Meet the Lean and Mean Mr. Clif

One of my loyal Twitter followers (okay, my only loyal Twitter follower, and let’s be honest, I’m pretty sure loyal means check once every few weeks here…) asked if I had any tips on how to cope with traveling for long periods of time without stopping. I’m actually not the ideal person to be giving tips like these, as my longest outing has only been 6 months. I have met plenty of people who have been on the road for a year or two, and they would likely be able to offer the best advice. Plus, every person travels differently – so there’s really no universal set of best practices here.

This Clif Bar (shown here with a "normal" shaped, homebody of a cousin from two perspectives, is slim and steely from 4 months of travel to over a dozen countries)might have more to say about long-term travel than me!

That being said, I figured that I’d try to distill some of the experiences I’ve had into a few ideas that I think are pretty useful. Here goes!

1. Pack appropriate – I remember I brought ridiculous amounts of stuff with me on my first backpacking trip. I had first aid kits, travel bed sheets, jackets for every potential climate. You learn quickly that you don’t touch like 40% of what you brought. You also don’t need to change clothes as much as you think. I have one friend who travels for months at a time with a single daypack. Her clothes? Two sets of underwear, a shirt or two, a bathing suit, a pair of tennis shoes and flip-flops. While it’s great to bring a ton of light gear, it’s even better just to bring gear that you’re going to use – for clothing, I try to do as much layering as possible if I’m going to places with a range of climates, packing things that can be multi-use.

2. Spoil yourself – That said, I am also a firm believer in reserving some of your precious cargo space for one or two items that are completely non-essential but will make you feel happy. It could be a nice piece of soap from home, a comfy pillow, or your favorite pajamas. When you’re on the road for a long time, things can get lonely and sort of sad – having something that you love and that can put a smile on your face, or something that makes you sleep better or relax is very important.

3. Spoil yourself TWO – I am also a firm believer in strategically spoiling yourself on the road (and have become more so the older I have gotten.) Whether it is a massage or a five star hotel or a really nice meal, I say you should budget and plan for some sanity-saving moments when traveling for long periods. Contrary to popular belief, traveling is actually quite tiring and demanding. Breaking up long stretches of hard travel with much-deserved self-pampering not only helps recharge those batteries, but also gives you something to push towards when you’re cursing yourself while standing on a crowded train for 12 hours.

4. Be flexible – The worst enemy of a long trip is rigid planning (that and continuous diarrhea anyway.) I think the best way for long-term travel is to have big milestones and general directions, but to be flexible in the details. Don’t be afraid to book a flight ticket out of a country for two months later, but don’t bother booking hotel rooms and transportation for the entire two months. Too many random things happen when on the road, and a rigid travel plan is just begging to be broken. Instead, know the direction you need to strike off in, know when you need to reach your destination, and then just let the winds take you where they might. If you find a great place where you’d like to stay for a few more days, you should be able to do so without stressing about re-arranging all the logistics of your trip. This will also help keep you sane over the long haul.

5. To compute or not? – This is something I struggle with a lot, as a blogger and an internet-addict. Bringing a computer with you on the road can yield a whole host of issues, including all those damn cables and adapters, the extra weight, issues of security while traveling, and the like. Weigh these things against how much benefit you will get from having your computer with you, and remember that to avoid getting it stolen or broke, you may have to carry it with you at all times. Depending on where you go, there may be long stretches of time where you won’t even touch your computer, or places where you won’t want to pull it out of your bag for security reasons. If you’re like me, and take tons of pictures, consider investing in alternative backup solutions like an external hard drive or more memory cards. Truth is, there are going to be places for you to get on the internet (especially if you’re going to be staying in hostels) even without your own computer.

There are of course probably tons of other pieces of learning that I’ve gained through years of being a frugal traveler, but I can’t think of many more right now. Again, everyone travels differently, so you’ll have to find a set of practices that suit you best. These are what I’ve come up with. Ah yes, one final note (and a new learning from this trip!):

Pack only a suit that you wouldn’t mind burning afterwards and one that doesn’t show wrinkles very easily. :)

Comments and tips from everyone else are definitely welcome! Do share your own tips and tricks!!