How to Pack for Longterm Travel

What and how you pack depends on where you go and when. But one piece of advice remains the same no matter what: take as little as possible! No matter how long you plan to travel—one month or two years—pack as if you were traveling for 10 days at the most, and expect to do laundry often.

If you are traveling to off-beat destinations, or you will be moving from plane to bus to train to boat, you will likely be carrying (not rolling) your luggage, and you will need it to be as light as possible.

Another reason to keep luggage light: airlines today allow only one check-in bag per passenger or charge fees for luggage. Often the check in bag cannot exceed 20 kg (44 lbs.) on domestic flights within a country, or 30 kg. (66 lbs.) on international flights. (Check each airline for updated baggage guidelines.)

Also, the less you bring, the less you’ll have to keep track of on the road, which is a plus when traveling as a family and perpetually packing and unpacking at new locations.

Rest assured that you can often buy what you need as you travel, and recycle (give away or trade) what you have. It just might require a different mindset than you’re used to.

Backpacks or Suitcases?

Bottom line: Use wheeled suitcases if the only place you’ll need to haul your luggage is around the airport and to place it in and out of a car parked right out front. When we went to Europe for five months, renting a car to travel between cities, we used suitcases.

This is the suitcase we use. We highly recommend the Victorinox brand for its quality and durability over time. It comes in sizes for carry-on and check in.

For every other situation, use good quality backpacks. This has the added advantage of leaving you hands-free, which is useful for grabbing kids and keeping them close while you’re traversing pot-holed streets.

For backpacks, you’ll want one that is between 50 and 80 liters in volume, and is durable, high-quality, and distributes weight well on your back. Be sure to get a rain cover if it doesn’t come with.

If your child is old enough to handle his/her own backpack, great! Otherwise, for our young kids we opted for small roller-bags (18-inches) that we could easily carry for them when needed.

How We Rolled

On our travels to Southeast Asia, we had the following gear:

1 backpack for each grownup
1 small (18-inch) roller bag for each kid (up to 11 years old)
1 day pack for each family member

For part of our trip we also took these extras. We found them useful for lengthy beach stays, but definitely added to our load on travel days.

1 inflatable paddleboard (equipped in its own backpack)
1 large backpack with snorkeling gear for all of us and life vests for the kids

Tips on What to Pack

Bring only what you need for about a week to 10 days, and do laundry often. In many developing countries, laundry service can be had for as little as US $2 a load! Bring string or rope to make a clothesline.
For toiletries, take one set with you, then plan to buy on the road as you go. Only bring a large quantity of items you really want and won’t find at your destination. (For me, this is healthy sunscreen!)
For women, know that it can be hard to find tampons in Muslim-dominated countries or remote areas of developing countries, so bring a stash with you and expect to refill when you pass through a major city or tourist area.
Consider buying clothes and other items at your destinations, and recycling. I heard of a family who traveled super light to Hawaii. They hit a thrift shop to buy clothes upon landing, and when it was time to go, they donated everything back. I love that!
You really don’t need the following: more than a couple of toys per kid (they will find creative ways to play!); books (bring digital ones!); more than two or three pairs of shoes (sandals and sneakers).

For inspiration, read about how travel writer Rolf Potts traveled the world with just the clothes on his back.

Packing Lists!

Essentials

Paperwork: Passports, vaccination records, drivers’ licenses; scuba certificates
Credit cards, ATM/Debit cards (bring one MC and one Visa, if you can)
Electronics: iPads, MACs, adapters, cameras, and all the apps to support our travels (see our Travel Resources page)
Composition books, pens, paper, homeschooling supplies (keep these to a minimal; we did almost everything online)
Flashlights (electricity does go out)
Reusable water bottles – we love the Hydro Flask with the flex strap lid
String or rope for laundry
Whistles for kids to wear
1 beach towel (not all places provide them)
1 big throw bag (for the beach or groceries)
Ziploc bags (sandwich size to three-gallon; useful for packing and other purposes!)
Swiss Army knives
Hats
Sunglasses
Reading/prescription glasses

TIP: Three-gallon ziploc bags are immensely useful in packing clothes and other items into an otherwise cavernous backpack. Use one ziplock bag for pants, another for shirts, another for notepads, etc. Not only does this organization make packing and unpacking much easier, it also provides another layer of protection against your stuff getting wet.

Clothes & Related

This list for each family member is a rough guideline only! Note: it doesn’t include baby gear.

2 or so pants and/or stretch pants
2 to 3 shorts
3 or so dresses and/or skirts
3 or 4 pairs of socks
10 underwear
4 to 6 short-sleeved shirts
3 to 4 long-sleeved shirts
Exercise gear (2 outfits)
Swimwear (including sun-defying rash guards)
Lightweight raincoat; heavy coat as needed
2 to 3 pairs of shoes (sandals, tennis shoes, crocs for kids, hiking shoes as needed)
Belts, bags, scarves (especially those with elephants!)

TIP: I swear by these KUHL brand pants. I found a pair at an outdoor gear store in Montana and they have lasted years! Tough, durable, yet lightweight, with loads of pockets and the ability to roll them make them the perfect travel pants.

Medicines & Toiletries

Over the counter medicines: Imodium (anti-diarrhea), ibuprofen, hay fever meds, Tylenol for kids, anti-fungal cream, hydro cortisone cream, Neosporin (antibiotic cream)
Prescription medicines: Cipro or Zithromax (antibiotics) for persistent traveler’s diarrhea
Probiotics (for first 4 to 6 weeks of travel to adjust to new foods)
First Aid Kit, including band-aids, alcohol swabs, gauze, adhesive bandages with tape
Oral Rehydration Packets (for kids to replace fluids during diarrhea or for dehydration)
Insect repellant (with DEET to avoid malaria and dengue fever in the tropics)
ThinkSport suntan lotion (no harmful chemicals)
Water filtration tablets
Thermometer
Nail clippers
Eye drops
Hand sanitizer
Toothpaste and brushes
Deodorant
Haircare products
Tampons

TIP: When I first researched sunscreen, I was shocked to learn that chemicals in many “top” brands were actually more harmful than the sun! After testing many (for healthy ingredients + rub in well enough), I chose Thinksport and swear by it for me and my family.

Sports Gear & Kids Stuff

For the island-hopping portion of our travels:

Life jackets for the kids
Goggles and snorkel gear (which we used a lot)

Kids stuff:

2 small stuffed animals each
2 smallish toys each (legos, Barbies, coloring books & markers, Pokemon cards)
Ergo carrier (for the little one, but not for long!)

You’ll figure the packing out! Do the best you can up front, and work on improvements with each iteration. After almost two years of nonstop nomadic travels and in that time, 27 flights plus a number of bus, train, and boat rides, we’ve figured a few things out.

Also see my travel guide: 10 Steps to Travel the World, and our Travel Resources page.