Today is my birthday and I’m very happy that today’s post is about one of my favourite subjects: P is for Packing!
I have a love-hate relationship with packing. I love to talk about it and think about it but these days, when I travel, I tend to leave it until the last minute because I just can’t be bothered. So this post is as much to help myself as it is to help you.
Packing is such a personal thing that depends on so many things that it’s impossible to be too detailed about it but I’ll try to do some guiding principles here. I would generally say try not to pack more than you can carry and if you’ve got hand luggage – carry on – make sure you can carry it. There’s nothing that makes me seethe like seeing someone arrive at the gate with their hand luggage loaded onto a trolley. I mean, I suppose you don’t have to be able to carry your own stuff but I think you need to be able to transport it to where it needs to go without relying on the kindness of passing strangers. I’m in Iceland right now (at time of publishing; not time of writing) and I know that I’ll be struggling under the weight of a duffle bag containing my camping stuff but I only have to get it from the airport to the car I’ve hired and that’s quite manageable. Because it’s such a small tent, the bag will then stay in the car until I hand it back at the end of the week. If you’re travelling solo – and if you’re reading this, I assume that’s your plan – then you need to be able to get your luggage around by yourself.
What should I pack in?
I’m pretty much always going to cheerlead for a backpack rather than a suitcase, even one with wheels. Suitcases are so unwieldy if you encounter steps, stairs, cobbles, sand or anything other than an absolutely smooth floor. If the wheels break, you’re scuppered. If you’re using it for your hand luggage, I find gate staff’s eyes just slide over backpacks, regardless of size whereas a suitcase might be taken from you and put in the hold if the plane is full. And I like having both hands free, especially when I’m travelling to and from the airport. On that matter, it’s so much harder to put down and forget a backpack when you’re on the train into town than it is to forget to pick up a backpack.
What do I need to pack?
That’s going to depend on you, your destination, the weather forecast, your plans and a couple of dozen other things. But let’s have a go. You will need:
- something warm
- something cool
- something waterproof
- something to wash with
- something to charge your electronics with
- something to sleep in
I would always assume you’re going to want a jumper or coat or jacket, no matter where you’re going and no matter how hot it’s supposed to be – nights can get chilly anywhere or it might be something stupid like an overly-air-conditioned mall where you want to throw on another layer. I would assume I’m going to get warm enough to not be walking around in a jumper or coat at some point, so I’d be expecting to wear at least a t-shirt at some point. I would always assume I might get caught in the rain during the trip, so I can’t imagine going somewhere without my waterproofs and you’re always going to want your toothbrush/toothpaste/wash things. You might decide it’s a better option to buy a 100ml+ bottle of something when you arrive rather than pack it – buying in the destination is always an option and it’s perfectly valid to make the decision not to pack something if you’ve got plans to acquire it some other way. I will always take at least my phone and camera and so I’m always going to want to charge them – adaptors & wires are the basics but if you’re not going to have ready and easy access to electricity, you’ll need to think about how to get around that. And of course, something to sleep in – or at least something to keep nearby in case the hotel fire alarm goes off at 4am. Obviously, it’ll need to be closer than “nearby” if you’re sharing a dorm room. Don’t be naked around other people, they find it uncomfortable.
Think about footwear – will those flip-flops be enough or do you want some proper sturdy footwear for walking? Maybe you’re planning a night out but are those heels really worth the weight & space in your bag? There’s nothing wrong with deciding yes, by the way. In the summer I tend to travel with either trainers or boots on my feet, depending on my plans, and carry my sandals which are what I’ll pretty much live in when I get there. Definitely wear the heavy ones and pack the light ones.
With clothes, I know you want something different every day and a change for the evenings or for your Instagram photos but it really will make your life easier if your bag is lighter and that means the fewest clothes you can manage. There’s a reason capsule wardrobes are a thing – if you can take three tops and three bottoms and some accessories and turn those into ten different outfits, that’s a win. If you’re doing a longer trip, washing is always an option. In Russia, I just washed out t-shirts in my apartment and hotel rooms but your accommodation might have a laundry service or you might take them out to a public laundrette. If you’re off for a year-long RTW trip, you certainly don’t need 365 sets of underwear!
