At the time of writing, we will have been travelling full-time as a family for over six months. During that time, we’ve visited Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, Turkey and France. In that time, I have had to personally lug what feels like the actual weight of the world on my shoulders. However, we have also managed to shed a lot of the luggage along the way. If you’re putting together your travel packing list, here are all the packing tips I wish I’d known before we first left on our round the world adventure.
Part of our problem was that there was a huge volume of admin that we were taking care of before we left. Between packing up and renting out our flat, selling our possessions, getting travel insurance, closing accounts, contacting our banks and planning our actual trip, there was very little time to think about what we were actually going to take with us around the world.
I’m somewhat ashamed to admit that this was the actual amount of luggage we headed to the airport with, all the way back on that freezing morning in January 2019.
So, what would I have done differently if I had a chance to plan my packing for our round the world trip all over again? Well, as luck would have it, we actually had that opportunity. Four months after leaving England, we had to head back to England for a hospital appointment, which meant we got a do-over on the luggage.
You’re Not Going to Wear All of Those Clothes?
Have you got an outfit packed for every eventuality? Over and above your beach wear, you’re going to need a few outfits to go out with in the evenings, something smart to wear in town, something comfortable to wear while hiking as well as a selection of warm clothes in case it gets cold.
Let me clear that up for you: you are not going to wear any of those clothes. I survived for six months on a single pair of shorts (although I’ve now treated myself to a second pair), a pair of jeans (which I’ve worn twice) and a handful of t-shirts and vests.
That means I’ve been carrying around a significant weight in clothing I’ll never wear, just in case! Not only was this using up tons of valuable space in my backpack, it was adding unnecessary weight every time I checked my baggage onto a flight.
You Can Buy Almost Everything You Need (Usually for Cheaper) Abroad
A large contributor to our panic-packing was uncertainty over whether we could buy everything we needed while we were abroad in far-flung places.
We were asking ourselves things like “do they sell nappies in Sri Lanka” and “can I buy toothpaste in Vietnam”. Questions like these seem absurd to us now, as we’ve seen first-hand that, with a few exceptions, we were able to buy anything we needed (and usually for significantly cheaper) while we were on the road.
If you find yourself with a travel packing list as long as your arm, bear in mind that toiletries, nappies, tampons, sun cream, baby wipes, medical supplies – you name it – all were available to buy in even the smallest towns and villages, like Weligama in Sri Lanka or Hoi An in Vietnam.
Take It Easy on The Kids Toys
When we first left the UK, an entire (small) backpack was dedicated to kids toys. We were petrified that we were taking them away from everything they knew, so wanted to be sure they had as much continuity as possible. While we were travelling the world and worldschooling them as we went, we still wanted them to have some of the creature comforts they had at home.
What we found is – like all kids – they were always more interested in other kid’s toys, or those left in the Airbnb by previous guests. We quickly realised that in every place we stopped, we could buy them a small selection of brand new toys for just a few quid, which they absolutely loved.
When it was time to move on, we said goodbye to the toys, holding on to one or two small favourites and left them in the Airbnb for the next guests.
Ultimately, the price of the new toys was comparatively low when looking at the price of having to travel with an extra back every time we moved. We were saving money and luggage space and the kids were being treated to a steady supply of new toys. Win win.
Bring a Power Block
A power block should be a non-negotiable on your travel packing list if you are planning on being abroad for more than a few days. Having a power block means that, instead of having to cycle all of your devices through the one or two international plug adaptors you have, you can charge every device at once through a single adaptor.
We didn’t have this when we first left, so I made it my mission to pick one up when we were home in England for a few weeks. Now, instead of frantically charging up all of our devices charging up one-by-one over the course of the day, I’m able to have every device charging at once, like my own personal symphony!
Get Yourself a Kindle
While we’re on the subject of devices, the only treat I bought for myself before we left was a Kindle Paperwhite and I don’t regret it.
Even carrying a single paperback book around can take up a lot of valuable room and add a ton of unnecessary weight to your luggage.
With my Kindle, I’m able to carry my entire library around with me in my pocket. I can buy English books on the go (although bear in mind, there are some DRM issues with purchasing on the UK Amazon store while abroad, that you’ll potentially need a VPN to overcome) which means I’m never short of books to read.
Just make sure you pick up a case for it too, as it’ll quickly get scuffed and scratched if you’re shoving it in and out of your hand luggage.
Roll Your Clothes Up Before Packing Them
If you’re used to packing a suitcase for a holiday or weekend city break, rolling your clothes up might seem a bit counter intuitive at first. But the truth is it’s the quickest and easiest way to save on space while packing. Rolled up clothes use significantly less space than folded up clothes and it’s one of the easiest travel packing tips .
Add an Electronics Wallet to your Travel Packing List
Our travel packing list wouldn’t be complete without the requisite Kindles, phones, laptops, headphones and all manner of electronics with us in our luggage. That means it’s very easy for cables to get tangled, chargers to get misplaced when you need them most and tiny USB dongles to disappear completely.
Rather than shoving all of your electronics in the bottom of your backpack, I’d seriously recommend getting yourself an electronics wallet to keep things neat and organised.
This is the one we bought and it comfortably holds all my charger cables, USB dongles, headphone jack adaptors and more. Much of what I buy on Amazon ends up being poor quality, but that’s not the case here. After 6 months of daily use, our travel wallet still going strong.
