Ten years ago, when we were moving to Hong Kong and I had packed up the house, I decided to meet David in Bali on the way to our new home.  I had 5 checked bags, weighing well in excess of 120kg.  That’s right, 120kg  The equivalent weight of a burgeoning sumo wrestler!

Manageable, except that in the midst of all this we decided to go the Gilli’s, a no car island, arriving by ferry where you had to basically jump from the boat onto the beach and your bags were unceremoniously tossed into the sand.  Heavy bags and sandy beaches do not mix.  This was a mistake.

But not this time, this time we are well prepared, and the aim is to only bring carry on, yes, you heard that right, carry on luggage for two months and having completed our practice pack I think we can do it.

Of course this will come with compromises, you can expect to see the same outfits on regular rotation. One pair of shoes, one pair or trousers, a few (merino) shirts, undies and socks, toiletries and that’s it.

My bag has come in at 11.2 kg that includes a rather heavy first aid kit, and 700g of chocolates that will be distributed on Christmas day.  I also have a backpack that is coming in ar around 6kg.I could not be more proud of myself.  

The question will be, how long will it last?

Our luggage allowance allows for 2 carry on bags, given we only have 2 hours to get the flight to Lima I think this will be useful!

I’m feeling confident that for the first month where we will be constantly moving this will be fine, the idea is to be able to pick up and go quickly.  After all, what we are wearing is not important, we are there to see, not be seen! 

After that, I think the rules may relax a little, and by the time we hit the states in late January we will be ready to hit the malls and do a bit of retail therapy.

Nebraska, the final leg will be very cold, so we will need to pick up some winter clothing, we are thinking at this stage it will be an opportunity to go “thrifting” pick up a few warm outfits and then donate most of it back when we leave.

I’m a huge fan of packing cubes, and I have managed to get some compression packing cubes which make a huge difference in saving space. 

It’s been fun thinking of all the other discretionary items that I am bringing, some laundry sheets and a portable washing line, a couple of light accessories, a small scarf, a pin, to dress up the day outfits, discovering the travel section at Chemist Warehouse where I can indulge my love of miniature bottles that can travel well.    Skincare is important folks!

So we are packed, ready to go, stand by for the next update from Lima…

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