What to pack!

What you should pack on a trip if you are exactly like me. I’ve been keeping track of what’s been useful and what’s been useless so that when I venture off again I’m better prepared, but I figured I may as well post this so that others can possibly learn from my mistakes and wins.

Or I’m bored with talking about my day-to-day adventures and I’m opting to post this instead.

All of this advice is given on the basis that the trip will:
-be longer than two weeks
-involve varying methods of transportation, like ferries and trains
-involve stays at multiple places, with varying levels of accommodation (hostels, hotels, B&Bs, etc)
-not be somewhere tropical. Packing for somewhere tropical is basically “Fill suitcase with bikinis. Board plane.”


Packing tips:

This one was courtesy of Ella, and it’s been great. Pack your clothes in ziplock freezer bags, and sit on them to squish all the air out. It keeps everything small and separate, and makes packing super easy.

Extend that to everything else you can. Makeup cases are too bulky, so leave the case at home and use just a freezer bag. Use another for all the little things that will clutter up your pack (first aid kit, wet wipes, hand sani, etc).


Things that you won’t think you’ll need that you’ll be eternally grateful to have when you need them:

Sleeping bag.

I bought mine in Nepal thinking that I’d have to use it for two nights on a felucca sailboat in Egypt. Turns out I had confused the trip I opted against with the one I opted for and didn't officially need it, but this mistake turned out to be great. I’ve used it multiple times and I’d never take a similar trip without one now. But I’d be smart and buy one at home that’s much better quality (and much smaller in size) than the North Face knockoff I picked up in Kathmandu.

And sleeping bags protect you from cockroaches.

Slippers/warm cozy socks.

Hotel floors are often cold. Freezing cold. Freeeeeeezing cold.

Jewelry.

People recommend not wearing any jewelry when you travel. DON’T HEED THIS ADVICE. If you regularly wear jewelry at home, you will feel naked on your trip. Feeling naked is weird, and it also causes little miniature panic attacks of "omg where's my ring I don't know where my ring is why is my finger naked oh god oh god... oh right it's in Canada PHEW"

Obviously if you’re normally dripping with diamonds you’ll look like an asshole if you’re wandering the slums of India, but if you regularly wear a necklace, earrings and a ring, bring those items, or at least travel-appropriate versions.

I didn’t bring any of the jewelry I normally wear, save for two rings, for fear of pickpocketers ripping it off me. (Someone told me that in India, people will rip necklaces right off you. While I’m sure this has happened to someone at some point in time, I saw nothing that even hinted at this happening regularly enough to warrant not wearing a necklace.)

I’m using my jewelry-nakedness as an excuse for why I’ve bought so much silver on this trip.

Clothes that you normally wear.

This may seem obvious to some/all/everyone but me, but as soon as you start to shop for the trip you’re drawn to polyester quick-dry everything, which is foolish.

You’ll feel like a scrub. And if TLC taught me anything, it’s that no, we don’t want no scrubs. Scrubs get no love.

If you’re going into the jungle and actually need quick-dry stuff, then fine. But if you’re mostly just going city to city, in mostly dry environments, you’ll want all your regular clothes. You’ll be washing them at laundromats anyway, so you needn’t worry about their quickdryness, as it’s a moot point.

Clothes that you normally wear should also include one dressy outfit. I didn't bring anything suitable for a nice night out, and I regret it. Even if it's just a pretty tank and cute flats, do it.

Cutlery.

I made the stupid decision to toss my spork in the package I mailed home from Athens, thinking I wouldn’t need it. Bad idea, especially since it was so tiny and weighs nearly nothing. I still have my Swiss Army knife, so I can do fun things like cut fruits and veggies, but it’s no good for eating yogurt.

So now I’m on a mission to steal a spoon and fork at the next opportunity. International fugitive status, here I come!

Swiss Army knife.

You may not need it often, but when you do, it’s a lifesaver. Get one with scissors and a serrated blade and a sunglass screw screwdriver, and remember to put it back in your checked luggage when trying to board a plane. Oops.

A computer.

My netbook is the best $300 I spent in prep for this trip. If I were going somewhere for only a couple of weeks, I wouldn’t have bothered. But on a long trip where free wifi is readily available, it’s probably half paid for itself in money I would have spent at internet cafes and in the convenience. Plus, it’s little enough that it fits in my purse. Or rather, my purse is huge enough that it can house a netbook. Look at that however you want.

[Post-trip update: it's more than paid for itself in internet cafe savings, and was a lifesaver when I lost my camera as I didn't lose any pictures]

Speaking of purses...

A purse.

I got the bright idea that I could travel without one. I can't, and as a result I bought three on my trip. As practical as a daypack is, sometimes you won't want to look like a tourist (and a backpack looks ridiculous at dinner). Get a big one with lots of internal pockets, and make sure the whole shebang zips up to keep it pickpocket proof.

Lots of extra ziplock bags, in big and little sizes.

If you’re heeding my packing tip, you’ll wear out the bags and need new ones when they get holes.

Ziplock bags are also supremely useful when stealing food from the breakfast buffet. Trust me, you will do it. You are not better than a squished croissant and warm cheese for lunch.

Divacup.

If you are pre-menopausal and have a vagina, you need to go buy this right now. You're welcome.

Other stuff:

-a spare travel lock in case one goes missing (which they can and will)
-a microfiber travel towel (try brand Adventure Towl)
-diarrhoea meds like Immodium (you will get sick and need this)
-yeast infection meds (haven't needed this, and knock on wood I won't, but I'm grateful to have it just in case)
-any other meds you might occasionally need at home (e.g. sinus congestion meds)
-a compass

Other travel tips:

Budget money to mail stuff home.

You will buy stuff. Even if you don’t buy much, you’ll hate packing it around. Two more pounds of stuff doesn’t sound like much until you’re wearing it on your back for an hour hunting for a hotel at night.

A five kilo package from Mumbai to home cost about $70 to ship. It was more (60 Euros I think) to mail a 7kg package from Athens to home. So, not cheap. But worth every penny when you’re suddenly not carrying an extra ten pounds around.

Keep in mind that you’ll sometimes carry around all your luggage plus another four or five pounds (or more) of stuff. You’ll buy stuff along the way, you’ll sometimes have groceries, and you’ll almost always have a litre-plus bottle of water to tote around.

Things that MEC/similar stores sell that look like great ideas but are actually pretty pointless on a typical backpacking journey:

Dry bag.

If you want to carry around a half pound roll of vinyl that isn't even completely waterproof if it gets submerged, hey, be my guest. I saw no use for it.

Freshette / similar "outdoor plumbing" for women.

While great in theory, putting it into practice proved pathetic. I may try it again for camping/snowshoeing, but it wasn't the lifesaver I expected it to be.


Hangin out the passenger side, of his best friend’s ride…