
Packing for a Year Long Trip: What we Brought, Lost, Tossed, and Bought.
As we have been on the road now 112 days or almost 4 months we thought it was a great point to take inventory of the items we originally packed, lost, got rid of, and purchased. We also included a section of the best items we brought. Finally, we included our recommended packing list.
We most definitely packed more than we needed! But if you can squeeze it in you might need it later, right? This is typically not the case as things you think you need, you don’t use most of the time. Also, lugging a bunch of crap around and trying to find stuff is tiresome. You’re bound to lose things, which we did a lot of. Here is our 4 month inventory, for simplicity purposes I have only included the clothes that I brought and then all the other group items.
Brought
8 shirts 7 pants 4 shorts 3 dresses 5 pairs of socks
6 pairs of shoes (tennis shoes, wedge low boots, slip ons, flip flops, wedges, sandals)
2 swimsuits 3 sports bras 3 regular bras (one strapless)
too much Jewlery Toiletries (an aggressive amount at that)
Makeup Kindle fire 3 sets head phones
1 I phone 6, 1 I phone 5, and 1 I phone 4- This is hilarious just typing it. Johnny is tossing the Iphone 4.
4 I phone Chargers (one is for the I phone 4 with the different plug)
2 neck pillows for planes (I know we are totally going to want to carry these around everywhere)
2 pillows and one between the leg pillows 2 sweaters
2 pullovers 2 jackets 2 back packs
1 large Travel Pro rolly suitcase that has to be checked
1 carry on High Sierra duffle back suitcase with wheels
14 months of birth control (no their ain’t going to be any oops babies on this trip)
2 easy dry large towels 2 small rag size easy dry towels
2 Plug converters Straightener 4 Hats
Go pro with a shit ton of accessories
2 pairs of Rayban sunglasses Batteries
Blue tooth Speaker (small) 2 first aid kits
Just listing all those items out makes me giggle like did we not think there was such a thing as a washing machine or a store to buy some of this crap at? Or a sheer over packing of random crap that we thought we needed or would use. Crating all this around is heavy and when we booked budget airlines with weigh requirements we knew when had to toss some crap out.
Luckily for us we lose a lot of crap so that helps lighten the load although a few items really hurt and we had to replace them.
Lost:
Ray ban’s-These were my aviators that I let Johnny use, he lost them in the 1st month in Belize. He almost didn’t make it out of the country.
Body wash- Johnny likes to leave this in the men’s shower even though I constantly remind him
Head phones
Tom slip ons, left these in Belize I loved these and it hurt
Flip flops- We spend a few days in LA before venturing to New Zealand and Kira (bff) stayed with us in our room and managed to steal one of my croc flip flops which are the most comfortable flip flop I have ever worn. Fail.
Kindle fire- This one really hurt and another LA casualty. In an effort to conceal the kindle I put in in the glove both in my Dad’s rental car and forgot it. Never to be seen again.
2 neck pillows for planes- Johnny literally lost this in the Sacramento airport before we even got to Belize. It somehow fell off his backpack. Fail. As I was going to write “at least it wasn’t mine” I just realized that I left mine in Melbourne. Hilarious. Oh well one less thing to have to carry around.
Hydro flask– I left it in the bathroom at the Auckland airport in New Zealand. After a 14 hour flight this was a devastating blow and I began crying incessantly like my dog died. I since have stolen Johnny’s.
2 tank tops- One somehow fell out of the car which I still don’t understand. The other one I left at an AirB&B, that I got them to mail but now it hasn’t come in time. We are leaving tomorrow to got to the next spot so now I have to get them to mail it to somewhere else. Freaking comical. Note to all Australian post takes forever! I normally wouldn’t care but I bought this shirt in Australia and it has my spirit animal this gorgeous colorful bird on it so I do really want it back.
Tossed:
Pants Shirts Old giant coach wallet Beanie
A bunch of go pro accessories One of the first aid kits
Wedges- so they were nice to have in Melbourne so I could dress to the nines to fit in with Lisa (bff) who visited, but they are really not needed on a world trip you don’t dress up that often.
