Packing, especially for a long stay, isn’t only about clothes. As I mentioned in my first packing post, we’ve been advised to bring a sufficient supply of medications and other essentials to last for the duration of our stay. There are also all sorts of random things that will be tucked into our luggage when we leave for China.

Depending on where you’re going, packing a towel might be a good idea. If you stay in 4 or 5 star resorts you certainly won’t need one but if you frequent $12/night guest houses like the one we stayed in in Cambodia, you’d better take one with you! Our apartment in China will be fully furnished. Dishes and bedding are provided but we’ve been told that towels are not. We can buy them there, of course, but after travelling and hanging around airports for over 24 hours, we’ll probably want to shower and fall into bed when we arrive! I think I’ll pack a couple of towels.

If necessary, laundry can be done almost anywhere. I always pack a small container of powdered laundry soap for those occasions when something needs to be washed out by hand. I learned a valuable lesson on our last international trip, however. ALWAYS pack that container in a ziploc bag! Airline baggage handlers are not kind to luggage and it’s amazing where powdered soap can end up when it’s released from it’s container and allowed to wander freely. Fortunately, the container was in an outside pocket of our suitcase but I was brushing soap from between the pages of my Bible for a long time afterward and I just recently found some hiding inside the case that holds my spare pair of glasses!

If you have eyesight like ours, an extra pair of glasses should always travel with you and it’s a good idea to take a copy of your current prescription as well. Add a pair of sunglasses and you’re ready to go.

Believe it or not, when I shop for clothes, I almost always think about how well an item will pack. How much space will it take up in a suitcase? How badly will it wrinkle? The second question is less important this time as I’ll also be packing our dual voltage travel iron which usually resides in our travel trailer. It’s not something that I’d bother packing for a shorter vacation trip but there won’t be an iron in our apartment in China so it will be essential. We’ll also take an adapter plug that will allow us to plug it in as outlets in China are different from those in Canada.

Voltage also varies from country to country. Here in Canada, we use 120 volts but China uses 220. Fortunately, our laptop computer, which will travel as a carry-on, has its own power converter. A camera is absolutely essential, of course, and at least a couple of memory cards. That, too, will travel in our carry-on luggage.

Wherever we go, we love to walk and hike. Since I’m always curious to know how far I’ve gone, I’ll be sure to pack my pedometer. A compass doesn’t take up much space and can be very handy so we’ll take one of those too. If we planned on geocaching, we’d also take our handheld GPS unit but caching hasn’t really caught on in China yet and I’ve also read that it’s illegal to use a GPS there without a permit! I’m not sure if that’s true or not but since there will be so many other things to see and do, we’ll leave that pastime until we get home again.

A travel alarm clock and a tiny flashlight will also be tucked into our suitcases. Though July and August are Dalian’s rainiest months, it’s on the coast and we’ll definitely need umbrellas. I’m sure we could buy them there but we have several folding ones so we’ll pack a couple of them including a tiny one that fits into my purse.

China is officially an atheist country but we are allowed to take a Bible with us for our personal use. We don’t travel anywhere without one so our compact ultra thin edition will go with us. Our Lonely Planet guidebook is bigger but it will definitely go too. I’m also hoping to fit a few paperback books into our baggage that we can leave behind when we finish reading. We probably should have invested in an e-reader by now as we’re both avid readers but I still like the feel of a book in my hands. It would be handy when we travel though, especially when we spend lengthy periods of time in countries where English is difficult to find.

Reminders of home are important if you’re away for an extended amount of time. A few family photos will definitely go to China with us. Our orientation handbook also suggests that we bring items that show the culture and history of our country to share with our students but I haven’t figured out what those ought to be. Any suggestions?

Maybe I should also pack a few twist ties. That’s the one thing we had a hard time finding in Japan!

My sister flew from Edmonton to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago but her suitcase went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! If you’ve ever had a suitcase go astray, you know how important the contents of your carry-on can be.

I once carried a kabocha in my carry-on but I’m usually a little more sensible than that! Our suitcases have failed to keep up with us three times over the years but each time, we’ve been fortunate to be on our way home. Last year, however, we were stranded overnight in Houston with only our carry-on baggage but fortunately we were prepared.

So what are the essentials that should go into your carry-on luggage?

• Passports and travel documents, of course. These should be stowed in a safe but easy to access location. 
• A change of clothes or at least fresh undergarments. You can probably get away with wearing the same pair of jeans for several days but underwear, no!
• Something that you can sleep in comfortably (unless you prefer to sleep in the nude).
• If you’re on your way to a tropical destination, I’d suggest a swimsuit. It doesn’t take up much space and who wants to hang out on the beach in their travel clothes while they wait for a suitcase to be delivered? Of course, this could be just the excuse you need to buy a new one!
• Medications; at least enough to last for a few days.
• Basic toiletry items. Don’t forget that airline safety regulations restrict liquids, gels and aerosols in carry-on baggage to a maximum of 100 mL each and that all such items must be carried in a clear, resealable plastic bag that is no larger than one litre. There’s also limit of one bag per person. I always add my toothbrush to this bag.
• Something to keep you occupied during a long flight or lengthy airport layover. This might be a book, magazine or e-reader or if there are two of you, a deck of cards.
• Any valuables that couldn’t easily be replaced if your suitcase went missing permanently.

What else do you pack in your carry-on?

Most airlines allow two pieces of carry-on baggage per person; one larger than the other. A small purse can be carried on-board as well but a larger one will usually count as one of the allotted carry-ons. Mine is neither small nor overly large but I’m not interested in trying to keep track of three items anyway.

Our most interesting and innovative piece of luggage is the two piece Mountain Equipment Coop backpack that Richard received from his school staff as a retirement gift. Attached together, the two multi-pocketed bags are big enough that they have to fly as checked baggage but when separated, the larger wheeled pack and the smaller detachable day pack can travel as carry-ons. The wheels are great for traversing airports like the ones in Vancouver and Shanghai where we’ll change planes on the way to Dalian and the combo will be perfect for weekend or overnight trips while we’re living there.

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A friend of mine is packing for a three month stay on the BC coast.

“Not my idea of fun,” she says. “Especially when there will be a season change and we don’t dare leave home without heavy winter gear.”

She posted on my Facebook page this morning, “How on earth do you pack to fly to places like Japan and China!!?? A province away is overwhelming me!!”

Yes, packing can definitely be overwhelming but I think it’s something I’m pretty good at. In fact, my sister recently suggested that I could write a book about it. I don’t think I’ll do that but over the next little while, as we continue to prepare for our stay in China, I’m going to share a few of my finer packing tips here.

Rule #1, of course, is travel light! My parents always taught me never to pack more than I could carry without assistance. Of course, the introduction of wheeled luggage made that a lot easier but less is still definitely better.

Packing is also all about using space effectively. China is a developing country. Many of the products that we are accustomed to using may not be available there. We have been advised to bring a sufficient supply of medications and other essentials to last for the duration of our stay. We did the same for our year in Japan. When crossing international borders, prescription and over-the-counter medications must travel in their original labelled containers but have you ever noticed how much empty space there is in most of the bottles on the drugstore shelf? And how much extra packaging is used?

By simply removing bottles and tubes from their boxes and filling pill bottles to the top, I was able to reduce this

to this

Of course, most of this will be used up before our return trip leaving a bit of extra suitcase space for purchases we might want to make while we’re there or for some of the bulky winter clothing that we’ll be wearing on our way to China. We, too, will have a seasonal change to deal with.

Perhaps my husband’s packing tip is the one most people would like to adhere to though: just let your wife do it! Yes, I do all the packing for both of us! Lucky man!