Packing + Moving

Think about what you need and what you'll use throughout your travels as you pack for your Remote Year. It's normal for your packing list to be a bit different than other Remotes on your program. Packing light is an art—you'll learn...eventually.

PACKING FOR REMOTE YEAR

SPOILER ALERTS

    1. Packing should not be your main priority when it comes to Remote Year prep. Trust us—what you bring on your RY journey is not going to make or break your experience. Create a packing plan that works for you and go with it!
    2. No one packs correctly for Remote Year. You're going to bring stuff you don't need and you're going to forget things you wish you packed. This is all normal—luckily for you, malls and stores exist in every city on your itinerary, and every month you'll have the opportunity to donate items you don't want in your luggage anymore.

Don't forget the creature comforts. Bring a few items to make your accommodations feel cozy, like photos, postcards, a travel candle, a portable speaker. If you love to cook and know how to make a killer curry, bring exotic spices—they weigh practically nothing and can be hard to find.

Need a break from obsessing over your packing list? We have a blog post that will help.

LUGGAGE POLICIES

These luggage policies are a part of the larger Travel Policies, which make up section two of the Remote Year Participant Travel, Accommodation, Workspace, & Tech Policies.

On Remote Year planned flights, Remote Year can guarantee that you’ll be able to bring the following at no extra cost:

    • One piece of checked luggage up to 20 kg (44 lbs), and
    • One piece of hand luggage up to 5kgs (11 lbs).

We wish we could guarantee more, but weight allowances for hand luggage and checked luggage vary greatly depending on the airline. You are responsible for adhering to these limits. Should your luggage be over the limit allowed, you will be responsible for managing the weight of your luggage and paying any additional fees at the airports.

If you can not carry it, do not pack it! Our staff are helpful but Remote Year staff cannot and will not transport baggage for you under any circumstances.

If you are not planning to travel with the program on travel day, take your baggage with you. Remote Year staff and Remote Year participants are not able to transport baggage on your behalf. Remote Year accounts for the number of Remotes traveling with each program to determine how much space is needed (both for passengers and baggage). In other words, if you are not joining your program on travel day, don't ask one of your friends in your program to take your suitcase, there may not be room for it.

LUGGAGE OPTIONS

The Remote Nation has all kinds of thoughts, emotions and theories about luggage. We've dropped popular opinions below, but they aren't all-encompassing. Do your own (light) research and choose what will work best for you!

Checked Bag

  • Away Travel—I’ve used the sh*t out of this luggage. You can find cheaper brands elsewhere, but I love their return / exchange policy.
    • The Medium or Large size would be appropriate for a checked bag.
  • Rimowa Salsa Air—Super lightweight but very durable.
    • The 65L and up are checked bag sizes.
  • Briggs and Riley—Lifetime guarantee, spinner wheels, expandable and should be small enough so you never go over the weight limit.
  • Osprey Shuttle 100L/30”—Handy last minute pockets and one for dirty hiking boots, too.
  • Eagle Creek Load Warrior—Tons of space, compression straps, durable wheels, and lots of handles which makes getting around easy.
  • Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Pack—Moved from a roller bag to a front-loading backpack and can't go back.

Carry-On Bag

  • Tom Bihn Aeronaut—Built like a tank, looks brand new after months of travel, layout is better than the Osprey. It may be pricey but it's an amazing bag.
  • Pacsafe—Carry-on backpack that I've used all year and it’s great.
  • Osprey Backpack—Full back harness and meets all international carry-on restrictions. Get the size that fits you (it comes in different sizes, but volume is the same).
  • North Face Small Base Camp Duffel—Perfect size for a carry-on, and can also be carried as a backpack.
  • Minaal Carry-On—Holds a shocking amount of stuff. Can work as a personal item if the gate agent is feeling nice, fits under tiny seats.
  • Tortuga’s Outbreaker 45L—Well made, easy to pack like a duffle, organization for passport and tech. If you want something smaller, the 35L is nice.
    • Get 15% off with the code REMOTEYEAR. (Not an affiliate link, just a nice discount!)

In addition to the options mentioned above, other popular brands amongst the Remote Nation include: Cabin Zero, Eagle Creek, Everlane, GoRuck, Nomatic, Patagonia, Peak Design and Timbuk2

MOVING

Whether you're selling your home, subleasing your apartment or moving onto your parent's couch in the months leading up to Remote Year, you're likely planning to organize, donate, move, store and maybe even purge some (or all) of your belongings pre-travels. There are a few options—decide which is one (or which combination) is best for you!

OPTION #1—PURGE

Perhaps the idea of bringing all your belongings on an international adventure has already convinced you to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. If so, congrats—welcome to the lighter side. However, we know not everyone is down with the whole "get rid of all of my possessions" trend—that's OK, too. We suggest reading a few of our favorite blog posts on the topic to see which category you fit into.

OPTION #2—SELL AND / OR DONATE

Remote Year means a new home for you, but it could also mean a new home for some of your belongings—you know, those things shoved in the back of your closet or the useful household pieces that you would rather sell or give to someone rather than have them collect dust in a storage unit.

There are plenty of websites and apps available to post the items you'd like to try to sell or give away. Check out some Remote favorites below.

If you're able to make some quick cash, congrats! Then, donate what you don't want to put in storage to a charity or worthy organization—don't forget to ask for a receipt for a tax write-off.

OPTION #3—STORAGE

You've tried purging and donating, but you still have some possessions you can't imagine parting ways with—those things should fit into the main categories of irreplaceable and sentimental.

Determine where you're going to store these belongings. Check with a friend or family member to see if they can keep a few boxes in their basement or look into rates at a storage facility (but make sure the cost of this option is worth what you're storing). If you decide to go the storage route, follow these six long-term storage tips.

CAR

The recommendations below come from the Remote Nation, other Remotes and Citizens who have had to figure out what to do with their car while on Remote Year.

THIRD PARTY SERVICES

ADVICE

Use your network.

    • "Look for friends and family to take over your lease, or try and sell it outright and buyout your lease—Craigslist is probably the best option for this."

If you're thinking about lending...

    • ”All in all, best thing to do is try and sell your car or sublease it. I've spent a fair amount of time dealing with customer service for people who didn't treat my car that well. Even though I've made some money each month on the rentals, I still don't think it's worth the time—just another hassle to have to worry about.”

Think about your attachment to your car.

    • Will you need it upon return? Could you use the funds from selling it? If you keep / store your car, factor in the monthly costs of insurance and car payments. If I had sold it, I could have paid off the remainder, use the remaining money from the sale for RY, and eliminate the payment of insurance. Because it was my dream car, and because it is my pride and joy, I chose to keep it.

What's your timeline like?

    • If you are under time pressure, accept that you're are going to lose money and price your car low enough to sell quickly and move on with your life! Once you get going into Remote Year, you'll forget all about that money you lost on owning a car. A year (or a few months) from now, you might not ever want to own a car again—which is going to save you a lot of money in the future which you can put towards better, more meaningful things.

Keep it simple.

    • If you can, sell it. If it sits around, things corrode, things break, you’ll have to put money into it when you get back.