I’m leaving soon, and traveling with a backpack. This trip is going to be long, and it’s not a vacation. I will be living out of my backpack, so I need my usual items along with super-travel-friendly things. Besides of my small but powerful items, and hiking pants, running shoes, t-shirts, laptop, I packed little extra something, and I’m going to share with all of you.
Beauty products: high heels & makeup
When I’m traveling, even I’m backpacking, I want to dress up and look good every now and then. I can’t help it: I’m a girl. Of course, hiking pants and running shoes are working pretty well for me and I wouldn’t trade the comfort for looking good. However, there’s a moment time to time. Social events, meeting friends and family, and/or a date, I want to look good. High heels and makeup take up quite a lot of space compare to flip flops and tank tops, but it’s worth it.
Manuka honey
Manuka honey is from manuka bush and it’s New Zealand’s specialty. I travel with a small jar of manuka honey. The reason?: It’s comforting and works good when I’m sick on the road. It is well known for their antibacterial properties. But without the medical fact, it works well with hot tea when I have cold or tongue bumps. Also manuka honey is not as sweet as other honey I’ve had. On the side note, manuka tea is also great, but it was hard to find even in New Zealand.
Sleeping bag
There are many Do and Don’t on the packing lists, and quite a lot of them say it’s useless. But it is totally depending on the destination and the travel style. For me, it works. When I stay with a friend, I like to be a low maintenance guest, who has my own sleeping gear. I won’t stay at hotels in Edinburgh city centre, I will be staying with friends, couch surfing or find a camping spot. And when I stay with a friend, I like to be a low maintenance guest, who has my own sleeping gear. Some hostels don’t have a blanket. Mine is small. And it gives me the chance for being independent for sleep location. So, I’m taking it.
Tea
I pack tea for two reasons. First, because I enjoy tea. Usually I buy tea from a local market but I pack some of my usual tea to have some time to get to know local products. Drinking hot beverage is comforting, no matter where and when. And Second, I use it for making my drinking water taste good. Sometimes tab water or even bottled water has an odd scent. Put one green tea bag in the water, and it’s all good. For this time, I packed the rest of BOH tea from Malaysia and Jeju green tea.
Travel companions
Strange or endearing? Confession: I travel with stuffed animals. Not a 5lb teddy bear, just a little two kiwi birds. I rescued them from a gift shop in Auckland, New Zealand, and they are traveling with me ever since. They are not efficient or helping me to solve the problem, but they give me smile. So I guess they are helping me to travel better.
What do you think about my items? Do you pack something unique for yourself?
What are those?
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I backpack everywhere I go and have a pretty well established bunch of stuff. I have a bumper first-aid kit (which weighs far more than it should) because I always seem to end up cleaning people up after accidents and injuries… particularly those Thailand (motorbike accident) Tattoos! It also has a big roll of blister tape because I get big blisters.
I take a pair of (ridiculously expensive) sailing gloves with me on every trip – and I’ve never used them yet! They just cost so much money and look so cool, I can’t bring myself to leave them behind! Every time I think about chucking them out of my bag I think… ‘But what if…!’
I take wooden bead bracelets (useful to declare on my way into Australia/New Zealand – they count as wood, I’ve never had to leave them at customs, but the ‘something to declare’ queue is always much shorter than the ‘nothing to declare’ line!
A photocopy of my passport – it’s inside the lid of my rucksack, separate from my actual passport which is in my hand luggage with all my valuables. Since I had my passport stolen in Prague I learnt that having a good photocopy of it can be really helpful when trying to get a new one!
And… my Kindle! It takes up SO much less space than the 5 or 6 books I couldn’t leave home without! And it holds… 600 books! Or, wait, is that 6,000? Either way it’s more than I’ll be reading on my next trip to Malaysia! :0)
Tony
Peanut butter and a pepper mill. It’s all about food for me 🙂
Oh how do I love pepper mill! I’m a huge fan too. Yes, it’s all about the food…. 🙂
I also always bring peanut butter with me! I also always make srue I have an alarm clock and a small flashlight – always super useful.
Haha, awww I love this list and I love the kiwi birds! If my panda toy from Hong Kong was smaller I would probably travel with it as well.
I take Vegemite whenever I travel (such an Aussie thing to do!) and sometimes, pending customs rules, I take white tea. It is less processed and because it is a leaf some countries don’t like it.
I also travel with 1 pair of nice heels which, if push comes to shove, I won’t mind getting rid of, and also a clutch handbag. I just bought a new leather one which hardly weights anything and is flat (not hard!) so it’s easy to store inside/with my laptop or anything else flat.
Aww Panda would be so cute!
Vegemite… that’s awesome. I met a French guy who was traveling with vegemite. I liked it!!
I have one shoulder bag I bought in Malaysia. It’s really light, and I can put my laptop in. And, also I can get rid of it when the time comes.
