That’s quite a “be prepared for anything” packing list @Manda
We have a recipe exchange on the Forum and I’m sure our members would be really interested to have some of your “Sub” recipes. Thank you for sharing
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Thanks @Angela_L I am A Typical/OCD! I am embracing it…
Happy to share, I have referred to many Websites, I have a few “go to’s” now, I rarely follow a recipe (which is a great annoyance to my Teens).
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So I’ve done very long stretches of about 9 months at a time with public transportation being my main getaround and hostels being my main accommodation.
I’ll say that most of the extra stuff that might be nice to have usually doesn’t feel very nice when you’re carrying it around on your back. Or repacking it over and over. Consider a times used/times packed ratio. You want to be using whatever you bring enough that it’s worth repacking it. (This doesn’t include a first aid kit, obvs.)
However I wanted to touch on hobbies, because they are something that many people I’ve met tend to do away with and I think it’s a big mistake.
For hobbies I usually pack a small watercolor sketchbook, a small paint pallet and a collection of brushes, pens and pencils. This is all about the size of a medium novel.
I used to carry around a small ukulele as well. I’d place it in the center of my bag and pack my clothes around it.
Oh, and I also carry hiking poles that collapse down to be very small.
I’d say if you are traveling long term, do not give up on all of your hobbies. If you have bulky hobbies, try to find a way to either decrease the size of the supplies (fold down fishing pole, inflatable football?) or look into rentals where you are going (in the case of skiing or biking for example).
Also, some hobbies can be done digitally now. My partner has a digital keyboard, drum set and who knows what else all on his laptop for making music. It’s pretty neat.
As for formal wear, try to find a sweet spot between something that can be worn for most night’s out (dinner, show, dancing, whatever) and something that can be dressed up with the addition of accessories. Having a one-off tuxedo or dress is going to get realllll old the longer you go without using it.
Renting or thrifting are also good options if you need specialty clothing for a one-off event.
Hope this was helpful! Good luck!
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What excellent advice @CoolCatAunt thank you for sharing and opening up another conversation … when on a long term sit there’s always the opportunity to develop hobbies, a sitter who cared for my home in Canada for 3 months joined a quilting class and found a new hobby she loves …
Who else packs for their hobbies and finds @CoolCatAunt post inspirational?
@Angela-CommunityManager Having my car with me on my last sit, I packed a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle and some lightweight board from the dollar store. I had lots of rainy days and I was grateful I’d taken it. I even went to a charity shop and bought another one. It was a nice change of pace.
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Im going to.print this list!
I always forget my hiking pack and water bottles on a sit.
Update as of this trip, very very little and getting lighter.
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When I began my full-time travels in Jan 2015 I had a full-size suitcase containing mostly summer clothes and hand luggage for electronics. 95% of the contents of my suitcase, or maybe even more, I never used. Not once. After a year or two, I began downsizing. It was a slow process, even though I didn´t use most of my stuff. What if …
Today I travel with an (extendable but not extended) carry-on where I keep my clothes, shoes, and toiletries as well as an (extendable but not extended) backpack for electronics. So far I haven´t missed anything hence I am still downsizing trying to leave an item at each location. On very rare occasions, I need something, e.g. boots for cold upstate New York autumn or a hat for freezing cold New York City, I buy it and then leave it at the location.
Today, I can bring all my luggage with me to the cabin and purchase the cheapest of the tickets – which was my goal. Yet, ever since I started traveling light, the cheap airlines stopped operating and the check-in luggage was always included in my expensive fares. The irony of travel? 
p.s. Forget all the stuff you listed as “could do without, would be nice” to have – you will not need it.
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I love this topic. When we started our tour around Australia, we scaled down to only have a car, and filled it to the brim with what we thought we might need, but it became clear you need much less than you think. Now we are traveling Europe, again with a car, but much less items. I do, however, have a few faithfuls - apart from clothes and our ‘electronic office’ and adaptors:
-2 extra screens so that we have a full 2-screen set-up each for work
-a small frying pan
-2 small, but very sharp knives
-my stick blender, I love smoothies and soups
-my chiropractic pillow
-a small electric travel kettle
-a heating pad that you pop into the microwave - for cosiness and/or pain
-ear plugs! - where others mentioned fans, I’m happy with my earplugs.
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From another housesitter is a great idea. We bring a back of door hanging shoe organizer for the bathroom. All of our personal hygiene items go in each pocket, no need for owners to leave us bathroom space which happens a lot.
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We take one for cruises also…keeps everything tidy and away from the sink!
Traveling by vehicle - what type to use and luggage and packing tips
We are travling pretty much full time since late 2019 - with a long pause for COVID - and travel with everything we own except for a few items in a safety deposit box. We’ve gotten rid of a lot but still have too much - especially as we hope to travel light in Europe next year.
Here’s some thoughts for people traveling by vehicle.
Vehicle
By far we found the best vehicle for us is a Chrysler minivan - either Pacifica or Voyager because ALL the seats go into the floor. That gives us maximum flexibility.
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We also cover the floor with padded floor tiles which fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Depending on the vehicle, a cargo bar to keep things in place can be very helpful.
Before your drive, apply some srpay wax quickly on the front to get bugs off more easily.
Luggage and Packing Tips
We carry golf clubs and other sports stuff. A Christmas tree storage box works great for those and other such items.
We use rolling soft luggage because we can lay it down and open the top for easy access and living out of the suitcases. Hard sided luggage you have to lay open takes up too much space and is not easy to live out of.
Packing cubes, of course. PLUS we use masking tape and a sharpie to label what is in them which makes things MUCH easier.
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My recent innovation is using some plastic file boxes, (in other words boxes you would use to transport or store hanging files) it’s just enough space to carry most stuff I need in an organized fashion, but not so big that you can’t carry it up two flights of stairs, one on each arm. They stack neatly, their waterproof just in case something would leak, and they’re very lightweight by themselves. I have eight of them, they were $7 a piece, from Target. one is bathroom stuff, another is kitchen stuff, another is office supplies, etc. I bought a set of cheap padlocks from Amazon, not to keep the stuff locked up mostly to protect the latch from accidentally opening and dumping their contents.
One tool that is VERY handy is a 6 in 1 screwdriver. It handles probably over 90% of things.
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I always like to have a supply of cable ties in a kitchen drawer as they’re super handy!
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It depends on whether I’m flying or taking a train for what I take. If flying I take 2 clear toiletries bags - one for toiletries and one for my medicines/first aid items.
I hve a small cable bag that carries a plug adapter, a multi function charger and a number of different charging cables. I also like to carry to the airport a small cross body bag that fits my passport, wallet, phone, powerbank and keys. I just throw that in the security try as it’s better than emptying my pockets at security.
Just want to mention, a Scottevest is the best travel purchase I made. Not cheap but worth it.
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@mars. I had to google that! Sounds like a good idea especially to keep costs down with budget airlines that seem to include less and less carry ons each year!
Scottevest - had to google it too. Sounds fun, until you land behind one of these in an airport security queue…no kidding…Singapore airport 2013 …a gentlemen kept triggering the alarm, then removed YET another something from YET another pocket - I kid you not, we watched him being returned 6 times! Obviously it was in different pockets in different garments he wore, but still, it took ages and we couldn’t believe where he still pulled stuff out…
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