The Trials of Packing

Our departure date is fast approaching. And by fast approaching I mean we are down to less than 4 weeks. I may or may not be freaking out a lottle. And by a lottle I mean, I am not sitting among lists and lists of stuff and trying to figure out what in the name of Aunt Jemima's delicious syrup I am supposed to PACK?!

Have you ever had to pack for an entire 3 months? 3 months of being in 4 different countries, with completely different climates and you aren't entirely sure what you can buy that you need.

I mean, first up is Europe. This is the weather report for Euope:

London: Rain
Paris: Rain
Germany: Rain

Yes, I am traveling through Europe during the rainy season. I have a good rain jacket. I am looking for some nice waterproof walking shoes. But I have to pack for somewhat chilly, wet weather.

India? Hot. Hotter. High humidity. Hottest. More very high humidity.

So clothing wise? I am packing most of my clothes for Europe, with a few items for India. I am just going to buy all of my clothes in India. (Any excuse to buy clothes, right?!) Not to mention it is more respectful of the culture there to dress in traditional Indian clothing.

But if you get past the clothing issue we come to something a bit more serious. Like, how much contact solution do I bring? I can't for the life of me figure out how much contact solution I usually use in 3 months. And toothpaste. And, something very important (sorry men), tampons.

Ok, I don't know about anyone else but I can't ever really predict how many and what kind (light, regular, super?) I am going to need. Some women are as predictable as cuckoo clocks. I am about as predictable as Spring in Utah. (For those of you who don't know, Spring weather in Utah is so unpredictable that I keep a parka in my car, along with a t-shirt, a rain jacket, boots, umbrella and 24 hour survival kit.) I've been told I"ll want to bring all the feminine things I can with me. So... that will be a fun guessing game.

Other things I need to look into? Shampoo/Conditioner, face wash, toothpaste... you know, things you actually use a lot. I'm sure India does in fact have face wash, but what about MY face wash?! (In truth, I use the awesome castor oil/coconut oil face wash that I make myself. But what if I run out? Do they have the stuff to make it there?!)

Needless to say, I've got a lot to figure out. And I've got to make it all fit into my backpacker's pack.

Anyone know where I can find Mary Poppins? I think I might need to borrow her carpet bag.