First big purchase, Women's REI Grand Tour Travel Pack.

After much research, price comparison and deciding I need a "chick" bag, I finally found out what I was looking for with Women's REI Grand Tour Travel Pack.  
Here the down and dirty of my new pack:

Detachable day pack with hydration pocket and hose port (now I can sell my old packs on craigslist, and have more money for my trip)

66.5 liter capacity

Fairly light at 4 lbs. 8 oz. - but we will see after I pack

Adjustable suspension to customize fit

Extra compression straps above shoulders help secure your load

Lots of compartments both inside and outside (6 pockets + 2 main compartments)

Lash points to attach gear and compression straps to snug loads

Bottom area can be sectioned off from the rest and can hold a shoes and dirty clothes - or someday a sleeping bag

All straps can be zipped up for storage on planes, buses and cars (see pic). 

Best part it was only $130 (on sale from $189) and in mallard a fun green color. 

Now it's time to try it out and see if I like it as much when it's on my back full of all my stuff :)   Or should I say half of what I plan on bringing if I follow everyone else's advice.  

To Do List

The reality is starting to sit that I will be traveling around the world in less than 6 months. Along with that comes the anxiety. I'm hoping that a to-do list will help me to stay on track and easy the pain. I found some help courtesy of TwoBackpackers.com. I started with their list and added a few of my own.

Backpacking Around the World To-Do List

1.      Sell Your Stuff on Ebay

2.      Create a Budget

3.      Purchase Backpacking Gear

4.      Purchase Camping / Hiking Gear if appropriate

5.      Purchase Camera Equipment

6.      Purchase iTouch

7.      Create a Skype Account

8.      Tell Your Families

9.      Notify Employers

10.  Check Passports

11.  Notify Landlord / Sell or Rent House

12.  Create a Twitter Account (cool travelers on there)

13.  Create a Facebook Account (global address book)

14.  Create a Couchsurfing Account

15.  Are Going to Play Fantasy Leagues on the Road?

16.  Create a Rough Itinerary

17.  Check Visa Requirements for Each Country

18.  Choose a Departure Date

19.  Get Required Immunizations

20.  Put Remaining Stuff in Storage (don’t store old photos in hot attic)

21.  Purchase Travelers Insurance

22.  Change Auto Insurance

23.  Open Travel Friendly Checking Account

24.  Open Travel Friendly Credit Card Account

25.  Change Address or Set Up Mail Storage

26.  Cancel Cell Phones or Consider Global Phone Plan

27.  Practice Packing

28.  Break in Boots or Shoes

29.  Set Up First Aid Kit

30.  Purchase Lonely Planet Guides (if needed)

Ones, I added.

31. Breathe

32. Make 4 copies of all travel documents (1 at home, 1 on person, 1 in carry-on, 1 in suitcase) and put in dropbox

33. Put all files I want to have in Dropbox (a file hosting service which uses cloud computing to enable users to store and share files and folders with each other) and share with parents

34. Get immunizations

35. Order enough contacts to last the trip

36. Fill all my prescriptions to get me through the trip, and make sure all countries will allow me to have them.

37. Back up all cell phone numbers on a file in dropbox

38. Make sure I can pay all bills online

39. Set up cell phone

40. Print or transfer to device local area maps

41. Key phrases in local language

What technology to bring?

When I first imagined my round the world trip (RTW), I thought I would be living without technology, making collect calls home with my secret "safe" password, and hitting up Internet cafes when I had the chance.

After thinking about what I wanted to be able to do on my travel:

-keep up a blog,

- email friends and family

-share photos

-calling home

-maps at my disposal

-language converter

-check my bank account / pay bills

I started doing some research, if phone or notebook were the way. While I love screen and key board of my labtop, I can't imagine traveling 6 months with it in a backpack weighing 5 pounds and even more are on brain with worry of someone stealing it and all my import info on it. Looks like the best solution is a smart phone. Now which one?

Here are some blog posts that are helping me sort through this mess,

How to pick the perfect travel smartphone

Droid Incredible: Wi-Fi calling app means T-Mobile Android phones are best choice for travel

Iphone: USING YOUR IPHONE DURING INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK

Travel plans are changing before they are even created.

This week was rough for my travel plans for around the world. My friend, Stokey will be leaving Australia a lot earlier than I thought, so Australia will have to be explored alone (well, until I meet some of his friends, or a hot Aussie).

Then I found out Captain Mike lost his sail boat at sea. My three months of sailing the South Pacific are washed away with his home. Captain Mike is safe in Thailand, but please pray for him as he figures out his new adventure. Depending on where he lands I might still join him for a portion of it. Either way I'm sure we will sail together again.

Here is the plan as of today.... Chicago, IL - Vancouver - Auckland - Sydney - Bali (Denpasar) - Bangkok - Bombay / Mumbai - Rio de Janeiro - Quito - Caracas - Lima - Chicago, IL

Mom and Dad this isn't even close to being done, so don't even start looking for people to watch over me in these places.

While planning my travels, I am also looking into volunteering as I go. One place that seems affordable, and has some interesting opportunities is Geovisions. I'm leaning toward Community Work at an Orphanage in Northern Thailand for a month, where I will have a volunteer hut and private squat toilet :)

Another program I like is Peru's Challenge, because it mixes volunteering, learning a language and local travel together. It's about time I learn Spanish :)