After 20 years of living overseas off and on, my packing system fits in one bag and one rule: look like you belong, never look like a target. Everything below has survived boardrooms, border crossings, and places with no power and no patience.
Merino wool layers: temperature-regulating, odor-resistant for days, packs flat. Dark colors, no logos, nothing flashy. A wrinkle-resistant travel blazer that dresses up over a t-shirt and dresses down over anything. Broken-in boots that can walk ten miles and still pass in a decent restaurant. One swimsuit, always, because the best plan is the one you didn't make.
Passport plus paper and digital copies in separate places. Cash in small bills plus two cards in separate stashes. Local SIM or eSIM on arrival, portable battery, and the check-in rhythm with someone at home. This core never changes, whether the destination is Singapore or somewhere with no street signs.
On top of the core goes the mission kit: the water purifier, the multitool, the emergency bivvy, a headlamp. Small, light, and it turns a travel disruption into an inconvenience.
Places I know well enough to write about: Bali, where I live now, Singapore, where I did my MBA and still do business, and New York, where I went to university and served as a first responder on 9/11. Full destination dispatches are coming: what to pack, what to watch for, and the kit that earned its place there.
Destination field notes and kit breakdowns, in the Depot newsletter.
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