Gear Reviews

The question everybody keeps asking us as we prepare to depart for months of travel around the globe  (beginning tomorrow!!) is "What are you packing??"  So here's the scoop on a few of the things we're bringing on the trip, and the luggage we're stuffing it all into.  Keep in mind that these haven't been road-tested yet, so I'm sure we'll post updates down the line after we lug this stuff for a few months and a few countries:

Primary Luggage: Osprey Meridien Convertible Roller/ Backpack

I'm using the 22"/40+20L bag (which is carry-on size), and Mohit is using the 28"/55+20L size (which will be checked luggage).  Both zip open from the front (this was important to us- top-loaders would be too difficult to keep organized and to access daily) and have a sturdy retractable handle and durable wheels that can handle rough terrain.  They also convert quickly and easily to backpacks, complete with a hipbelt and vented back panel (ventilation is key in the warm, humid climates we'll be lugging this stuff through!).  Since we plan to travel more as "flashpackers" than as "backpackers", these bags were a good compromise of convenience (we plan to roll whenever possible) and practicality (we can throw them on our backs if we're headed across cobblestones or dirt roads).

In both sizes, the Meridien packs come with a detachable day-size (20L) backpack.  Mohit is using his, and I opted to leave mine at home in favor of my trusty eBags backpack.  My eBags backpack saw me through 3 weeks in Turkey and Greece in 2007 and a month in Vietnam in 2008, and it still looks brand new.  I love the multiple zippered compartments and sturdy construction.  Both the Osprey backpack and the eBags backpack fit about the same amount of stuff, but the Osprey pack is flatter and longer, making it difficult for me to pack the not-so-flat things that I plan to bring.

A quick post-trip update: we both loved our Osprey bags!  Mohit wished he had the smaller 22" version, which I found to be more than enough space for months of travel.  Mohit used the extra room in his bag to stash the Lonely Planet giudes that we discarded along the way after leaving each country.  The Osprey bags are very well made, super durable, and there's extra space to stash shoes in the compartment where the backpack straps are stored.  

Day Bag: eBags Piazza Day Bag vs. Baggallini City Bag

For the past several years, I've used an eBags Piazza Day Bag for international travel.  I have to say, I have loved this bag and it is incredibly handy.  I could easily fit a large water bottle, camera, windbreaker, guide book, reading book, sunglasses, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, spare toilet paper, and whatever else I needed for a day of adventure into this trusty bag.  The only drawback is that it's a bit frumpy looking.  On our last trip, I found myself wishing I had a more stylish bag that wouldn't look completely out of place when I traded in my dusty shorts at the end of the day for a clean dress to head out for a nice dinner.

So this year, I upgraded to a Baggallini City Bag in graphite. It is a bit smaller and flatter, but still has lots of hidden compartments to deter pickpockets and to stash everything I need for a day of sightseeing.  The style is a bit more modern and dressy and the graphite color is perfect to hide four months worth of dust and grime. A cross-body style is crucial to keep my hands free and to keep the bag securely on my body in crowds.


Reading Material: Nook eReader
On our month-long trip through Vietnam last year, I packed 6 books.  I finished them all halfway through the trip, and found myself without anything to read as we prepared to spend our last 4 days at a beach resort on Phu Quoc island.  On our last day in Saigon before heading to the beach, I desperately searched for a bookstore selling English-language books, but all I could find were expensive photocopies of fluffy books- the genre you'd pick up at the magazine stand at the airport.

This time around, I didn't want to be stranded without reading material, since I devour books on vacation (during plane flights, bus rides, at breakfast, on the beach, before bed, etc.).  In November I treated myself to an early Christmas present and ordered a Nook from BarnesandNoble.com.  It's a good thing I ordered early, since I found out AFTER placing my order the the Nook was super back-ordered and would be delivered only days before we left the U.S. in late December!  I also considered Amazon.com's Kindle and the Sony eReader, but opted for the Nook mostly because it allows users to share eBooks.

I personally think that eReaders are the best gadget ever for long-term travelers.  I can load 20 or 30 books onto my Nook and carry them all in a size that's slightly smaller than the average paperback, even including the black leather cover I added to protect my Nook.  So far, I've almost finished reading  my first eBook, and I'm super pleased with my choice.  The fully-charged batteries last for more than a week, the screen is easy to read and easy on the eyes (looks more like text on paper than a computer screen), and I can read the same books that I'd buy in paperback for about 30-40% off since eBooks are cheaper! (generally $9.99 or less).  My only complaint is that travel guidebooks like Lonely Planet aren't yet available as eBooks.  Mohit's using the extra room in his slightly larger Osprey bag to carry a few Lonely Planet guides that we'll leave behind after we complete those countries.

Staying in Touch: Acer Aspire One 10" Netbook

We knew we'd need a way to stay in touch with friends and family while on the road.  We'll also need internet access to research accommodations and travel arrangements along the way.  In the past, we've relied on spotty availability of slow shared computers in hotel lobbies or at backpacker internet cafes.  However, since my 7-year old Dell laptop was on its last legs anyways, we decided to get a new 10" mini netbook to bring with us on the trip. Mohit chose a dark blue Acer Aspire One primarily for its long battery life (8-9 hours) and it sat wrapped under our Christmas tree until Christmas morning.

So far, so good!  I've typed the last two blog posts on my new netbook.  The processing and page-loading speeds are fast enough and the keyboard is a bit smaller but still easy to use.  The netbook is tiny and lightweight, about the size of a thin hardcover book, and Mohit bought me a compact neoprene carrying case to protect the netbook while it's packed away in my backpack.  The Acer Aspire One comes with a videocam.  We've loaded Skype on the netbook and showed our families how to use Skype over the holidays so that we can call home and reassure our moms that yes, we are still alive.

Fueled Up and Ready To Go!

Our last day of work was December 23rd.  That last week was crazy for both of us, long days at work running around to complete projects and delegate tasks for the next four months, then even longer nights at home readying the house for tenants, packing for the trip, and wrapping Christmas presents.  It's been almost a full week since then, and I think today I'm finally starting to feel relaxed and ON VACATION finally!

I've been reading "Around the World in 80 Dinners" by Bill Jamison on my new Nook, which is whetting my appetite for culinary adventures in the ten countries we'll be exploring, and helping me to appreciate the bounty of home-cooked goodies our moms have been stuffing us with over the holidays.  For the past 6 days, we've done little more than enjoy time at home with family and eat a LOT.  At my parents' house we enjoyed rich meals of meatpies, lasagna, stuffed bread, antipasto salads, thick-cut bacon, microbrew beers and deep red wines, with breaks to play Settlers of Catan and Rock Band 5.  At Mohit's parents' house, we've been treated to homemade chicken tikka, goat curry, spiced baby eggplants, channa masala, ginger-stuffed parathas, and chai, with breaks to finish writing wedding Thank You cards and to visit with friends in Toronto.  It's hard not to indulge when I keep thinking that it'll be a long time until we have home-cooked meals again!

Last night we visited with Sid and Meanu (great to see you guys!) and were treated to sheep's milk cheese and late harvest Niagara Valley ice wine and spent hours recounting Mohit & Sid's many misadventures in their bachelor days (the stories got even better after the bottle of McCallan scotch was emptied...)  Tonight we get to visit with Paul and Jocelyn at a local pub and hear all about their recent wedding in southern India!

We leave North America in less than 40 hours.  Although I'll miss snow this winter, I'm ready to trade the freezing temps here in Canada for warm sunny days in Central America, and to sample warm-weather goodies!

Taste Memories

Many of my most vivid travel memories involve food.

I remember my very first meal in Italy.  I'd landed in Milan in a sleepy haze, crammed myself and my too-big luggage onto the cheap car of the first train headed to Venice, and dropped my bags in a tiny room with stone walls and a view over a canal.  We turned left out of our inn and sat down at the first taverna with red checkered tablecloths that was serving early to jet-lagged tourists.  I don't remember ordering or waiting, but I remember the steaming plate of linguini with salmon and a tomato cream sauce and a brown pottery jug of the house red wine that was cool to the touch.

In Vietnam we'd been exploring the brown waters of the Mekong Delta by boat all afternoon.  It was hot, humid, hazy, sticky.  We got out of the boat and followed our guide down a narrow dirt path through thick green foliage.  We ducked under huge bumpy jackfruits hanging from the branches above, and passed bunches of green bananas waiting to be picked.  We were led through the open-air kitchen of a two-room concrete house and out onto the porch, where we collapsed in white plastic chairs pulled up to a table.  With a wide smile, the sweet woman who lived in this modest house brought out a feast of the fruits that her husband had harvested, slices of pineapple and papaya, piles of brown longans and red spiky rambutans.  She showed us how to squeeze lime juice into a dish of salt and red pepper, and then dip the sweet fruits into this sour-salty-spicy mixture. 

In Cappadocia in central Turkey, we rented a car and headed out of town to explore the long dusty roads leading to quiet villages that looked like they hadn't changed for hundreds of years.  We followed a small whitewashed, hand-lettered sign pointing to Mustafapasa and then parked in front of a big stone building called "Old Greek House".  We were seated in an interior courtyard open to the sky but shaded with grape trellises overhead.  The waiter brought out plates of grilled eggplant smothered in yogurt, miniature raviolis filled with lamb in a pungent garlic sauce, and golden balls of friend mashed chickpeas. 

