This week I was casually scanning the Lonely Planet website (as you do) when I came across this page- http://www.lonelyplanet.com/europe/travel-tips-and-articles/76104- a guide to travelling hand luggage only. Now, I’m a firm believer in packing light- I only fly with a suitcase if I’m going to be away, and in one spot, for several weeks at least, and I spent seven months backpacking with a 40 litre backpack which is, I can assure you, really quite small- BUT I hate these guides to packing light. Every time I read “Trousers that zip off into shorts” and “no make-up” my heart sinks.
NO! It doesn’t have to be that way! You can travel to your heart’s content, and still look fabulous, without carrying an entire wardrobe on your back. And here is how.
(By the way, this is written with girls, and cross-dressing men, in mind. Sorry guys, but you just pack a pair of underwear and some board shorts and you still look sexily dishevelled. You also lose weight while you travel, while we girls get fat. Frankly, you don’t need or deserve my help. Now go away.)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/aug/21/fashion-backpacking-packing-guide
http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/2010/10/fashion-travel-tip-bangkoks-backpacker-style-blunders/
http://carolineinthecityblog.com/2010/08/09/backpacker-chic/
Underwear
Take a sports bra, a few everyday bras, and at least one nice one (black, so that after several months the grubbiness doesn’t show up so much). Sports bras are amazing because you can fit EVERYTHING of vital importance in them-passport, camera, credit card, money, iPod- so that you don’t have to worry about being robbed on overnight coaches and such other danger zones. I mean, you look weird, but it’s fine, and still way better than a money belt- which, by the way, no one EVER wears after their first week on the road. Leave the money belt, take a sports bra. And I usually take enough underwear for two weeks. It seems excessive, but you really don’t want to be worrying about cleaning your knickers every few days!
Leggings
Oh my god, what would we do without leggings? They are a travelling GOD SEND. At home I prefer tights, but leggings suit travelling way better for many, many reasons: you can pop them in your bag and put them on when visiting temples or cathedrals for modesty purposes; you can sleep in them; you can wear them with basically anything, be they long t-shirts, dresses, skirts or shorts; you can layer them with other stuff when it’s cold; they are lighter, and easier to wash, than trousers. The list goes on. Take a couple of pairs so you can alternate wear.
Jeans
Ah, that old controversy of travelling: to take jeans, or not take jeans? I’d say, if the alternative is take those horrible lightweight travel trousers, TAKE THE JEANS. If you’re going to be wearing trousers at all, they might as well be trousers you like, and there’s something so comforting and slouchy about jeans… If you don’t really wear them at home, don’t take jeans, but don’t take naff trousers either. I learnt that the hard way so you don’t have to.
Jewellery and Accessories
Don’t take anything you’d feel terrible about if you had it stolen, or lost it. I pretty much tend to wear the same jewellery every day, but if you like to mix it up, take a small selection. A good selection of accessories means you can jazz up the same outfit in different ways, and hence pack less clothes over all. You see? That’s logic!
A Scarf
Take a scarf. Take several scarves! Not massive woollen ones, but light, pretty ones. They make any outfit, no matter how boring, look instantly more fashionable. And they are warm, and can be scrunched up and used as pillows on long journeys. Sarongs can also often double up as scarves.
Bags
Apart from the obvious backpack/suitcase, take one small bag for the evening, and one across-the-body shoulder bag that fits all the everyday essentials in i.e. water bottle, purse, guidebook. Take a bag you like- nothing too fancy though or you’ll be marked as a target by robbers, and it may well end up being sliced open (this happened to me)- and do NOT do that lame thing of wearing a small backpack on your front to walk around markets in. LAME.
The Little Black Dress
It was a friend who I met working in Italy who first introduced me to the concept of the essential travel LBD, and it has revolutionized my life. That is only a slight exaggeration. It is like the Holy Grail of dresses: one that will do for every occasion. It’s is cool and casual enough that you could wear it on the beach, but nice enough for a night out. You can wear it with leggings, cardigans and scarves when it’s cold, or a small shawl for modesty. It’s not too long, and not too short. You could wear it every day, if only it didn’t begin to smell too bad. It is the perfect dress to pack. I found mine, after a year of searching. Maybe, one day, you will too…
Shoes
My biggest regret, when I was backpacking, was taking the wrong shoes. DON’T TAKE MASSIVE, HEAVY WALKING BOOTS! Ok, do if you’re a keen trekker going on a walking holiday, but otherwise no! Have you ever been to drinks at the Embassy in walking boots and an evening dress? Or to a Chinese nightclub? I have, and it wasn’t pretty. Plus, they’ll be too big to actually fit in your bag, which means you’ll have to wear them EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO MOVE ON, even when IT’S SWELTERING HOT! DO NOT TAKE MASSIVE WALKING BOOTS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! Instead, take some flipflops, some nicer (but still comfy!) sandals you could wear in the evening or walking round a city, and some pumps. Hell, if you love high heels, bring them as your treat! They’ll probably get more wear than the walking boots.
Make-up
DON’T take too much. But DO take enough that you feel comfortable. Travelling is- to be blunt- a great excuse to let yourself go. Or so I always thought. Then I shared a hostel dorm with two models. Never again. Just remember if you’re going somewhere hot to keep it waterproof, because you’ll be sweaty, and make-up sliding off your face is never attractive.
A Cagoule
They might look rubbish, but you’ll be thankful when you need it. Sorry, no way around this one.
…and What to Leave at Home
Anything you don’t wear now but think you might start wearing. You won’t.
