My round the world trip backpack

One of the most frequent questions that people asked me before I left was what I was going to pack. About two years ago I decided to start travelling light. What does it mean? A backpack weighing approximately 8 kilograms. Why? It saves you money, time as well as trouble. My first trip like this was to South America.

Packing for a round the world trip was a bit different. It’s not really about how long you travel because if you can make it with little stuff for a month, you can make it for a year, too. It’s more about the different places you want to visit and different climate and weather you will have along the way. As a mountain lover I knew I would need some warm clothes. But I also want to travel across Southeast Asia where there is tropical climate and those flip-flop might come in handy.

I had a big dilemma before leaving. Take a sleeping bag or not. I wasn’t going to take a tent because I didn’t have one but I knew I might need a sleeping bag if I wanted to go hiking in Central Asia and see the most beautiful places. I decided not to take it. For a year long trip during which time I would maybe spend less than a month in the mountains it didn’t make sense. And now I’m really happy I don’t have one. I found other options and I am glad I don’t have to carry that extra weight.

So eventually I managed to pack what I thought I would need. The result? Not 8 kilograms. When I weighed the backpack it was somewhere between 11 and 12. Not too bad for a year. I decided it was ok. I was going to take what I packed, see how it would go and perhaps I would get rid of some stuff along the way. The backpack might weigh less now. So let’s have a look at what I packed.

CLOTHES

Four T-shirts and a short-sleeved shirt, two pairs of shorts and shorts for swimming, two pairs of trousers (one pair for hiking, one pair for other use), two long-sleeved T-shirts, a sweater, pyjamas, a softshell jacket, a scarf, a winter cap, a pair of gloves, a summer cap, underwear including long thermal underwear for hiking in cold weather, a few pairs of socks and a small sized towel. I only have one jacket, not particularly warm but I prefer wearing more layers (e.g. a T-shirt, long-sleeved T-shirt, a sweater and a jacket). It’s a better strategy for travelling to places with different climate than having different jackets for each type of climate. I thought I packed too many clothes especially T-shirts. But then again I didn’t want to do laundry every day. I have used everything so far apart from the shirt which I am saving for special occasions :-). I left my pyjamas at one of my host’s place and lost my cap. But then I found one in the mountains. You lose a cap, you find a cap. If I keep losing stuff, I will travel really light soon.

COSMETICS and MEDICINE

I usually take these things in travel sizes – shampoo, shaving foam, everything in small bottles. I couldn’t find small sunscreen lotion this time, so I have a 300ml bottle. Imagine having everything like this. No way! As for medicine I take much less stuff than I used to. Something for digestive problems – the most common health problems when travelling. Painkillers, a thermometre, plasters and something for cleaning wounds (I already skinned my knees when running like crazy in Astana). EARPLUGS – the single most important thing in this category. For when you have a bear snoring in your hostel room, that’s the worst thing ever. One could torture me with this sound and all secrets are out 🙂 I also took a repellent to protect myself against mosquito bites and malaria and other diseases.

PRACTICAL STUFF

A raincoat, glasses and sun glasses, headlamp, batteries, pens, a small spoon/fork, a padlock, a special money belt, a money pocket, a powerbank and an MP3 player.

MONEY and DOCUMENTS

Money, passports, train tickets, vaccination card, insurance card, etc.

This is my companion – my 50l backpack when I was done packing. It’s been my companion for over ten years and has seen four continents. His name is Tibet Extrem. Born (=made) in Slovakia:-)

I  have got used to the weight by now. I often left some stuff at my hosts’ when I went hiking. But I have hiked with all the stuff once and it was okay. 8 Hours, more than 20 kilometres, 700m altitude difference.

Travel light! It’s so much better!