In Rhodes, Greece, we followed the recommendation of the proprietor of our bed & breakfast away from the crowded streets of the central tourist district to a cobblestone courtyard lit by white christmas lights.  As we waited for our food to come, we watched the cooks generously brush olive oil onto fresh whole fishes and then slide them into a wood-burning oven open to the courtyard.  We tried a plate of grilled octopus, and we were surprised to cut through thick tendrils with lots of suction cups.  The octopus was incredibly salty and too rubbery- we had better luck with our entrees that came out later.  But I enjoyed sharing bits of the octopus with a skinny grey cat who'd been hovering in the bushes nearby waiting for crumbs to fall.

We plan to take lots of pictures of our meals on our upcoming trip since I know that it's those images, and not the ones of beautiful scenery, that will evoke the most vivid memories years from now.

Our Itinerary

We've notified our employers.  Our One World Explorer tickets have taken a huge bite out of our savings.  We're showing our condo to potential renters.  We're practicing packing months of stuff into only one carry-on bag each (OK....I am.  Mohit might pack his bag for the first time on the morning that we leave...)

Only six weeks to go!!

Here's our *approximate* itinerary:

• Sturbridge, Massachusetts, USA: 4 days (spending Christmas with Kate's family)
• Mississauga, Ontario, Canada: 4 days (visiting Mohit's family)
• Guatemala: 2 weeks (Antigua, Tikal, Lake Atitlan.  We land in Antigua on New Year's Eve!)
• Japan: 1 week (Tokyo, Kyoto)
• Bali, Indonesia: 2 weeks (Kuta, Ubud, Lovina)
• Hong Kong: 3 days (brief layover on our way to India...)
• India: 5 weeks (Pondicherry, Kerala, Munnar, Mumbai, Udiapur, Jaipur, Agra, and a week in Delhi to visit Mohit's family.)
• Nepal: 2 weeks (Kathmandu, Pokhara, and the Jomsom Trek.  Kate's brother Brad is meeting us in Nepal.)
• Jordan: 5 days (Petra and Wadi Rum, a brief layover on our way to Africa...)
• Morocco: 2 weeks (Fez, Sahara, Todra Gorge, Marrakech, Essaouira, Casablanca.  We hope to visit with Mohit's friend Othman in Casablanca.)
• Spain: 5 days (We have to fly through Spain to get to Tanzania, so we decided to relax in Barcelona for a few days!)
• Tanzania: 2 weeks (Dar Es Salaam, Arusha and a camping safari, Zanzibar)

There are so many things that I daydream about seeing/ doing/ tasting: 

• Catching our first glimpse of the Treasury after passing through the red rock walls in Petra, Jordan
• Riding a camel into the desert sunset in Merzouga, Morocco
• Staying overnight on a houseboat in the backwaters of Kerala, India
  
• Enjoying REAL sushi in Tokyo!
• Seeing giraffes up close on safari in Tanzania
• Trekking for 10 days in the Annapurna Mountains of Nepal to tiny villages reachable only by foot
• Shopping for new sarees and bangles with Mohit's family in Delhi, India
  
• Exploring the terraced rice fields in Ubud, Bali
• Getting up close and personal with hot lava flows on the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala
• Eating Nepalese curries, Indian masalas, Moroccon tajines, and Spanish tapas
  
• Spending days looking out over the green-blue ocean from a beach hut in Lovina, Bali
• Exploring ancient Mayan temples in the jungle at Tikal, Guatemala
• Hearing the muezzin call to prayer in Morocco and Jordan
• Feeling the cool marble under our bare feet at the Taj Mahal

I'm also a little nervous.  I'm anxious about whether I'll feel overwhelmed by the noise, dust, heat, and crowds in India.  I'm hoping we don't run into any big spiders.  I'm concerned about staying safe in countries that have had political instability like Guatemala, Nepal, and Tanzania.  I worry about bedbugs.  I'd like to avoid getting sick from food, drink, or malarial mosquitos.  I'm certain that I'll feel homesick at times. 

But mostly I can't wait to test my limits and have experiences that we'll tell our kids about!

Ms. Planner, meet Mr. Unplanned

Mohit and I are a great travel team.  We're a classic case of opposites attract.  

One of my most favorite things in the world is planning.  Dreaming and planning.  I'd gleefully plan down to the very last detail.  This way, I can stretch a two-week vacation into months of imagined sunny days on the beach and exploring ruins.

