I love traveling, but I hate packing. It’s really one of the most stressful things about traveling for me. Sure, this should be easy, but when you’re packing for a long trip and you will be lugging your pack around for months, efficient, smart packing all of a sudden becomes priority #1!
Of course I hate packing because I suck at packing light. I guess I inherited my parent’s ‘pack rat-depression era’ thinking when it comes to packing; take everything along because you never know when you may need it. This is why they still have canned vegetables from 1980 in their basement. And this is probably why I ended up hauling my medicine cabinet along with me on my around the world travel.
Some things I didn’t need on my Around the World Travels:
2 pairs of ipod headphones – one for exercising and one for non-exercising
hairdryer…nuff said
travel books – they are HEAVY!!! Give them up and use podcasts instead! I would actually recommend never carrying more than one book at a time.
water bottles – Water is cheap…just buy it when you need it.
sleeping bag – you seldom need it, you can improvise if you need to for a night or two.
A first aid kit is great, but don’t bring your whole medicine cabinet. Trust me, there are pharmacies all over the world…in the most remote places…you will be able to find cough drops, eye drops, and aspirin anywhere.
I recently was asked to contribute to an article about what not to pack…I figured that I had enough experience on overpacking, so I should be able to provide some advice to others. I recently started particpating in the site TravelBlogs.com, a site that is filled with great, active travel blogs from all corners of the world. It brings together the best travel bloggers out there all in one place! The editor posed the question of “What don’t you need to pack?” to the various travel bloggers out there in the blogsphere, and he put together this great, informative article with everyone’s input. That’s right, some of the best minds in “real travel” (people actually out there doing it!) all collaborated together to help bring you this list.
If you are interested, you can find my advice at #15. However it’s all great stuff, from underwear choices to, jeans, to reading material, to water filter; throw in a little humor and you’ve got a nice looking list of what not to pack! Enjoy!
18 Things You Don’t Need On Your Packing List
Over the limit? Need to shed a few pounds or fork out cash for going over your weight allowance? This inverted packing list – it tells you what you don’t need – will help you figure out how you can lighten the load.
Now, share your advice with the rest of the world, leave a comment and let me now what items you don’t need to pack!
Excellent post Sherry! Thanks for the info. I just shared this info (new to me at least) to readers on my blog which is scheduled for tomorrow. I love getting info on travel tools and this site is a great resource.
pack everything you want and then get rid of half!
That was great Sherry. I especially like number 12! Those pants and THOSE BLOODY CROCS are on my list of items of clothing that deserve to be banned internationally! I think the pants make you look as much of a tourist as the money belt- people should walk around with “Rob me” signs on their heads instead!
I always over pack my first aid kit and kick myself about it every time. You are right, leave most of it behind.
I always over pack my first aid kit and kick myself about it every time. You are right, leave most of it behind. I will look into Podcasts as well. Thanks1
Rebekah – I”m terribly ashamed to admit that I have a pair of crocks….but before you cringe – they aren’t the ugly ones! I have a little pair of ballet flats that are crocks – and I have to admit they are the perfect shoe for rainy season in Vietnam! They’ll never let me back into NYC now….
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I think I know the ones you mean Sherry, I’ll forgive you (however you’re right- say goodbye to NYC!) mainly due to the fact that I’ve been seriously considering buying gumboots for HK’s rainy season!
Thanks for the recommendation
The less the better as you can always “top up” your suitcase at your destination especially if its even more cheaper than back at home.
Hi Sherri, recently discovered you on the Amateur Traveler’s podcast. Really enjoyed the show! I have to disagree with one thing however: water bottle. For the space you save – which let’s face it, can’t be much – the trade off is needlessly wasting 375+ plastic water bottles (for a typical RTW-er, on a typical 6-12 month trip). That seems like such a waste to me. I mean, water isn’t something like toiletries or clothes that would pick up as need be along the way. You are going to need lots of water, throughout the day, every day. Buy a water purifier, like a “steripen”, and bring a reusable bottle…and bob’s your uncle. Tap water. Beautifully simple, free, safe, and the planet will thank you
(sorry for the rant…bottled water is my pet peeve)