As the Christmas season rolls around I can’t help but notice the proliferation of articles on “The perfect gift for…..”. Whether it is the golfer, the outdoorsman, the photographer, or the traveller, it seems everyone has their own idea of what the perfect gift idea is. Don’t worry, I am not going to suggest a list. However it did get me thinking as to what is really important to us with our travelling lifestyle. We don’t travel particularly light, however this is everything. We don’t return to a base to stock up or change clothing choices. What is in the cases is everything we need to live. With airlines becoming stricter with their luggage weight limits, every item needs to have a purpose. The photo above is what we left Canada with just over two years ago. We have reduced our load even more since that time.

Some people claim they travel with just carry on, and I believe that is admirable, it is absolutely unrealistic for us. Carry on is pretty well universally limited to 7kg. My camera bag weighs more than that. As you can see in the above photo I can usually get past check in by carrying extra items on my person. Is that right? Probably not, but I have yet to have anyone give me a valid reason for the 7kg so fair is fair in the game of gouging for payment on luggage in travel.
However, the focus here is on items we find to be very important to us. My camera equipment is very important to me and I could lighten my load by switching to a mirrorless camera, however that is a very expensive proposition so that won’t be changing in the foreseeable future.







We started with talking a bit about tech and I’ll finish with that as well. Most of the items I have mentioned are very inexpensive yet contribute greatly to our comfort while we travel. The last items are anything but inexpensive but frankly are vital to us. If they stop working or are ever stolen it will be a top priority to replace them ASAP. They also account for a lot of weight. Though I am holding out hope that Apple will add a few more features to it’s iPad Pro and I may just replace my laptop with that. Not yet though.


Living as a nomad has it’s challenges and certainly one has to make sacrifices. However we find with a few essential items, day to day life is just as comfortable as if we were sitting in our own living room in Canada (if we had one). We have found that most things simply do not hold that much worth once you leave them behind.
Happy travels.
Peter and Karen, First off, happy new year – hope that 2018 is wonderful for you both and your families in every way imaginable. I’m enjoying your blog, and found this one resonated well. Interesting that nutritional tools can be so essential (but we all know that an army marches on it’s stomach) along with the extra curricular games and music (we have to keep it fun)! Really, just wanted to reach out and say hello! Keep the photos and stories coming!
I am glad you enjoyed it. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Practical, honest, to-the-point and relatable. Thanks for this resource Dad, it’ll come in handy when I get to my own world tour