What's in my backpack?

When you're backpacking for an extended period of time it comes down to "needing something" more than "wanting something," which is difficult for me to do. I always come up with these crazy situations in my head and end up packing way too much stuff than what I actually need. For this trip in particular I had to think of stuff that would be adaptive to the weather down there since it is so hot and humid all the time, and the fact that I will be there at the peak of the rainy season. In addition to the weather I decided to stock up on health supplements and medicine that I don't think will be as readily accessible or as effective in the region. Therefore I wanted to show you what's in my backpack, so you can get an idea of what I'll be getting up to!

First off I have all my medicine/toiletries:

• Sunscreen (OF COURSE).
• Multi-vitamins and Ibuprofen
• Anti-perspirant deodorant
• Shaving cream and razor
• Emergen-C chewables
• Toothbrush + toothpaste
• Anti-itch cream
• Hand sanitizer
• Contact lens solution
• Mini tissue wipes
• Facial wipes
• Baby wipes
• Laxatives and anti-diarrheal medicine (YOU NEVER KNOW)
•  Pepto-bismol chewables
• Off mosquito repellent 
• Nail clipper kit

There will probably be some more last minute things added to this list, but I don't want to carry too many toiletries because I can just buy most of them there. Next let's talk about my ultimate struggle of picking and choosing... CLOTHES!

I was trying VERY hard to only pack what I really need, and I'm sure I still will overpack on clothes. My mom got me these super nifty packing cubes, which makes organizing things so much easier and aesthetically pleasing ;). In my biggest packing cube to the left I have:

• North face rain jacket
• Nike dry fit sweatshirt 
• Light sweat pants

My next packing cube holds all of my tops, which consists of:

• 5 Tank tops (3 dry fit and 2 cotton) 
• 4 T shirts (1 dry fit, 1 merino wool, and 2 cotton)

After that I have my bottoms packing cube:

• 2 boardshorts
• 2 shorts (one gray and one beige)
• 2 gym shorts (which could also be used in the water if needed)

Lastly, I have my smallest packing cube that has my underwear/socks:

• 5 pairs of underwear (all are dry fit) 
• 3 pairs of ankle socks
• 1 pairs of long socks 

As for shoes I have: 

• Nike tennis shoes
• Birkenstocks
• Tevas

I'm sure that I will only use about half of what I packed, but for most of the clothes that I packed I wouldn't DIE if I had to toss out some stuff on the road if I needed to. And if I find something that I need in Southeast Asia I can always buy it there since everything is pretty cheap. You may be wondering where the heck am I going to be putting all this stuff in? Well that brings us to the most important part... the backpacks!

For the main backpack I have a Klamath 50 liter, which I used when I was in Europe and it works WONDERS. It has a bunch of different sections to make packing super easy. The daypack I will be using is the little green backpack in the upper left hand corner.  This one is nice because it's waterproof so it will be good to go to the beach/on boats and it folds up to be about the size of a baseball! I also have my microfiber towel in this picture which I will be using in hostels and what not since it dries super quick. One thing that I have pictured, but have decided not to bring is the microfiber beach towel that I have in the bottom left corner. I thought it would be good to bring, but I decided that it's not really necessary since I already have the shower towel. 

We're almost done! The last bit of goodies I have are all the electronics and miscellaneous things. NOTE: I decided to not bring the larger blue backpack on the left because it was too bulky, and instead Im going to bring everything in my smaller green backpack.

• Nikon D3100 camera
• Waterproof wristwatch
• Powerstrip (for charging multiple things at once, and making friends in hostels!)
• Lonely Planet guidebook
• Passport (DUH) and passport holder
• Umbrella 
• Flashlight
• Anker re-chargable power strip
• Outlet converter 
• Headphones and wireless headphones
• GoPro + stick
• 2 locks

That's all I've got as of now, but there will probably be some other random things that I last minute add to my backpack. T-minus 3 days until takeoff!

And to leave you with some fun... this is a picture of me before my year abroad in Paris, France with the same backpack I will be using in Southeast Asia. LET'S DO THIS!

“…whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth.”

— The Alchemist

Sending good vibes with Compliment Your Soul by Dan Croll. This song brings me nothing but joy and positive thoughts of what life has to bring. 

"Can't Stop Me"

As of today I have less than a week before I leave for my big Southeast Asia trip, and I still can't believe that it's actually happening. As many people know, I'm doing this three month trip all solo and I'm actually quite nervous about it since it will be in an area of the world that is completely foreign to me. The language, the cultural customs, and interesting foods are all so different things that I haven't really been exposed to, and that's exactly why I chose to go to this region in the first place. It's like no place I've ever been and I knew that if I wanted to go there, this was the time since I'm young and able to couch surf and bum around hostels. Another big bonus is that it's cheap! I remember studying abroad in Paris, and since it is obviously an extremely expensive city I would hold myself back with trying expensive foods, or staying in really nice hotels. In SE Asia, however, I feel like I will be able to splurge more on foods and be able to try more things and experiences. 

I've had actually quite a few friends that have done something similar to what I'm about to do, and everyone has told me that doing it solo was the best decision. The fact that you and guide your own adventure and decide what you want to do makes your experience even that more personalized. If you're into museums and coffee shops, well you will become a culturally enriched coffee connoisseur; Or if you're a foodie then I'm sure you will have a lot of great new recipes to add to your travel cook book by the end of your trip. For me, I hope to eat a lot of interesting foods during my trip and indulge on the drink of the region as well. Furthermore, as a solo traveler you have quite a bit of time to yourself, and in that time I like to listen to music. I think that a song can take you back to a certain place or moment in time, and that's why I'm always jammin' out to my current favorite songs when I'm traveling around. In this blog I'm planning to also attach songs to the places that I've been, so that I can forever remember those moments in time and maybe even take you there with me. Another aspect of traveling that I think makes the experience even more enriching is meeting fellow travelers and locals throughout your trip. One of my goals with this blog will be to feature the people I meet along the way, listen to their stories, and then share them so that I can learn more about the culture and myself. 

This is my "general" route that I will be taking. I arrive in Bangkok and then will go to Southern Thailand, back up to Bangkok and go to Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, Northern Vietnam, maybe stop off in Laos before heading up to Northern Thailand, and then finally going back to Bangkok and flying back home.

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This song by Nick Murphy fka Chet Faker has been going through my head like crazy. The lyrics "can't stop me" reminds me that nobody can stop me, or YOU, from traveling and seeing the world. 

I hope that you enjoy reading about my upcoming travels, and most importantly I hope that you're creating your own wanderlist!