Exemplary List of packed Items for a World Trip

While a packing list is always subject to personal preference and priority, the list displayed here reflects only items that I personally decided to take with me and what happened to these items while travelling. Wear and tear is a great factor, especially on clothes. When you don’t have many clothes with you and you constantly have to wash and wear them over and over again, you better want to make sure that they are of pretty good quality.

Also what you need to pack depends largely on where you go, when you go and your style of travelling. If you travel in the wintertime, like to stay in nice hotels, or are into camping, then your list will most definitely look a whole lot different from the one below. This packing list was generated for general world travel, mostly during summer months and for hostel or cheap guesthouse stays.

The most overrated items to pack are in my mind the Travel Towel, Leatherman, Swiss Army Knife and Headlamp. Also the Silk Liner was completely useless for most of my travels and I got rid of it. By the time I reached India and Nepal, I realized that this liner could in fact be a quite useful item to have and I had to ask a local tailor to sew a new one for me out of some cheap fabric.

With that in mind, there is only so much you can prepare and bring with you. Sometimes you just have to deal with situations when they occur and do some “b.i.t.” (buy it there) travels. But as a starting point, this packing list will hopefully be helpful for your travel preparations.

What I took: Comments:

Clothes:

5-7 T-Shirts – replaced often (wear, tear, loss)

5-7 pairs of Socks – 1-2 thicker for hiking, 5 regular

5-7 pairs of Underwear – synthetic, quick dry

2 Long Pants – 1 replaced after 1 year

2 Board Shorts – replaced after 1 and 1 ½ years

Boxer Short – useful for hostel corridors

Fleece Sweater – necessary only for cooler weather

Fleece Vest – always used, stolen and replaced

Thermal Shirt – always used, thin and warm

Wind Breaker – waterproof, extremely lightweight

Pair of Rain Pants – rarely needed, better than umbrella

Pair of Swim Shorts – perfect for Daycations

Long Underwear – only used twice in the mountains

Hat and Gloves – necessary only for cooler weather

Sun Hat – not really necessary

Cap – used many times

Shoes:

Hiking Shoes – replaced after 1 year by Trail Runners

Trekking Sandals – replaced after 1 year

Running Shoes – unnecessary, barely ever used

Flip-Flops – replaced by thinner and lighter ones

Toiletries:

beach Travel Towel – lost

big Travel Towel – replaced by sarong (beach towel)

small Travel Towel – never used

Toothbrush – replaced several times

Toothpaste – constantly replaced

Shaver and Blades – generic type to find replacements

After Shave – 100ml in plastic bottle (Nivea Balm)

Shave Gel – 80ml plastic bottle (King of Shaves)

Shampoo – 80ml container (constantly refilled)

Hair Wax – replaced by different products

small Soap – small for daily use

Sunlotion SPF30 – sometimes hard to find good one

Toilet Paper – for emergencies (1 Roll for Asia)

Deodorant – sometimes hard to find a good one

Tweezers – not really necessary, but good to have

small Scissor – always good to have

Nail Clipper – always needed

Contact Lenses – supply for one year

Contact Solution – heavy and need to be bought in cities

Medicine:

Malarone – Malaria prevention (rarely used)

Ciproflaxacn – for bacterial infections (stomach)

Acetazolamide – altitude sickness (never used)

Pepto Bismol – always used for upset stomach

Immodium – always used for stomach problems

Aspirin – useful for headache and fewer

DayQuil, NyQuil – emergency cold and fly treatment

Iodine Tablets – water purification (used once)

Band-Aids – useful for wounds and blisters

Betaisodona – very useful for cuts and wounds

Motion Sickness Pills – important to have, rarely needed

Oral Rehydration Solution – very useful in case of diarrhea

Equipment:

small Camera – replaced 8 times (lost, stolen, broken)

backup Battery – important to always use the camera

Thumb Drive – always used for internet cafes

small Netbook – always used for diary updates

Travel Plug – globally used besides South Africa

Splitter – handy if only one outlet available

Light Plug – not necessary (only used once)

Global Phone – not necessary (only used 3 times)

Alarm Clock – light and small

Headlight – barely ever used

small Flashlight – always used for dorms at night

Steri-Pen – never actually used

Tools:

Leatherman – given away – heavy, not useful

Swiss Army Knife – only used to open a can or bottle

Lighter – rarely ever used

Duct Tape – sometimes useful

Cable Binders – sometimes useful

Carabiners – not really necessary

Straps and Lose Ends – not really necessary

Sowing Kit – never used

Laundry

Detergent – soap or shampoo can be used

Universal Sink Plug – always used for washing clothes

Inflatable Hangers – always used for drying clothes

Clothespins – sometimes used

Clothes Line – not necessary

Sleeping

Wax Ear Plugs – always used for dorm rooms

Eye Mask – always used

Inflatable Pillow – always used for overnight travel

Contacts Container – backup with contact solution

Eating

Plastic Cutlery – very useful, especially spoon

Inflatable Bowl – useful in some countries

Thermal Mug – always used, lost and replaced

Tea Bags – great if hot water is available

Documents

Passport – filled up very quickly with stamps

Copies of Passport – better to carry than the real passport

Immunization Book – good for border crossings

Travel Business Cards – not necessary, never actually used

Traveler Checks – not really necessary (global ATMs)

Prescription for Glasses – used to get replacement glasses

Passport Photos – very useful (visa, border crossings)

Miscellaneous

small Pad Lock – always used (hostel lockers, doors)

Pack-it Bags – to keep clothes dry and organized

Zip Locks – for keeping the rest organized

Aqua-Pack – useless, ruined my camera

Glasses – used mainly for overnight travel

Sunglasses – replaced many times (lost, broken)

Vision Sunglasses – not really necessary

Emergency Kit – never used, but good to have

Backpack

80 liter Arcteryx – trip 1 – too big and poor quality

50 liter Deuter – trip 2 – great quality, but no good fit

25 l Deuter Daypack – both trips – great quality, but small

Messenger Bag – perfect for Passive Travel Days

The Messenger Bag and the Travel Mug were the most useful items that I didn’t have with me when I first left. After travelling for a while, it felt better to explore a city with a Messenger Bag than with a backpack and the Travel Mug became my best buddy on long bus or train rides. A lot of other items on the other hand turned out to be not as useful as I had hoped when I first left for my Round the world Trip. Overall it seems that a Packing List really is something organic and subject to constant change, depending on where you go and your travel behavior, so be prepared for constant adjustments.

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Active Travel Days

Passive Travel Days

Additional Types of Days

Schedule with more Flexibility

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