So I came across this checklist for people who are planning to go on a RTW trip soon. I saw it and loved it and instead of bookmarking the page I copied it and emailed it to myself. So if this is yours thank you in advance and if you would send me a link and I’ll link this back to you! I also took the liberty to make some changes to it! I removed things I wouldn’t need and added things I would need.
I know I still have about 11 months before I leave and was wondering if it would be too soon to start buying things I’ll need to backpack around the world. Well I think I answered my own question because I have already started getting things and crossing them off this list.
The reason I’m starting now is because I wanna buy the majority of the things on this list without having to buy them all in the end with my budget of $18,000. If I buy them now little by little I will not see the effect of a $10 or $20 purchase here or there. Since I’ll be doing this I will not have to wait to the last minute and spend a couple $100 to buy it all at once. In the end it will also be less frustrating and allow me to do some type of shopping throughout the year since I have decided not to buy any clothes or anything I don’t need this year.
I have only bought the Neo. Everything else I had!
Home Checklist
- Stop routine deliveries
- Leave keys & itinerary with a friend (Will be leaving this with my sister.)
Before Leaving
- ***Guide books & maps (I already have one don’t need another one. Everything is online.)
- Passport & visa(s) (I have my U.S. Passport and going to get my Mexican one later.)
- Foreign currency of your destination country
- Credit cards
- ATM card
- Insurance: Trip Cancellation/Medical
- Personal Identification
- Photocopies of documentation
- Birth Certificate
Basic Essentials
- Appropriate Luggage
- Luggage Locks & ID Tags
- Appropriate Clothing (EEEeee the only clothes I’ll buy this year if needed)
- Comfortable Footwear
- Rain Protection (Is this a rain coat or what???)
- ***Camera & extra memory cards (I have my camera & 3 4GB memory cards)
- ***Small Flashlight (Got this free from work with my POWER POINTS.)
- Travel Alarm Clock
- ***Locker lock (Had to buy one for PE so have one now.)
- ***Hat (Gonna finally use a cute hat given to me as a gift that I never used.)
- ***Reading Materials (Gonna finally read a book given to me as a gift that I never read.)
- ***Playing Cards/Games
- ***Small note pad (Will need this for when a BRILLIANT post idea crosses my mind.)
Maintenance Items
- ***Batteries for camera & flashlight
- ***Mini Sewing Kit (Thanks Jenny!)
- Sink Stopper (Um, is this needed???)
- ***Scissors (I have them but um is this needed???)
- Laundry Soap Packets
- Laundry Bag
- Ziplock Plastic Bags (This is on a lot of packing list so I will get these.)
Medication
- First Aid Kit
- Aspirin/Pain Reliever
- Cold/Sinus Medication
- Diarrhea Medicine
- Laxative
- Insect Repellent
- Contact Lens Preparations
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Alcohol Wipes
- Sunscreen
- Motion Sickness Medicine
- Personal Hygiene Items
- Personal Prescriptions
- ***Neosporin (I added this, I need my Neo.)
Toiletries
- ***Comb/Brush (I don’t think I’ve used either in YEARS.)
- ***Toothbrush/Paste
- ***Dental Floss
- Shampoo
- ***Deodorant (I’ve ALWAYS been an OLD SPICE MAN.)
- Lotions/Creams
- Cologne
- ***Lipbalm (I’m addicted to chap stick had a basket of about 12 so put 6 aside for this.)
- ***Shaving Cream
- ***Towel/Washcloth
- Earplugs (My dad has a million I’ll get some from him.)
The hat I've never used and the book I've never read. Love ya Ileana & Wev!!!
So what do you think, this is a brilliant idea… right? Well I need your help. What do you think I need to add to this list and what do you think I need to remove. I know some of those things I will not buy until it gets closer to my departure date but I can start buying the small items and put them in the cube!
Oh, I couldn’t get the text crosser outer (—-) to work so if it has *** it means I have it!!!
I would hold off on a lot of the medicine and stuff because it all has expiration dates – no point in stocking up on stuff that may expire while you’re on the road!
I personally would save a lot of this stuff until right before you leave, but some of the larger stuff, keep an eye out for when that stuff goes on sale and when you see a good deal, go for it! Especially if you still need a backpack or certain items of clothing – try to get those on sale.
