TRAVEL LIGHTER
I wanted to share a couple of travel packing tips and also share with you what I have in my backpack during my long travels. I must admit, when I first started travelling, I wasn't the most efficient or lightest traveller around. I felt like I carried my entire closet from back home. Overtime, I've developed my "packing skills" (is that even a thing?) so to speak and I've learned how to pack lighter and smarter. For any of you that are just getting into travelling, read up and take notes! And for the rest of you that have done this before or if you're an expert, feel free to read up as you may learn a thing or two. If not, well, I appreciate you reading what I typed up.
Whether you're going for a short vacation or going away for a long time, packing lighter is always much better! This is probably the most recognizable travel packing tip. Packing shouldn't be this complicated, tedious process. Here's what helped me be more efficient when I'm packing to travel. I think of it as 4 categories when it comes to packing. Clothing, toiletries/personal care, electronics and essentials. This should make things easier for you from the get go. Your packing style could have one more or one less category. For all the females reading this I know what you're thinking. Men don't need to carry make up, accessories or any other female related things.
Look I get it, you also don't need to bring all your accessories from back home. If you must bring these items, you can condense them as much as possible and add it to these items I'm about to talk about. You will still be packing light!
Before I talk about what you should be packing, let's talk about where you're going to put these items! Due to my travelling style, I usually carry a backpack. But everything I talk about here applies to whether you use a luggage or a backpack.
The Backpack and The Carry On
I normally travel with a backpack and a carry on. If you can condense all your items in a single carry on, I give you props. But the reason why I carry a carry on (lol.. that sounds funny) is mainly because of my electronics. As a content creator and I'm sure other content creators can attest to this, we need our gadgets! Probably more than our clothes (no joke). In fact I would rather lose all my clothes when I'm travelling, instead of losing my electronics.
I have a 65L backpack and it's amazing! This backpack has gone through so many countries and it's still going! It's been thrown around, beaten up, put through a variety of conditions. It's endured a lot on my travels. The backpack is such a solid backpack. I know 65L may be too big for some but it's perfect for me because if I'm travelling to somewhere tropical and somewhere cold, I have enough room to combine my summer wear with my winter gear. Also, just because it's a 65L, it doesn't mean I fill it right up. The pros about this bag is that it's affordable, the zipper (some backpacks are only accessible from the top making it hard to get items at the bottom, the zipper allows an entire access of the backpack), durability, and the adjustable straps maximizing the comfort of how it rests on my shoulders/back. The carry on I have is from Bagsmart and its perfect to carry my camera gear around with.
CLOTHING
Clothing should be fairly straight forward. I like to keep things as simple as possible and I try not to fuzz about this too much as clothes can also be bought overseas if I really need something. Do not fold your clothes when you're packing. Roll them up instead as this will maximize the space in your backpack.
What I pack: 6 pairs of shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 2 shorts, 2 swimming trunks, 3 pairs of socks, 7 pairs of undergarments, 1 pair of pants , 1 plaid shirt, 3 bandannas, hat , a pair of casual shoes and running shoes, 1 hoodie, 1 windbreaker jacket, and 1 pair of gloves.
TOILETRIES/PERSONAL CARE
I have a toiletry travel organizer to fit all my toiletries and personal care items. It's compact and keeps everything well organized. I also have Travel Containers where I store my liquids. It's very handy as they are 100ml each. They are small enough to go in my carry on bag if I need to but almost all the time they are in my backpack to be checked in.
What I pack: Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, loofah, soap, shampoo, deodorant, Q tips, sunscreen, nail clipper, comb, small scissors and bandaids.
ELECTRONICS
As a content creator this is where things get compromised when you've packed light with everything else. No matter how minimal your gear is, let's face it, electronics have weight. I will provide a more extensive post about my gear later down the road. I still consider what I have now and in terms of what I need for the things that I do light. These items will be in your carry on so that they don't get thrown around like your backpack and so that you will have them close to you if you're moving from one place to another.
What I pack: 13" MacBook Pro, Canon 80D, Sony A7rIII, DJI Mavic Air, Canon G7x Mark II, Interntational Travel Adapter, GoPole Solar Portable Battery Charger, Manfrotto Mini Tripod, and Regetek Travel Camera Tripod.
In terms of equipment without getting technical, it's pretty evident that most of my gear is light compared to the equipment or item in that particular field. For example, a Sony mirrorless camera is much more compact but a lot will argue has an equivalent amount of capabilities if not much more better than your other bulky DSLR's. I have the most compact drone out in the market right now with the DJI Mavic Air.
ESSENTIALS
Essentials are fairly explanatory. These are usually the items that I double check and make sure I have before leaving to catch plane or moving to another destination. Everytime I check out of my room on the road, this is the first thing I check and the last thing I check to ensure I have them. These items will also go on your carry on so that you have them at all times when you're moving around from one city to another or to another country.
What I pack: Passport (umm duh!..), 1 debit card, 2 credit cards, Samsonite RFID Passport Holder, RFID Lewis N Clark waist belt, small wallet and a passport sized photo (good to have one or two handy in case it's needed for a visa).
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. Believe it or not electronic pickpocketing is common when travelling or just in general. Passports and cards are now embedded with radio frequency identity chips making your personal information even more vulnerable. Thieves can now attain your personal information by skimming your cards wirelessly without even you knowing in public. They could literally just stand close to you, and boom! Your personal information have been compromised. Having an RFID passport holder and wallet prevents thieves from stealing information wirelessly in public. A great investment and must have if you're travelling!
