Are you going backpacking? Or any other type of long-term travelling? And are you not sure what to pack?
While there are plenty of checklists telling you what to take, we’re here to tell you what to AVOID.
Seriously, don’t make the same mistake we did – don’t pack these 3 things we regretted taking.
Now, hold onto your inflatable neck pillows. It’s going to be wild.
Oh and speaking of wild, have you seen the 3 unusual things we take travelling? Some call us crazy. But we think these are all reasonable items!
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Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.
After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆
During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia.
And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful tips and info with you!
Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own adventures too!
The problem
When we were getting ready to go backpacking full time, we looked at many websites and travel blogs, trying to figure out one thing.
What do you pack when you are planning to be on the road for months, or even years???
Our plan was to backpack indefinitely and anywhere – so we needed to be ready for pretty much anything.
It was a scary thought, to try and reduce our whole life into two backpacks.
So we did what we do best.
We researched.
We read through hundreds of packing lists and compiled them into one monster packing list.
Okay, it wasn’t hundreds, but it was a lot – 20 to be precise. (We know the exact number because we still have the Google Sheet we created, specifically just for packing. Can you tell Mirka, the main backpacking planner, is an organised type of a person? 😅)
As you can imagine, we totally overpacked. But that’s a story for another post.
This post is about the 3 things other travellers said you should take backpacking. And so we did. But as it turned out, we ended up never needing them.
Now, that doesn’t mean those travellers are all wrong. It might just be that our style of travelling is different than theirs. Let’s see if your style matches ours, shall we?
Here are the 3 things we didn’t need while full-time travelling. We’re also including some reasoning behind why YOU might deem them essential.
Item no. 1: Door stopper
This one came up quite a lot on travel blogs, especially those of solo female travellers. The idea is that you use it for safety, by wedging it behind the door in your room.
We never did this, because we always researched our accommodation well and kept to a certain level of standard of safety, so we never felt the need.
But then it occurred to us.
We realised that if we ever felt so unsafe in accommodation that we would need a door stopper to save us, we probably wouldn’t stay there at all!
It’s true though, that sometimes your accommodation ends up being different in reality, than what you expected based on photos online.
And sometimes it might be your only option.
A door stopper is definitely a good idea if you are a solo traveller and need the extra peace of mind.
But you have to ask yourself, whether it’s worth backpacking with a door stopper, just on the off chance that ever happens.
(would not do much anyway 😬)
Pro tip
Did you know that there are also portable door locks, that you can attach to your hotel room’s door for extra level of security? We’ve never used these (or even seen them in real life), but we know people who have and they are very happy with them. Something to think about if you want to increase the safety of your room.
Item no. 2: Sink stopper
A sink stopper was listed on almost every packing list we came across.
The idea is that, as you are backpacking, you wash your own clothes in your accommodation’s sink.
And for that you need a sink stopper. Makes sense, right?
There are 3 problems with this assumption:
- The sinks are usually not clean enough to consider washing your clothes in. At least for us.
- Most of the time there are better ways to wash your clothes, like a laundrette or even in a shower.
- 99% of sinks we came across had their own sink stopper.
We backpacked with the sink stopper for many months, as with the door stopper, until we finally resigned and left it behind in one of our accommodations in Bali.
Because when you are backpacking long-term, every gram you carry in your backpack counts. You FEEL every gram.
So trust us. Don’t pack the sink stopper.
Pro tip
If you do plan to wash your clothes in the sink (you weirdo! But we don’t judge) (okay, maybe we judge a little bit), make sure to get the right sink stopper.
How do you know a sink stopper is right for travelling? It’s like the one we got (check out the pic above).
- It’s light – ours was feather-light
- It’s universal – fits all sorts of sinks
- It’s cheap – make sure it doesn’t cost you much, in case you do decide to ditch it in the end, like we did
Item no. 3: Fancy clothes
This one now makes us cringe a little bit, but we really did backpack with fancy clothes. A long-sleeve smart shirt and loafers for Daniel and a nice long dress and heels for Mirka.
And guess what.
Daniel only ever wore the loafers a few times and the shirt actually zero times. (He had a different, checkered long-sleeve shirt which was only meant to be used as an extra layer, but did end up being good enough for bars as well – see the pic below!)
Mirka wore her heels a grand total of one time and the dress? It never even left the packing cube.
So why did we take all these clothes?
Well, when doing our research for long-term backpacking, everyone was talking about all the cool bars they went to while travelling. The rooftop bars, the speakeasies, the beach clubs. So, of course, they listed fancy clothes on their packing lists as essential.
As mixology fans we LOVE a good bar, so, naturally, we wanted to be able to go to these places. And so we packed accordingly.
But, as it turned out, we ended up not going to any places that really required fancy clothes.
Why?
- To save money. We realised that there are so many amazing things to do when you are travelling, that going to fancy bars or restaurants is quite boring.
- In most places, which aren’t high-end, you can usually get away with semi-nice clothes. There is no need for heels or long-sleeve shirts.
- It also never came up as an opportunity – other travellers usually wanted to hang out in cheaper bars too. Most long-term travellers are cautious about what they spend on and if you can get more drinks for less, why not do that?
Pro tip
What would we advise you to do then?
Be smarter than us (shouldn’t be that hard, we make a lot of mistakes!)
Pack so you have clothes that are useful day-to-day, but can double up as fancier clothes if going to a bar or a restaurant.
It’s pretty easy for women who wear dresses – just make sure you can pair the dress with the flip-flops or sliders you are travelling with. Add a bit of jewellery and you instantly have a fancier outfit.
For men, it’s a bit harder. We would still recommend you have a pair of loafers. Many places don’t let you in if you are wearing trainers, so loafers are a good alternative. They are light, packable and pretty useful.
In terms of clothes for men, we would suggest a short-sleeve shirt that is a bit calmer, let’s say, than the classic Hawaiian style you often see in many hot destinations. And get yourself a good pair of versatile trousers. Daniel only travels with one pair of long trousers, but he can wear them for so many occasions, he doesn’t need more. If you don’t have a pair like that, check out the brand Daniel has and loves – Craghoppers.
Note: the above suggestions work best in warmer climates, but for colder climates, you can use pretty much the same advice. Just make sure your main boots/shoes can work with your fancier outfit and get you into a bar or a restaurant!
Bonus tip
The one thing we would advise you to take when going backpacking (or any kind of travelling)? Even though you can’t *actually* pack it?
Travel insurance.
If you are struggling to find a good travel insurance provider, we can recommend not just one, but two!
Crazy us, we researched 23 different insurance providers when choosing the right one for our full-time travels.
In the end, we actually found two companies whose insurance we are happy with.
If you are not sure who to go with, definitely check out SafetyWing or True Traveller. They are both great, both were created by travellers for travellers, and both offer amazing value for money.
So there you have it. We researched, we packed and we regretted. This just shows you that we’re also making mistakes and learning every day. It’s one of the things we love about the travel life.
Is there anything you used to travel with but never actually used? A giant inflatable flamingo? A folding chair? A cheese grater? Share in the comments to help out other travellers!