Ahh.. I’m still debating whether or not I should pack a pair of heels. I’m tempted to say yes. =) And TEA! I can’t believe I forgot that. I drink tea everyday at home, comforting for sure! But didn’t think to pack in for the road. I suppose I can always purchase them abroad but a few of my favs I think I’ll pack just to be sure. Confession: I pack Salonpas with me everywhere I go. =P It’s comforting and great for aches and pain. Great essentials list you got there. Nothing wrong with a companion. =)
Yeah… I vote for highheels. Though I’m not sure if I ever going to use it though. But it just feels good to have one fancy thing in the backpack.
Oh and I do like salonpas too! It’s weirdly comforting…. 🙂 But I’m taking tiger balm this time!
I’m taking BOTH — Salonpas and Tiger Balm. Lol.
I travel with a small teddy bear I picked up in an airport. It’s nice having a piece of home with you! Though I have to say, you probably won’t need to bring tea to Scotland, no? 😉
Aww small teddy bear! That’s why you liked my teddy bear mug so much! 🙂 Yeah, and probably you don’t need to bring tea to UK…. or China. ha! 🙂
I always take almost the same things, except for the sleeping bag – it never occured to me that I might need one…
I always always always take my sleeping bag. You never know when you will be on an overnigt bus or train with WAY TOO MUCH aircon!
The travel companion is a good idea. I think bringing my stuff toy along would lessen the loneliness of traveling alone. I am not used to bringing a sleeping bag, but I remember a lot of cases that I wished I brought one. I found it a habit to travel light yet I wouldn’t mind bringing these extra things for comfort. Hope you can visit me at derivative. Thank you for sharing these wonderful stuffs.
If I’m traveling abroad, I always bring my own toiletry. Also, I always bring a sleeping bag even though it takes up precious space, it’s also saved me too many times.
Your backpack is really cute! 🙂 I don’t bring high heels when I travel because I thought it would just add up to my baggage. But now I’m having second thoughts. Maybe I should really consider bringing at least a pair of shoes for social meetings.
Thanks Tiffany 🙂 I brought one pair of high heels and one semi-fancy shirts and I’m glad I did. 🙂
I love the idea of bringing cute companions along. There were a lot of times when I traveled solo and maybe my loneliness was ease if brought along a companion with me. Thank you for suggesting these items. I could definitely include them in my things to bring list.
Awesome backpack ! Never took high heels with me but I am always complaining to myself when I get there and I don’t know how to dress.
Also I have to say that Manuka Honey is the most incredible thing I discovered, it puts me back on track everytime I get a cold in no time ! Totally recommend it to other readers !
I get what you mean about dressing up! I ALWAYS bring a t-shirt that can be worn out clubbing, or a smart jumper that can be worn over a polo shirt in case I’m going somewhere nicer. Solid shampoo is a must for me, as is a photo of my boyfy – I sleep next to it when I travel (sappy, but true!)
When I finished my teaching job in Daegu, some of my 4th grade girls clubbed together to buy me a sleeping mask (thanks 민지연, 박정하, 채시현 and 배수빈!) that has the UK flag on the front of it! Nothing worse than being woken up in the morning by bright lights in a hostel dorm.
On a side note, I just showed my (Korean) boyfriend your blog and explained that you’re going on a world trip – he said simply that you’re very brave and wishes you the best 🙂
I always wished I had stuffed by dinner jacket in. Would have made for good photos up pyramids and on beaches.
I’m also evangelical about the need for zip-lock bags. You can never have too many!
Zip lock bags, how I love them. It’s just so smart, don’t you think? You’re right. You can never have too many!
I always bring one nice outfit on a trip. The most interesting packing job was when I had to fit a formal wedding dress and heels into a backpack! That took up some space and wasn’t something I could wear to other places… But I had to have it!
I always pack the gear inside my backpack in a dry bag (used for camping and canoeing enthusiasts…a waterproof tube sac that rolls down and clips closed) it’s come in handy so many times in a downpour – I get to my destination and always have at least one set of dry clothes. Also, I learned years ago from a couple of travelers to bring a dry towel with me…it dries in under 30 mins…an hour in really damp climates…and can be used as a towel, a face cloth, a sweat rag, a picnic holder and in a pinch a scarf if the temperature gets cold unexpectedly.
I travel with a small bottle of lavender oil. and peppermint oils…antibacterial, anti fungal, perfume (the lavender), good for digestion (the mint), and comforting, mixed together great for muscle aches (in a carrier oil or lotion). I also travel with an ace bandage (I am a klutz) but wrapped around the head keeps the light out AND relives headaches.
Lavender oil, interesting. I’ve never thought of that but I’ll try it sometime! I have a bag of dried lavender, don’t know what to do with it! 🙂
I travel with a stuffed sheep called Barry. When I am on the road I sleep with him down my top, and I don’t care who knows.