Less Is More.

I had a specific request from one of my friends, who is taking a leave of absence with her family to travel the world for a year, to write a blog post on packing.  Happy to do this!  So much I wish I would have known before I left for this trip! Granted, I didn’t know that I was going to be here for so long, but even without knowing that; my, how I would have packed differently had I known then what I know now…

First and foremost – less is more.  I cannot overstate this enough.  I packed So.  Much.  Shit.  And I really thought that I was being smart about it!  The most important thing to remember is that they have laundry over here!  Surprise!  And it is cheap.  Like dirt cheap.  On average, I spend about $1.50 per kilo and that is on the higher end.  And it comes back folded all nicely and smelling like flowers in less than 24 hours.  It is miraculous!  I always hated doing laundry and I don’t miss it at all…. So, that being said, you don’t need much.  

Second – For some reason, I thought I needed all these outfits.  Nope.  Almost everything I had/have was way too fancy for out here…I have no idea what I thought I was going to be doing…going to Michelin-starred restaurants?  Attending the opera?  I mean, if this is what you are doing, please pack appropriately, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at my clothes hanging in a hotel closet and thought – “Where am I ever going to wear that?”  And shaking my head…. It is casual out here.  Like, REALLY casual.  Even in the big cities like Bangkok.  Of course, you can dress it up if you want to and if that’s your style, but if you are packing for a long trip and space is an issue, please don’t worry about it.  I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place where they’ve turned somebody away b/c of how they were dressed.  Throw in one nice shirt and pair it with some clean shorts.  Good to go!

Third – You will be cold at some point.  I know that is hard to believe once you get here, but you will.  Most of the time you will be cursing yourself for lugging around that puffy jacket that you never wear, but finally, a time will come where you are not on the beach, and instead, somewhere up in the mountains, or summiting a volcano at sunrise, or on a boat in Northern Vietnam, and you will be cold.  I didn’t even have a sweatshirt when I arrived…The heaviest cover-up that I had was a lightweight hoodie (see photo above) and a few lightweight cardigans.  I cannot tell you how many times I had to layer these over multiple tank tops and t-shirts to stay warm. I finally purchased a puffy jacket that is extremely lightweight and folds into itself in a nice, small ball, and even though I haven’t worn it yet, I am so happy I have it.  Ahhh…the victory I will feel once I need to wear it!

Fourth – Shoes.  Please, ladies, for the love of God, NO HEELS!  Never, ever will you need these.  At least I was smart enough not to bring these, but I have seen some travelers hobbling around in these, and I am always blown away by how much these shoes make absolutely no sense out here.  I did bring a pair of “fancy” flip flops with me (with rhinestones and such) that I thought I would wear out to all those fancy dinners and operas I was going to go to (🤣)….HaHaHa…Never wore them once and I sent them home with my sister after she came to visit me in Vietnam (along with many other things as well).

In summary – after many months on the road touring Southeast Asia specifically; and purging some things and buying some other essentials along the way, here is what I am currently rolling around with:

• 3 pairs of flips flops (one white, one black, one brown). — Make sure at least one is super comfy…Pictured are my black Reefs. They have been through the wringer and I will need to replace them soon, but they are like walking on pillows…I will shed a tear when they go….
• 1 pair of Teva land/water shoes (see photo). — These can be worn in the water and can serve as your water shoes in the ocean, if necessary. They also double as hiking shoes and can be worn with or without socks (and I do recommend bringing one pair of socks – it’s enough, trust me.  You can wash them!). They can also just be your all around walking shoes if you don’t trust your flip flops…but again, I wear the flops just about everywhere.
• 1 or 2 pair of lightweight pants.  Sometimes I wish I had a pair of full-length leggings for those colder days/nights, but usually the lightweight pants suffice.  Right now I am carrying around 4 pairs of pants and it is so unnecessary, but I can’t bring myself to toss any of them yet.
• 1 raincoat and I do recommend rain pants.  I just recently purchased rain pants that also fold into themselves in a nice little ball.  I haven’t worn them yet, but again, when I need them, I am going to thank myself.  I didn’t have them on the Ha Giang Motobike Loop in Vietnam, and although I survived, there were some rainy days on that bike where those pants would have been really nice….
• If you’re into yoga or working out at all, I recommend one/maybe 2 outfits.  I originally came out here with 4 pairs of yoga pants and 4 tops; I am currently down to 2 each.  Remember – there is laundry service everywhere!
• 3 pairs of shorts
• 5 tank tops
• Cover-ups – I am rarely ever cold here, so you don’t really need these for warmth.  I basically only wear my hoodie when I am on an airplane or a bus (and I would recommend it for that), but you do need something (especially if you are a woman) to cover your shoulders in the temples.  If you can find one that complements most of your clothes….done!  I am currently rolling around with 4?  Maybe 5?  And I curse myself everyday.
• Swimsuits – this is an area where you will need a few, and an item that you will actually wear a lot.  I am currently on the go with 2 full suits, 2 bikinis, and a bikini set that has a swim skirt built in (see photo).  I mention this one b/c I love it for days that I am going to be walking around a lot but stopping at different beaches along the way….The swim skirt looks like a cute skirt when you are walking around town…just throw a tank over your bikini and you are good to go with a cute outfit and more room in your bag for your iPad, camera, books, etc.  I do have a few swim coverups, but I don’t wear them very often b/c they are just impractical and hot.  Make sure if you do bring them or buy them out here, that they are cool and you will be comfortable in them.  I now believe that most swim coverups were made for fancy vacations on cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts.  They don’t really work on the backpacking trail…
• Bras – I brought two traditional bras with me and never wore them once (more items that went home with my sister).  It is so hot here!  The thought of putting a traditional bra on seemed like actual torture.  Stick to the sports bras.  You will be fine.
• Dresses – I have 5 long summer dresses and 6 or 7 short ones.  This is probably too much…One of them I haven’t even worn yet, so be careful what you buy out here…Now I feel like I can’t get rid of it b/c I haven’t even worn it yet, but in retrospect, it’s just not very practical.  On the flip side, I just bought 3 one-piece lightweight rompers that have become my full on uniform in the Gili Islands.  When you find something you do like and you know it will be practical – buy a bunch!  

As for the actual packing part, I did buy packing cubes before I left and I am torn on whether I like them or not.  I have three different sizes – small, medium, and large.  I do find them handy for keeping some things separate from others and knowing where to find stuff in a pinch.  My swimsuits go in the small one, and that works well for finding them when I need them quickly.  All the clothes that I wish I didn’t have that I thought about sending home, but never pulled the trigger on, are in the medium size bag and I never open it now…I curse myself every time I look at it.  My pants, puffy coat, rain stuff, coverups, yoga clothes, and things that I don’t use very often are in the bigger cube.  So I almost never open my cubes except for the small one.  I think they take up a lot of room in my bag.  I have always been one to roll all of my clothes (as opposed to folding them) and I think that this way provides you with the most room when all is said and done.  The cubes are bulky and heavy.  But the convenience of having things separated is nice…For now, I am using them, but I may adjust this on my next trip…I’ll keep you posted.  And please let me know if you have any opinions on this matter…l’m very interested to hear the pros and cons of what others think.

I think that’s it!  The moral is, LESS IS MORE.  If you think you have too much packed, you do.  If you think you are perfect – You still have too much.  Trust me.  You need so much less than you think you do.  Happy packing and good luck!