Our clothes boxes are SMALL.........we each have 1 slide in draw box which is 40cmx50cm wide and 15cm high, so to say space is limited is a serious SERIOUS understatement! Thankfully my wardrobe on a normal basis is not massive else I think this element would flip me out a little more than it already is! and thankfully we have already done a few long trips with aforementioned limited space drawers! but NOT for a year.....
I have discovered men and boys are SO easy to pack for.... shorts x 4, t-shirts x 5/6 , warm pant x 2, warm tops x2, pjs, cozzie.... DONE.
Us chicks on the other hand have a few more wardrobe items which make packing a little tricker...... dresses, floppy pretty shirts (not run of the mill t-shirts as we do in fact want to look nice at times), cool jacket / warmer jacket, long sleeved medium weight top, cozzies - 1 is NOT enough, then a lightweight thing to go over cozzie for walking on beach and around camp, bras - aaagh the padded ones take up SO much space, but very necessary for a 42 year old me(not to mention the running bra!) So here I sit with less than 3 weeks to go till d-day and still I haven't decided 100% what to pack.....
I did have to laugh the other when I had put out most of the kids clothes and my "maybe" pile of clothes onto my bed and a very good friend came to visit. In her innocence she thought the pile of clothes were ALL mine and then said" Katie, surely that isn't going to be enough for YOU (only you) for the whole year?"... she nearly collapsed when I told her that pile was in fact for me, Soph and Josh!!!! :)
After much debate we will be taking a "warm bag" which will be stored somewhere in the car for those cold days which we will have. This will be for warm down jackets, thermals, hats gloves, cuddly pjs etc.
SHOES.....At least these are sorted - 4 pairs total for me
1 x Groundcover Vellies -
1 x Slops - all 4 of us
1 x Groudcover winter boots
1 x takkies for runs/hikes
aaagh do I count the ever sexy rock shoes as shoes... or do i hide them in the snorkel bag :):)
Now toiletries too are a boy vs girl thing - Dev's toiletry bag = toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shaving cream and razor. STOP THE CLOCK DONE!
Mine..... as per Dev, but add in Shampoo & conditioner (not necessary for Dev :)) , tampons, pantyliners, feminine wipes for when showers are a luxury, cleanser, moisturiser, hairbrush and hairbands, tinted sunblock (doubles up as foundation & only "make up" being packed!), tweezers, nail clippers, body lotion, and then usually have the kids stuff in my bag too...... and maybe a necklace or 3.....
So I have gone on and on about HOW AM I GOING TO FIT and what to take...and honestly i STILL don't know the exact items and time is ticking...... but I think I often forget one of our vision's for this whole trip....... go simply.
Pack less, live with less, but be and experience more. In saying this I realise that what we will have in our car & trailer will be more than 90% of the contents of entire homes that we drive past.....
Dev is very good in the sense in that he is a firm believer that "all will be fine"...for example.... all the local villages we go through have food to eat and clothes to wear and blankets when it is cold, so we too will find food, clothes etc. It has been hard at times as I am the super planner/organised one and try to plan for every eventuality but actually going simply is the way forward. Yes I probably will have to do without my favourite tea and their might be a serious cause of grumpiness for a while, but all will be good! Actually not good. AMAZING!
So my mantra when I start sorting my clothes from those going into storage and those going into the box, will need to be SIMPLE and less! Wish me luck..... :)
The next blog post will be on WHY the blog when we will have videos and photos.....why more?