How to Pack for Long-Term Travel Around the World

Skirts. You’ll need to pick a calf-length skirt at the very least to allow you to visit the temples and churches of this world. On my round the world trip, I had an ankle-length skirt that came in very handy during my four-months in India and Nepal. Since then, in the rest of Asia and in Europe, it’s really most handy to find a skirt that hits just below the knee. I own this Icebreaker skirt, which is terrific—it’s durable and travel friendly and it’s a great brand . . . but it’s a tinsy bit too short on my tall frame to work in temples. I pack this skirt when I head to Central America, where it’s a lot less conservative! Even then, however, I always pack at least one of these cheap Stretch is Comfort skirts that have held up remarkably well—I own that skirt in four colors, that’s how much I love it—the skirts have the perfect cost to function to style ratio.

Underthings. Not gonna lie, I pack eight pairs of underwear when I travel—half half thongs and half full-butted underwear. I do this ratio completely because of personal preference (but also because thongs are tiny and I don’t totally hate them). I’m too cheap to buy the fancy travel underwear from ExOfficio but they intrigue me because they have so many doting fans among the traveler set. If someone gave me a pair for Christmas, I would probably love them and travel with them forever. But since they haven’t, I’ve been on the road ten years and I’ve been fine with regular underwear that I pick up at American Eagle when I pass through the states. Hardcore backpackers pack two pairs of underwear and wear one while washing the other pair. That is not me and will never be me, so I refuse to feel guilty for my eight pairs. When traveling, you need enough underwear that you are not laundering clothes every day. I also pack two bras—dark and light—and one sports bra. And I carry a pair of small sleep shorts. I usually just wear one of my tank-tops to bed. In cold weather, I add leggings under my sleep shorts and wear my thermal instead.

Jackets & Outer-things. When I first left to travel, I was cash-strapped and I bought a $20 zip-up hoodie from Target and carried that around the world. It looked gnarly at the end of the year—all pilly and faded. I was actually sheepish about how shabby I looked at the end of my trip, which ended in the UK and Ireland. My pilly jacket made it very clear I was a budget backpacker. Now, I’ve invested in better gear that looks nice and holds up well. You can’t do much better than this Icebreaker Quantum zip hoodie, which is made from Merino wool. It’s among my favorite travel brands because the clothes are durable and always fit well, too. Now, I also carry this lightweight Icebreaker cardigan because it’s cute and the Merino wool works well in cool or warm climates. I wear my hoodie on planes and travel days and in cold climates. And generally, I wear the cardigan all over for sightseeing and day-to-day travel—it’s super thin so it’s not too warm in hot climates to work as a shield from the sun. On my RTW trip I had carried a fleece pullover, but now I invested in a very nice thermal underlayer (I had a cheap cotton one before) and it replaced the need for a fleece. Many travelers also pack a lightweight rain jacket, which is ideal during rainy and monsoon seasons, and it also acts as a thin windbreaker.

Sandals. On my RTW trip, I needed something versatile and durable, and there is no better travel sandal than the Chacos. You’ll meet many long-term travelers wearing these because they offer good arch support and you can wear them in a wide range of circumstances, from trekking through waterfalls to sightseeing in hot climes. Alongside my Chacos I packed a pair of flip-flops to do the trick in hostel showers and casual situations. Like with the pants suggestion—avoid the need for color here, just go with black.

Now, I replaced my flip-flops with this comfortable gladiator sandal, which is hella stylish and yet surprisingly travel-y because they’re from Crocs (note, the sandal comes tight, but after a couple of days of wear they shape to your foot and will become the most comfortable sandal you own) . One problem with just traveling with sandals and boots is that you have nothing to wear in nice situations. These Crocs specifically work well for this issue because they don’t look like Crocs. Carrying a versatile sandal is especially needed if you don’t plan to carry ballet flats. I want to like ballet flats, but on a long-term trip I’ve never found a way to keep them from smelling really bad after a short bit. Truly, I’ve tried them all and I’ve tried everything from inserts to spray deodorant—no dice. For that reason, I don’t pack flats any more; I sometimes buy a cheap pair if I’m in a spot for a while, but I mostly rely on my gladiator sandals.

Socks. Get ready for a fangirl rant about my love for SmartWool socks. You should not scrimp on good footwear since it’s such an important part of long-term travel, where blisters and ill-fitting shoes really cramp a trip. Socks are also important and can play an important part in avoiding stinky feet syndrome. These SmartWool socks are magical. Pack at least one pair to wear during treks and outdoorsy activities. They will keep your feet dry and cushioned. If you’re planning an active trip, pack two pairs. Then just throw in two pairs of thin cotton ankle socks. Four pairs of socks should work for most people, especially if you have comfortable sandals you’ll be using to explore and sightsee, too.

Medical Kit. Start traveling with a good base for your medical kit. Once you have the base, remove the things that seem overkill (I have never carried or needed an ice pack) and then customize it to meet your needs and add a few things that are often lacking. These oral rehydration salts have saved my life, twice. I carry many now. Also, no matter your stance on antibiotics, you should carry them. I always add a full bottle antihistamines for my hayfever. Carry the basic painkillers: ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin. An antibiotic like Ciprofloxacin or Azithromycin (or both). Loperamide for diarrhea. Malaria medicine, if needed. Band-aids, gauze,  triple antibiotic ointment. From there, top up your kit when you are on the road—antibiotics are over the counter in many developing countries and they all carry ORS, antihistamines, etc.

