Hi friends! Sitting at the airport getting ready to go to COSTA RICA! This is my last post in the US for about four months.
Before we continue, I just want to say that Pictures from Bangladesh are up.
Anyway, this is the last post I have about packing, for travelers planning to go somewhere long term (traveling for more than one month). I hope that you all got some good ideas and tips on what to pack based on what I bring.
Also, to give you an idea of what I put all of these things IN, I use an Eagle Creek traveler’s backpack, and a small backpack to for carry-on for flights and as a day pack.
Check out after the jump if you’re interested.
Clothes:
Clothes are tricky. They are very personable, it depends on where you’re going, what clothes blend in with the culture (for example, wearing shorts in Bangladesh= NO), the weather, and most importantly, what you’re doing there. I’ve brought different clothes for every trip. If you’re planning on going on a trip where you’re going to be sweating a lot and doing volunteer work in a hot and humid climate, you don’t want to bring nice clothes. If you’re going traveling in a place where it is constantly raining, you want quick-dry pants and a rain coat. If you’re traveling in the winter in a cold country (like Turkey), you’ll want to bring a coat.
With that being said, you will find cool clothes in every country you come across (and cheap as well). I had no idea what to expect when I went on my Comparative Religion and Culture trip with Global College last year- so I just decided to bring to Taiwan the SAME clothes that I had worn on my trip through India. Well, I brought three pairs of pants and two shirts- bad idea. I had nothing nice to wear to temples, and I didn’t blend in with the culture at all. Luckily, there are markets everywhere, so it was pretty easy to find cheap clothes.
Also, buying clothes in other countries are fun- you are bound to find something really interesting that you won’t find in your home country. So you also shouldn’t bring EVERY little last piece of clothing that you’ll need- I guarantee that you will buy at least ONE article of clothing if you’re on an extended trip.
For my trip to South America, I picked out my clothes carefully, and I’m really happy with the diverse wardrobe I’m bringing. Since I’m doing an internship in Paraguay where they asked that I don’t ‘dress like a hippie traveler,’ I’ve brought some nice shirts that are fairly cheap and durable, so it won’t be the end of the world if they get ruined. Since I was told it rains a lot in South America, I brought a rain coat. And since I’m traveling in the Summer time in South America, I am bringing a lot of light and cool clothes. I’ve also kept in mind what kind of clothes is appropriate- fortunately, South America isn’t as conservative as a few places in SouthEast Asia (i.e. India, Nepal, Bangladesh), so I can wear tank tops and shorts and feel comfortable.
Like I said before, clothes are very personable, and this isn’t a MUST BRING list. It’s totally up to you what you’d like to bring. But if you’d like some guidance, this is what I brought:
- Towels. I don’t know if these count as clothes, but they are definitely important. I brought one small hand towel, and one regular towel. Some people like to bring pack towels, which are REALLY small towels that dry quickly- and I’ve heard from others that bringing a regular towel makes it gross and moldy. However, I’ve been using the same towel for two years and it’s perfectly fine, works great, and it doesn’t take up a lot of room in my backpack. It’s also kind of a ‘luxury’ item for me- I like to have a nice, strong towel after a shower. So this is what I bring.
– One rain jacket. Like I said before, I brought this because it rains quite a lot in South America.
- Two shorts- one knee-length, one thigh-length
- Two short pants (they go down to my knees)
- Two pants- one is a kind of tight-fitting lounge pant in case I’m doing manual work or traveling, and my lovely pair of green corduroys that I always associate with my travel gear (the ones as you can see, on the main page)
- Three tank tops (green, black, light blue). I use these for sleeping and for wearing during the day.
- Three nice shirts that are durable, light, breezy, and most importantly, where sweat stains don’t show so well.
- One shirt that’s nice (but cheap) and is almost kind of like half a dress, half a shirt
- One pair of black leggings that I can wear with the half dress shirt when I want to go out
- One bathing suit
- One short skirt made of cloth that I can lounge around in or wear to the beach
- Two pairs of socks (actually, why am I bringing these? I’m not bringing any sneakers)
- One fleece. Why, you ask? Sometimes it gets cold at night, and it’s nice to wear. Also, I love this fleece, because it has four pockets and you can zipper them all up- really great if I only have a few things to carry and I don’t want to bring a purse. I like to carry my jack knife in one of the pockets by my chest at night if I’m in a sketchy area.
- One small and lightweight sweatshirt- I get cold easily
- One large scarf that I can wrap around myself (I like to do this a lot)
- Two boxers (I sleep in)
- Four bras
- Five pairs of undewear
- One lightweight sports jersey, sports bra, and sports pants for if and when I feel like exercising
- Two shoes. One are durable Keene shoes that I’ve used since I’ve started traveling. They’re great for hiking, walking long distance in, and also for lounging around. The other is a pair of flip flops.
- One small purse that can hold essential items like a cell phone, IPod, etc. that I can keep close to me.
That’s it folks. I hope that helps a lot and gives you an idea of what to bring on a trip.
Much love,
Brittany
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
