Packing & Purchases

I'm now much better at packing.  That's come with lots of travel, experience, making mistakes and learning from others.  

Knowing what to pack isn't aways easy.  

For such a long trip, our packing decisions were mostly influenced by:

1. Airline allowances on all flights
2. Extra baggage costs 
3. How much we could realistically carry
4. The need to include books and equipment for homeschooling and learning other languages; as well as sports
5. The weather
6. What we could easily (and for not too much money) buy once we arrived
7. Size & weight.  The smaller and lighter the item, the higher its priority

Here's a glimpse into what was in our bags.  

Our initial plan was to just travel with carry-on.  For ten (10) months away, that became unrealistic for us.  We ended up with one checked suitcase, one inflatable paddle board for Stella, two backpacks and two two carry-on bags.  

We've not had to buy much and there's still some stuff hat hasn't even been worn or used yet.  We'd definitely pack even lighter next time around!

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