Door stop and Safety Whistle. Though I didn’t take these on my RTW, many solo female friends swear by both these items for giving them more peace of mind on the road. The door stop is a basic precaution in hotel rooms where the door might not latch correctly, and though the simple one is cheap, this high-tech one would do a much better job.

Water bottle. I drink from a stainless steel Nalgene because I prefer not to drink from plastic; if you’re not fussed, you could go with a durable collapsible bottle. Either way, having your own water bottle saves money and is convenient and prevents overuse of plastic in countries with few effective recycling programs. Many guest houses will have refill stations. And if you bring a SteriPen or LifeStraw then you’ll need one of these too (here’s my SteriPen review).

Hat. Sun protection is no joke. I go wide-brimmed and packable, though the short-brimmed would suffice too.

Misc Bits & Bobs. I carry this handy travel spork and I love it. If you are a budget backpacker then having a set of utensils comes in handy—it’s less necessary for mid-range and higher travelers. I carry a tiny ziplock with things like bobby pins, safety pins, a tiny sewing kit, extra hair ties, matches, and a pencil with duct tape wrapped around it. I explain that more here with ideas for travel hacks for those travel MacGyver moments. I also carry two carabiner clips and I love them dearly for their handiness. I use regular carabiners for a range of things. To attach my wallet to my purse, making it pick-pocket proof. To attach my purse strap or backpack to my chair when eating somewhere so it’s not easily swipeable. To attach shopping bags, water bottles or things to my bags. I’ve even used it to attach my camera strap to my backpack when sightseeing to prevent a motorbike from driving by and snatching it. So cheap, so many uses.

Water Purification. Consider a way to sterilize your water. I have seen the LifeStraw in action, and it looks like a great all-in-one option; if this had existed when I left I would have probably carried this instead of a SteriPen, maybe. The SteriPen is a great device, it uses UV light to sterilize unsafe water in about a minute. I used this extensively throughout India, also Laos, and other really undeveloped countries where filtered, clean water is harder to find. I reviewed it after my trip and although you might not need it often, if you are going to very underdeveloped countries, I advise having it as a safety measure. I also carry a Klean Kanteen water-bottle to save money and the environment (fewer plastic bottles!).

Rechargeable Battery Pack: I carry a small backup battery supply that gives me two extra charges on my cell phone and a charge on my Kindle. This will save you if you use your smartphone for navigation sightseeing or entertainment on long bus rides. I carry one like this Jackery Bar; if you’re traveling as a couple then consider the larger version.

Kindle/Tablet. I’ve of two minds on this. I carry my Kindle Paperwhite everywhere and I deeply love it. I will not leave for travel without my Kindle. For the past six months, I traveled with an iPad mini too. It was all overkill since I travel with a laptop. The only strong value I found in the iPad was that my electronic guidebook was far easier to navigate on the tablet than the Kindle. Usually, however, I carry a paper guidebook, so I am leaving the tablet with my nephews next time I pass through home. If you have a laptop and a smartphone, then there is very little value in carrying a tablet. If you’re a reader, however, than a Kindle is invaluable. Same goes if you are a solo traveler, it’s nice to have a trove of books to pass the time. Double points if you renew your library membership before you leave; you can check out electronic books for free while you travel.

Backup Hard Drive. Depending on your travel situation, you should likely bring a portable backup hard drive like this Western Digital Passport (what I carry), or the LaCie Rugged drive, which would handle rough travel. Also consider online data backup programs. I wrote a detailed post on How a Long-Term Traveler Can Back Up Heaps of Data.

Something Silly. I carried a deck of cards during my entire RTW trip, and in the years since, I also pack a portable cribbage board when I travel with my nieces and nephews, or Bananagrams if I will be near friends who also like board games and cards. Travel is about time spent bonding with others, and these silly items will give you a reason to encourage new friends to put down their smartphones and hang out.

The same could be said about jeans, although I took other people’s advice about not carrying them and then bought myself a pair along the way. Now, in the subsequent 10+ years I’ve continued traveling, I’ve never left home without my well-worn jeans. I like jeans and I favor them in regular life. For me, I value the trade-off and carrying them is worth the extra weight and drying time. If you’re happy in trekking clothes or quick-dry, or perhaps you favor khakis, then take my jean recommendation in the spirit of “bring bottoms that you like to wear.”

It’s because of that range of situations that you need to think about long-term travel as a mix of dual and often competing needs. Stylish but functional and long-lasting. Suitable for warm-weather, but layerable so you stay warm in cold weather! You may have never worn a rashguard/sunshirt in your life, but you should seriously think about one if you’re planning outdoorsy activities.

Since your daily life doesn’t likely need that much flexibility, pack items with an eye toward not only what you like to wear, but what will serve your trip in the hundreds of new experiences in which you will find yourself.

What this means is that you need to temper any packing list with adjustments for your trip. If you are backpacking Asia during rainy season, then you might want to consider swapping some cotton shirts for quick-dry fabric.

And my RTW trip also chased summer around the world. Although I spotted snow on my trek in the Himalayas, that was brief and my layers sufficed (I also bought a jacket in Kathmandu for the hike and ditched it a few weeks later). If you’re visiting ski destinations or snow climes, you’ll need to either pack a heartier base layer or plan on buying/renting a heavy jacket once you arrive. You’ll also want an extra pair of wool socks.

Tiny tweaks like what I mention above are impossible to account for if you follow someone else’s packing list in full. Instead, take the packing list advice and compare it to the trip you’re planning around the world.