I pride myself on packing light, but packing light for a whole year is a whole new ballgame. I’m doing it with surgical precision. This started, as most things do lately, with defining some criteria and making a list.

The criteria

• Pack the least amount possible, ideally fitting in one carry-on
• Have enough range to cover a diversity of climates and cultures
• Be durable enough to last the year
• Every item should be able to match with any other item
• Each item should be able to flex to many uses. For example, sneakers could be worn on a hike or in a city without making me feel like a dork. My scarf should be able to keep my neck warm or cover my head in a religious building. A white button up could be worn to dinner or as a bathing suit cover-up. You get it.

The list

• Tops
  • 4 t-shirts
    • 1 black
    • 1 white
    • 1 color
    • 1 stripe
  • 2 button ups
    • 1 white button up
    • 1 black silk blouse
  • 2 sweaters
    • 1 black
    • 1 light color
  • Puff jacket
  • Rain shell / windbreaker
• Bottoms
  • Pants
    • 1 joggers
    • 2 jeans
  • Shorts
    • 1 black
    • 1 linen
• Full body
  • sundress or jumpsuit
• Accessories
  • warm hat
  • sun hat
  • scarf
• Underwear & sleep
  • 10 underwear
  • 2 bras
  • 1 sports bra
  • 5 socks
  • 1 bathing suit
  • 1 pajamas
• Shoes
  • slip-on boots
  • sneakers
  • sandals / water shoes

Because I am who I am, I’ve laid all of the actual items out together to ensure they match.

The packing

My next step is to actually pack all of these things and my toiletries into my bag (a 35L Cotopaxi Allpa). I feel quite confident they’ll fit except for the shoes. Nick is planning to bring a small roll aboard for his overflow shoes, and I’ll either share that with him or get one of my own.

And once we’ve got that all set, we’ll move on to Millie’s packing list. Millie, while small in stature, lives large in accessories and toys that she has deemed essential for her life. I think this is where the real challenge will begin.