How to pack lightly for a long trip

Don’t leave home without these outdoors essentials, fit for an African safari in the Serengeti, South Africa, and beyond.   Scarpa Terra GTX Boots This women’s boot borrows from running-shoe technology to roll more naturally, so it “walks” as easily as athletic footwear and will breaks in quickly while on an African safari as well. The full leather upper and Gore-Tex liner deliver dependable waterproofing and trail toughness. $195, scarpa.com. Thule Chasm 70L Duffel Bag Safari outfitters typically require light, soft-sided luggage due to small-aircraft space constraints. The waterproof fabric of the Thule Chasm 70L resists scuffs and scrapes, its multiple mesh pockets and light gray interior make it easier to see contents, and, with multiple tie-down points, the duffel can be securely anchored to a Range Rover’s luggage rack. Backpack and shoulder straps also tuck away to avoid snagging in transit. $140, thule.com . Vortex Viper HD 8×42 Binoculars The lar...

Tough, lightweight, adventure-ready duffels are a key piece in any traveler’s luggage lineup. 1) The stand-up leather straps of WP Standard’s Weekender are designed to comfortably slip an arm through. It’s carry-on compliant when full, with pockets on either end; a detachable, adjustable shoulder strap; and all-leather construction that includes a reinforced bottom and hand-hammered copper rivets. 2) Velomacchi creates luggage dedicated to motorcycling. Its barrel-shaped Speedway Hybrid Travel Duffle, with a 50-liter capacity, features what it calls a travel harness (aka backpack straps) and a design that prevents the compression straps from flapping on the highway. Even if you don’t ride, it makes for a tidy setup: The shoulder straps fold away  when not in use, and the entire bag is watertight; it’s ideal for developing-world travel. One note: There’s no interior organizing system, so plan to use packing cubes.  3) National Geographic’s new collaboration with E...

Travel with a Purpose “Instead of Fly and Flop, my travel mantra is Stop and Sop,” says Ottawa-based Sheila Gallant-Halloran. “Sop up the culture and experience, immersing yourself wherever you are.” Gallant-Halloran, a travel advisor for 12 years, has long championed sustainable tourism, and feels strongly that we can have a trip of a lifetime while also making a positive impact on the local communities and places. She often speaks about sustainable tourism practices – most recently, to 70 students at the University of Ottawa with a “Geography of Tourism” course and at an Ottawa Biosphere Eco-City event on “Sense of Place”– and also hosts Twitter chats on the subject.  Gallant-Halloran invited Big Five Tours’ Ashish Sanghrajka to her daughter’s school to talk about sustainable tourism, and arranged for them both to be interviewed on TV in Ottawa about why it matters. Sheila Gallant-Halloran. The United Nations declared 2017 as the Year of Sustainability, in large part due to the i...