Packing is never an easy task. When I started packing for my year-long trip, it was one of the most difficult parts to planning for the trip. After a lot of trial-and-error and getting some experience on the road, I was able to finally settle on what the perfect things to pack were.
If you’re considering a long-term trip yourself here is some general advice:
- Figure out approximately how often you want to do laundry. My recommendation is every 5 days. (If you start out with 5 days of clothes, as you travel this number will steadily increase – not because you buy more clothes but because you’ll wash things in the sink and your smell test will become easier to pass.)
- You’re not traveling to the moon; don’t pack for every imaginable situation. If you need something you can almost always find what you’re looking for or something close to it at your destination.
- You can send things home too. If you end up packing too much, not a big deal. Sending packages home is reasonably priced.
- If it gets cold, you can buy a jacket. If it’s hot you can buy extra T-shirts.
- Think versatility. Almost everything in your pack should serve more than 1 purpose. You’ll see what I mean below.
To see a detailed list with pictures of what I packed for my year-long trip check out the full post.
If you’re a female, you may be more interested in the female edition.
I love the “you’re not traveling to the moon” comment! Excellent!