not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves – Henry Thoreau
Welp, here we go again.
How does one pack for indefinitely? I have no idea. But I’m learning better by the week, and getting more sophisticated with each pitstop back in the U.S.
After my latest evaluation, I dumped a lot (goodbye water filter and second pair of jeans, among other things) while piling on a couple of pretty significant additions. (Um, yoga mat and full-standing tripod? OK SURE).
How’s this gonna work? I recorded this video as I test-packed my new load for the first time.
Belize: there is more to this Central American outlier than vast beaches and the clear Carribean sea. But to find it, you have to “go deep…”
Read more about San Ignacio in my city guide, here.
You just might be hearing more about this tiny, picturesque island in Northeast Guatemala very soon.
Just after Halloween, much of Latin America, including Guatemala celebrate Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. But the similarities between the holidays end there.
You can read more about why I made the trip here.
Read more about what to do in Cobán in my written guide, here.
After three months of traveling through Mexico and Guatemala, I planned a break in the U.S. to celebrate my birthday, wash off, see some people I love and also reassess this initial packing situation.
To recap: in July, I set off with a 40-liter bag, smaller than I could even imagine, filled with everything I thought I needed for an indefinite journey abroad.
I didn’t know what I was doing.
And let’s be clear — it’s very possible I still don’t. But after a quarter of a year, I certainly have some better idea of what I need, what I absolutely don’t, and what I can live without.