What to put in my Backpack

Oh, a very interesting topic, I could waffle on for ages here, but I'll limit myself to just 10 suggestions:

1) Pegless clothes lines - fantastic for hanging clothes when an outdoor location is not available.

2) Universal sink plug - many cheaper places don't have plugs, and trying to keep the water when one is trying to wash or clean a face can be a pain.

3) Silk inner sheet - a wonderful item to carry - provides extra warmth in cool rooms, and prevents you from sleeping in sheets of dubious cleanliness. There are some great ones on eBay.

4) Head torch - great for finding things at night and finding your way to bathrooms and toilets when no lights are available.

5) European and UK Adapters - you'll need something to plug your netbook and camera charger into the European and UK sockets. If you are going via Asia first, buy them there, much cheaper than Australia.

6) Stuff sacks - great for putting dirty clothes in or for carrying loose items like souvenirs that you may collect along the way.

7) Clothing Alternatives - I must admit a bias to not liking jeans, but when you are travelling, jeans are heavy, bulky and slow to dry. Have you thought of some pants from a travel store instead which are lighter and dry easier? These stores are also good for buying ultra-light and thin thermal underwear which may obviate the need for you to purchase a jacket.

8) Medical certificates - now you are not likely to need this when going to Europe, but I always bring a letter from my doctor (with another copy elsewhere) which explains the need for all items I'm carrying - i.e. medication, aspirin.

9) Remember to get your phone set up for global roaming before you depart. My strong advice is to never use the phone to call to or from Australia when travelling - rely on SMS instead.

10) Money belt - essential to take with you - good for keeping your valuables away from prying eyes and hands.

I'm sure to think of other things, and if I do, I'll add them later. Reply to this

In response to your questions:

4) Flashlight and torch are the same, but a head torch is very handy. I use the Petzl brand, their cases can be a bit flimsy at times, but the illumination is excellent.

6) Stuff sacks - I could try to get a photo of one and put it on here, but it might be easier to visit a outdoor store - Kathmandu come to mind - but there are alternatives. You might know what they are when you see them.

8) Medical - if you happen to be going to the doctor prior to leaving then grab a certificate. As mentioned before, heading to Europe is unlikely to present problems. Since I travel to places such as Africa and Middle East, I always ensure that my medical paperwork is in order.

I do have four more for you:

11) Travel pillow - these can squash to a small size and open up again - wonderful for long journeys and also for places with dubious pillows or very flat ones.

12) Packing cells - the smaller ones are wonderful for putting electric cords in, it is hard to describe but I'll send you a private message with a couple of links. There are larger ones, which I use to sort my clothes (i.e. the tan ones hold my pants, blue ones hold my shirts) are tremendous, but not as effective in smaller backpacks - mine is 70 litres so they work fine.

13) Mini speaker for MP3 - one of the best items I've ever purchased. If you wish to relax in your room and listen to music without listening via headphones, a mini-speaker is an excellent purchase. Great for when you are wandering in your room packing or something similar. This will be expensive here in Australia, cheaper if stopping in Asia.

14) Business cards - sounds ridiculous, but believe me they are not. I have one with my personal email and Travelblog Profile page. I don't put a phone number on it, as email is much cheaper to keep contact initially. Get them through Vistaprint, but choose when the specials are on.

I do my "travel gadget" shopping at Kathmandu in Australia (no, I'm not on a commission, wish I was!), but don't buy their clothes - I am not fond of the available styles for men. Reply to this

11) Pillow - it is not a dedicated neck pillow, as in the one that wraps around your neck, but a miniature pillow, they are not inflatable. I used them for back support on planes, trains or buses, and then as an extra level of pillows if the place I'm in has some poor pillows. Kathmandu stock them, so just ask to see one.

Did you receive the private messages I sent you with some nice links? Messages with links can sometimes be blocked.

I am more than happy to provide you with as much information as you need - wish someone had done the same with me prior to my travels! When travelling, it is usually easy to decide what clothes to take, but travel gadgets take more time to become familiar with.

One more bit of advice is with toiletries. I've managed to to cut the weight of my toiletries by more than half and that was by using small travel bottles (100ml or less) to fill with shampoo, shower gel or shaving gel instead of the original large containers. Now I take even less than 100ml and use instead some small toiletry bottles (around 40ml) acquired from a hotel once. It is now easy to purchase small tubes of toothpaste that don't weigh much or take much space. Same with small pieces of soap, I usually procure one from a hotel on my travels and keep it for future use. Reply to this

I recently started to use facial wipes instead of taking face wash with me. No matter how tight the bottles are some liquid always seems to leek even if it is within a designated plastic bag.

Agreed on the jeans as they would take way too long to dry. Reply to this

In response to: Msg #151994

Great that you were able to get to Kathmandu!

Leaking toiletries, I have had problems with them in the past. I bring a small collection of sealable plastic bags (easily purchased from the supermarket) and if I suspect something could leak, then I pop the offending item into one of them.

Just remembered one more thing (gosh, my list could be endless!):

15) Antiseptic Hand Gel - not essential in Europe, but certainly is in many other places. Before every meal I use this, and sometimes during the day. I partly credit it for keeping me healthy in places such as India, Middle East and Africa. Reply to this

Seable space plastic bags and space plastic bottles have saved me so much space and money! Good luck with you travels! Reply to this

oh how exciting...cant wait to see your blogs! 😊) Some things i'd consider are:

at coles for $3 you can get a 'sard' soap block that actually washes clothes. Otherwise if you just use normal soap or detergent to attempt to wash clothes by hand they all goes a beautiful grey blue colour 😊

i agree with the guys above on the jeans front. I had a pair of pants that were cargo style but a zip at the knees so i could wear them as shorts or pants and quickly change if somewhere relegious needed pants instead.

Have you got something 'nice' to wear? Maybe look for a little black dress or summer dress you can throw in your bag (that wont need to be ironed) to go to something nice at night whether it be theatre or a show or a restraunt.

Instead of a silk msheet maybe buy the smallest lightest sleeping bag you can. I think mine is about 10cm by 5cm and weighs about 500g so that you can use it at hostels and not need to worry about their linen at all.

but i do like your style and you can always buy what you need when you get there, rather than take stuff you never use! One thing we did on our second trip was buy a touristy tshirt at each location so that was our memory thing but also practical and something clean lol! although maybe get something subtle so someone else would have had to have been there to know what it is 😉
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heya, oh i meant it is a soap that washes your clothes, not you 😊 So rather than taking detergent or attempting to find a laundry mat, if you take the sard soap block (found in the clothes washing section at the supermarket) then it actually works. I think i took detergent for a good 5 years before i discovered it and everything would be come a grey colour 😊

Try and find tshirts that only people who had been there would know are touristy! Like a street name or something 😊

have fun! Reply to this

Hi, Europe in March and April can be cold even in the southern parts so do bring some thicker pants and a fleece jumper, a light cardigan may not be enough. It would be quite unusual to be really hot during these months so get dressed for temperatures 5-25 degrees, maybe even colder during the evenings. Enjoy your trip! Reply to this

I was in the south of France in mid-May and I remember that the weather was beautiful, the nights were cool, but I certainly wouldn't call it cold.

There are a few good weather sites around that list monthly temperatures/rainfall/sunshine and more. The UK based World Climate Guide is the most comprehensive in my opinion. Reply to this