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What to pack to travel the world

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Just imagine, you leave home for at least a few months and go through different climatic zones. You will have to collect and disassemble a suitcase almost every day, and it is also only for you to carry it. What will you take?

Yes, at home wardrobes are full of favorite dresses, without which you can’t live. And you really need to take at least three sweatshirts with you, which are all different and all are very necessary, because it will be cold. And a leather jacket. Several pairs of jeans – we are going for a long time.

And also – ballet flats (very comfortable), sneakers (to walk in new cities), sandals, flip flops. Damn, whether or not to take sandals with heels, maybe at least one, because there will also be decent restaurants?

More than once I have been asked to tell you what the wardrobe of a person who spends more time traveling than at home looks like. And questions about the size of our luggage and whether we carry a container with us, I receive once a week. So today I open my cards and tell you what my wardrobe consists of. This post is dedicated specifically to clothes – laptops, an electronic reader, a flashlight, I will not list cosmetics.
We left home in September and spent five months in Asia – Nepal, India, Thailand, Bali. And now we are planning to stay in America for six months – Argentina, Bolivia and Peru are already behind us. Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela remain. During this time, we visited the track in the Himalayas, and at the end of the world – in cold Ushuaia, and on the beaches of Bali and India, and in the Amazon basin. This I mean that we have clothes for all occasions – from swimsuits to mountain boots and thermal underwear.
For two, it all takes one suitcase (medium) and one backpack for 55 liters.
I must say right away that I am not writing here about things that every respectable traveler should take with him such as sports sandals, shapeless shorts, trekking trousers, fleece and a T-shirt made of a super material that breathes, dries quickly, etc. I went with this set on my first seven-month journey – and apart from the track I could not walk anywhere in these clothes. I had to send parcels home, because it’s all expensive – it’s a pity to throw it away :)).
And now – a list of things that I always take on long trips. It was supplemented and changed many times, but now this is the minimum set that I can manage, even if I leave for a year.

1. Denim shorts

Without them, nowhere – to the beach with a T-shirt, to a restaurant with a shirt, and to walk around the city – they are appropriate in almost all cases, both in Asia and South America.

2. Shirt

I really love shirts, especially white ones. It seems to me that there is no more versatile outfit than shorts or jeans with a white shirt. Sometimes I have two of them with me in different colors, now one.
White have to be changed every few months, because during this time they become unusable.
The biggest problem is to buy a non-wrinkled white shirt. I haven’t succeeded yet. But for this journey, I found the perfect option: a cage more blufashion.com. My love has been for so many months – I still don’t want to part with it.

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3. Jeans

They seemed like an absolutely useless thing in Asia, because they are either cold or hot. But in South America, this is my main clothing for every day. I even had to buy a second pair, because death is tired of walking in the same one.

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4. “Pajama” pants

I hate the shapeless pants with elephants that girls in Asia love to wear. Therefore, all their functions are performed by silk “pajamas” – you can walk in a hotel, ride in buses, sometimes even cut through the street.

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5. Dress

At least one. Mostly two. I bought my ideal one in Bangkok – I still tear my hair out, which I didn’t take the second one. It is very simple, made of cotton with viscose – takes up a minimum of space, is very light, does not wrinkle, but looks great and appropriate everywhere.

what-to-pack-to-travel-the-world-096. Two – three overalls (shorts)

This is my versatile everyday wear, especially in Asia. Here in South America, it is often cool in them, because we are constantly at the highlands.
Now these three are with me.

7. About five T-shirts and a pair of T-shirts

There are always a million options here. And if there are countries where it is difficult to buy something from my universal list (for example, in Bolivia, for a whole month of searching for more or less normal jeans, I could not buy anything), then there are never problems with T-shirts. I try to change them more often so that there is at least some variety in my wardrobe. Only the rule always applies – if you bought a new one, you threw out the old one.

8. Kangaroo sweatshirt

In Asia, you use it mainly in airplane buses, but here you practically live in it. I love the gray ones the most. And at home I also have about five similar in different shades.

