WARNING: YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IT ALL…
EVERY SINGLE THING THAT IS IN MY BACKPACK!!!
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I was going to write this post on my 400th day on the road, but at that time I was being a bit dramatic and felt lost in life. Okay I wasn’t being dramatic because even now sometimes I still feel a bit lost. I know everyone said to stop worrying and go with the flow… so I am doing just that. Well tomorrow June 1st, 2012 is my 15th month on the road. I can’t believe I have been on the road that long, but I am still going strong and loving it. I often times get comments and emails asking what it is I am traveling with. Before I left I wrote a post with what I am packing for my RTW trip. So I thought it would be cool to see what is in my backpack 15 months into my journey around the world. So here you have it… this is everything I am traveling with at the moment.
—CLOTHES—
9 – shirts (I hate doing laundry often so yup I have 9 of them.)
3 – shorts (One of them are my sleeping shorts.)
6 – underwear (Yeah I hate doing laundry.)
4 – pair of socks (I have had to buy so many on the road… you will go through a million of these.)
2 – swim trunks (Yes I need 2.)
1 – pair of sandals (yYu will wear these a lot, buy a very good pair.)
1 – pair of hiking shoes (You need a durable pair of shoes.)
1 – light weight jacket (I had to buy this in Paris, because that is when I needed it and have used it a million times since then.)
—TOILETRIES—
I don’t think I need to list what you see here… I mean really it’s just the toiletries you use at home that you will use on the road. Bring what you will use and nothing in a huge bottle because you don’t want to deal with airport security and because well you will be able to find just about all your toiletries around the world. Oh & bring a lot of condoms from home… you will need them. I always hate buying some on the road… it’s just weird…lol!!!
—ELECTRONICS—
1 – 13″ Mac Book Pro & charger (I wouldn’t travel with out my laptop.)
1 – 500GB external hard drive (You need protection.)
1 – Sony Cybershot 25mm Wide-angle lens Point & Shoot (Love my P&S but am ready for a DSLR.)
1 – universal adapter (You will need this for sure.)
1 – electric trimmer (I hate shaving like a lot… so yup I travel with an electric trimmer.)
—MISCELLANEOUS—
2 – Passports (I have dual citizenship. USA & Mexico Passport go with me everywhere I go.)
2 – glasess (I am blind as hell with out my glasses so I brought 2 pair incase the one broke.)
2 – locks (Be sure to get the wire type.)
1 – LP Southeast Asia on a Shoestring guidebook (Yes I have been carrying this around with me and yes one day I will make it there.)
1 – money belt (I only wear this when I am crossing borders over land.)
1 – journal (I write in this on & off not all the time as I’d like. My blog is personal enough so it helps me keep track of things.)
1 – notebook (Bring one to use to write down random tidbits of things you learn or of plans or directions or anything else.)
1 – string bag (This is really my daypack I use it when I need to bring things with me that don’t fit in my pockets.)
1 – travel towel (Even though I hate this thing I use it more often than not.)
1 – glue stick (I use this a lot to glue stubs and tickets into my journal.)
1 – backpack rain cover (I have only used this once and really want to get rid of it.)
1 – watch (Don’t travel with a cell phone so need a watch.)
1 – mini flashlight (I use it often and have gone through a million of these.)
—ORGANIZATION ITEMS—
Packing cubes are one of the greatest inventions in the world… they really do help and make it easy to keep things organized. Plus I am a neat freak and feel that keeping my backpack and daypack organized keeps me sane. The rest of my life is a mess and out of my control… by that I mean the sometimes unorganized countries I visit or the dirty places I stay at.
—MOST IMPORTANT THING I HAVE IN MY BACKPACK—
Yes JEANS are the most important thing I have in my backpack (I keep my laptop in my daypack so it doesn’t count). Don’t listen to ANYONE who tells you that they are heavy, a bitch to wash or anything else they may say to sway you not to bring them. Jeans are a UNIVERSAL clothing item… just about anywhere you go in the world people are wearing jeans. You will wear them to the bar, out to eat, on chilly days, in countries where you can’t wear shorts, to hike a mountain or volcano. You will wear them just about every day you are not in a beach town or melting from the heat. Seriously… don’t be tacky and travel with the zip off cargo pants that everyone says you need. You don’t need them… a nice pair of jeans will do just fine.
—IT ALL FITS LIKE THIS—
This is how I look all packed up and ready to hit the road to the next town. Yup all of the above fits in my 40L Deuter backpack and small day pack.
My biggest suggestion to anyone about to hit the road… TRAVEL LIGHT. I mean it you only carry your backpack when you are changing cities or hotels and when you do you will hate your self the more it weighs. My backpack is tiny compared to the many other backpacks I see on the road and I still bitch and complain every time I have to put it on my back. Every few weeks I go through everything piece by piece and see what I can get rid of and try to get rid of something. When your whole life is packed in a backpack every item counts. I make sure everything I am traveling with has a purpose and that I use it. If I don’t I leave it behind. I also have a one in one out rule. If I buy a new shirt I need to throw out an old one etc… etc…
Well there you have it everything I have in my backpack 15 months into my trip and well I have survived just fine with this & only this. Makes me really think about the way I used to live at home with so many things. So what do you think about everything I am traveling with? Do I have too many shirts? Am I missing a few things? Do you agree jeans are the most important thing I have in my backpack? Should I get rid of anything?
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