Sighisoara, Romania
Osaka, Japan
Osaka, Japan
Kyoto, Japan
Osaka, Japan
Marrakech, Morocco
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Tokyo, Japan
Pink is the next shade in what I hope is an ongoing collection of colours (see orange here). Pink is supposed to be a colour that calms you, that represents relaxation and contentment; considering I am leaving for Asia in nine hours, I need all the calming, relaxation, and contentment I can get.
I decided to write a packing list, as people sometimes ask me how I pack for such long journeys. Please keep in mind that a) I always take too much b) I love clothes and c) I like to be prepared. You could travel for six months on much less than what I am bringing. So, in no particular order:
Electronics:
- An Asus Eee notebook computer
- A Canon G12 camera
- A Fujifilm XP10 underwater camera
- A digital Harinezumi camera
- An ipod
- Extra batteries and memory cards
- Battery chargers
- Power adapter
Clothing:
- Five summer dresses, different styles (yep, five)
- Two cotton beach cover-ups (that will be doubled as dresses on laundry days)
- One pair of cut-off shorts
- Two pairs of leggings
- Two long-sleeved t-shirts
- Two tunic-style tops
- Three cotton blouses/shirts
- Four cotton skirts (long and short)
- Four tank tops
- One pair of runners
- Two pairs of flats
- One pair of flip-flops
- Ten pairs of underwear
- One set of pajamas
- Three purses (two cloth and one small leather)
- Three bras
- Three pairs of socks
- Two bathing suits
- Two scarves (thin cotton)
- Two belts
- One rain jacket
- One cardigan
- One denim jacket
- One bag of assorted jewelery
- One pair of sunglasses
Travel Gear and Extras:
- Three mesh bags from MEC (one large one fits all of my clothing, one medium one for underwear, one medium one for dirty laundry)
- An alarm clock
- A roll of toilet paper
- Earplugs
- A bicycle lock (for locking my backpack to luggage racks, etc.)
- A silk sleeping sack
- A headlamp
- A Swiss army knife
- Two guidebooks (one on SE Asia, one on India)
- Small first-aid kit
- Journal, pens, glue, scissors
- Passport/money belt
- One book to read
Toiletries and Medicine:
- Shampoo bar and conditioner bar
- One bar of soap for face and body
- Two bottles of suncream for face and body
- One bottle of lotion with aloe
- Self-tanner (my body may tan well, but my face stays eternally pink and white)
- Razor and blades
- Two sticks of antiperspirant
- One bottle of painkillers
- Malaria tablets
- Water purification tablets
- Hair scissors
- Condoms
- Make-up (not much!)
- Tampons
- Bug spray
- Anti-itch spray for bug bites
- Imodium and Pepto Bismol (India here I come!)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste and floss
- Bandages and antibacterial cream
That’s all I can think of at the moment (my bag is already packed and there is no way I am unpacking it again). All of that fits very nicely in my backpack, other than the electronics which are in my carry-on. My backpack’s total weight is 14kg, which I am pretty damn proud of – I am a notorious over-packer even though I have travelled quite a bit and should have learned how to pack lightly by now. You’ll notice in the clothing section that there are no trousers, and, with one exception, no shorts; I never wear them in “real” life, so why would I wear them when travelling? I am much more comfortable in skirts and will wear the leggings and tunics when engaging in any hiking or athletic activity (and I don’t plan on doing that much, unless you count unrolling a beach towel an athletic activity). (Edit: I just did a quick count of possible outfits, not including the cardigan or denim jacket. 47! 47 different outfits in that one little bag. I am pleased as punch.)
Do you think I missed anything?
10 comments
Lovely photos! Good luck on your trip, you seem like you’ll be well prepared. 🙂
Thanks, Cara-Mia!
Love this post. Love your pictures. Love this new adventure! Safe travels – can’t WAIT to see you in India!
wow that’s awesome! I can’t even go away for a weekend without bringing a suitcase.
Kisha – Thank you! Oh, and I can’t wait, either. We will have a blast…
Canadian Pie – I am a notorious overpacker, so I was quite proud of this bag! Of course, I then met a girl travelling for a year with only 12kgs and my pride quickly turned to shame…
Especially like the 2 pictures with flowers. Your packing list is almost identical to mine, except for a much longer period of time 😉 Hope you’re enjoying everything so far!
Thanks, Ekua! It’s amazing how many options I have with this stuff, I’m quite proud of myself!
I bought a Canon G12 camera too but I find that the photos when viewed on the camera’s LCD are way different from what I get when I upload them on the PC. I’m disappointed. The colors look totally washed out. Help?
P.S. Sorry for the totally unrelated topic 🙁
Hi Brenna
How many litres is your backpack? I am having the same dilemma about what to pack…
I was going to go for 50 litre with a 25 litre extra bit. Hmmmmm
Not sure, but great tips on packing. 47 outfits is pretty good. not quite sure I’ll be able to match it!
Tee
My bag is a 70 litre one, but it is hardly ever full to capacity.
My advice is to bring almost NOTHING in terms of clothes…I swear that I have gotten rid of nearly everything I brought with me originally! I bought so many cool, unique pieces while travelling so far, and they are so much cheaper than in Canada…trust me, you’ll buy a lot on the road!