9. Two leotards

10. Windbreaker

To be honest, a decent windbreaker is a must. Everywhere. Before this trip, I had dubious quality jackets of ordinary masmarket brands. But when I got to Nepal in the pouring rain, and got wet once again to the skin, I bought a North face windbreaker. There she is.
And since then I don’t know any problems – it really doesn’t get wet, it isn’t blown out, it breathes – in general, it performs all its functions. This is one of the best acquisitions of this trip so far.

11. Shoes

Keds – I also didn’t like them in Asia, but here I always wear them. I try to change them every two months. Now these are with me. Bought them at Bata. Asia is full of stores of this brand – as it turned out, in America too.

12.Rubber Sandals

My love has been for a year now. In Asia, I just live in them. In sandals it is not scary to get caught in the rain, go to the beach, to a cafe. In Bali, during the rainy season, you can’t go anywhere without them – all the rest of the shoes you just throw away in a week. They also have amazing durability – I buy them once a year in Bangkok. And more often than not because the sandals fell apart, but because they got bored.
From decent brands you can find these at Melissa, by the way.
And in the photo is my collection of the last years of travel.

In fact, not at all an option for travel, because it can fail at any moment. Therefore, I’m waiting for the moment before meeting my new love – National Geographic backpack.

13. Small shoulder bag

I use my backpack mainly for traveling and in the mountains. I go around the cities exclusively with a small bag, in which an iPhone, lip gloss and a book. She flashes on all the photos, so you can already imagine how she looks

14. Hat and scarf

I wear a scarf as a bandage or bandana. It is inconvenient to carry a hat, but without it it is very bad both in Asia and in America.

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15. Leggings and top

I use them mainly in yoga retreats, which we always have during our Travel programs – hen parties or just when we are in Bali, and I have the opportunity to buy a subscription and, like a diligent yogi, go to classes three times a week.

Ps: no, I don’t do yoga during active travel, I’m a bum and a big lazy person and it’s hard for me to force myself.

Actually, that’s all. I think this is the perfect set for a long trip. It can be updated every few months, throwing away the old – buying a new one – it is much more interesting and always looks different.

Depending on the specifics of the country, I buy things that are not included in this universal set. But then I throw them away as unnecessary.
So, in India I wear traditional clothes (and I advise everyone;), basically, I buy three suits, which I then throw away with a light conscience.

In Bali, something like this open-back jumpsuit appears in my wardrobe. I can only wear it there, so I sent it home when we left the island.

In Bolivia and Peru, and it is very cold here, I got an alpaca sweater (very warm), a scarf and a hat. With this, I will also have to part with everything in a short time. But they have served their purpose.

This all fits in a suitcase, besides, Anton’s things are placed there.
Well, all kinds of garbage like cosmetics, cords.

But since on our trip we very often go to the mountains, and in South America it is soooo cold (for example – Ushuaia, Fitzroy, Uyuni …), we have to carry with us all our mountain equipment, which is in a backpack for 55 liters. We unpack it just when we need it.I don’t consider it a must when traveling – it all depends on what you are planning.

Still, here’s the list:

  • Trekking boots
  • Fleece
  • Thermal underwear (top and bottom)
  • Two pairs of trekking trousers – lightweight and warmer
  • Jacket
  • Gloves
  • Trekking poles
  • Sleeping bag

PS: This list is written from the perspective of a girl who was once in love with fashion and who has worked in this business for a certain number of years. And now traveling for 11 months in a row. Now the shopaholic in my soul, though not dead, has completely retrained and adapted to new conditions.

If you want to look at all this from a male point of view, then here Anton once, during his first trip, already shared the contents of his backpack. I will say right away that over the next years, his addictions have not changed much. Well, except that he no longer carries a tent and a rug :))
And once I also wrote a post-recommendation on what to take with me on a trip. This was written to help the girls going to our bachelorette party in Nepal. But still it is more or less universal: What to pack to travel the world