What's in my bag - Creative Travel Kit

I'm packing for my trip to Bali and of course the most important thing to bring, especially since the goal of this trip is to have a quiet art retreat, is my art material. I've been taking art supplies with me a few times before so I know what is worth bringing and what I will absolutely need. I'm focusing on taking only the essentials with me. Since I will be spending a lot of time creating and painting, I need enough paint and surfaces but I also have to, obviously, keep it light.

Tools

I'm taking a bunch of brushes, some stampers and etchers for my paintings but also pens, scissors and glue for journaling and drawing. They fit in a small metallic box that I have always used as a pencil case. As for paint, I tried to take the smallest containers/tubes I had, in a variety of colors, making sure I have the ones I cannot survive without! A few Styrofoam plates (to serve as palettes) and an apron will also be added to the kit.

Paper, canvases and journals

This is the hardest part since I cannot take anything large or heavy, so I chose to bring two pads of acrylic paper, a pack of mini canvas boards, a sketching/writing/drawing journal and a painting/collage one. I will be gone for 10 days, so I'm thinking it will probably be enough, as I can finish 2-3 paintings a day + work in my journals.

Packing it up

Now, it's all super fun to decide what to bring and get creative while trying to be minimalist but packing is also an important part of the deal. First, to head off hassles, everything will go in my checked suitcase. I might carry my small journal and pencil, but everything else, including the paint pens and all the acrylics will go in the checked baggage. I heard too many stories of artists having their supplies confiscated because security officers freaked when they heard the word paint. Commercial oil paints are on the list of banned materials and people who are not familiar with art supplies don't always understand the difference between the ones containing flammable solvents and the non-hazardous ones.

If you ever consider bringing watercolor, gouache or acrylic paint in a carry-on and are asked about them, make sure to explain that it's water-based artist material (avoid the word 'paint' as much as possible!) and bring a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). All manufacturers are required to create these for most of their materials so you can probably find them online (or you can call them).

My tubes and bottles of paint fit into a plastic box that will then be placed in a large Ziploc bag, maybe even two. The last thing I want is to have a spill into my clothes! The paper pads will go at the bottom of the suitcase and the rest is going to sit on top of the clothes. I will make sure to weigh my suitcase before I leave since many of these items will make it heavy.

Ready to fly!

And that's it! A few essential clothes, a good book, headphones, sunglasses, charger, toothbrush, shampoo, deodorant, essential oils and I'm ready to go. Bali has been on my bucket list for ever and I can't wait to share what I create while I'm there! What would be your perfect creative/artistic destination?