What I Packed on My Backpack Trip Around the World
Travel far, pack light.
Now you may ask why I chose to only carry backpacks instead of a suitcase?
My decision to backpack came from experience. This is my third trip abroad, but my first time without wheels. Picture this: a naive 19 year old Kasey, leaving her host mom's French house after five weeks of studying abroad with TWO large suitcases, a backpack and a purse. It is the middle of rush hour on the metro in Paris and it’s 90 degree. There’s no elevators or escalators and she has about five flights of stairs to climb. She finally makes it to her hostel to discover she’s on the third floor and there’s again no elevator.
or
Imagine your train stops and you have about 2 minutes to grab all this stuff and jump onto the platform. Sound like fun? Didn’t think so. They say experience is the best teacher and they weren’t wrong. Standing up and swinging one backpack on your back and one on your front is SO much more convenient.
or
Imagine your train stops and you have about 2 minutes to grab all this stuff and jump onto the platform. Sound like fun? Didn’t think so. They say experience is the best teacher and they weren’t wrong. Standing up and swinging one backpack on your back and one on your front is SO much more convenient.
The Backpacks
If I was doing true backpacking I probably would have chose one larger backpack instead of two smaller ones but I decided that since I would have a home base to leave my stuff for a large majority of the time (Italy) and would want a smaller backpack to travel on the weekends with, I choose two backpacks. My main backpack that goes everywhere with me is an Osprey Farpoint 40 After some research I decided to try this brand and while the purchase (160 USD) was a little tough on the wallet, I decided if I’m going to be in airports, train stations, buses, hostels, etc. with the bag I want to make sure this thing is durable. I highly recommend this brand to anyone who is looking to long term travel or even enjoys hiking and outdoor activities of sorts. It has:
- Adjustable straps and ones that rest on your hips to shift the weight off of your back
- A zipper that zips all the way around the bag so that it opens like a suitcase
- A mesh zipper on the top inside part
- Two water bottle holders
- A compartment for my computer
- Straps for making sure your stuff stays put while traveling/packing as much stuff as possible in it
- Fold away straps so it can be carried as a duffel bag
The Clothes
Let’s start with the biggest to tackle on the inside. Clothing. These will take up the most room in your bag so choose wisely. I learned that sticking to basics and dresses are best. Basics such as grey v-necks, black pants, etc will allow you to mix and match so it looks like you have multiple outfits with less clothing. Dresses or rompers are a great choice as well because they are comfortable, fashionable and can be used for sight seeing in the day and going out at night. Also a great thing to throw over your swimsuit if you’re headed to the beach.
For how much to pack, I’d recommend a week and a half worth of clothing, but I have a little more than that at the moment since I’m awkwardly transitioning from summer to fall.
For underwear and socks, this depends on what your options are for washing clothes. If you know you’ll have access to a washing machine I’d pack a week and a half worth. If you do not think you'll have access to a washer and dryer that often, pack a little more.
The Shoes
I think three pairs of shoes is plenty.
Shoes are the worst to chose and the worst to pack. You want to go for as much comfort as possible since you’ll be walking a lot. I mean a lot... The longer you are traveling the more you will start thinking crazy things like “oh it’s only 2 miles away? We can totally walk that!” As Americans we are so used to hopping in the car for everything but the rest of the world still relies heavily on the old fashion transportation.
So comfort is key but you also want to look presentable because grey Adidas tennis shoes SO do not go with your pink floral romper right? Sandals. I have a pair of off brand ones that I got super lucky with but if you’re looking for a good brand, try Birkenstocks. If you are traveling in the winter, I would say a comfortable pair of black waterproof boots like my Sperrys. I bought these in college when I was walking to class in 10 degree weather and LOVE THEM. Lesson learned: I tried taking Toms to Germany in the middle of January and ended up buying a pair of 15 euro boots on the street because it was about 40 degrees and pouring rain. For most of the time though you will be wearing tennis shoes.
The third is a pair of flip flops from your local Old Navy, dollar store, etc. These are for hostels and beaches or anytime you’re near water really. You definitely do NOT want to shower shoe-less in a hostel.. ever.. SO gross. 😷 If you are headed to a beach, they’re light to throw in your bag so that you’re not soaking wet trying to put your socks back on.
