Myself and a friend are off RTW next week. I really dont know what to pack!!! we are going to Fiji then NZ then OZ then Thailand.
Hello,
myself and a friend are off RTW next week. I really dont know what to pack!!! we are going to Fiji then NZ then OZ then Thailand. we prob wont be doin any sorta camping or treking but will be staying in hostels.I have brought a back pack which opens with a zip etc and has a day bag attached but how the hell do you know what to pack for a years adventure! in such a small back pack!! aaggghhhhhh!!!i know you can buy alot of stuff on route etc and buy cheap and leave behind but HELP ME I'm starting to PANIC a bit!!
Reply to this Hi Claire - a huge topic 😉 - but there is some basic advice in the
Travel Guide - specifically
here - first piece of advice - don't panic everything will work out 😊
But this is a great way to get some advice from all the experienced travellers on travelblog - so what would everyone else take?
Reply to this Vital = money, passport, change of underwear, toothbrush, any medications you need.
Everything else is just extra!
Reply to this You definately need a silk sleeping liner
a penknife, strong DEET spray, MP3 player packed with music, money belt, inflatable pillow, good shoes, torch, student ID (real or otherwise), decent camera. Now you're set.
DA Reply to this Hey there. Have just wound up a 12 month around the world trip, and I tend to agree with Ayliffe at #4.
- Silk Sleeping Liner - hard to imagine, but for any night busses, not-so-clean hostels or just generally to keep a little warmer - they are excellent.
- Agree on army knife, DEET spray, good shoes (water proof and trekking friendly if you are going to do any serious walking), head torch
- Would add on top of that list: long pants for mosquito protection, wipes for keeping hands clean/disinfected and clothes drying line. (you can get a twisted cord thing from most camping/travel shops) Also think about a water cover for your rucksack.. handy for those tropical downpours.
Other than that, no more than 3 shoes (walking, flip flops, sandals), 3 shorts, 4 t shirts, 2 pants... Guaranteed you will send stuff home after a few weeks, as we all pack too much and you'll buy things along the way like you say.
Enjoy!
Reply to this I agree with everyone here but WILL add that you will be able to buy (on the cheap) anything you might need along the way. This is especially true in Thailand. Thailand is a land of markets with every conceivable item for sale. I bought a couple of pair of unisex Thai fisherman trousers for about $3 CAN and wore them everywhere including across India. You will find cheap flips-flops, t-shirts, rucksacks, etc...).
Including buying what I needed along the way, lodging, meals, travel, and "whatnots" I probably spent about $15 - $25 CAN a day and was very comfortable and entertained the entire time. It will probably cost you more to send stuff you don't need back home than to buy an item you need or forgot at home in the markets, just remember to haggle the price (it's expected in Thailand).
No worries, everything will work out fine. Relax and have fun!
Cheers and pleasant journeys.
Reply to this Pack the bare essentials you think you need to survive then take out half and discard it. It amazes me that I constantly see backpackers weighed down with huge overflowing packs on their backs, another stuffed "day pack" across their front and a bag or two in each hand. It is a huge advantage (and will make your trip infinitly more enjoyable) if you travel with a light backpack you can throw over one shoulder. As other people have pointed out - you can buy anything you need on the road. Unfortunately I speak from bitter experience. The first time I went backpacking to Thailand I carried so much stuff on my back that if I had fallen over I would have been stuck like an overturned turtle. Within three days of arrival, half of what I owned was given away.
Reply to this my lesson learned: bring lots of underwear. they're small, fold up well, and will hold over when laundry opportunities are scarce. other clothes can be worn for days and days but there's nothing like a nice clean pair of undies. first leg of our trip I had something like 4 or 5... second leg I'd brought 12. tiny little things, but they make all the difference in the world sometimes.
remember. you're not packing for a year. you're packing for each day, or a few days at most. my rule of thumb was to be able to, in a pinch, put EVERYTHING including the day pack, into my main pack.
sleep sheet is essential, and I did carry a sleeping bag, though a know a lot of people dont. it did come in handy quite a bit. a nice small down bag is perfect.
Reply to this the sleeping bag liner seems essential then, but would everyone recommend actually taking a sleeping bag? i took one with me when backpacking around europe but mostly found it an unnecessary weight in my bag plus taking up so much valuable space!! whats the consensus on sleeping bags folks, especially for a RTW trip?!
Reply to this Sleeping bag - only used when camping or staying at friends places. Hostels positively discourage their use due to bed bugs, and usually provide linen.
Sleeping bag liner/big sarong - I take and use a lot of the time.
Reply to this Good point there... a GOOD document carrying case (clear plastic, sealed against water/moisture) and at LEAST one spare xerox copy of each of your travel documents (passport, driver's license, innoculations, etc.)
I found the sleep sack was worthwhile and there's no way I'd do without the ThermaRest Prolite 3 pad ever again. It weighs 20 ounces, rolls up tight and tiny, and made for many MUCH more comfortable nights' sleep. In Rome, the first night I arrived they had overbooked and I didn't have a bed. Several people in that hostel said that there were bedbugs, so I would have been nervous about getting exposed skin under the covers anyway. The pad and sleepsack worked great. Just pick really good gear, the best you can afford, and you'll find that stuff like the MSR Fast & Lite series more than pays for itself in weigh/size/convenience.
Other than that, just like they said.. as few things as you can imagine going with, and then look for ways to ditch about half of that. My first long trip in Europe I took a laptop, a big backpack and a guitar in case... hiking boots etc. The boots were ditched in London on the 2nd day, along with a few pairs of pants that I realized I woudln't need, and I ended up ditching another dozen kilos of excess when Ryanair hit me up for excess baggage fees on the flight from London to the Continent. After that, a larger RAM card for the camera was better than a computer and burning CDs and hoping they'd arrive back home, a notebook and pen were less weight and responsibility than the laptop... you get the drift.
Bear in mind that anything "valuable" you bring with you is also something you'll have to guard.
ENJOY!
EDIT: Ugh, she's probably gone already. Maybe for the next person...
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