Packing

This is a pretty big challenge, as I have no idea where I'm going to wind up, so I have to be able to handle a variety of climates but yet pack light and be mobile at the same time.  If I wanted to be hardcore, I'd show up with nothing but toiletries and just get the rest wherever I wind up, but I'd rather spend the trip exploring rather than shopping for underwear, so I think I'll leave that adventure for another time.

Fortunately it's summer in most of the populated parts of the world, so that makes it more predictable to pack for, and summer clothes are more compact anyway.  That said, there's still problematic weather in some of the places I'd be interested in going to, like Santiago (currently 38°F) or Bogota (rain all week).

So I've wound up with, 2 pairs jeans, 2 pairs shorts, 2 polos, 4 tshirts/undershirts, a light sweater, a heavy sweater, a bathing suit, sandals, casual shoes, and a light jacket I will wear on the plane.  Extras include khakis and a button-up shirt in case I need to act presentable, and barefoot running shoes and running shorts, in case I'm either motivated or bored enough to exercise.  Plus the barefoot shoes double as hiking/exploring shoes.

On the electronics side, I'm quite heavy on things.  Traveling with an SLR adds a lot of weight and bulk, but for me, well worth it.  But since I want to read a lot for a change, I'm bringing an old-school Kindle so as not to distract myself with the capabilities of the tablet, which I'm still bringing to help get through the anticipated long flights and layovers with my sanity.  It's my first time traveling with a new item I recently discovered, a portable battery which can recharge a cell phone or tablet up to five times, which may help me out of a bind if I'm really reliant on my phone to find where I'm going.  Also, a handy pack of plug adapter for pretty much all parts of the world.