How to make it all fit.
I have a bag for everything.
I have a bag for everything.
I learned this tip oddly enough just by watching YouTube videos on how to pack... organization is EVERYTHING. That being said, if you don’t have packing cubes, stop what you’re doing, head to my link and purchase a set right this instance. Packing cubes are essentially bags that allow you to organize your luggage, or in this case my life. It doesn’t even have to be a backpack, they can be used for regular suitcases as well.
It is so much easier to reach into my bag for an article of clothing and pull out the packing cube, grab the item and stick the packing cube back. No rummaging though the entire bag to find something and no worrying about things falling out.
Will be purchasing a smaller set of packing cubes instead of the random ones I found in my closet!
The Entertainment/Electronics
This is depending on the person and the reason they are traveling but it’s important to have something that keeps you occupied during travel or before bed if you are not the type who passes out as soon as their head hits the pillow. If you’re in a foreign country and chose not to have an international cell phone, those train and plane rides can seem to go on for years if you don’t have a book or movie.
My list in my backpack right now includes:
Electronics -
- Kindle
- Lightweight tablet/computer
- Cellphone
Accessories -
- Rechargeable battery
- Universal adapter
- Headphones
My computer is for my blog writing and travel planning since it can be tough to book stuff on your phone.
My phone doubles as my camera since I have the iPhone X. I chose not to bring a camera for space issues.
I chose a kindle over a paper book for obvious reasons, it’s smaller and you can have multiple books on it instead of one bulky book. However, if you are an intense book lover and bringing a real book is comforting, you do you!
My rechargeable battery is a lifesaver! I keep electronic tickets and travel plans on my phone so my phone has to stay charged at all times. I actually had an amazing one I got through school, for free, that could charge my phone twice but it broke after 5 years and I had to buy a cheap one on the road.
My headphones have helped me stay entertained for hours while traveling but also have saved my butt in hostels when it’s noisy and you need to be up at 5 am for your flight. Nothing like ocean sounds to lull you to sleep. I LOVE the memory foam JVC headphones I linked above. I have been using them for years and they do a great job at cancelling out noise while still being extremely comfortable in your ear since they're able to be molded.
The universal adapter I have was purchased on Amazon for ten dollars and it’s fantastic. It has two USB plugs and a regular plug slot that fits plugs from any country. This means charging or using three things at once, instead of swapping out. ALSO the back of it accommodates literally every country you’re visiting with slide in and out prongs. Headed to Italy? Slide out the European marked prongs, headed to China? Slide the European one back in and slide out the Asian marked prongs.
The Toiletries
A necessary evil and probably where being a girl or high maintenance man is the worst.
I decided on two small bags for this.
One contains makeup/miscellaneous stuff and one contains hair and soap essentials.
Makeup bag -
- Mascara
- Eyeliner
- Eyebrow pencil
- One multi color eye shadow palette
- Sample size foundation
- One travel lipstick
- One makeup brush
- Tweezers
- Makeup setting spray
- Hair ties (small and large)
- Deodorant
Other bag, all travel size -
- Lotion
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Face wash
- Body wash
- Loofah
- Tooth brush
- Toothpaste
- Hair gel
I haven’t mastered this section of packing yet so advice is welcomed!
I have a few things that I packed that I thought would be useful on my trip.
- A neck pillow and face mask
- A reusable tote bag for beach days or holding dirty laundry
- A waterproof pouch for my phone
- Mini hand sanitizer with a carrying pouch to strap to your bags
- Quick dry microfiber towel set
Cheap reusable bag to take with me.
These quick dry towels are AMAZING.
Packing light may seem impossible but it is completely worth it! You will be less worried about the things you have and more about the things you are experiencing. I have an entire apartment worth of stuff sitting in my parents house that I have not used in months. We tend to think we need more things than necessary, so next time you are traveling, I challenge you to pack light and see the difference!
For more pictures of my adventures, follow along on Instagram @KaseyMeetsWorld
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