How I Prepare for Travel — Part 1: What I Pack
This is the first of four posts on how I organise my trips (see also: personal safety, photography gear, organising with Notion).
The list below is exactly what goes into my 40-litre backpack.
The Essentials
One rule: everything that goes in the bag must serve more than one purpose.
Clothing and Shoes
- Hiking shoes: Low-cut with Gore-Tex.
- Casual shoes: For walking around town. Most of the time I leave these behind and wear the hiking shoes everywhere.
- Flip-flops: For the beach and hostel showers.
- 2 zip-off trousers: They convert to shorts and, crucially, have side zip pockets so you don't lose things.
- 1–2 shirts: Hiking-style, lightweight.
- 5 T-shirts: Merino wool. No smell, no need to wash every day.
- Underwear and socks: 7 pairs of each. Enough for a week.
- Swim shorts: Also works as regular shorts.
- Round hat: The classic wide-brim style.
- Packable down jacket: Worn as a layer, takes up almost no space, warms you instantly.
- Waterproof windbreaker
For cold weather (below 5°C):
- Thermal base layers (top and bottom)
- Light gloves and neck gaiter
Accessories
- Sleeping bag liner: For when the hostel bed doesn't look too inviting.
- Hammock: Super lightweight, ties anywhere.
- Sunglasses: I keep a spare pair just in case.
- Small sunscreen: Travel-sized.
- Money belt: A hidden belt for cash.
- Hidden passport holder: For the days I'm not wearing trousers with zip pockets.
- Headlamp: For power cuts.
- Thin rope and clothes pegs: For drying laundry.
Toiletries
- Baby wipes
- Small shampoo/body wash or a solid bar
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Two microfibre towels (small and large): Dry almost instantly.
- Laundry powder: For hand-washing clothes.
Tech
- Power bank (10,000 mAh)
- Chargers and cables
- Two packing cubes
- Dirty laundry bag
The First Aid Kit
- Painkillers
- Travel sickness tablets (Dramamine)
- Plasters, antiseptic, gauze
- Rifacol: An antibiotic for traveller's diarrhoea. Essential.
- Wound spray
- Electrolytes
- Vitamins
- Activated charcoal: For stomach issues.
Travelling light means taking what you actually need.
In the next post, I write about how I handle safety — passports, cards, and cash.