I definitely recommend a sink stopper – I have used one on just about every trip I’ve taken! While it’s not ideal, there likely will be times you’ll want/need to wash stuff in the sink and most sinks on the road don’t have good stoppers. Plastic bags are also great for organizing or for keeping stuff dry.
For rain protection, it depends on where you’re going, but I would get at least a good travel-size umbrella and a rain poncho.
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The meds i wasn’t planning on buying just yet but I was planning to buy my backpack when it got closer to take off. You make a great point I should go check them out now and through out the year (thanksgiving & xmas) see if they have sales. I will also get a sink stopper, umbrella ella ella and rain poncho!!!
Thank you for the great advice!!!
sink stoppers are essential – particularly if you shave. If you are going to Europe first you will probably need a rain coat – not an umbrella – they don’t work in the wind. In Asia I buy an umbrella when it rains (the umbrella salesmen always come out) – as its too hot to wear a raincoat
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Here’s where we differ… While you are looking at the essential items needed, I would be worried about wardrobe. LOL. The more I read you blog, the more I get excited about doing something of the same nature, on a smaller scale to begin with of course..:)Whats hard for me is the pre-planned destiny I already had in my head, similiar to what you mentioned in an earlier post; buy a house, maybe settled down with one person (lol), etc. Its so hard to delve out of my safe zone, but the everyday blah life is killing me. I shall see, and will be depending on you for motivation….THX!!!
Jajaja your funny!!! Trust I will probably worry about my wardrobe when it gets close cus hello I need a going out outfit for the gay clubs/bars (I have to look cute…dont play)!!!
Okay on a serious note why would you have to do it on a smaller scale. If you wanna do something similar to this I say go for it. We need to get together soon and Ill help start getting things together for whatever it is you plan on doing. After the long talk in the pool after jorges bday party I could tell you really would love to breakaway… I say why not!!!
I will keep motivating you!!!
shop in Asia it’s cheaper here 🙂
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Oh I know its cheaper but since ILl be starting in Europe it would be cheaper for me to buy it here at home. I will restock along the way!!!
Wow look at that list! I can definitely say you’re starting with a lot more money! I’ll be a budget backpacker, with only $2500 to my name. When it runs out I’ll have to find work to keep myself going.
When you say luggage, it sounds like you’ll be staying in a lot of hotels?
One thing I would recommend is cut down on all the fluids, cologne etc. Unless you’re going to a club every night it’s really not essential. You can always buy what you need when you get to your destination.
You can buy an all in one liquid soap to do laundry, wash your body and hair. And shave too.
Another thing, mosquitos LOVE all the good smelling stuff. So when you’re in Malaria country, wash with unscented soap and wear long sleeves. Bug spray won’t keep them away if you smell like the juiciest meat-popsicle in the jungle!
Hope this helped, I’m following your blog now! Bon Voyage!
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Wow, only $2500. That is awesome but scary at the same time. Im gonna be starting with about $15k and i wanna make it last well over a year. Oh and no i will not be staying in hotels. I should have changed it to backpack instead (thats what was listed). Thanks for all the advice!
Can’t wait to read about your adventure. Your about to leave~
I DEF LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT HAT!! AND I LOVE IT ON YOU!! I STILL CAN’T BELEIVE YOU ARE LEAVING….OK WAIT I STILL CAN’T BELEIVE YOU ARE LEAVING MEEE!!! LOL
ok on the real….so i saw scissors…why don’t you just get a pocket knife??? I’ll get you one personally!! oh yeah and you should check out the fold up ponchos at walmart…pretty cheap…o wait,did i say walmart….LMAO..i can get that for you personally as well! (you’ll never know). luv ya!!
I AM CRACKING UP!!! As long as you dont tell me where you got it from and its cute I’m game…lol!!! About the pocket knife would I need it??? Maybe i would, who knows!!!
And yes the HAT i have always loved but never knew when I would wear it and well now I most def will wear it cus it well make me look cooler and a bit more European…lol!!!
Can you even get on plane w/scissors? hmmm You should go to the store and pack a backpack and feel how heavy it will be and then rethink what you will pack!
love ya much
xoxo
QueenB~
Um hello I would have them in my checked in backpack…lol!!! Oh & yes I will be testing my backpack before I leave~
We bought little things each month with the same plan as you, not blowing our budget the day before going.
We did leave somethings a bit late though, like travel insurance, the night before we went…..
You seem pretty well prepared already, well done you!