You don’t need to take “pretty” clothes for social media photos, by the way. The location and the scenery are supposd to be the star and if you can look like you’re having the time of your life in appropriate clothes, that should be more than good enough. If you’re wearing a massive floaty dress with a twenty-foot train, you don’t look like you’re having a good trip and enjoying your adventure, you look like you care only about photoshoots and getting the shot before moving onto the next one. That said, I take my polar bear swimsuit to geothermal pools where I’m allowed to take my camera and leave the plain ones for the ordinary local pools where I’m not allowed to take my camera. Branding, darling, branding. And I’m definitely not prone to the pretty dresses (although I’m debating taking my long stripy candy-deckchair summer dress to Iceland…).
If you’re interested in fabrics, then take ones that will survive being packed. Even I know that linen in a suitcase, let alone in a backpack, will get crushed and unless you want to spend your trip ironing, it’s not worth taking. I personally like clothes that dry quickly – manmade fabrics for trousers rather than jeans, fleece tops rather than the heavy wool my parents prefer. These kinds of fabrics tend to pack down smaller too.
Be prepared for the weather – waterproofs for bad weather, sunhat and sun protection for hot weather.
What do I not need?
You don’t need anything bulky or heavy. You don’t need three new outfits for every day. You don’t need six pairs of shoes. You probably don’t need that specialist kit you’re only going to use once – for example, if you’re planning to do a day’s diving in Thailand, it’s probably not worth the weight of taking your own favourite wetsuit when you can borrow one. I would personally say you don’t need your hairdryer and straighteners – you’re on holiday, don’t waste time fussing about your hair – but I know that’s likely to be an unpopular opinion. Do be aware of differences between voltage, by the way. American hairdryers are likely to get overloaded by a European power supply and European hairdryers are likely to be weak and feeble on an American power supply. You’ll need a transformer as well as an adaptor. Low-power things like phones will probably be fine but beware when it comes to things that create large amounts of heat.
Your particular favourite can’t-live-without-them foods might be ok – check rules & laws around importing food – but you don’t need to travel with a jar of peanut butter. My parents take a pack of plastic disposable cups, a mug, a mini kettle and a jar of coffee because apparently that’s easier than getting a cup of coffee from breakfast or using the drinks facilities in the hotel room or going to a nearby cafe or bakery. Ok, the basis for the mug is that although most places supply mugs, my mum doesn’t like the idea that they’ve been washed (without washing-up liquid) in the bathroom. It’s not even special coffee. It’s Nescafe Blend 37, a relatively obscure brand of instant coffee – think Gold Blend but harder to find in 2023.
What would I personally always pack?
This isn’t generic trying-to-please-everyone advice but I thought I’d tell you a little more about what I always personally pack. I generally go away for five to eight days so three or four t-shirts, one or two (often three!) jumpers, two more pairs of trousers or shorts (or trousers that unzip into shorts), pyjamas, enough underwear that I don’t have to wash anything (fine for longer trips but for a week, I’m not going to bother), my washing kit, my charging kit and my phone and camera(s) are the basics. These days I tend to take my GoPro as well as my ordinary camera and I’m starting to get into a habit of taking a very basic cheap film camera too. That last is very hipster of me but I’m enjoying the novelty and perhaps nostalgia of getting a set of film photos back after my trip. Other electronics often include my tablet these days – I’m still dithering over whether to take it to Iceland, since large fragile glass screens and tents aren’t really compatible and I’m going to need all the charging opportunities to charge the phone and cameras. I might also take my GPS tracker, which is a tiny little thing that can save my phone battery if I’m going to want to track a longer walk. I usually use Strava but for a day-long hike, it’s probably more efficient to use the GPS. Electronics accessories include a tiny posable tripod for my ordinary camera, the floaty handle for my GoPro, an adaptor to put the GoPro on the tiny tripod, the head or chest harness if I think I might want to use the GoPro hands-free, a remote control for my phone, spare batteries and my headphones kit.
