I’m going to let everyone in on a little secret. As much travelling as I’ve done in the past, including all of the weekend trips I took to visit Dominic when we were dating, I’m still an over-packer. I may not pack as much as some people, but I still tend to bring way too many outfits that never end up getting worn and a lot of items that fall into the “just in case we need it” category.
I’m a Virgo, which means I’m a perfectionist, which also means that I feel the need to be overly prepared for any and every situation. I knew that I had to let go of that for our big trip, because frankly, it’s impossible to be prepared for every possible situation over a six-month period, and it’s just plain impractical.
Since we are using backpacks for this trip, not suitcases, it was important to keep them light in order to save our backs and our sanity. But let me tell you, it’s not easy to become a minimalist packer overnight. The main things I tried to keep in mind were to pack lightweight clothes, and remember that you’re going to be wearing the same pieces for a long time, so it’s important to be able to make multiple outfits out of your limited options. For shoes, I narrowed it down to three pairs (runners, hiking sandals and supportive flip-flops that can also be dressy) by thinking about versatility and comfort since we’re going to be walking constantly.
Luckily, most of the places we’ll be visiting will be hot, so we didn’t have to pack any heavy clothing, which helps. I also, of course, did a TON of research on what other people pack for these kinds of trips (I can’t help myself) and still ended up with things on our packing list that could be considered “just in case” items, but I tried to keep those to an absolute minimum. We are, after all, going to be able to buy anything we may need as we travel – other places in the world have stores too (I had to keep repeating this to myself as I eliminated things from my packing list).
So without further ado, below is what I packed in my backpack for our (mostly) warm-climate trip to Oceania and Southeast Asia. You can see what Dom packed here.
Clothing and Accessories:
- Underwear (14)
- Bras (2)
- Sports bra (1)
- Bando (1)
- Socks (5)
- Compression socks (1)
- Tank tops (4)
- T shirts (4)
- Long sleeved shirt (1)
- Cardigan (1)
- Shorts (4) – one can be used as PJ bottoms
- Pants (1)
- Leggings (1)
- Dress (2)
- Romper (1)
- Bathing suits (1 one piece, 2 bikinis)
- Rain coat (1)
- Sunglasses (1)
- Fitbit (1) – this is tied to my life insurance so I can collect points, and doubles as a watch
- Scarf (1)
- Baseball hat (1)
Shoes:
- Nice flip flops (1)
- Teva sandals (1)
- Runners (1)
Toiletries:
- Hanging toiletry bag
- Makeup
- Lip balm
- Makeup remover wipes
- Deodorant
- Refillable travel bottles (for shampoo, conditioner, body wash and moisturizer)
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Moisturizer
- Body wash
- Sunscreen
- Razor
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush (with cover)
- Floss
- Brush
- Hair elastics
- Bobby pins
- Bug spray
- Hand sanitizer
- Medication
- Small First aid kit
- Nail clippers
- Tweezers
Travel Gear:
- Turkish towel – I went back and forth on this one, but in the end went with a Turkish towel instead of a microfiber travel towel because I hate the way travel towels feel, they are often too small, and there are too many stories about how awful they smell after a short time on the road. No thanks!
- Carabiner
- Water bottle
- Silk sleeping bag liner
- Headlamp
- Locks for hostels
- Luggage locks
- Mesh laundry bag
- Steripen (with extra batteries)
- Packing cubes
- Ziplock bags
- Pen and notebook
Electronics:
- iPhone 7
- Battery case for iPhone
- Moment wide lens for iPhone
- Headphones
- iPhone 7 headphone adapter
- Headphone splitter
- Asus Laptop (with cover)
- Gopro
- USB car charger
- SkyRoam for wifi
- Portable phone charger
- Phone charger
- Travel adapter/USB adaptor
Documents:
- Passport
- Extra passport photos (for Visas)
- Scanned copies of other important documents
