🌱 Wellbeing: How I constantly improve my remote-work-travel kit

After 15 days of travel and remote work, find out what I would change in my carry on luggage aka remote-work-travel kit. ✍️ OH and this is my FIRST substack post... HURRAH for me!!! 🚀

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⛴️ Seasoned traveler or not - and I am at 60+ countries visited - every trip can provide me with learning points into how to make the next time better. Particularly when the trip involves remote work, the more EFFECTIVE the trip packing and items carried, the better it supports my overall productivity.

Trip Overview - When I set off for a 15 day trip from my home base in Zaragoza, to catch my first flight from Barcelona, I was leaving with “carry-on luggage only” one small wheelie bag, a laptop backpack and a small handbag. My airline connections were tight, so I know I had to be able to potentially run across Vienna airport to make the connection, spoiler, I did have to run and fast!

Over two weeks, I moved across 3 countries; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Italy. The main motivation for my trip was initially to deliver a workshop at a conference on co-working in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the event, I explored Mostar for a few days. Then, I moved onto Croatia for a couple of more events that coincided with my dates. On the shoulder season, with weather unpredictable, could prove interesting! Travel and exploring and sometimes remote working, meant that packing the right items, with clear priority of what I choose to include, so I could travel light, was vital!

My learnings:

Never forget to pack a swimsuit! Yup, in an effort to save space, I demoted something I needed (and missed!) multiple times - I should have squeezed in a “pair of togs”. I did not miss out on some sauna action however, using my sports gear as a makeshift swimming costume ;) Where there is a will, there is a way!

Layers of clothing are key for shoulder season trips - I should have packed more clothing that could have been layered, including some lighter tops for the warmer parts of the day.

Work kit can ALWAYS be more compact - en route, a friend showed me their new foldable wireless keyboard (nerd out, for sure!), which is already purchased for the next trip!

Noise cancelling headphones are a must pack - trains and ferries were noisier that I expected, so I missed having them in my bag.

What I did GOOD:

Leisure and active gear - leggings and comfy sports trousers were spot on, meaning I was comfy most of the time.

Small pots of toiletry items - moving around hotels, I acquired various travel and miniature items easily, so packing light on this originally was a savvy move.

Washing clothes mid-trip - during a stay at a hotel in Croatia, I laundered a bag of clothes, which kept me going. I also hand washed underwear and socks en route, as needed, using a simple small pot of hand wash detergent to do this.

Sleep routine kit - I never leave home (even for an overnight!) without it, but moving sleep location 9 times (yup, 9 different beds over 15 days…) is stressful but my reliable sleep kit of; eye mask, silicon earplugs, travel alarm clock and lavender essential oil (pictured). Is always the first thing packed in my bag!

DONATING clothes and unwanted items - as is usual, I acquired various items en route (presents mainly!) so I had originally planned to retire and donate items to a charity. In Croatia, I prepared a bag of old clothes and unwanted items, which the hotel reception took to donate locally. Clearing this space in my baggage free’s up some space, for new items.

🟢 My return trip to Spain, was slow and using various transportation options, more on this to follow! So I had plenty of reflection time to contemplate what had worked in my kit and what needed improvement. Packing can be the pain, but knowing that I can travel better and lighter on the NEXT trip, is always a source of constant motivation for me in trying to continuously improve.

THANKS for reading, Yours with Gratitude, Ro