Pre-packing

Our original plan for the summer in the US was to road trip from NY to CA. Then sell our car in CA before continuing on to Asia. Due to commitments being canceled and commitments being added we ended up settling on. Flying to MN then back to NY then to TX and then on to Asia.

For our flight to MN, we packed everything. All the games, electronics, shoes and clothes we missed. This made our packing easy but our checked bag was just under the 50-pound weight limit. That trip was a great emotional release for us and lugging that bag around was a great lesson in why it was so important to keep our weight down.

Packing the first attempt

When we got back to NY we started packing our bags for Cambodia, Vietnam, South Korea and New Zealand. Looking at their seasonal climates we realized that this leg of the trip would have similar extremes to our first leg. With the additional requirement of needing camping gear.

We agreed on a 70lb goal weight for all of our stuff combined. After the first weigh-in, we had 20 lbs of toiletries and shared items. Leaving us with 25 lbs each for our clothes, camping gear and personal items.

After our first eight in Katie came in at 27.2 lbs and I came in at 28 lbs. We disagreed on how much gear we should bring vs to buy in New Zealand but felt pretty confident,

Packing the second attempt

The next day we added some more Items that we were wanting to bring and packed our bags with everything. We were way off. My bags weighed in at 48.7 lbs and Katie’s at 39.3 lbs.

We wilted away at our weights. Each laying out everything in our bags and going over it with the other. Taking items we didn’t absolutely need and putting them in a maybe bin. Ultimately, we left NY with my bag weight at 37.7 and Katie’s at 36.7.

Advice

At the rehearsal dinner for the wedding in TX, we struck up a conversation with an avid traveler. We shared stories about our travels and she ended up giving us the advice of don’t bring all our stuff. Just buy it when you get there. This resonated with me. Sometimes it is easier to hear advice from a stranger than from someone close to you.

The next day we went through most of our New Zealand stuff and sent it home with Katie’s parents. Leaving us with just what we needed to be comfortable in San Fransisco, Seoul, and Aukland. With the plan to buy what we need in New Zealand. Keep what we love as mementos and sell back what we don’t want when we head home for Christmas.