Packing List

Finally the day came… it is time to pack as I am leaving tomorrow! Obviously the most important part right before starting a journey is the question what you should take with you and what can stay at home – so I am sharing my packing experience with you. Every person needs different things on different places so there is no ultimative list that fits to everyone. Also, the first try of packing will never be perfect and thats okay. But you can already avoid some important mistakes by checking my packing list that I will rework after every journey I do:

Must haves:

• ~ 60 liter backpack + rain protection (min. 55 – max. 80 liters) 
• small and light backpack (for daily excursions and hikes)
• passport + one copy (store it separated!)
• mobile phone + charger + headphones + electricity adapter
• min. 100$ cash in reserve (don’t store it in your wallet in case something happens)
• drivers licence + one copy (store it separated!)
• plane tickets (printed or on your phone)
• small rain protection or plastic bags (for valuable goods and copies)
• health immunization form + one copy (depending on the region you go – store it seperated!)
• medication (for personal needs or e.g. Malaria, Pakemed, …)
• small neck pillow (for the long trips and bad hostels – inflateable)

Clothes:

• 3x tanktops and 3 t-Shirts (varies of the temperatures of your destination)
• 1x shirt / dress (for going out – e.g. some clubs have dresscodes…)
• 1x sweater
• 1x jeans
• 1x shorts
• 1x swimming clothes (make sure you can also wear them for not swimming)
• 1x travel / trekking pants (zipable at the knees)
• 8x pair of socks (they don’t need much space or weight – so you don’t have to wash often)
• 8x underwear (they don’t need much space or weight – so you don’t have to wash often)
• 1x rain jacket (water and windproof)
• 1x trekking shoes (spray them waterproof! Make sure they are stable and comfortable. Also make sure they look good enough for going out to clubs. Good shoes is the most important thing.)
• 1x flip flops or slippers (for dirty showers and the beach – slippers are more stable so I am using them!)
• 1x big towel (a thin one is lighter and dries faster!!)
• 1x bag for dirty clothes
• 1x belt

Toiletries

• bag for toiletries
• toothbrush + cover
• toothpaste
• shower gel
• antiperspirant
• shaver (2-3 one way)
• after shave
• nail clipper (depending on the time traveling)
• hair gel
• sun cream
• after sun
• insect repellent
• condoms

These are all the things I would recommend to take with you! Nevertheless there are more things I like to take with me for myself:

Nice to have:

• shaver foam (depends on your Skin)
• sunglasses + case
• pocket knife (with bottle opener)
• knife (so you can prepare your food everywhere)
• small padlock (very usefull in hostels for valuables)
• lighter
• pen
• book to read (max. 1! you can book exchange it later!)
• book to write (like a diary)
• small vocabulary book (if there is another language)
• filtering flask / refillable bottle (filtering bottles are very useful for hiking or in hostels)
• very small sawing kit
• SPACE FOR SOUVENIRS (better bring less from the list and buy it there!)
• sleeping bag (in case you are planning to camp)
• small tent (in case you are planning to camp)
• pot and mini grill  (in case you are planning to camp)
• powerbank (especially for camping or bad energy phones)
• gloves and hat (on mountains a must have)
• very small first aid pack (when camping a must have)
• business cards
• small keyboard with OTG-Switch for phone (just if you are writing a blog or have to write long texts often)

Don’t bring:

• thick winter jacket (unless it’s a very cold region – just wear more layers!)
• Laptop (unless you need it for work or your blog)
• too much camping stuff! (unless you are sure you will use it a lot)

Keep in mind this list is for a mix of cold and warm weather. Adopt it according to your own destination! Now I have one last and most important hint: Don’t pack too much!!! You have to carry it all the way… if you forget something you can always buy it there as there are stores all over the world ;). That basically means: less is more!