How to Pack for Long Term Travel
So, you’ve booked your first long-term trip - congratulations! Traveling for an extended period of time is a rare gift that everyone should have the opportunity to experience at some point in their lives.
You’ve picked your destination, booked your flights, done your research, and made your accommodations. Now, the trip approaches, and one of the hardest parts of your travels begins - packing.
Being gone from our spacious closets, storage areas, and most of our belongings presents challenges of its own. It also presents rewards in its own right - you start to realize how little you truly need in your day to day life to make you happy.
Pack Light!
“By switching to a new game, which in this case involves vagabonding, time becomes the only possession and everyone is equally rich in it by biological inheritance. Money, of course, is still needed to survive, but time is what you need to live.”
Lay everything you want to bring on your trip, lay it out on your bed…and cut it in half.
The number one key to packing successfully for extended travels is packing light. This means getting out everything that you think you might absolutely need, and then removing a few things. The more you bring with you, the more you need to take care of, and the less flexible you’ll be. Not to mention that you spend a lot more on baggage fares!
It truly can be challenging to remove items from your packing list, especially if you’ll be partaking in some activities that require specialized equipment. When traveling our goal is to have just one carry on bag, and a small personal item. The Osprey Farpoint 55 (Men’s) and Fairview 55 (Women’s) are a great bag choice for travel - it has an awesome zip off daypack that is perfect for a personal item, while the main pack functions as a carry on.
Whatever luggage system you use, make sure that you have some way to limit the amount of stuff you bring. A key way to do that is by having an established method of packing for your trip.
STEP 1: ESSENTIALS
What are the things you absolutely need to bring with you? This of course includes medication, key toiletries, and any clothing or footwear that you will need to be safe. If you’re traveling is sponsored or if you are traveling for employment, make sure you include any items here that you absolutely need to accomplish your assignment during the time you will be on location.
Ask yourself - what could I absolutely not live without? Here’s a quick list of essentials to get you started:
Passport & printed copy of passport
Travel Insurance
Copies of essential documents
Credit, debit cards (and emergency cards), cash, driver’s license
Health insurance card
Journal (yes this is an essential!)
Toiletries
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Medication
Contact lenses & solution
Any work related items (keep minimal)
Earplugs
At each stage of packing, stop, take a look at what you have, and ask yourself what you can obtain when you arrive at your destination. Almost everywhere in the world you’ll be able to get things like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and pretty much any toiletry items. Don’t pack more than you need for a few days, and re-up when you arrive.
STEP 2: ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT
Now we’re onto the fun part. What types of things will you be doing on your travels? Will there be rentals available for those activities, or do you need to bring your own equipment? If you’ll be doing things like hiking, it’s probably best to bring a pair of shoes that can be used for hiking, walking, running, wearing in the airport, etc.
Books have always been a challenge for me. I’m a huge reader, and oftentimes when traveling you have lots of down time to dig into a good book. If you stay in hostels, almost all of them will have take-one-leave-one bookshelves. If you are going to bring a book, keep it to one or two, and exchange them as you travel. Another great solution for readers like me is to get a Kindle. These handy devices let you cram hundreds of books into the space of less than one paperback.
One to two books, or a kindle
Pens / Pencils
Sketchbook
Computer / iPad
Electronics chargers
Small compact camera
Spare batteries & memory cards
Case
Hiking shoes
Specialty gear that you can’t rent
STEP 3: CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR
It may seem backwards leaving clothing for last - after all, most of us wear clothes every day, right…right?
In my experience, when I travel, I tend to wear the same 2 - 3 outfits most of the time. Traveling in a colder environment can make packing for clothing more difficult, but no matter where you are going, try not to overpack. Again, think to yourself - what can I get when I arrive in my environment? If you need a spare shirt or two chances are you’ll be able to find some cheaply, or even free. You’ll have places to do laundry. Don’t pack more than one week’s worth of clothing, max.
Pro tip when packing clothing: get at least one packing cube! Packing cube’s can be a huge help in organizing your shit, and I highly recommend more than one if it’s in your budget. I like to use one to keep my dirty clothes separate from my cleans. They also help to compress your clothes and give you space for more important things.
For cold environments:
Winter coat
Hat & Gloves
Baselayers - top & bottom
Wool socks 2x
Merino underwear 5x
One nice shirt
One long sleeve
All around boots
For hot environments:
Shorts 2x
Thin pants 1x
T shirt or tank tops 3x - 5x
One nice shirt
One pair sandals
One pair tennis / hiking shoes
Underwear 5x
Sarong
Bathing suit
STEP 4: DON’T ADD ANYTHING ELSE
At this point if you have more space to add anything, try to resist the urge. I’ve been in the security line trying to repack my perfectly (perfectly stuffed, that is) packed bag after it was inspected, and it’s not a fun time. All of that stress for a couple of shirts I never even wore!
Take our advice - one of the key to successful long term travel that you can unlock before you even depart is packing light. This is by no means meant to be a complete list of what you should pack or a total guide on how to pack. Everyone is different, and you need to find your own method. Hopefully it does, however, get your mind going and thinking about how you can trim down some space in that bag that is threatening to overflow!
