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What do you travel with. I mean EVERYTHING

 
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 8:37 pm    Post subject: What do you travel with. I mean EVERYTHING Reply with quote

I would love to know what everyone takes with them, or lives with. How many suitcases, duffels? Clothing breakdown electronics, etc. Would love to know what the experienced people do.

I would love to have all my possessions in a few suitcases backpack etc and have everything I need forever.

Please share, and thanks for any tips.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Where are you heading? Moreover, what do you mean by "everything I need forever?" Are you planning to move abroad permanently?
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, like I will have no home base. Just want to travel the world teaching English, and want to trim down to 2 suitcases and a backpack, something like that. Surely I'm not the only one who is doing this, right?
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 9:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not all that common to move around every year or two.

Doing that pretty much guarantees that you work at entry-level jobs forever, for one thing. Not to mention that most of us who've lived abroad for more than a couple of years have developed long-term friendships and often families; changing locations also means developing new social ties from scratch over and over.


I've been an expat for over 20 years now but would hate to be upping sticks and moving on every year or two.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nellychess wrote:
Yes, like I will have no home base. Just want to travel the world teaching English, and want to trim down to 2 suitcases and a backpack, something like that. Surely I'm not the only one who is doing this, right?

Backpacker TEFLers aren't as common as they were years ago. Entry-level jobs generally don't come with benefits. You haven't mentioned where you expect to travel to, but keep in mind that salaries haven't been in line with rising costs of living in some parts of the world. Plus, visa and immigration regs have tightened for some countries and may require travel back to one's home country for background checks, degree authentication, etc. (The China forum has quite a few discussions about anal visa regs.)

In addition to money for start up costs, you'll need a solid emergency fund for any unforeseen medical issues and quick evacuation. (Don't count on the US Embassy or donations from GoFundMe to cover emergencies.) Consider getting traveler's insurance. Also, if you use a US bank, check with them to see if they require a US address. The last thing you want is a frozen bank account when you most need access to your money.

As for what to pack... Books can be heavy -- use ebooks instead if you're hauling a tablet or laptop with you. I wasn't a backpacker, but I always packed my trusty wind-up LED flashlight and Leatherman pocket tool -- both items came in handy. Obviously, if you're on any meds, take the written prescriptions for the generic equivalents with you.
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MotherF



Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You'll probably find friendlier responses in the digital nomad community, maybe look at groups on Facebook. Also minimalists groups as somepeople have no more than two suitecases worth of stuff even without travelling.

I will say that every where I've been in the world I've been able to buy nice second hand clothing, So you can if you move to a place with a different climate or get a job that requires more formal dress you can just pick up some used clothes and then leave them behind when you move on. When I went to Chile as a student I took a wardrobe of 12 items (not counting underwear) that made something like 30 different outfits. About half way through my time there I was so sick of those clothes and I hit a used clothing store and bought 6 more items. When I left, I left behind a few of the things I'd brought with me and a few of the things I'd bought second hand there.
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nimadecaomei



Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Posts: 605

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I could travel with just my clothes. I would then have to add my wife and son's clothes, my cat, and at least some tissue when someone needs to go to the bathroom. Well, I guess there is enough clothes to not need the tissue Shocked
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sun Dec 16, 2018 7:44 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Generally, clothes a laptop, an adapter, toiletries and an unlocked phone.

I work by the principle that whatever I have with me can be left behind.

You don't need to buy books, just go to frenglish.ru and you'll find them all there Smile
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Unheard Utterance



Joined: 02 Aug 2018
Posts: 55
Location: On the road

PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sheesh. There's a regular poster on here who really is on the judgmental side. It's a fair question from the OP. No need to call them a backpacker teacher.

Work clothes
Casual clothes for dating or generally not looking like an EFL teacher
Smart casual shoes, sports shoes, kicking around shoes, hiking shoes
Quality hiking shell and thermals for holidays in colder climes
Bose bluetooth speaker
Bose noise cancelling headphones
Earplugs for noisy neighbours
Laptop and cords
Mobile and cords with a spare 3m usb charger
E-reader
Camping gear
Cycling gear as I always have a quality MTB with me which I usually have to sell when I move
Quality medicine from home like headache pills and antihistamines
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Unheard Utterance wrote:
Sheesh. There's a regular poster on here who really is on the judgmental side. It's a fair question from the OP. No need to call them a backpacker teacher.

I'm not the one putting a negative spin on the term. It's just a statement.
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spiral78



Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash

PostPosted: Mon Dec 17, 2018 4:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree that it's a fair question.

I was only pointing out that not so many people opt to travel around frequently for numerous good reasons - the OP isn't likely to find lots of enthusiastic contributors to his list request.

Nice that U.U. has some constructive personal experience to offer.
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 4:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the responses. Yeah, i didnt take offense from the backpacker generalization. I think all of us are that way on some level. I think I'm always willing to stay long term somewhere, but Id like to be able to travel, visit back home etc with everything I have. Just looking for ideas. Minimalist i think isnt the best term either, because I want cool stuff, just not a lot of stuff.

Labels are never accurate, everyone is different
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MotherF



Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W

PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nellychess wrote:
Thanks for the responses. Yeah, i didnt take offense from the backpacker generalization. I think all of us are that way on some level. I think I'm always willing to stay long term somewhere, but Id like to be able to travel, visit back home etc with everything I have. Just looking for ideas. Minimalist i think isnt the best term either, because I want cool stuff, just not a lot of stuff.

Labels are never accurate, everyone is different


What makes you think minimualists don't have cool stuff?
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nellychess



Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 187
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think of a minimalist as having just the basics they need, like a barely working computer, clothes that they just need etc. I would like to have a few things, but great quality. I think thats different than being a true minimalist, but yet a again, its a label, and everyones view is different. Just like Backpacker
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You've been pondering this TEFL thing since 2005. Did you eventually get a CELTA or equivalent TEFL cert? You'll need it to qualify/compete for jobs if your goal is to teach and travel globally.
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