His Packing List for Long Term Travel

I put too many things in my bag. The thought occurred to me as I dragged my small backpack, my laptop bag and my large backpack, about 20 kilos (or about 44lbs), on wheels through a train station in Paris. And down a cobble brick road. And on the stairs to subways and various accommodations along the way.

When we packed for our career break trip, we thought about everything we might need and put it in the bag. After the first two months, I dropped a few things along the way. After six months, I dropped even more items. What I was left with is what I am going to list below for my packing list so you don’t needlessly haul around things you may or may not need.

If you stick to one region or climate, then you can leave even more out of your list. We were hiking in various parts of the world that required heavier jackets and heavy hiking boots, that you wouldn’t necessarily need in Thailand or Nicaragua.

Our first six months included heavy travel and we were reluctant to do laundry every day (more undies, etc). You may get away with less, including toiletries, if you stay longer in one area like we did in our last six months.

I expect that everyone will have different priorities when it comes to packing for long term travel, so these are only suggestions based on our experience. Hopefully you will find the list helpful.

His packing list – for long-term travel

Footwear:

1 pair of thongs (i.e. flip-flops)
1 pair of Nike Free Trainers – lightweight trainers for walking and gym
1 pair black leather light dress shoes (for dining out with friends)
1 pair of Merrill hiking boots
1 pair of walking sandals (which I lost and haven’t replaced)

Clothing

Shirts:

4 T-shirts (black, light blue, striped, gray)
1 no-iron dress shirt (houndstooth so you can’t see the wrinkles as easily)
1 Icebreaker merino wool shirt – durable, dries quickly, great in heat or cold

Shorts and Jeans:

1 pair of jeans (you can pick up dressier jeans along the way if needed)
2 pairs of shorts, including one hybrid “amphibious” pair for in/out of water
Very comfortable cotton shorts to wear while sitting around typing blog posts

Underwear:

6 pairs of quick dry underwear
1 pair of dress socks

Swimwear:

1 pair of board shorts
1 rash guard

Workout gear:

1 pair of quick dry shorts
1 quick dry workout shirt
2 pairs of quick dry sport socks

Hiking clothes:

1 pair of lightweight convertible hiking pants
1 quick dry long-sleeved shirt
2 pairs of hiking socks
1 pair of thermal gloves
1 Buff multifunctional headwear
1 Canvas belt
1 Beanie

Jackets/outerwear:

1 shell jacket
1 rain jacket

Accessories:

1 leather belt
3 hats (two caps and one wide-brimmed hiking hat)
2 pairs of quality sunglasses, sport and regular

Toiletries:

Shampoo/conditioner combined, bar of soap, moisturizer, deodorant, cotton tips
Shave kit including Merkur safety razor, razor blades, Proraso shave soap, brush
Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
Tweezers, nail clippers
Sunscreen including zinc, face, and stick (easy to carry)
Medicine: Ibuprofen/painkillers, anti-histamine, traveler diarrhea medication, antibiotics and melatonin (for big time zone changes), Malarone
A small amount of bandages, medical tape

Important documents:

Passport
Driving license (don’t forget to get your International license)
Credit card (more than one stored in different locations)
Some cash in US$
Print-out of travel insurance policy, also stored on devices and email
Pictures of my passport biopage stored on my devices, cloud and in my email
Scuba diving certification
Vaccination card – yellow fever vaccination may be required to get back into our country
Spare passport photos – very handy. we have used these a few times for visas

Miscellaneous useful items:

Antibacterial hand-wipes
1 travel towel: Sea to Summit Pocket towel
1 folding daypack. I have an Eddie Bauer Travel Daypack
3 medium packing cubes
1 silk sleeping bag liner by Sea to Summit
1 set of ear plugs
’In-flight kit’ with noise-canceling headphones, blow-up neck pillow
Ziplock bags in two different sizes
Leatherman multi-tool
Travel wineglass
Sea to Summit small waterproof bag for iPhone and cash
3 Litre Camelbak Reservoir that slips into the daypack
Eagle Creek compression bags for packing
Travel Blue Secret Sliding safe travel wallet – attaches to belt, beneath your clothes. Very secure and handy, especially on packed subways and buses
TSA Combination locks for luggage and backpacks
Rubber exercise bands for working out on the road