“How do you pack for 8 months?” This is the question I heard the most after announcing that we were both leaving our jobs and putting our belongings into storage to go roam the earth for eight months. To us Americans, who like our “stuff”, the mere thought of only traveling with a couple of small bags is enough to cause a mini anxiety attack. I’m going to be honest—this is one of the things that appealed to me most about setting out to travel—minimizing.

As we got closer to our departure date, we started minimizing at home and the “stuff” starting flying out of our house. I was selling furniture on local selling apps, giving away goods to friends and family, selling a quarter of our book collection to friends (another quarter went to the local library), donating boxes and boxes of clothes and goods to local shelters and (gasp!) just throwing a bunch of stuff in the trash. This cleansing was exhilarating as I have never been one to be too attached to my stuff.

So now for the packing. This took a lot of research and planning as our travels are going to take us through different climates. We are starting off in a tropical climate, will be in the cold right after, back to hot and muggy and from there–who knows. My carry-on is a small Patagonia Refugio Backpack 28L, along with a PacSafe Shoulder Bag, which I will use as my daily purse. My checked luggage (I know a lot of travelers are against checking a bag, but come on, this isn’t a weekend trip!) is an Eagle Creek Load Warrior Wheeled Duffle Bag. So far, I am very pleased with these pieces as I managed to fit all of my possessions in them before take-off.

Here is the breakdown of clothes: 3 pairs of Prana travel pants (these are my FAVE), 1 pair of leggings, 1 pair jogging pants (to be used as plane wear and sleepwear), 1 pair of shorts (thanks to my stepmom for saving me with these at the last minute—I am NOT a shorts person), 1 pair workout leggings, 2 workout tanks, 3 dresses, 5 quick dry t-shirts, 4 tank tops (also to double up as sleepwear), 3 long sleeved shirts, 1 long sleeved base layer, 2 long sleeved quick drying pullovers, 1 bathing suit and cover-up, 1 long sleeved cardigan, 1 jacket (Patagonia Nano Puff that rolls up super small), 3 scarves, 6 pairs of SmartWool socks, 4 pairs of shoes (hiking shoes, tennis shoes, nice sandals and flip flops) 2 sports bras, 3 bras and 10 pairs of underwear. Yes—10 pairs. Most bloggers and websites advise on 4-5 pairs that you continuously wash. Come on, a girl needs to be fresh—the extra space these little things take up is SO worth it to me. All of this packed up nicely into various sized packing cubes which went into both my suitcase and backpack.

We joke that “Tuesday will be blue shirt day” and “Friday will be purple underwear day.” Haha! We will see how I handle wearing the same clothes over and over for months on end. Any of you who know me will know that this may be my biggest challenge during our travels. I’ll keep you updated as to what I add and get rid of 😉