A lifelong traveler, Carly Erskine has been traveling with her parents, Mexicali co-owners Pete and Kim, since she was just a baby. With 20-something years of experience traveling and a solid preference for backpacks over wheel-y suitcases, she’s gotten packing light down to an art, even when venturing to three countries with very different climates on one trip. Wherever she’s headed, however, she always has a handful of essential items:
- Comfy shoes that slide on and off easily in the airport security lines. Crocs aren’t the prettiest shoes in the world, but Carly loves their easy fit and that the holes on them drain easily when she’s traipsing through countries that have daily downpours!
- E-reader. Traditional books are wonderful and we hope they never go away, but the lightweight capability of an e-reader to bring along a whole library full of books in one slim package is much appreciated when traveling light!
- A head-lamp. Invaluable when camping, or walking at night in rural areas with lots of potholes and no street lights!
- A large-brimmed hat. This gets used in every country Carly travels to! Even though it can feel colder in the mountains of Nepal than the balmy tropics of Thailand, higher elevations do put you closer to the sun, so it’s easy to get sunburned there too, if you’re not careful.
- Snacks, headphones, and a neck pillow. These are the little things that make a long journey so much more pleasant. Tissues are also essential when traveling in countries that don’t traditionally use toilet paper.
- Patches of some of the places Carly's been. A long plane ride always seems like the time they're actually going to get sewn on, but it hasn't quite happened yet!
- Climbing gear. An avid climber, Carly's always on the lookout for awesome rocks and cliffs to scale.
- Entertaining games. This cribbage board goes everywhere Carly goes, and she’s played with friends from and in all parts of the world. A souvenir of where she’s been as well as a way to pass the time on long train rides, she keeps a running list of where she plays each game and the scores on the back of this board.
- A Steal Your State frisbee. Carly loves meeting people through starting up a game of frisbee. Adults and kids all get in on the fun. Even when there is a bit of a language barrier, she loves connecting with those she meets through the universal communication of smiles and play!
Whatever else Carly travels with, these essential items are always along for the journey! What do YOU never travel without?
