The Process of Elimination

We have had a lot of questions about how we are packing for this trip....well that has been pretty interesting. I prefer to call it “eliminating” rather then packing and the process goes something like this.

Kurt decides for the family that we need to keep it SIMPLE and simple means we travel only with one small size carry-on backpack per person, ( mine being just somewhat larger then my favorite big red purse I manage to fill for a days travel to work and the grocery store and all stops in between) but this is ok I can see the logic in this. Especially if the Campbell family needs to run along the train tracks to swing up onto a fast moving train, ford a fast rushing river or flee from a herd of angry elephants or anything along these lines. I, however, can still picture doing all those things successfully with a somewhat larger sized nice square suitcase on wheels. He is also convinced we can just pick up things we need as we go. I however am skeptical of being able to pick up clothes or shoes made for a slightly generous sized middle aged women with size 10 feet in Laos, Cambodia or Thailand so I prefer to pack what I need.

But I am ok with this...really.....
Sometime late last summer we started acquiring items off the sale racks....(the irony in the amount of money we have spent on preparing for this eye opening travel experience to less developed countries does not escape me!) These must-have items mostly consisting of shirts and pants you can wear continuingly for 4 months that are odor free, bug free, wrinkle free and whatever else free; underwear for all of us that you can wash in the sink or water bottle or whatever else you have handy and will probably dry in 4-7 days in a tropical climate, hats, socks, the perfect hiking/walking shoes, sandals etc...etc....keep piling up next to our backpacks.

Then the day comes when we “practice” packing it all in to the backpacks. Obviously there is no amount of rolling, folding, vacuum packing, or any other creative method that will allow me to have 3 pairs of shoes, any hygienic amount of under things or even close to enough clothes. So we get to the process of eliminating, making choices between my shoes and any clothes for the kids, or underwear and swimsuits (can’t they be the same thing??) or say deciding between bringing deodorant or malaria medicine, snacks or travel information.

After many attempts and some bribery paid out to the kids for space rental in their backpacks I closed my backpack! then I realized, there is no medicine....no snacks.......no bug spray....no gifts for our hosts and hostesses so for now it would appear that I am back to wearing 2 pairs of shoes and 3 layers of clothes on the plane but I am close!!

The good news about our packing is that we are fully aware and very comfortable with the fact that we are not cool. It is an advantage to know this from the start as it eliminates any pressure at all to keep up the appearance of “cool” So remember that if you see me...a frumpy middle-aged women dressed like an Indiana Jones groupie running after a train with my wet underwear hanging out to dry on my backpack that I already know I am not cool so it is ok to laugh!- just doing my little part to tickle the world’s funny bone!

Back to the process of elimination!