Here is a break down of what we carry with us now. We will try to keep this list mostly updated, and informative. Some of the items we use are no longer available, but we tried to add links to similar items. We may get commission from some of the links, but the price for you will still be the same.
We are still adjusting what we are carrying, and how. Never under estimate a quality bag when you are traveling long term, or just in general. A good bag cause less stress and frustration.
We started with just the two larger suitcases in this set. We left some winter clothes in the medium sized suitcase with some friends in the UK. We are finding the larger suitcase to be too big now though, and will reconsider our luggage this winter.
Samsonite no longer offers the Pivot set on their site or Amazon. You can find it still on Ebay or a similar set here on Amazon. Also, if you are looking for a budget luggage set, we have heard great things from other travelers about Amazon’s luggage set.
Kelli bought this backpack in 2014. It is still going strong. John is awesome and is usually the one to lugging this between destinations. A padded waist straps keeps the majority of the weight on his hips instead of his back.
This backpack is no longer available. However, Teton offers a similar backpack in the same price range here.
This is the bag we take through the airport to keep all of electronics in that we can’t and don’t want to check. We usually have both laptops, chargers, and two drones in this thing! Originally we purchased it because it could turn into a backpack, with all the weight it carries, Kelli usually just rolls it.
You can check it out on Amazon here. If it’s not available, check out this similar bag we considered.
For us, packing cubes are less about saving space, and more about keeping organized. They help our suitcase and backpack to not turn into just a bunch of clothes all scattered together. The compression cubes do help a little with space saving.
Bagail has these packing cubes in many different colors here.
Kelli used to use a Baggallini purse. They would last for years. So when she need a new toiletries bag, she knew this one would be quality. So far it has proven to withstand a lot of travel and use. The bag’s hook comes in handy in small bathrooms without much counter space.
You can find this toiletries bag here. And in case you are looking for a long lasting, small purse, check out this one.
John keep’s his toiletry bag simple. We bought this a year are two before entering full-time traveling, and it’s still holding up well. It’s made well, and cleans up nicely if it gets dirty.
You can tell we like blue, but you can also find other colors here.
After discovering sling backpacks just killed her shoulder, Kelli switched over to this camera backpack. You can only access it from the side against you back. This helps to make it antitheft, as well has easy access when out hiking. There is a waist belt that allows the backpack to spin around and flip down to open. It can carry her camera, extra lens, and her drone, as well as some snacks.
Since we have own this for a few years now, Lowpro has released an updated version you can find here. They also offer more sizes now.
John opted for a smaller camera backpack. It’s light and comfortable. It’s designed with a hammock like support to keep the lens supported, and to separate the different sides of the backpack.
This backpack is becoming harder to find. As one July 2022, you can still find it on Amazon, here.
We use this backpack as our daily carry. We carry groceries and snacks in it. Then when it’s time to go to the beach, it works great at carrying our Turkish towel, an additional towel, sunscreen, and water bottles, with still some room to spare.
It folds up into its own front pocket making it easy to back away when we don’t need it.
You can get yours here.
Our clothes have been our biggest changing point while traveling full time. We made a lot of adjustments to start off with. Traveling with layers is recommended. Also, most of our tops and bottoms can all be worn interchangeably. This helps to make it feel like we have many outfits instead of just three.
Tops: 1 “dressy” top, 4 t-shirts, 1 tank top, 1 long sleeve, 1 linen button down
Bottoms: 1 pair of jeans, 2 typical shorts, 2 workout shorts, 1 pajama shorts
Dresses: 3 – 1 little black dress (that will be left behind soon), 1 causal t-shirt style dress with a belt that covers shoulders and knees, 1 tropical, flowy tank top dress
Shoes: 1 pair of everyday sneakers (currently a classic black and white Vans), 1 pair of hiking boots, 1 pair of sandals
Outerwear: 1 rain jacket, 1 casual jacket
Under garments: about 7 panties, 2 bras, 6 pairs of socks, 1 sports bra (where did my other one go?), 2 bathing suits
Toiletries: Small shampoo, small conditioner, small body wash, shower puff (a lot of places don’t provide wash clothes), deodorant, hair ties, hair brush, hair styling cream, toothpaste, tooth brush, razor, and shaving cream.
First Aid/Medical( for both of us): Ibuprofen, acetaminophen/paracetamol, allergy meds, stomach meds, bandaides, Ace bandage, KT tape
Other: 2 baseball hats, 1 pair of sunglasses, 1 Turkish towel, 1 leatherman multitool, 1 Thermoflask water bottle, 1 leather belt, and of course Hawthorn the traveling giraffe.
We will be updating this section soon.
