What do you take on a world tour? We asked ourselves that question till the departure day and we will probably never be able to answer it because the ultimate packing list does not exist.
Everyone has different needs. The travel destinations also play an important role. We know the minimalistic life, because our former job on board ships limited our “home” for about 6 – 8 month to a cabin size of about 8 -10 m2 (shared by two).
At that time we did not have to carry our luggage and usually we were wearing an uniform. As a seamen you have 40kg baggage allowance. Now we travel with 24kg for 2 persons.
The perfect backpack?
We are already curious for the time when the first things will be sorted out and we are sure that our luggage will continue changing over the time.
The journey took us through both, warm and very cold countries and so we are having a very colorful packing list. We hardly bought any new stuff before the journey as we had already most of what we needed.
Before we reveal what you can find in our backpacks, we would like to tell you why we have chosen our backpack models in particular.
When we started planning our adventure around the world, we searched for a suitable backpack for the journey. First, we did researches on the internet to see what models are available and to get an idea of what we should consider. The difficult thing is, that the market is huge. We tried different models to see which one fits us best and feels most comfortable. We spent one entire day in the city center of Munich trying different backpacks on. It is very important to load them with weight, so let the personal assist and advise you. But I would like to mention one thing here: the staff is there to help you but also to sell their products, so don’t forget that you are there because of a backpack and not to buy the entire shop.
We probably spent too much time thinking about which backpack to buy and at the end decided to take one that before we did even not look at. For me it was almost clear that I would take this particular one, when I first tried it on, as it felt good and it convinced me due to the many pockets, the possibility to open it up completely, the price that was more than fair and the fact that it came with a rain cover, which doubles as a travel bag for the airport. Alex chose the same one, although it took much longer for him to be convinced about the advantages of this backpack.
And the winner was: “Decathlon ESCAPE 50l” men/woman version. Our favorite feature is the upper part of this backpack which can be removed and used as hand luggage. Alex has an extra day pack for the camera and technical accessories, the Quechua 30l from Decathlon.
So now that you know what backpack we are using, here is our packing list:
Miri:
- Shoes:
1x Sneakers
1x Hiking shoes (especially for the cold countries)
1x Flip Flops - Cloths:
2× Shorts
2x Jeans
1x Sport trousers
1x Leggings
1x Loose Pants long
2x Dresses
1x Shirt long sleeves
4x Shirts no sleeves
1x Sport T-Shirt
3x T-Shirts
2x Cardigan
1x Fleece jacket
1x Sport jacket
1x Ski trouser (yep, can be useful in Russian winter)
1x Normal jacket
1x Thin wind jacket
1x Softshell jacket
1x Winter jacket
1x Gloves
1x Headband
1x Bolero thin
1x Cap
1x Hair band
2x Bikini
1x Pyjamas
3x Bras
1x Sport bra
8x Underwear
9x Socks
1x Wool socks
1x Belt - Cosmetics:
1x Toothbrush + Toothpaste
1x Hairbrush
1x Deodorant
1x Face cream
1x Shaver + spare Plates
1x Soap
2x Shampoo stone + 1x conditioner stone (Lush)
2x Micro towels + 1 small one - Make up:
1× Lip stick
1x Mascara
1x Kajal
1x Compact Powder
1x Small mirror
1x Pedicure Set
Hairbands + Bobby pins - Others:
4x Glasses (2x normal + 2 sun glasses) I don’t see without ;)
1x Notebook + calendar and pen
Earrings - Girls only:
1x Menstruation Cup
Obs
Panty liners
Alex:
- Shoes:
1x Sneakers
1x Hiking shoes
1x Flip Flops - Cloths:
4× Shorts
1x Jeans
1x Sport trousers
1x Trekking Pants
1x Thermal Layer
1x blouse
1x Hoody
2x long sleeve shirts
3x T-Shirts
1x Fleece pullover light
1x Normal jacket
1x Winter jacket
1x Rain jacket
1x Gloves
2x Cap
1x Swimming Pants
2x T-Shirt to sleep
5x Underwear
6x Socks (including trekking socks)
1x Wool socks
1x Belt - Toiletries:
1x Toothbrush + Toothpaste
1x Hairbrush
1x Deodorant
1x Hand creme +foot creme
1x Electrical USB shaver
3x Soap
1x Shampoo stone
1x Micro towels + 1 small one
1x Nails Clipper - Others:
1× Notebook + Pen
1x Sun Glasses
Both of us:
- Technical stuff:
1× Laptop
2x Mobile Phone + 1 Spare one (old)
2x Head phones
1x Camera Fujifilm Mirroless X-T1
1x Camera Compact Sony HX 60
1x External flash
2x Tripod
1x Tablet (+ Bluetooth mouse and keyboard)
1x Selfie stick
1x Solar charger
1x Power bank
3x Hard disc
Memory cards
1x Travel Adaptor
Charger/connecting cables/spare Batteries
1x Small watch (alarm)
1x Head lamp + 1 multipurpose lamp
1x Bluetooth speaker
1x E-book reader - Medicine: Usually we don’t use very often medicine therefore we just have the regular things with us like pain killer or something for stomach. In case we get really sick we probably have to see a doctor anyway or visit a pharmacy. We have Malaria Pills with us, as it was recommended by our doctor. As well as disinfection spray and special eye drops for Miriam
- Important stuff:
Passports
Driving licence (as well international one)
Documents of Travel Insurance
Vaccination booklet
IDs
- Others:
1x Camping Pan (can be used as a bowl)
Condoms
2x Sleeping bag
2x Thermos
2x Spork (devise that is knife, spoon and fork in one)
1x Cuttlery normal
2x Pocket knife
1 small foldable backpack
3x plastic bags (can be used for shopping)
1x Washing liquid
4x Lockets
1× Cloths drying line
1x Insects repellent to burn
1x Insects repellent spray
1x Sun creme
1x Whistle
1 Sewing kit
1x Salt and Pepper
Carabineer
2x Keychain