International Wildlife Adventures Travel Journal

First off, I’d like to suggest a modification to the old cliché. A journey of more than a few miles begins with 1,000 steps. As in packing.

Constantly shifting airline rules require a level of planning that used to be relegated to the expedition into deepest Africa or, say, the Space Station. So much to consider: number of bags, size of bags, weight of bags. Not to mention trying to anticipate what you’ll need to bring along for clothing and camera gear.

Our living room floor looked like a major home renovation for a week before my wife, Susie, and I finally finished stuffing the last bit of gear into an impossibly unwieldy assortment of duffles and backpacks. We weighed and re-weighed, to make sure we hit the ever-moving target of airline baggage rules.

Our final tally: three large duffles and one enormous tripod case containing the video and still tripods and as many miscellaneous bits of clothing we could stuff there.

Next: Argentina isn’t just the tango…