I have made many mistakes when it comes to long term travel, thankfully I can now share these with you so you don’t have to make the same mistakes as me.
I’ve packed too much in the past, sometimes too little, took too much money, lost money, stayed at the wrong places and even been robbed. Here are some of the top tips I can share with you to make your long term travel a success.
When long term travelling you will only be able to take as much as you can carry, so making the most of your space is a must. I’d much rather have a little more than necessary than not enough, but there is a fine line as you will have to carry your equipment for days on end.
When packing your clothing in your backpack make sure to roll your clothes rather than folding them. This may seem like a silly tip but the truth is you can fit way more items of clothing in your backpack if you roll them. Don’t believe me? Give it a try right now.
Unless you’re living at home with parents then you are going to need somewhere to store your items when travelling in the long term, many long term travellers tend to sell their memorable items and regret it when returning home, some even keep the home they are in and pay the rent. Rather than paying rent and keeping my items in a property that could get broken into I have always chosen to use a self storage company in my area. They’re much cheaper than renting a home, affordable and secure which gives you a good piece of mind when abroad that your valuables are safe.
I can’t tell you the number of times I have worn white t-shirts and vests only for them to be ruined in days, I then have to wear them for the remainder of my time (sometimes months) and look like a complete mess.
Of course, I don’t end up keeping them for months, but I’m at the mercy of the fashion in other countries and sometimes depending on your location you end up wearing clothes that are not practical and you wouldn’t choose to wear in a thousand years.
Travelling with many pairs of shoes can make your bag much heavier than it needs to be. In my experience, you are going to need at a maximum of 3 different types of shoes. One for everyday wear, one for walking or long hikes and a pair of flip flops that can be used on the beaches you may come across. Anything more than that, in my opinion, is overkill and is going to weigh your bag down needlessly.
You should also look to wear your heavier shoes if possible when walking as that’s one extra item that won’t weigh you down.
You should have a backpack and a small bag which doesn’t ever leave your possession (unless you have a locker at your hotel/hostel).
I would recommend also having an emergency hideaway for copies of your passport, emergency cash and any other important information. You can never be too careful when travelling. My hotel rooms have been broken in on multiple occasions, so be careful and use some common sense.
Travelling long term is hard, brutal and more importantly fun. Using the few tips above you can now have a better long term travel experience. If you have any tips please share them in the comment section below.