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Note to self do not leave buying insurance the night before leaving!
Buy travel insurance once you buy your air tickets – that will cover you having to cancel due to a health issue before you leave
Lis recently posted..Packing List For Warm and Cold Weather
I don’t have much to say on this because it seems you are on the right track, LOL. I think it’s a good idea to get some little, non-perishable things now, in light of getting them later on and spending more at one time.
For some of the things, you want to make sure you are not replacing quality, with cost. For instance on a flash light… it’s great if you have a free one and all that jazz, but what happens when that $5 light breaks, or just plain sucks? A light is something you may need EVERY SINGLE DAY, so you should invest in one that you are confident in lasting, at least a year with every other day use. This can be applied to tons of things, I was just using the flashlight as an example. These are things you are going to grow to depend on, you want to make sure that you can actually DEPEND on them.
That’s just my opinion though 🙂
Thanks for the advice and trust me I wont skimp on the important things I need. Luckly the flashlight I got for free is a small stainless-steel with an LED light! It pretty nice~
One of the things I’ve seen on everyones RTW packing list is medicines for a variety of mishaps. First off, yeah you might get sick, but there are pharmacies everywhere. Why carry all this crap with you, when you can just buy it on the road as you need it.
A sewing kit might be useful if something tears… you’ll be wearing the same clothes for a year so it might come in handy and is small enough to not take up space. I have so many of them from hotels that are really small so if you want one just let me know.
You should only carry a sink stopper if you plan on washing your clothes in a hostel sink to save money. If you plan on using a laundry service (which is usually around $3 or less) then I wouldn’t plan on bringing it. You don’t need laundry soap either if you plan on using a laundry mat, and again this is something you can buy on the road. For a laundry bag I would bring a pillow case. You can use it to put clothes in to make a pillow should you need it and it also doubles as a bag.
If you wear contacts, bring solution. Many places don’t have this since contacts in 3rd world countries are not popular.
As far as the hat goes, I’d get something that will protect you from the sun. You’ll be outside a lot on hikes and it can be brutal.
Instead of a flashlight bring a headlamp. You’ll thank me later.
You don’t need scissors.
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Wow thanks for all the advice it is really good. I will make note to not buy to much meds cus your right I could get them anywhere. Im gonna take you up on your offer of sewing kit, please bring it sunday…lol!!! I am taking note of everything you said thanks again Jenny poo~
I will teach you how to use your sewing kit before the big trip!! 🙂
Ricardo is rooting for his fellow Old Spice Man!!
Jaja I will need you to teach me cus I have no clue how to use them. Tell Ric I will make him proud~
Depending on where you are traveling here are a few thoughts
I don’t travel with a rain coat, it’s always warm where I am so I don’t care if I get wet. Once I did wear a garbage bag.
I don’t have a mini sink stopper, sewing kit or scissors. Have never needed them.
Getting laundry done in Latin America is dirt cheap (as in South East Asia) so I threw my laundry soap etc out after a few weeks.
I do have a multi tool and use it often.
I also highly recommend packing cubes, they make packing your bag 100 times easier.
Good luck!
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Thank you very much for all the advice! I actually read somewhere about the packing cubes I am most def getting some!!!!
LMAO about that pinche book!
I thought my shout out was going to be about the Old Spice! lmao.
GO TEAM OLD SPICE!
maybe you should get them to sponsor you, jaja
ja ja ja I didnt even think about the OLD SPICE jokes…lol!!! I think Ileana would love it if they sponsored me!!!
Very good! I totally get what you are saying about buying your stuff little by little so it doesn’t cut into your bottom line. I play these head games with myself too. I think that buying a piece of travel clothing or equipment every once in awhile is a really good motivator.
Also I wouldn’t invest TOO much in expensive travel clothes. I figure that even if things don’t wear out I’m going to get sick of everything and end up (cheaply) replacing it on the road sooner or later.
Ja ja I love that you say “games” cus thats what it really is…lol! Its like I know I’m gonna have to spend it but if I spend it lil by lil it wont hurt me as much…lol!!!
Oh and I dont think I am planning on buying that much travel clothes. I would probably hold that off till right before I leave if I did.
I used the sink stopper a few times in the beginning to wash socks and underwear or 1 item that I spilled something on if laundry was still days off…so helpful in those moments but haven’t touched since the end of the first month!
