The Wandering Hart

There are few things more annoying when traveling than having to lug massive bags around everywhere. When traveling through southeast Asia I wanted to make sure I was packed efficiently in as few bags as possible so I limited myself to a carry-on and a backpack and managed to have everything I needed and more! Below are my top tips for packing light and some highlights of what I packed for my trip.

Plan Clothes by Week

When I was packing, I took a look at our plans and labeled days based on our needs. For example, I labeled particular days as “city wandering” while others were “beachside” or “hiking.” Finally, I added a note for every time I expected us to do laundry. This helped me not only plan out what clothes I would need by week so I could minimize clothes packed based on weekly needs while still having everything I would need for each week. For example, I found that the most hiking outfits I would need was 4 based on one week that we’d hike 4 times before we’d get to do laundry! As a result, I packed exactly 4 hiking outfits. I also tried to make sure clothing could fit into multiple categories – for example, a lot of my hiking shirts could be city wandering clothes.

In the end, I ended up packing the following items and I’m sure I could have reduced down further! Thanks to my planning system, though, everything was worn at least once and I felt I had good options available for all our activities.

• Shoes:
  • 1 pair sneakers
  • 1 pair flats
  • 1 pair sandals
  • 1 pair casual tennis shoes
• Shirts:
  • 3 plain shirts (1 black, 1 white, 1 in a favorite color)
  • 4 athletic shirts
  • 3 nicer favorite shirts
• Bottoms:
  • 2 skirts (one knee-length and one longer for temples)
  • 2 shorts
  • 2 pairs of leggings (for travel days and hiking days!)
  • 1 pair of hiking pants
• Other:
  • 1 rain jacket (this also doubled as a windbreaker)
  • 1 dress
  • 1 cardigan (for cold flights!)
  • 2 swimsuits
  • 10 pairs underwear
  • 10 pairs socks
  • 1 set of PJs

Don’t Forget Your Basics!

Beyond clothing, you’ll need a few key basics when traveling including a toiletry bag and protective items like sunscreen. Below are my recommended items for most trips:

• Sunscreen (ALWAYS PACK SUNSCREEN!)
• Insect repellant if going somewhere with heavy insect issues (DEET if a tropical climate)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Relevant plug adaptor
• Deodorant
• 1 mini bottle of shampoo
• 1 mini bottle of conditioner
• Relevant medications
• Water bottle
• Laundry detergent sheets for a longer trip
• Passport for international trips
• Vaccination record (COVID card!)
• Wallet + driver’s license

Use Good Travel Accessories & Packing Strategies

The most important thing when packing is choosing the right bags. For my trip, I knew I wanted a roller bag and a basic backpack. This was because I’m more comfortable with rolling my bag long distances than having to carry all my luggage on my back. I also knew my carry-on could fit a lot of stuff and would fit most international standards! Things like what you’re comfortable lugging around, airline luggage requirements, and storage space are all key when picking the right bags.

In addition to picking the right bags, you’ll want the right baggage accessories! Using easier-to-pack items like laundry sheets instead of liquid detergent and packing clothes into compressible packing cubes can save a lot of space. I’ve written more about the accessories that I found most useful here.

Finally, you’ll want to use good packing strategies! I’ve found that rolling my clothes in the aforementioned compressible packing cubes enables me to fit more in a smaller space and keeps my clothes from wrinkling too badly. I also typically stuff small spaces like shoes and crevices around packing cubes with items like socks and underwear.

When in Doubt, Downsize

Even with trying to minimize as I was packing, I almost fell prey to the “well, it all fits” mentality. This would have left me with heavier bags and no room for souvenirs! It’s always worth taking a second look at your packing list and trying to remove more where you can. This process helped me get to my above lists. Looking back I could have pared down even further – I didn’t need 4 different pairs of shoes or a dress! – but in the end I was pretty happy with my packing strategy.