We have luggage, but what do we put in?

Santa and Christkind really came through for us. We have all the luggage we could ever possibly need. What do we put in them though? How do you pack for 6 months so that you have enough, but so you can also carry the bags? Where do you even begin? Have a look below and let us know how realistic or naive we are being!

Clothes

The easiest place to start is clothes. Actually, the hardest place to start is clothes… we are just going to start with clothes, whether easy or hard.

Our idea, and we’re quite proud of it, is to have very simple wardrobes for everyone. That means plain t-shirts, jeans, and a limited amount of active wear. This will allow us to just throw everything in the washer, and hopefully dryer, that the rental unit will have. Before you start, yes I realize that not every rental unit has laundry facilities, but that is one of the points that we are putting down as must have.

We are going to go with clothes that should survive the trip, but also won’t cause us undue financial hardship if it doesn’t. Right now we are thinking about going with Amazon Essentials Crew Cut T-shirts. I have been wearing them for several months now and can’t complain.

I’m also pleasantly surprised by the quality of Amazon Essentials Jeans. They fit well, feel well, and aren’t overly complicated to wash. Again, before you ask, this post isn’t sponsored by Amazon Essentials (although if you are reading this Amazon…get in touch). The links are affiliate links, meaning that if you buy something through those links you will be benefiting the site without any additional cost to yourself. Just want to get that out of the way. Not sponsored. I’m just a big fan.

Socks and underwear we are leaving everyone up to their own devices. Athletic wear as well. The kids will have P.E. as part of their home schooling curriculum, but I don’t think they will be needing to go all out every single day of the week.

Here is where it gets tricky. How much do you pack? We are going to start with 2 weeks worth. We were thinking about going with 1 week, but that could get a bit tight if we are on a boat to the States, for example. With our current plans and dreams I can’t see us ever being in a situation where we couldn’t do laundry for 2 weeks straight.

Electronics

Since the kids will be doing home school while we are on the road they will obviously have their laptops with. Each kid also has a laptop bag, mouse, and any accessories that they need for their own specific uses. I, with the help of Santa, have given each kid two profiles on their laptop. One for school and one for free time.

Everyone will also be taking their phones with for emergencies, although I have to admit I’m not entirely sure about how to keep them working in every country. That is still on my todo list.

we want to encourage them to get out and see the world

Everyone also has a Kindle that they will be taking a long so that we can save room on books.

Aside from those basics we are also taking two DSLR cameras, two GoPros, and I’m trying to find a drone worth taking as well. Accessories for all of those will be kept to a minimum, but what is needed will be taken.

Finally, I am also going to be getting an international mobile hotspot. I have heard good things about the Solis Lite, but I’m still researching. Any tips on this front would be greatly appreciated.

Ect. etc.

We are going to have one small suitcase for the kids to fill up with the toys that they want to take. This will be left up to them. If they can squeeze a stuffed animal in with their clothes they can, but all other toys will be limited to this one toy suitcase. We want them to have something to do on rainy days, but we also want to encourage them to get out and see the world.

The End?

I am 95% sure that we are forgetting almost everything. As it gets closer we are going to do a layout of everything that we are packing to see what is missing. We are also planning on spending the first month fairly close to home incase we forget something earth shattering. We will also be in Europe so it will be possible to get most everything while on the road.

Let us know down below what we forgot. You can also let us know if you think that anything listed is kind of pointless. We are desperately looking for tips before we end up lost and alone in a strange country!