Two people. Three months. Four carry-ons and two bags to check.

Never before have I been required to pack so strategically as for an upcoming 99-day trip to Puerto Cayo, Ecuador beginning one week from today.

I’m typically a throw-it-in-the-bag-the-night-before-the-trip kind of guy, but that won’t work this time. There’s a house to furnish, a business to set up and hopefully a little fun to be had in the midst of it all.

It reminds me of the old trivia question – If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one thing you’d take with you?

Six days out, here’s my strategic packing plan.

CLOTHING – Shorts and jeans, mostly pullover short-sleeved shirts, two pairs of boots (one for dress, one for work), running shoes and shorts as I plan to be back in half-marathon shape when we return in April, and plenty of hats and caps for protection from the sun.

TECHNICAL: Two laptops, Kindle Fire, Nano, lots of jump drives and memory cards, two cell phones, my new Nikon D-3200, and  Rosetta Stone which I’ve hardly used to date.

BOOKS – My New American Standard Bible, and The Prayer of Jabez.

TOOLS – A few screw drivers, hammer, measuring tape, flashlight, bungee straps and zip ties.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: Every kitchen utensil that will fit in every available nook and cranny.

MONEY – Several thousand dollars, mostly in $20s and under. Hundreds don’t spend well in Latin America.

LEGAL: Passports, birth certificates and marriage license.

ENTERTAINMENT: A collection of 80s music CDs from my favorite artists, and a nearly a hundred movies on DVD.

INTANGIBLES: A willingness to unlearn my cultural biases, hopeful desire to learn how to chill out more often, and an adventuresome spirit. And a new golf swing I hope to perfect in the southern hemisphere summer that maybe, just maybe, might put me in the high 70s.

INSPIRATIONAL: A small desk moniker that reads: “Never, never, never, never give up.” It got us this far, and I hope it will take us a bit further.

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