My first big semi-solo trip came after college in the 1990s when I took off for six months to travel around India, Nepal and Thailand. Since then, in between steady gigs, I have made it a practice to pack a bag and just go. I am the queen of high-low travel and along the way I’ve realized that no matter where you go — a tiny village in Zambia or the Ritz in Paris — there are some things that you must always carry with you.

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