Packing for Long Term Travel

Packing for Longterm Travel – What I Used & What I Wish I’d left behind

Deciding to travel the world was an easy decision – figuring out what to bring was the hard part.  Different climates, diverse countries, adventurous activities & relaxing beaches – they all play a part in what you think you need to bring.  The important statement I kept telling myself was “you can buy what you need as go along too.” After returning from four months of travel in five continents and seventeen countries, I like to think I’ve got a good handle on what to bring and what to leave behind.  Hopefully this list can help you plan for your own trip!

The Vessels – One 40L Backpack & one Regular Backpack

Osprey Tempest 40L Ws/M Small/Medium – Black and blue

I had initially thought I’d need a bigger backpack – I ordered a 65L Osprey backpack and quickly realized it was way too big.  I wanted a backpack I could fit in the overhead bin of airplanes to cut back on checked baggage fees (basically anything smaller than 45L).  With so many articles out there about which backpack is best for your type of travel, I think it’s best to figure out the size you want and go from there.

The backpack I ended up getting has a drawstring opening at the top (pretty standard) and a zipper opening at the bottom. I liked this because it allowed me to get things quickly without having to spill out my entire backpack.  However, I saw quite a few people with backpacks that zipped open like a suitcase – that’s definitely easier and worth looking into if you’re in the market for a backpack. Overall I’m very happy with my Osprey 40L – it’s such a good size and keeps you from overpacking.  With the use of a few packing cubes, it was exactly what I needed.

North Face Jester 28L – Black and blue

I brought this backpack as my electronics bag, with it’s extended purpose being for an extra set of clothes and other random tid bits.  It worked out fine, I had a system with both bags after about a week. However, there are definitely better options. I had this bag jam packed all the time – it was heavy and sometimes a pain to carry it long distances with my Osprey 40L.  Whenever I checked my big bag, it was always a relief to just carry this North Face bag – but that didn’t happen often.

However, it filled its purpose and held up for the long haul! I’ve had this backpack for ten years – it went through all four years of college with me, so it’s absolutely durable.  

Clothes:

Delicates:

~20 Pairs of Underwear

2  Regular Bras

3 Sports Bras

1 Bandeau

1 Pair of Pajamas

Socks:

3 Pairs of Long Socks

5 Pairs of Ankle Socks

*If traveling during the winter, you’ll want to reassess this count – I was traveling 90% of the time in warm weather

Swimwear:

2 Bathing Suits

1 Bathing Suit Coverup

Bottoms:

3 Pairs of Shorts (definitely only needed one pair)

1 Pair of Exercise Shorts

2 Pairs of Leggings

1 Romper (bought)

1 Pair of Striped Pants (ripped, threw away)

1 Pair of Jeans (bought)

1 Long Skirt (bought)

Tops:

1 Green Spaghetti Strap Tank Top (bought)

2 T-Shirts

2 Tank Tops

1 Long Sleeved Flannel

1 Long Sleeved Workout Top (sent home)

2 “Going-out” Tank Tops

1 “Nicer” Shirt

1 Three-Quarter Length Shirt

3 Off The Shoulder Shirts (definitely only needed one, I have no idea why I brought three, sent one home)

Dresses:

3 Maxi Dresses (I wore all three, but probably could’ve done with just one or two)

1 T-Shirt Dress

1 Strapless Dress (bought)

Jackets:

1 Light Sweatshirt

1 Light Rain Jacket

1 Scarf (sent home, but then ended up buying another one)

1 Medium Heavy Jacket (bought on last leg of trip in Australia)

Shoes:

1 Pair of Sandals (the pair I bought broke, so I ended up buying a new pair along the way)

1 Pair of Tennis Shoes (desperately needed for some days when walking ~10 miles in my sandals was too painful0

2 Pairs of Casual Shoes (1 pair of Sabahs and 1 pair of vans, I would suggest only bringing one)

1 Pair of Hiking Boots (I sent these home, you don’t need tennis shoes & hiking boots – just choose one)

Bathroom/Toiletries:

Travel Size Shampoo, Conditioner, Face Wash, Face Lotion, Sunscreen (replenished along the way)

1 Hair Straightener

1 Hair Brush

What I wish I’d brought: facial toner (my skin was not great while I was gone!) and one bottle of nail polish

Miscellaneous:

2 Pairs of Sunglasses (both pairs broke throughout the trip, ended up buying another pair)

1 Travel Sized Umbrella (this also broke, bought a new one – I guess I either bought low-quality or everything just gets a little more abuse when you’re constanlty packing & repacking!)

