Hello! I am new here. I am a 26 year old female leaving for Southeast Asia in two weeks to stay for a year. I have been preparing to finish packing, but don't yet have a bag I am satisfied with.

I need some advice and insight from experienced vagabonders!

These are my plans:

Leave Los Angeles for Bangkok in July.
From Bangkok, take overnight, 12 hr train ride to Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Stay for two weeks for TEFL training. Catch an overnight hill tribe trek one weekend. Fly to Hanoi, Vietnam. Stay for 1 week, maybe longer, for in country training. Make a trip to Ha Long Bay and/or Sa Pa. Make my way down to Hue, Vietnam eventually. 12 hour train ride. Settle in Hue and begin teaching position at Hue University. During vacations/breaks, take trips to other parts of the country - Hoi An, Dalat, Mekong Delta, HCMC etc. At the end of my teaching contract, perhaps Cambodia.

This is my pressing question:

HOW and WHAT do I pack??

Now, I've decided that I am not going to try and pack for one year. That would be impractical and next to impossible. Instead, I want to think of it as packing for one month of travel - before I actually reach my semi-permanent destination near Hue University. I've reluctantly decided against shipping anything to myself (books - precious books). It would be expensive, but also nerve racking to have to wonder "has it arrived yet?" I don't want to feel like I am trying to drag my old life with me. I want to clear my mind of the typical urbanite concerns - simplify simplify - and learn to get by along the way.

Okay, so what I am asking (getting to the point here) is advice from more experienced travelers regarding how to pack (what kind of pack/luggage) for a about 3 wks to a month of mobility and eventually settling down to teach. Things to keep in mind: I am bringing my 12 inch iBook laptop and a little hard drive - only because I will be teaching for a year. This will have to come with me in my backpack until I reach Hue. Should I pack a large traveler's pack (backpack) with a small one attached or on the side, or go with a smaller backpack and rolling suitcase pair? I'm not worried about clothes during the year, since I can have them made in Vietnam, but a little concerned about packing the right items for the first month.

Please give me your advice on specific packs and what has worked for you. Also, if you were in my position, what would you not leave home without? If you have had an experience like this, what were you glad you brought with you? What do you wish you brought with you? What do you wish you left at home?

Thanks so much Vagabonders!

-Strangelilgirl

extra underwear and your passport.


but seriously, theres a lot of threads about packing, what to pack your stuff in, laptop vs no laptop... Just poke around a bit and many of your questions will be answered.

quote:

Originally posted by Justin7199:
extra underwear and your passport.

The former is much cheaper in SEA as it's made there anyway. The latter you'd be better off packing.

Actually, here's one old thread to get you started.

quote:

Now, I've decided that I am not going to try and pack for one year. That would be impractical and next to impossible

Actually you'd be surprised. Many of us actually do pack for a year or more OS. Still I guess it does depend on what you are doing.

As Justin and Haci have suggested look through some of the threads on what not/to pack.... you should end up highly informed on everyone's point of view and totally confused..lol.. honestly there is a great deal of info here.

As for this

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by Justin7199:
extra underwear and your passport.



The former is much cheaper in SEA as it's made there anyway. The latter you'd be better off packing.

in regards to the advise on packing the passport I'd have to agree... take your own, legal, passport from home. While it is possible to purchase them OS it is somewhat illegal!

Just about anything else you might decided you need you can probably get your hands on while OS.

don't worry so much... you'll probably throw out half of what you pack anyway. I know I did the very first time I went OS.

I have been looking into some old threads, like you suggested, and came accross the onebag.com site - really helpful and succinct packing reference, wish I came accross it earlier and not one week before leaving, ha. Though all sorts of people close to me have been trying to convince me to take a rolling suitcase over a backpack (better for your back, more room to pack, more professional looking etc) I realized that none of these people have that much travel experience, except for the one person who recommended that a rolling suitcase looks more professional, though when it comes down to it, I will be doing the bulk of my traveling before I settle down to meet the associates I will be working with at the university, so I really think that ease and mobility will win over the business professional look. Onebag gave a really good argument against rolling luggage - how much bulk and weight it adds. A really good option for me seems to be the Rick Steve's Classic Back Door Bag which is 2500 Cubic inches or the Convertible Carry-on which expands to 3000. I would take along the civita day pack which I could use for my laptop and so forth. Feedback?

Oh, I forgot to ask if you think that 2500 cubic inches is enough room to pack for over a month.

I would seriously recommend reading this page.

No rolling suitcase...I have small one that doubles as a backpack for small city travels (for the weekend etc) But I would not suggest something like that in SOuth East Asia...
I say bring the bare minimum...yes ur underwear...yes your tevas or something similiar and depending on how much hiking u intend on doing-a light weight hiking shoe (depending on shoe size you may not be able to find them in Asia)...although I did manage to find flip flops that I love ..I am a 9 1/2 womans or 41 shoe size...

perhaps for the hiking stuff a pair of those light wieght pants that turn into short or something....but save room in your pack....you can buy nearly everything on Ko san road. even back packs.

In Thailand I actually left my back pack for my RTW and used only a little one (like the kind u use for ur school books...its warm..