We carry a lot of electronics with us when traveling. Being professional wedding and family photographers before leaving the States, we still have a passion for photography. A lot of our gear we buy second hand, but are very careful when we do so. If you are patient, you can get some amazing deals.
Items that we normally do not buy used are our cell phones and laptops. However, a lot of times we will buy previous year model laptops, and get a great computer at a lower cost. Whenever we upgrade our phones we sell our previous ones. More about that in a future blog.
This laptop allows John to still play video games with friends back home (when the internet is strong enough and the time difference works out) and to edit and store his photos. He also uses a wireless mouse.
It has 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H 6 Core processor, GTX 1060 Max-Q graphics card, we upgraded the RAM to 32GB
You can find a newer, similar model here.
John upgraded his drone to the Air 2 in 2022. We purchased it barely used from a trusted friend, opting for the fly more kit that gives extra batteries and replacement propellers.
John is enjoying the upgrade. The drone is able to fly further and faster than his previous one, and has a great camera.
You can get one here from Amazon.
We both carry an iPhone 12 Pro. We purchased this model during our trip to Florida to save on sales taxes. We purchased them outright as unlocked so we have no issues between carriers or countries.
We opted for the Pro over the regular because it has better cameras. Truthfully, it is becoming more difficult to be motivated to take out our professional cameras with the quality of photos our phones take.
Currently (July 2022) you can buy the 13 Pro from carriers or unlocked from Apple. You can sometimes even find good deals on Apple refurbish devices on their site.
Still being a professional photographer, this is the camera John uses. It has a full frame sensor, and shoots at 24.3MP. We compared it to the D810 at the time of purchase, and found it better in low light, and had a MUCH better price point.
You can still find them new and used on Amazon and Ebay. Don’t confuse it with the D7500, that is a crop frame, entry level camera.
This is a beautiful wide angle lens. It is great for photographing landscapes. There are more expensive lenses with higher aperture, but John choose this one because it’s smaller and lighter for traveling, and also works with the idea getting the best quality for the lowest price.
We normally buy our lenses used, unless we can find a great deal. You can check out new and used on Amazon. Ebay also is a good place for used lenses.
John originally purchased this lens when we were photographing weddings. It’s great for macro shots, and to capture those distant details.
It is a little on the heavy side, so it doesn’t make an appearance very often.
Amazon still had some for sale new, but also make sure to compare it with their used section on the same page. As always, check out Ebay as well for used deals.
Kelli bought this MacBook during a sale in 2017 as a previous year’s model. It was still a new computer, but saved about $800 off of list price, giving a better computer than an equally-priced current model.
She loves it because it runs both Mac and Windows. Several years later, and it is still fast with Intel Quad Core i7 2.9GHz processor, AMD Radeon Pro 460 4GB graphics, and a 1TB SSD.
Kelli normally orders her MacBooks from B&H Photo because they are an authorized dealer that carries previous year’s models.
We sold Kelli’s Mavic Pro, and used it to purchase an upgrade for John to the Mavic Air 2. Kelli now uses John’s previous drone, the first gen Mavic Air.
It does have more connection issues than other models, but after crashing her first drone in Iceland, so doesn’t fly the drone as far as she used to. The Mavic Air does have a better camera than the Mavic Pro, so that has been a nice upgrade.
You can still pick up a new kit as of July 2022 on Amazon.
We both carry an iPhone 12 Pro. We purchased this model during our trip to Florida to save on sales taxes. We purchased them outright as unlocked so we have no issues between carriers or countries.
We opted for the Pro over the regular because it has better cameras. Truthfully, it is becoming more difficult to be motivated to take out our professional cameras with the quality of photos our phones take.
Currently (July 2022) you can buy the 13 Pro from carriers or unlocked from Apple. You can sometimes even find good deals on Apple refurbish devices on their site.
In anticipation for their world trip, Kelli sold her Nikon gear and made the switch to the Sony mirrorless camera. The mirrorless cameras are lighter, so it makes carrying them around easier.
Since we knew we would be traveling, Kelli bought hers used. She checked the used section on Amazon and also on Ebay. B&H Photo and Adorama also have used sections.
Similar to her previous wide angle lens that was the same one John still has above, Kelli bought this lens as her primary lens.
It’s great at landscapes. The Zeiss is cheaper than other wide angle lens in the same class, while sacrificing very little in other features.
We originally purchased this GoPro for a winter trip to Belize. Through some fortuitous upgrading of used GoPros, we were able to get a used GoPro Hero 7 Black in great condition.
It is our go to underwater camera, being waterproof down to 10m without a case. Since starting scuba diving, Kelli did have to purchase a case for it.
The current (July 2022) model is the Hero 10 Black. The Hero 7 Black is hard to find new, but you can still find it used on Ebay and other sources.
