Step six: gear and packing
We’ve done the practical matters in step 5, but another VERY practical matter is packing! What gear do you actually need for your trip? And what to pack it in? The golden rule is: packing less is (almost) always better. If you really need an item you left at home after you’re on the road, chances are you can rent it or buy it.
First let’s start with what to pack it in: the backpack!
Backpack
This is a huge subject and your choice will have a large “weight” on your trip, so you want to think about this very carefully. If you happen to already own a pack that might work you should still consider other options. If this trip is going to end up costing €15,000 or more, then spending €300 or even more on this essential item that will have a large impact on your comfort makes a lot of sense. When choosing a backpack for a world trip, you’re going to want to consider four things: size, weight, comfort, and design. Click on the link below to read more about choosing the right backpack
The right clothing
This is another huge subject, and important to read about. Because many new travelers make the mistake not realizing how easy it is to actually make adjustments to your travel wardrobe on the road. People end up packing way too many just in case items. There is that old cliché that says you should think about what you’ll take with you, then get rid of half your clothes and double the amount of money you planned to bring. That might help a novice traveler heading out on a 2-week trip, but packing for a world trip requires more strategy. Click on the link below to read more about picking out the right clothing for your journey.
Gadgets
There’s more to packing than clothes and bags. Trying to decide on tech stuff is usually the most difficult. Cameras and laptops can become heavy and cumbersome on a long trip, not to mention having to worry about them getting stolen, lost, or broken. Next we’ll deal with what you need to be thinking about as far as tech and gear to bring on your world trip.
Click on the link below to read more about bringing gadgets along on your journey.
If it fits it sits
Now you have all the stuff you want to put in your backpack, but while you put it in your backpack your backpack won’t close or it simply just looks like a mess. Organizing a backpack for travel – and then keeping it organized – is a big challenge, even for seasoned travelers. The knock against most backpacks is that they are a big hole: your clothes, tech, and toiletries all get piled in on top of each other and then get totally disorganized when you pull out what you need. I have some tips for you that will help you keep your backpack organized while fitting everything that you need.
Click on the link below to read more about organizing your backpack.
Checklist
So you read a lot of information about packing and probably your head is spinning. To make it a bit easier for you (or to skip all the information above). I made a list of all the items I bought with me on my world trip. You can use it as your own checklist.
Click on the link below to check my checklist
Special thanks to Bootsnall.com for all the guidelines and information on how to plan a round-the-world trip!