Back in 2016, I think, I got upgraded on a flight to Iceland, which meant lounge access, a seat where the screen folded out instead of being in the seat in front and a set of complementary headphones in a little branded box. I didn’t like the headphones but I liked the box. So my own headphones live in there, so they’re always neatly coiled and don’t get tangled in the bottom of my bag. I also have an adaptor to use them with my phone and I have an audio splitter because I have some romantic idea that I might want to share my music with a stranger – in reality, I’m more likely to jump off the bus (where I won’t be listening to music anyway, because headphones are something I exclusively use on a plane). I also have a little pouch with a lav mike in – I’ve never used it anywhere except for a couple of brief voiceovers under my bedding but I always seem to think that this trip is the one where I’ll do the audio properly.
I’ll always take a book and usually my Kindle – got to have an analogue backup for when the battery fails. I’ll always take a little notebook and pen because if I don’t, I guarantee I’ll want to write something and I’ll just have to buy another. I’m still prone to taking guidebooks – I know people don’t like them and I wouldn’t use them for the fine details, like accommodation or buses or cafes, but the big picture doesn’t change. It’s still the same major attractions, I like a bit of historical or geographic context and I like having something to read while I’m eating my breakfast. I probably won’t take it out during the day with me but I’ll flick through it in the evening and read attentively in the morning before I head out.
Sunglasses, of course. I’m something of a vampire and I don’t leave the house even in winter without my polarised prescription sunglasses. I’ve been known to wear them inside. Right now the summer sun is shining off the neighbours’ white window frames and that’s making me itch a bit to go and find them, even though it’s 10am and I’m sitting at my desk.
I almost always take swimwear. Obviously I take it to Iceland but every time I’ve been to Paris, I’ve seen signs to a pool from a bus and wished I could pop there in the evening. At this point, it’s easier to just pack it even if I don’t use it. I pack a travel towel too and a drybag, because no one wants wet swimwear soaking their stuff and ordinary plastic carrier bags don’t do the job. If I’m anticipating actual swimming, like swimming lengths, I’ll bring my goggles as well. They’re prescription too so they’re really useful for being able to find my way around strange pool complexes. For outdoors pools in Iceland, it’s usually just my sunglasses. I’m not going to swim in a geothermal pool and I am going to get my eyes burned out.
Another thing I’ve got into the habit of taking is some art supplies – I took half a dozen sheets of sugar paper and some charcoal and chalk to Iceland in February and upgraded to scrapbook-size paper, mini hairspray, watercolour paper & paints and sketching pens in Helsinki in May. I always think I’m going to draw more than I do but I still like to have it handy. Which suddenly reminded me that I hadn’t finished, nor seen, my Helsinki scrapbook. Where is it? Did I not do a scrapbook of some kind in Iceland in February? Really? See, I like to make a scrapbook/travel journal. There’s a thing called Scrapbook on the Road and I always mean to make one and never quite do but I still like to collect postcards and tickets and stickers and things to put in it, even if I make it several months or years later.
I should but never do take nail clippers and a nail file. I always break a nail and then I have to bite at it to make it as smooth as I can or find a brick wall to file it so it doesn’t catch on things and annoy me. I sometimes take a bottle of nail varnish so I can patch up chips but I never seem to have the time to sit and let it dry properly, so I don’t bother doing it at all. I don’t take makeup – I’m going to take some bright green eyeliner to Camp Wildfire in September and maybe some colourful eyeshadow but that’s a festival where I want to display my Patrol pride and that’s a little different.
Is that everything I habitually pack? If I’m going hand luggage only, I usually use my 2018 Osprey Farpoint 40. If I’ve got a personal item as well, I have a lovely green nylon bag that I made to Icelandair’s specifications. If I’m taking hold luggage, it usually goes in my Mountain Equipment Wet & Dry Kitbag. I think it’s 70l. I think I have the 100l bag in black which I bought in 2013 for my first Iceland camping trip but I’ve since downgraded to the next size down in red with orange straps (might be 140l/100l but I think it’s 100l/70l). I also have the 40l in purple with green straps. I like how squishy they are, I like that I can sit on them to force the zips to do up and I like that it has mesh pockets in both ends and in the lid for separating out important things like medicines and headtorches. How you pack is important – I like to know exactly where my headtorch is so I can find it in the dark instead of having to rummage around. Top tip: always put the headtorch in an easily-findable pocket.
And I think that’s everything I’ve got to say about packing right now. Take a look through my you should pack this series for further thoughts on specific things I’ve found useful over the years.