How do you pack for six months on the road?

It's the question everyone asks. The answer? Very carefully.

These are our fully packed suitcases. Two checked bags (24" and 25") and two carry ons that can fit in the overhead of even a small regional jet. You can buy much bigger bags and carry a lot more but trust me, you will not want to lug them around 20 different airports or try to shove them into a small taxi in Vietnam. Not to mention the checked bag fees! Our checked bags are only slightly larger than our carry ons. It should be obvious that given these constraints you can't possibly bring enough for your entire trip. You just have to treat it like the trip is for two or three weeks and plan to do laundry. That said, here are some tips.

First, make sure most of your clothes go together, i.e., similar color scheme, so you can mix stuff up. That will make you feel like you have a lot more clothes.

Second, try to choose materials that dry quickly. Unless you're prepared to pay exorbitant hotel prices to launder your clothes you'll have to do it at least some of it yourself. You just can't count on being able to find a laundry to do things for you at a reasonable price and on what may be a tight schedule. You'll find that it's not that hard to wash clothes on the road, but drying them is a different story. If most of your clothes are cotton you're going to have a problem. Cotton's not only heavy but it takes a long time to dry. It's no fun putting on a wet pair of jeans right before you hop on a plane for four hours.

Third, choose your shoes carefully. They weigh the most and take up the most room. And always wear the biggest, heaviest pair, e.g., hiking boots, on the plane.

Fourth, pack carefully. There are a million articles and videos explaining the most efficient ways to pack a bag. Watch a few and pick what works for you. Packing cubes can be great. Give them a try.

Last, a word about toiletries. Most people say just buy what you need when you get where you're going. That's fine if you have one destination. But if you're going to be traveling all over creation you can't buy new toiletries every time you move. That's not only expensive but very time consuming. In total your toiletries can be some of the heaviest stuff you carry. So choose wisely.

And be ready to jettison. We decided to cut about ten pounds of stuff when we made our first stop in Vancouver where it was still possible to ship home at a reasonable cost. If you make a mistake admit it, fix it and move on.

You may not always be the height of fashion but hey, that's not why your doing this anyway, right?

Sent from my iPad