of the Dynasplints anyway, and when I finished the workday, I was just getting started – 4 hours of Dynasplint time + additional exercises awaited me at home.
Still, humans are amazing at adapting to different stimuli. I got used to the routine. As much as I hated it, skipping out any part was out of the question. I started finding new ways to push myself, upping the pressure even if it meant I had to take more frequent breaks due to the pain. Every day, I made a tiny step forward, so small I couldn’t perceive the improvement. Every week in therapy, we measured the degree to which I could supinate, pronate, extend or flex my wrist, and my flexibility slowly increased.
This continued for 4 months.
Eventually I was cleared for normal activities, and have returned to doing pushups, working out and so on. The doctors say it will take a full year before the wrist feels totally normal; I continue to do an hour of stretches to this day, and likely will until I get there.
Moving Forward
My tolerance for risk has changed quite a bit. I’m giving up longboarding and skateboarding for sure, and likely skiing and snowboarding 7This isn’t too big of a loss since I only went skiing once and have never snowboarded. I’m also going to give up using any electric scooters, as my therapist Pamela noted they were seeing a big increase in appointments due to scooter-related injuries. As I go through the trip, this will always be in the back of my mind and I’ll do my best to avoid any potential mishaps.
Anyhow, that’s it for the preparation, and for the humdrum “travel strategy” posts. Next up, fun stories and insights from the trip!
