Hi, I'm in Qatar!

What to Pack?

So I was browsing through websites that give instructions on what to pack on a "backpacking" trip and a lot of these instructions were more like "this is how you can look like a silly backpacker and carry around stuff you don't need."

I am no expert but no one needs a wide-brimmed canvas hat, a "survival kit" (power bars, whistle, space blanket, etc.), a utility vest, or a "Crazy Creek Chair."

I've learned that less is more and practicality is essential. One year I traveled three countries with a cute matching luggage set (including a matching carry-on laptop bag) wearing heels (I brought six pairs of them to match my outfits). Well, I continued to wear impractical shoes in Beijing including the Great Wall of China. It was pretty silly (very painful). The next year I carried a big backpack to Mexico wearing flats. It was an improvement but I probably didn't need to carry an entire wardrobe on my back (I felt like a little turtle) and I needed shoes with more support for all the walking.

So I am trying to make serious adjustments in the way I pack. This is the only useful website I found that gave sound advice.

I don't know who Susan Heller is but she knows the deal:
"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money."


Well, I'm leaving tonight and packing is really the least of my concerns but I guess I'm not particularly concerned about anything. People seem to be worried about me not worrying. There is no use worrying. And really, people are usually nice. Yes, I don't know enough but I know I'll learn. I'm sleep-deprived from doing school work but I'll sleep on the plane. In the words of all my friends back home you just have to "GET IT DONE."

I like the feeling of uncertainty. It's like anything is possible! It feels exciting, comforting, humbling.


And yes, I decided to keep this blog afterall. I still have mixed feelings about tourism, travel blogs, travel photography, and travel writing. It feels fake, pretentious, sensational, and superficial/all-knowing. But here I am, doing the same thing? Maybe?

This is an interesting perspective.