Everyone takes different things on their trip – some people can't live without music, while some just have to take a 50-blade Swiss army knife, just in case they meet a horse with a stone stuck in its shoe – but it can be quite daunting knowing what to pack. The golden rule is to take less than you think you need, because unless you're going somewhere amazingly remote, you'll be able to buy almost everything you want when you're there, and if you're travelling the developing or Third Worlds, it'll be way cheaper on the road.
There's also the choice as to what to carry it all in, and unless you like sore knuckles and a broken back, get a backpack. There's great debate about which style of backpack is best, but I prefer the travel packs that zip up like a suitcase, yet go on the back like a normal pack; they're much easier to pack and unpack, and they're not that much more inconvenient than professional packs when doing hardcore walking.
Getting a small daypack is a seriously good idea, so you can pack your camera, a book and some water and head off into the wild yonder having dumped your pack on your bed.
Don't take anything valuable, if you can help it. Most people take a camera, music player and so on, but don't take a laptop or expensive jewellery unless you want sleepless nights. You won't need it, honestly, and you'll just end up having to carry it.
The following is what I took on my trip (or, more precisely, what I found after some years to be the best compromise). It's more suitable for travelling in hot countries, but it's a starting point.
Miscellaneous
- Backpack
- Daypack
- Sleeping bag and liner
- Inflatable pillow
- Eye shades
- Mosquito net
- Umbrella
- Sewing kit
- Heavy-duty chain
- Padlocks (large one for chain, small ones for locking your bag's zips)
- Compass
- Small pair of binoculars
- Small Swiss army knife
- Lighter
- Watch/clock (preferably with an alarm for those early starts)
- Safety pins (very useful for pinning your trouser pockets shut in pick-pocket areas)
- Clothes line (just a bit of plastic line)
- Masking tape
- Bottle sling (then you can carry bottled of purified water without taking up your whole daypack)
- Little snowman (to avoid the effort of building your own)
Electrical
- Batteries (for Walkman, camera, computer, torch)
- Small torch
- Spare bulbs for torch
- CD or MP3 player (CDs are better if you want to buy music locally, but MP3 players are tiny)
- Camera
- Weatherproof camera case
- Mini camera tripod
- Films
- Palmtop computer, including some method of backup
Documents
- Waterproof zip-lock wallets for keeping documents dry
- Cotton money belt
- Durable wallet
- Passport
- Driving licence (with an international permit if applicable)
- Travellers cheques
- Cash (usually American dollars are the best bet)
- Credit/debit cards
- Diving certificate
- Insurance documents
- Spare passport photographs
- Photographs of loved ones
- Reading books (I take two so I can swap one with other travellers when I've finished it, but can still read the other one)
- Guidebooks
- Pen
- Paper
- Maps
- Highlighter pen (if you want to draw your route on your maps)
- Travel tickets
- Photocopies of passport, driving licence, air tickets and other documents (stored separately from documents)
- Travellers cheque numbers (stored separately from travellers cheques)
- Details for any websites you might want to access from the road, such as email or banks
Clothing
- 1 Gore-Tex jacket
- 1 pair smart lightweight trousers (dark to avoid dirt showing)
- 1 pair tracksuit bottoms (for cold weather)
- 1 sweatshirt or fleece (for cold weather)
- 2 collared shirts (for everyday wear)
- 1 collared T-shirt
- 2 pairs cotton trousers (bought en route)
- 2 pairs boxer shorts
- 1 pair swimming shorts
- 2 pairs hiking socks
- 2 pairs normal socks
- 1 pair hiking boots (for everyday wear, which you might like to line with Odor Eaters)
- 1 pair spare shoelaces
- 1 pair sandals (non-Jesus-style if you don't want to be laughed at)
- 2 handkerchiefs
- 1 sarong (bought en route)
- 1 pair sunglasses (polarised if you're going near the sea)
- Strap for hanging your sunglasses round your neck to help prevent loss
- 1 Australian bush hat (wide brimmed to keep the sun at bay)
- 1 small towel (travel towels are awful – get a real towel, as they're cheaper and far more pleasant)
Medical and Toiletries
- Inoculation card
- Sponge bag for holding all your toiletries
- Emergency medical kit (available from your doctor, contains sterile needles and so on)
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- Mosquito coils
- Insect bite cream
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Earplugs
- Flannel
- Comb
- Small scissors
- Vitamin tablets
- Deodorant (though a shower twice a day is more pleasant if you can get away with it)
- Thermometer (if you can get a non-mercury one, so much the better, as technically you shouldn't carry mercury thermometers on flights)
- Muscle sprain cream
- Razor
- Paracetamol
- Oral rehydration salts (ORS)
- Acidophilus (excellent for replacing benign stomach bacteria when you get ill)
- Plasters (Band-Aids)
- Micropore tape (for strapping up wounds to keep the dirt out)
- Elastoplast stretchable fabric tape
- Antiseptic cream
- Knee supports (if you plan to do a lot of hiking with a heavy pack)
- Shampoo
- Soap
- Soap dish
- Anti-fungal cream (for athlete's foot, tinea and other irritating side effects of being constantly sweaty in the nether regions)
- Plastic mirror
- Lip balm
- Water filter (I bought a fantastic lightweight water filter for purifying water called a Katadyn Mini Filter, which was extremely useful on treks, though no more or less useful than tablets)
- Chlorine or iodine tablets (for purifying dodgy water)
- Taste removal tablets (to make it drinkable)
- Malaria tablets (if applicable)
- Toilet paper (though it's easier to get used to using your left hand in a lot of countries)
- Any special medicines you might need
And last, but not least, don't forget to pack your smile. It makes travelling so much easier...
