Entries from 'Packing'
What to pack for an African safari (cargo pants for the win!)
- Aperture: f/2.2
- ISO: 32
- Shutter Speed: 1/15 s
- Focal Length: 4.15mm
- Camera: iPhone 6s Plus
- Location: 37° 18′ 41.42″ N 122° 1′ 24.84″ W
I’ve wanted to explore Africa since May 13, 2013, the last day of Him and I’s Big Trip, a six-month, round-the-world adventure. Three years later, on May 27, we flew to Cairo. Africa – particularly the pyramids and safari lands – had prominently featured on our Big Trip itinerary, but our dwindling travel fund and…
Your Everest Base Camp trek packing list
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 50
- Shutter Speed: 1/123 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
I believe I’ve mentioned this before, but let me repeat: I have NEVER been as cold as I was on the Everest Base Camp trek — not even during that Disney half-marathon when we ran with Him’s parents through the rain, hail, sleet and snow in shorts, and his dad defrosted with a hair dryer…
Make your own passport or visa photos
Before we left to travel, Her and I used a Photoshop template to create our own photos for our Indian visa applications. CVS wanted to charge us $9.99 each for two passport photos, and although they would have done all the work, I am a real cheapskate and was sure I could find a way…
Free to a good home: 15-year-old halter top and “mature” capris
We’ve spent the last few days frantically packing up the house to make room for Him’s parents, my parents and other family members generously planning to stay in our home to take care of our three cats while we’re gallivanting across the globe. Throughout this process, I’ve noticed Him has taken to holding up random…
Not quite the kitchen sink (but close)
- Aperture: f/4.5
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/60 s
- Focal Length: 11mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
It took me several hours, but I spent today (when I wasn’t chasing our resident squirrel away from the birdfeeder) weeding through the mountain of gear I’ve amassed during the last few months. Thanks to some incredible friends and colleagues at my former workplace, I had some great options to choose from, and I regret…
“It’s Alive!”
Obtaining a life-size photo cutout of my sister to pimp out to potential suitors was not as easy as I anticipated. There are plenty of companies advertising such services online, but they charge upwards of $100, and the final product is cardboard and anything but portable. Local printing companies charged even more; one West Palm…
From body bag to child’s sack pack
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/15 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
Within my family, I’m sort of notorious for my inability to pack light. As a pre-teen, I made up hotel beds with my own pillow and blankets lest any exposed skin come in contact with whatever bodily fluids the last occupants left behind. As a 19-year-old college student, I saw most of Europe at a…
A new toy
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 800
- Shutter Speed: 1/15 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
A couple of weeks ago I took the advice of my guitar teacher and made a purchase to take with me on our journey: The Martin Backpacker. I know that our goal is to travel light and minimize the unnecessary items in our packs, but I’ve made a very large investment in my guitar playing…
Third wheel
- Aperture: f/13
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/640 s
- Focal Length: 42mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
When prompted as a young child, my little sister would consider only two options for her future husband: “Daddy or Barkley.” Our father, of course, was spoken for thanks to Mom, and Barkley, well, Barkley was the family dog. Twenty or so years later, Barkley has passed along, and my sister has been forced to…
How many pairs of underwear?!
While watching my beloved Gators pull one out against Texas A&M this weekend, I began to wonder about what I would need to take with me on this trip. Her and I have often joked about things we would or would not take with us, but I hadn’t seriously considered what I would require for…
