Inspirations, or Giving Credit Where It's Due

Travel, and packing for travel, is somewhat of an obsession of mine. Perhaps you could tell by the title and subtitle of this blog. The earliest trip I can remember was at age 4, where I got some sort of eye infection in Guangzhou and then threw up in the unbearable heat of a Shanghai summer. A good start.

There were many more trips, but yet my travels were limited to China, Hong Kong, or Los Angeles until college. That's when I joined the US Army. The military sent me to South Carolina (no idea what that place is like off-base); Sierra Vista, Arizona; Monterey, California; Zama, Japan; Seattle, Washington (thanks for the frequent flier miles); Killeen, Texas; Kuwait (same as South Carolina); Afghanistan; and other places along the way. I ventured out on my own to Atlanta, Georgia; Taiwan; and other areas in Arizona, Texas, California, and Japan. With friends to Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu in Peru and Bogotá in Colombia. Of course, being based in Oahu, I've also visited Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii with school/school friends.

The feeling of getting on a plane or train (or helicopter) and just... leaving... It has always appealed to me. It's terrifying sometimes, like once during lift-off when I realized I'd forgotten to pack the tickets to the very event I was flying to attend. But mostly I sit back, let go of what's not important - most things in life - and enjoy the freedom.

That's likely why when I read this post on One Bag, One World: Paradigm shift: 7 maxims of ultralight travel, a light bulb went off. One-bagging isn't enough. I need to go ultralight. Here are the ultralight maxims quoted from the above article:

Ultralight travel is not for everyone.

Ultralight travel is not just traveling with one suitcase.

Ultralight travel means carrying 15 pounds or less.

Ultralight travel does not mean the traveler must look, smell, or feel bad.

Ultralight travel requires a certain amount of specialized gear and clothing.

Ultralight travel means the traveler must commit to doing a certain amount of sink laundry.

Ultralight travel means a traveler must make a conscious effort to minimize, miniaturize or eliminate electronic equipment.

I may be female, but I consider myself low-maintenance, and I'm at or below average height for women my age from the US, which helps with not needing as much fabric to cover myself with and therefore carry. My make-up kit consists of moisturizer/sunblock and lip balm. I decided to take the 15-pounds-or-less challenge... In fact, I would take as little weight as I could, but with 15 pounds as the maximum.

I found further inspiration in the following links:

• Travel Light, Travel Anywhere: The Ultimate Light Packing List, whose toiletries I scrutinized and took particular note of the Vitamin E Oil for dry skin and the Tea Tree Oil for antiseptic purposes for further trial/research.
• What to Pack at travelindependent.info, similar to the veritable OneBag.com's annotated packing list, and of course
• OneBag.com itself, the king of One-Bag Travel sites.

When I've got my packing list set, and am ready to throw it all in the bag, I'll be sure to take some photos and post what I'm bringing along. Incidentally, I've decided that I'm leaving even the Tom Bihn Side Effect mentioned in this post at home - the Dyneema Tom Bihn Passport Pouch will do double-duty suitably for my needs.

Helping the elephant avoid the chopping block, an ounce at a time.