Mohit hates planning and loves winging it.  Once, after hearing from good friends who'd just returned from their own RTW trip that Thailand was their favorite place, he flew to Thailand for a solo trip without having read a single guidebook or considering where he'd sleep when he landed in Bangkok. 

We've come to appreciate each other's style.  When we traveled to Turkey & Greece together, Mohit warned me that he would only let me sketch out a portion of our trip in advance- he wanted the flexibility to follow our whims- sounds great in theory, right?  While in Oia, Santorini, Mohit spent an entire afternoon on a slow internet connection in the dark cave-like common room of our hotel researching travel connections and affordable Athens hotels; I spent that blue-sky afternoon strolling through art shops and reading a book in the shade of an umbrella, enjoying the Mediterranean breeze.  Mohit later admitted he could see the benefit of having done some research in advance.

On the other hand, while researching our trip to Vietnam, I got excited after reading an article in the New York Times about a four-day bike trip through the Mekong Delta.  Mohit humored me and let me book a bike tour over the internet before leaving for our trip.  However, once in Vietnam we realized we'd probably paid triple the price we would have if we'd booked while in Ho Chi Minh City.  We also realized that 90 degree days with 80% humidity and regular afternoon downpours weren't exactly ideal  for hours of biking in the sun.  And rain.  And mud...and so I learned that Mohit is right too. 

We're trying to strike the right balance in planning our RTW trip.  I wanted to research enough to know some of the things we might enjoy doing in each of the countries we're exploring, and how much to budget for each leg of our journey.  I now appreciate the benefits of winging it Mohit-style, and we've only pre-booked a few critical things (like our hotel room in Antigua, Guatemala when we land on New Year's Eve!).

We'll let you all know how it goes!

No Regrets: How We Decided to Take This Trip

We were in the midst of planning our wedding, a party that turned into a series of parties, a celebration that  turned out to be bigger than either of us really wanted, because it was easier to give in to the momentum than to stop it.  It was a lot of work smushing together our two families, gathering people from places and cultures as diverse as rural Vermont, Washington DC, Toronto, and Delhi India, and figuring out how to make everyone feel equally welcome, loved, and comfortable.

Distracted by all the party planning, we were having a hard time deciding where to go on our honeymoon.  We both love to travel, and our three-year courtship was a patchwork of trips, ranging from a road trip to the beach on our third date, to ski weeks at Park City and Whistler, to two weeks in Turkey and Greece, to a month in Vietnam, to long weekends in Montreal, San Francisco, Toronto, DC, Vermont, Cape Cod, and beyond.  We're approaching our mid-thirties, and we're surrounded by friends who are having babies, moving to the suburbs, saving for college funds and buying diapers in bulk; the outline of our near-future life is laid out before us.  We have a list of places we're dying to experience that's much too long for a three-week vacation.

Mohit came home from a particularly draining day at work.  You know, one of those days where you feel brain-numb from having worked for the past ten years, where you have the terrifying thought that you've still got 30 years of Mondays through Fridays to go.  I bet that most of you out there who love your job, enjoy your coworkers, and feel grateful to be making a comfortable living (like Mohit and I do) still know what I'm talking about.  Call it a quarter- or mid-life crisis, call it whatever...but we were both feeling burnt out, uninspired, bummed out that "this is it?".  Mohit declared that we should quit our jobs and move abroad.  Live in Thailand, move to Australia, or learn Spanish and relocate to South America.

At first I thought he was crazy.  We're well into our careers, and there's no convenient "break" to take advantage of.  I have a great job, I'm a shareholder, I have a future there, I can't just throw it all away and start over.  Mohit had recently started a new job, he was making a difference there, developing a place for himself.  We have a brand-new mortgage and a house full of plants to water!  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right.  We are at a unique point in our lives- we have the money and the freedom to travel now in a way that we won't again for 30 years after we have kids.  As we discussed the pros and cons, the deciding factor was this:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Maybe we're giving up promotions, raises, and many years worth of savings.  But we have decades of working and saving to go...and there's no way I'd remember the raise I got in 2010.  But I'm pretty sure we'll never forget the trip around the world we took just after we got married.


In the end, our year abroad was shortened to 4.5 months (based on what my employer and our savings would allow) and our ideal of working or volunteering in one place gave in to the pull of too many places left to experience in our lifetime.  We made a list of the places we're dying to see, prioritized them (would love to see Cambodia, but we'd just spent a month in Vietnam), and decided how difficult it would be for us to visit those places in the future. (We can pass on New Zealand for now since we can imagine it as a family vacation destination.  Tanzania, on the other hand, is probably not the easiest place to pack up the kids and hustle them off to...)  We consulted the One World Explorer ticket restrictions....and voila!  Our itinerary was born.

So away we go!