Before I talk about exactly what I brought with me for my ten weeks of travelling, I must say that it was far too much! It became a running joke amongst all my tour groups about how heavy my bag was! It got to a point where I couldn’t lift my backpack up by myself and I had to get members of my group to help get it onto my back. Looking back, this was so silly – I really didn’t need that much stuff! It was difficult though as across the ten weeks of travelling I visited eight different countries on three different continents so I had to pack for different climates. I also looked ahead at some of the activities on the tours and made sure I brought the correct equipment/footwear such as walking shoes for all the hikes we did in New Zealand!
Packing list:
Clothes
8 x t-shirts– I brought enough t-shirts so that I could go a week without having to worry about washing them as I had one for each day. I also made sure I had a mix of long and short sleeve t-shirts as the weather/climate was different in every continent I went to.
3 x shorts– I brought three pairs of shorts as the weather was really quite hot in most of the countries I visited, especially in SE Asia. I brought a mix of ‘fashionable’ shorts to wear for dinners/nights out etc and also some shorts for casual wear/hiking.
2 x jeans – I brought some jeans mainly for ‘going out’ attire. I mainly wore them to go out to dinner and for going to clubs on the G Adventures’ ‘big night out’. They went well with most of my t-shirts so were a reliable item of clothing to carry with me for ten weeks!
3 x long flowy trousers– I’m a massive fan of long flowy trousers as they protect my legs from sunburn and bugs but also aren’t too hot! I’m especially a fan of the classic SE Asia flowy trousers – I love the designs and patterns on them!
14 x underwear – very essential item of clothing! It’s important to try and plan for when you can wash all your clothes so I’d make sure you pack plenty of underwear just in case there are a lack of laundry facilities.
2 x jumpers– jumpers are a must for the long journeys whilst travelling – whether that be by bus, train or plane! However, I wouldn’t recommend bringing more than two as they do take up a lot of room.
1 x bikini/swimming costume – a bikini is a must for all travellers on their packing list, especially in South East Asia where water sports and activities are pretty much a daily occurrence as it’s so hot!
Footwear
1 x walking/hiking shoes – when I looked through the itineraries for my trips I saw that there were quite a few walks/hikes – especially in New Zealand and in Chiang Mai during the Hill Tribe Trek. Therefore, it was really important that I brought the walking shoes. Always look ahead at the itineraries of the trips you are doing to make sure you have the appropriate footwear.
1 x training/sports shoes – I made sure that I brought a pair of training shoes with me because I find training shoes really comfortable and super practical. Even if I wasn’t hiking or going for a long walk, it was important to make sure I had some stable footwear on.
1 x casual shoes – for me it was also important to have a pair of shoes that I could wear on a night out or to dinner that were a bit more ‘fancy’ than my sports training shoes. For me, I chose to bring my Adidas three stripes as they were super comfy and went with lots of my outfits that I brought with me.
1 x sliders/flip flops– I brought some sliders with me for when I was by the pool, swimming in the sea and kayaking etc. They’re an essential item of footwear when travelling in my opinion!
Other essential items
· Photocopies of my passport– you never know what might happen when you’re travelling and losing your passport is up there with one of the worst things that can happen. Therefore, I brought some photocopies with me just in case anything went wrong.
· Copies of my travel insurance documents– again, like photocopies of my passport, I brought some copies of my travel insurance documents. It’s always good to have copies at hand in case of any emergency.
· Flight and visa information– I had copies of all my flight times and information as well as copies of all my visa documents. It’s really important to make sure you have all the correct visa documents and that you have applied for the visas in good time. Some countries allow you to get a visa on arrival but others state that you must apply for a visa before you visit.
· Day bag– I brought a day bag which was really useful for when we’d go on day trips to temples, national parks for example. It meant I didn’t have to carry lots of my belongings throughout the day!
· First Aid Kit– this really is an essential ‘set of items’ to bring with you when travelling and it is often forgotten. My mum is Mrs First Aid Kit! She packed so many different items in my first aid kit, from paracetamol to Imodium to germolene. I became the person my groups would come to if they needed anything from a first aid kit!
· Locks – again, an essential item! It is so important to bring locks for your belongings/bags. There were a few occasions where we’d leave our bags for the day and although we were told they were in a secure place; it is really important to lock your bags just in case they’re not as secure as you’re being told. Also, when you are on different modes of transport such as trains and buses, sometimes you have to leave your belongings somewhere else to where you are sitting. Therefore, it is best to lock them for peace of mind.
· Adaptor – it is very important to research the different adaptors/power sockets that there are in the country you are visiting. We all rely on our phones so much nowadays so it’s vital that we have power in our phones!
· Money belt/bum bag – these are really useful to store your phone, IDs, money, cards etc, especially when you need them throughout the day but don’t want to keep them in your pockets in case of theft.
· Reusable water bottle – it is really important to stay hydrated when you’re travelling, especially if you are travelling in countries where the climate is very hot and humid. It is even more important to be sustainable and environmentally friendly when we travel so a reusable water bottle is super important!
· Travel towel – something to remember to pack as it can often be forgotten!
· Toiletries – although you can top up on toiletries whilst you travel, it can be useful to bring some with you so you don’t have to spend your first day travelling seeking out shops that sell the toiletries you need.
There may be more items you need to bring but this is what worked best for me!
