Spunkygirl Monologues

As I’ve mentioned before, I abhor being pinned down to itineraries. Gear however, is totally different. Having the right gear for your trip can mean the difference between a great trip and a so-so trip.  There is nothing worse than being half way around the world and dealing with inadequate gear or wishing you had listened to yourself and bought those other shoes etc. When considering which gear to take cost is important, but so is size and weight.   What may seem okay in the beginning, could feel very heavy a few weeks into your trip.

List the gear you think you’ll need and start researching the various types and brands. If you start doing this early, you’ll make better choices.  Plus it’s a great way to stay travel focused while waiting for your trip to begin.

Although I haven’t nailed myself down to a specific itinerary, I do know I’ll be gone for 6+ months.  I also know I want the flexibility to write my blog posts as they come to me instead of waiting until I find an internet cafe and I’ll be taking an obscene amount of photographs. Here are a couple items on my gear list.

• Flip Mino HD- I want to create some videos on this trip for my niece to watch on my blog. It’s a great way to add some education and spunk to my posts.
• MacBook- I’m currently using a Toshiba, but I like the flexibility with MAC, especially when it comes to photography.
• Wide Angle lens- I want more options with my Nikon D60 while on the road.
• 2 Clairefontaine Notebooks- I love these notebooks, plus they’re very affordable and well made.
• Writing supplies- Pencils mostly, but a pen and some pastels or crayons work well too. A mini ruler is handy, and a glue stick is a must!
• Extra SD cards for photos.
• Batteries- I need to buy an extra camera battery, as well as a pkg of AAA for my maglite.

As you can see, two of these items are pretty big purchases.  I’ve spent months looking at the Flip and MacBook. I’ve visited stores, touched the product, surfed websites etc.  Now that I’ve narrowed it down, it’s time to start putting my money aside and watch out for sales.  I want to buy both of them in the next couple of months so I have time to play and learn before my trip- which I highly recommend.

Whatever your gear needs are, take the time to research them, being rash can hurt not only your wallet, but your back as well if you’re not careful.

So, it’s decided- for the most part.  Travel is in my blood.  It has been for awhile now. To ignore the opportunity would be a crime.  For years I’ve struggled with saving the money I would need for long term travel. Plus, life happens and things change.  However, I now have some inheritance money coming my way.  I could do the “responsible” thing and use it to put a downpayment on a house, or invest it, but why?  I mean, I would spend the next who knows how many years wishing I had traveled.  So, I’m putting 30% of the money in the back and using the remaining 70% to travel.

My current plan (I’m not going to pretend that this plan won’t change a million times) is to leave around August 2010.  Why then?  Well my lease is up at the end of the July, the condo should be sold by then and I will have even more money saved from my job- not to mention I’ll be 100% out of debt.  So 8 or 9 months from now I’m hitting the road.