1 Eyemask (good for planes but especially for hostels)

1 Pack of 20 Earplugs – These are essential for hostels

Mini Packs of Laundry Detergent – Most of the time while I was gone, I sent my laundry out from the hostel or a laundromat close by.  On the rare occasion that I did my own laundry either in the sink or at a hotel, I was insanely glad to have these laundry packs. Do you know how disgusting literally everything in your backpack can smell after hiking in the Sumatran jungle?!

1 First aid kit – From motorbike crashes in Bali to hiking scrapes basically everywhere else, I was glad to have at least some alcohol wipes and bandaids.

1 Sewing kit – I used this a few times, you can get them so compact and thin that it’s worth bringing along if you’re comfortable with a needle and thread.

1 Bottle of Super glue – I had super glue in my original packing idea, but it was among things I decided to leave behind.  However, I bought some and ended up using it quite a bit! (WISH)

Medications – For me, this was altitude sickness pills for Peru and also traveler’s diarreha pills. I know, I know – no one wants to talk about traveler’s diarreha but it’s alive and well.  Constantly traveling, anxiousness, possibly unclean environments, different water sources, new cuisines – it WILL happen to you. Save yourself the headache and just pack these! Also I needed advil a few times for headahces – take some of that as well.

Jewelry – LEAVE IT.  I wish I hadn’t brought as much as I had, which was only 2 small pouches.  I literally wore the same necklace, bracelet, earrings, and two rings every day.

Packing cubes – I used a small packing cube for my delicates – DO THIS! It’s so much better than having your bras and underwear slung everywhere anytime you want to dig through your bag.  I also used one larger packing cube for clothes, which made choosing my outfits and packing up so much easier.

1 Laundry Bag – This came with my packing cubes, and it turned out to be such an essential item, which made doing laundry so much easier.

1 Waterproof Phone Case – You never know when you’ll be on a boat, ferry, snorkeling, etc, and want to take some amazing pictures while keeping your phone safe!

1 Plastic Poncho – I never used these, I always just went for my rainjacket.  I’d leave these behind.

1 Collapsable Water Bottle – The few times I used this, I was glad to have it.  However, most times, I just bought large bottles of water since they were so cheap and the local water source wasn’t drinkable.

1 Tide To Go Pen – Your clothes have to last you awhile, might as well keep them clean of spills!

2 Luggage Locks – One big & one small, an abosolute neccessity, especially if staying in hostels

Electronics

Dell XPS 13 – I bought this laptop because of it’s stellar reviews and the fact that it’s 2.6 pounds.  It barely feels like anything – which is exactly what I was going for. It’s so sleek, I absolutely love it.

Cannon Rebel T6, camera bag, extra memory cards, screen wipes (WISH – extra camera lens)

1 Extra phone – I had an extra iPhone 5 from years ago sitting in my desk.  Why not just bring it? I would be pretty flustered if something happened to my phone, so having the peace of mind of an extra one gave me some relief.

3 Extra phone chargers – I brought three – one for my purse, one for my Osprey 40L, and one for my Northface 28L.  You never know when you’re going to lose one, when one will get buried in your bag, or when one of your new hostel roomies will jack it.

iPad – LEAVE IT.  This was unnecessary, I barely used it.  Luckily it’s a very old iPad mini so it’s quite small and I wouldn’t mind losing it to get a replacement.

iPhone – I splurged and got a new iPhone 8+ before I left – HIGHLY RECOMMEND! The photo quality is amazing, and I used it for Netflix since it’s so big

1 External Charger – I used this all the time! The particular one I have can charge my iPhone 8+ 4 times before it runs out of juice.  I would much rather carry this with me than my huge adapter to plug into the wall. Also, you’ll be the most popular kid at the hostel when you can share the charge with all your new friends.

1 Pair of Wireless headphones – I love my wireless headphones, and I definitely used them while I was gone.  I could’ve easily gone without these while I was gone, but they were nice to have.

1 Travel Wall Adapter – I bought this one from amazon a few years ago – it served me well in South America (US outlets anyway), Europe, Asia, and Australia (same as US but the prongs are slanted).  Travel adapter quality has gone up quite a bit in the last years so I’ll look forward to replacing this one, it didn’t stick in the European outlets too well. The ironic part of this charger is that it broke while I was at the airport in Sydney heading home.  Literally the prongs came out and stuck in the wall outlet. Talk about good timing!

Everyone has different needs and priorities, but you have to start your packing somewhere! Hopefully this helped – and just remember, you can send things home, donate things, and/or buy things along the way rather than stressing about bringing absolutely everything.