Packing and Priorities

How do I pack for 19 days and 3 seasons - actually 4, if I include the rain! And 8 flights. Four are long, international flights, three will be across Africa and one will be a small, very small, plane to Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. EIGHT flights - EIGHT airports - EIGHT security checks. [I'll be able to write a book just about airport experiences after this trip] A road trip is easy: if I pack too much, it stays in the car. I don't have to keep moving suitcases. Travel in the US is easy: I can easily replace a forgotten tube of Crest toothpaste. But for this trip I need to pack very carefully. I need just what I need. My secret - layers and dark colors. But, in the midst browns and blacks will be splashes of color: vibrant red and purple.

19 days is a easy when compared to packing for more than 2 years. When my daughter was preparing to leave for Lesotho, she needed to pack for a new adventure, different cultural norms, four seasons and the unknown. A winter coat and Uggs to summer shirts and flip flops went into her suitcase But what do you pack to make a new country feel like home? She couldn't take everything. It was interesting to watch her decide what was most important. Her cell phone and music were priorities but also: favorite pictures, a few books, her journal, a camera, comfortable T-shirts to remind her of places and events. A college sweatshirt. How many pairs of shoes did she need? And a few new items such as a solar powered charger for her phone. She has no electricity, water, or plumbing.

What makes a place home for you? I always travel with two items. Whether I'm away overnight, at my Fairfield University MFA residency, or visiting friends for a long weekend, I always have a favorite photo of my children with me. And my camera. Documenting family, friends, travel or day-to-day events is important to me.

I anticipate that I'll find that my daughter's idea of what is necessary to make a place home has changed. I imagine her priorities will be different given what she has experienced over the past 17 months. As I take pictures of her, her home, and the world she lives in, I have a feeling my priorities will change also.