Preparing for Trips – One Size Does Not Fit All

Unless you are one of those perpetual travellers … a.k.a nomad … which, owing to the fact I have a “real” job,  I am not … then your travels are likely to fall into a few basic categories like mine do.  I have seen some posts with advice about how to prepare for this kind of trip or that kind of trip.  The advice ranges from really awesome to really abysmal … and that often happens within the same post by a single author.  The problem is not that the advice is bad, but rather it’s the “one size fits most” approach (to be fair, the advice givers often disclaim about not all tips working for all folks).

Given all my food restrictions, I am at the more extreme edge of the “size” spectrum when it comes to travel advice.  For this reason I prefer a question based approach to trip preparation rather than a prescriptive approach.  This is still “under construction” and is therefore not comprehensive, however sharing it at this point opens it up for testing and comments from others which is incredibly valuable.  After all, the reason why I started blogging was to figure out how to actually travel in spite of the restrictions, not because I have it all figured out.

The Quick Getaway

This variety of trip is characterized by minimal travel time.  For me this generally means 3 hours or less of driving Jean Claude Van Tan somewhere.

Questions I ask to prepare:

• What can I cook in advance to stuff in the fridge of the van and re-heat later?
• Are there enough paper plates and plastic utensils in the van so I can avoid doing dishes?
• Will I be near enough to civilization that I can buy something needed in a pinch OR should I bring items “just in case” they are needed?

The Actual Vacation Getaway

This variety of trip is characterized by longer travel time as well as more time away from home.  For me that means anywhere from 4 to 10 hours of driving and staying in the van or in a hotel.

Questions I ask to prepare:

• What are the food preparation options available to me?  The van has a microwave, a stove, and we pack a bbq with us too.  Hotel rooms might only have a microwave unless I can find one with a kitchenette.
• Given the cooking options, what recipes make sense to “pack” with me?  My arsenal is under development, but growing steadily.
• In addition to the usual spices, what other cooking supplies make more sense to pack than to buy when I get there?
• Does it make sense to buy groceries when I get there OR will I need to pack everything in with me?
• What kitchen tools need to come with me?  Sharp knife and cutting board are ALWAYS coming with me.

The Fly Away

This variety of trip involves the airport.  In addition to all of the questions for The Actual Vacation Getaway, there is the added dimension of airport security rules plus the practicalities of not packing more than I can physically carry.  The ideal of packing everything such that one need not check any luggage is, alas, non-viable for me as my kitchen knife will never make it through airport security in a carry on bag.  My inability to live up to this ideal was recently buttressed by this blog post from Adventurous Kate: Why I Don’t Carry On My Luggage.  However, this is where those aforementioned travel tips redeem themselves.  I fly with two bags (okay, plus a day bag) and only one is dedicated to clothes and personal affects.  The other is dedicated to food and cooking tools.  So travel tips about how to pack light and small are awesome.