Roald Amundsen was one of the world’s most famous packers. Robert Falcon Scott was one of the world’s most infamous packers. Amundsen was a master planner who made it to the South and back without any loss of life, claiming fame and glory. Scott didn’t plan as well and led himself and his men to their deaths, sending a whole nation into mourning.
This, in a nutshell, highlights the differences between what could happen if you plan well and plan poorly. Alright, maybe we took it to an extreme. But keep in mind that while we do want some spontaneity left in our holiday – there should be things that should never be left to chance.
Packing a motorhome is very tricky – perhaps this is why we compared it to a polar expedition. You need things for the kitchen, things for the bedroom, things for the bathroom (deep breath) and things for excursions when you finally set yourself up on a campground.
Like Amundsen, you need enough but not too much that you’re burdened with the sheer amount of stuff that you have. In the words of an expert at the UK-based Oaktree Motorhomes, “There is nothing like a good packing list, even if you have done this a million times – we always encourage our clients to have one.” (They have provided a great infographic to help you with your basic list). You should know about the best places to visit in Southeast Asia.
The importance of writing everything down ahead of time can’t be underestimated. Look at our basic list, and calmly (this is opposed to when you have a day left to pack and are actually panicking and not thinking clearly) add to this list. You can’t go wrong!
We can actually learn from Scott’s mistakes keeping this in mind:
- Enough drinking water
- Looking at the state of the food we pack
- Making sure the food we pack is nutritious and wholesome and that you have enough of it (your worst-case scenario is having to waste time on shopping – Scott wasn’t as lucky)
- Check the weather before you go
- Pack bikes or scooters so you can make longer day trips outside of your campsite, and make sure they’re in working order
- Think how you can simplify everything
- Explain your plans to your family and make sure everybody is doing their part
We hope your trip will go as planned and that you can use the infographic below to get started on your list:
