What to pack ... ?

So. What do you pack when travelling overseas for a year?

I started packing several weeks before leaving. The total weight came to 30kg. That is exactly the same as the airline allowance.

BUT ... I had asked people at the vet school if they wanted me to bring anything with me for them. I told them I had some textbooks as well as veterinary equipment that I could donate. Yes, they said. So I checked the weight and found I had another 20kg of books and 10kg of equipment. So ... how much would that cost me to take as extra accompanied baggage?

The answer is at least $30 per kilogram!

Ditch the books, they said, and bring the rest.

I wasn’t sure my equipment was worth paying over $300 in transport costs, so I did more thinking about all the stuff I had packed in my case. Did I need to take all these shirts? What about these trousers? Do they not sell clothes in Nepal? Of course they do ... and much cheaper than in Australia! So why take them there? Chuck ‘em out! And I did. Everything except the bare essentials. That left me with much less including a few changes of clothing, a water filter, sandals, homeopathic first aid kit, half a kilogram of dark chocolate, and toiletries including half a dozen packets of dental floss tape (!) since I wasn’t sure I could find them in Nepal.

Oh, ... and a motorcycle helmet since the insurance policy said I needed an Australian standard helmet if I wanted to ride a motorcycle overseas.

... and so I managed to reduce the weight to within the standard allowance.

The moral is ... why pack something you can buy at your destination?