I’m a huge fan of ziplocs and never bring enough. A few rubber bands and paper clips have actually come in handy for me.
Being a light sleeper, I can’t go without ear plugs. I’ve picked up more along the way.
I am glad I have a mini umbrella and a rain jacket — though it was winter when I arrived in Australia and needed the rain jacket. Planning on using the umbrella from now on. Though I packed a giant trashbag I have yet to use so I could cover my suitcase with it if it was pouring — happened once in Barcelona and had to walk 20-30 minutes to the train station to get to the airport!
Nice start 🙂
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Thanks for the tips! I will most def bring A LOT of ziplocs and I’ll throw in some rubber bands and paper clips as well!!!
Hi Jamie,
First of all congratulations on making the first important decision of your RTW trip….the decision to do it at all! My wife and I just returned from ours and it was the best experience of our lives.
I had a similar post on my blog before we left on our trip so i’ll provide the link for you here in case you want to check it out.
http://eatplaylove.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/leaderofthepacking/
But here are my two best suggestions (and apologies if someone already beat me to it above, I didn’t have time to read all the wonderful comments).
1. Sponsorship. I am a big believer of “if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ and i put that to use on our trip and got sponsorship by Teva to give us shoes for our trip. i sent out a lot of letters/emails, but since we only went “public” with our trip a few weeks before we left (due to our jobs at the time) it wasn’t enough time for most corporations to turn around a decision. But it does work so since you have a lot of time, go for it. Start sending letters to North Face, REI, etc.
2. You mention guide books and other books. Do you have a Kindle? We jsut got one before our trip and it was a godsend! We used it in a couple of ways. We used the wifi to get Wikitravel pages on the fly for cities we were visiting and we also converted pages of popular guidebooks online (Frommer, Rick Steve’s) into PDF documents and then sent them to our kindle so we could view them when we were “out in the field” even if there was no internet connectivity there. Although i do love the feel of a “real” book in my hands the kindle is also handy to “carry” around several books without having to take up space in your backpack. Of course you can always read one then leave it somewhere and pick up another one – the Backpacker’s Library.
I look forward to following you around on your trip and being tremendously jealous. 🙂
Dan
Thank you for the comment and your link!
1) I have actually thought about asking companies to sponsor certain parts of the trip or items as well. I am waiting till November to start doing that. I have to make sure something else goes through before hand! Oh & my job doesnt know about this at all…lol!!! I hope they don’t find out until I put in my two weeks notice.
2) I would love to buy a kindle or something similar but at the moment I wouldnt be able to afford it along with all the savings I am trying to do. I know for sure I need to buy a NETBOOK before I leave because I will not be lugging around my big heavy laptop with me everywhere.
Birth Certificate? I am not sure I would recommend traveling with that. You definitely do not want that stolen and I am not sure it would be needed with a passport and copies of the passport.
Is there a reason you are considering this that I cannot think of?
Hmm good point thank you for telling me that. I dont think I was going to but it was on the list…lol!!!
I carried a sink stopper with me and used it once. It disappeared at some point and I only noticed when I was doing inventory, so it obviously wasn’t missed. It’s not glamorous but a sock stuffed into the drain will hold the water in the sink long enough to hand wash some clothes.
One thing I’d suggest if you find a tiny one is a reusable shopping bag. Mine folds down into a keychain and I use it almost every day. Works as a shopping bag, laundry bag etc. and it’s better for the environment than plastic.
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You need some duct tape. It is the best for blisters. Put some neo on then gauze then the duct tape best ever. We used it hiking in the Alps. We wrapped an amount around a pencil. Easy to carry and then you can use the pencil for writing.
going to steel this and use it as our base – we will have to add things (sailing and all) … and the dog. But this is a very very good list! once again … THANK YOU!
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Yes start buying little by little, that way it’s not overwhelming right before you leave. Your Welcome, let me know if you need anything.
Just out of curiosity are you traveling on your original $15,000? Noticed you have been on the road 619 days! If so, thats amazing! My husband and I are planning on 50,000 for 450 for both of us and I hope we can make that happen!
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Hi Hannah, no I actually ended up saving $27,000 and am trying my hardest to make it last 2 years. You should be more than fine with $50,000 for two of you. I think you could go for about two years with that much. It’s sometimes cheaper to travel with someone. Rooms, meals, cabs etc… can be shared.