Packing to go

I'm bringing one carry-on bag. That's it. For 3 months. Basically, the strategy is: I can change my outfit everyday, or I can just change my location every day, and no one will realize that I'm wearing the same 3-4 days worth of clothes over and over. Since the pack is lightweight and comfortable I can wear it all day, and I don't always need to find a safe place to stash it. Here's what I'm packing:

-Osprey Waypoint 60l backpack
-2 long sleeve shirts
-4 short sleeve shirts
-5 days of underwear and socks
-bathing suit
-rain coat
-fleece
-2 pairs of pants (one convertible)
-flip flops
-sneakers
-hiking boots
-travel towel
-SIGG water bottle
-spork
-knifeless leatherman
-frisbee (doubles as a plate)
-Eee PC micro laptop, + power and ethernet cables
-universal power adapter
-chain and combo lock
-2 TSA luggage locks
-Cannon Powershot SD750 + USB transfer cable + charger
-Creative Zen 30g MP3 player + USB adapter
-sunglasses
-wrist watch
-sink wash laundry kit
-first aide kit + anti-malaria pills
-sewing kit
-book
-notebook
-deodorant (wrapped in duct tape)
-baggie of toiletries
-money belt
-eye cover and ear plugs
-2 trash bags for dirty laundry/ bag rain cover
-tiny flashlight
-silk travel sheet

I'll probably ditch a pair of shoes along the way, but even so the bag isn't full, so I've got room for groceries and souvenirs.

The plan

Last summer and fall semester I was on co-op working for GE. I got lots of work experience, made some money and had a nice break from RPI. But it was boring. So I’m not doing that again this summer.

Instead, I’ve decided to spend the whole summer traveling. I don’t want to end up like so many of my GE colleagues who get stuck in life long careers with just a week of vacation time each year and no time to really explore the world or live their lives. Since I took a semester off to do the co-op, I’ve got one more to go before I graduate, which leaves me this extra free summer. I saved everything I could while working at GE so I was able to turn down several enticing summer job offers, and just do what I want.

Here's the basic itinerary:

June 1st: New York JFK International to Reykjavik, Iceland
June 8th: Reykjavik, Iceland to Amsterdam, Netherlands
I'll be traveling all over Europe with a EuRail pass for Benelux, Germany, Denmark and Sweden
July 22nd: London, England to Hong Kong, China
August 11th: Beijing, China to Delhi, India
August 21st: Delhi, India to New York JFK International

Some of the time I'll be staying in youth hostels. But to save money, and better experience local culture, I'll be using www.couchsurfing.com a whole lot, as well as staying with some friends who live or are traveling overseas. Couch surfing is an amazing web community of ~450,000 people around the world. The premise is that strangers offer their couch, floor or guest bedroom for people to stay on for free. It's an amazing way to meet, interact with, and learn from people from around the world.

I'm bringing a mini laptop, and finding wifi in cities is real easy these days, so I'll try to update this blog every few days. Please write comments! Give me suggestions of places to go or things to do or see! Leave your address in a comment and I'll try to send you a postcard.