A crap load of toiletries- They way so much so I tossed everything that was not absolutely crucial. Can always buy some when we get to our destination.
Jewelry that I didn’t really use. I literally wear like 3 pairs of earrings and like 3 different bracelets, and 2 different necklaces.
Swimsuit cover up Swimsuit Straightener
There are so many items that were so unnecessary to have and when you have so much stuff things get cluttered, and you don’t use most of the crap. So much better to keep it simple and ONLY pack the essentials!
The BEST Things that we Brought:
Hydroflask- This thing works so freaking good it was the best thing we could have brought.
Trail running tennis shoes- Although not fashionable these are a MUST as much as we walk around and hike.
I phone 6- We take all our pictures on it, I now must read on it, I use it for internet, everything.
Sandals that can be dressy or not- Freaking amazing and super comfortable I wear them ALL the time.
Spacebags- Have been awesome to stuff all our clothes in and make it small.
Pillows- Although an extravagance to most, having my pillow has been amazing especially when we stay in budget rooms where the beds aren’t that comfortable. It’s like having a little piece of my bed with me.
Bought:
Lab top-If Johnny wanted me to seriously work on this blog one lap top was NOT going to cut it.
2 beanies-Super cold in New Zealand
Long sleeve shirt- see above
Hobbit series- After visiting the Hobbiton set in New Zealand we HAD to watch all the movies.
$20 sunglasses- to replace the $200 sunglasses Johnny lost. He is not allowed to have expensive ones until he grows up. So never.
New screen for the I phone 6. So, I may have shattered the screen to the I phone 6 and then had to get it fixed and get a glass screen protector. $121 dollars later…
Shampoo, Conditioner, laundry detergent, etc..
The moral of this story is to not over pack and keep stuffing your bag with stuff. And it will be tempting! Especially if you pack up your whole house and start thinking that this is ALL you will have for the next year. If I had to do it again I would keep it simple and only pack the essential stuff I really need. There are stores in other countries and you can buy things as you may need them. The other moral to the story is not to get attached to ANYTHING that you bring on a long trip because you will probably lose or leave a ton crap along the way, especially if you pack too much crap. At the end of the day its just stuff though anyways. I took it hard at first and then just started laughing about it.
So keep it simple, pack light, and don’t get attached.
New and Improved Year long Packing list (switch it around with warmer clothes if you are going to a colder climate first and guys just remove the girl items and your good.)
6 shirts (3 tank tops, 3 t-shirts, with at least one or two versatile nicer shirts)
3 pairs of shorts (one athletic/comfy pair)
2 dresses (one black versatile one that you could wear on a night you would like to dress night)
2 pairs of pants (one jeans and one yoga/athletic pants)
1 Swimsuit 1 cardigan 1 pullover
1 jacket (I choice a black northface windbreaker)
3 bras- 1 sports bra, 1 strapless, 1 regular
7 pairs of undies 5 pairs of socks
1 pair of sandals (that can double for nicer wear on the nights you want to dress to the nines)
1 pair of tennis shoes (I recommend trail runners if you are planning to do a lot of hiking on your travels)
1 pair of flip flops Universal plug
Polarized sunglasses
Toiletries: Deodorant, facewash, face lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, favorite hair product of choice, chap stick, sunscreen, bug spray (All these can be purchased once your at your location if you aren’t particular on the brand)
Makeup: Mascara, eyeliner, favorite compact of eye shadow, eyebrow filler, tiny foundation if you wear it
Jewelry: 2 favorite of each- necklaces, earrings, and bracelet (Versatile!)
Smart phone Head phones Hydro flask
Small purse Backpack Baseball hat
Easy dry towels (unless you know you are going to places that provide towels)
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This was a fun read. And helpful.
Thanks for reading.. Will be putting together a pdf checklist together soon. make it a little easier for people planning a long trip.