Inside My Backpack
I will be travelling solo for 2 weeks. Here’s what I pack
This is the 2nd part of my solo travel story. See the other parts here:
Part 1: Solo Travelling
Part 2: Inside My Backpack
Part 3: Vietnam
Part 4: Hong Kong & Macau
Part 5: Taiwan
Part 6: Cost
Disclaimer: the content of this entry is largely influenced by this post.
Minimalism is paramount. Outfits, footwear, electronics, and miscellaneous. All stuffed nicely in a single backpack.
Bags
- Osprey Kestrel 38
- Sling bag (small)
Osprey bags are designed for travellers. My most loved feature from them is that they are designed so that the load is sustained among 3 parts: shoulders (left & right) and hip. The hip support makes my shoulders less-stressed.
I really want to carry one bag only and that is my Osprey Kestrel 38 (I can just stuff my sling bag inside it). Unfortunately, I realized that going through immigration will be so much hassle as I’ll need to quickly retrieve my passport and boarding pass. Hence, I decided to also wear my sling bag to contain my passport and boarding pass. Moreover the sling bag is perfect for carrying Kindle, pen, and even small bottled water.
Nevertheless, my two hands are still free and that’s the most important thing.
Oh, notice that small grey backpack on top right corner? I decided not to bring it along as it will make the Osprey backpack too bulky unnecessarily.
Outfits
- 5 Uniqlo dry t-shirts
- Uniqlo Chino shorts
- 2 Jeans
- 4 Underwears
- Hooded sweater
I didn’t do any research regarding the weather. I am certain that I will survive any weather with just these outfits. Turned out I slightly miscalculated this one — Taiwan in February is winter season, that means heavy rainfall.
Footwear
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 33
- 3 low cut socks
I suppose I can just wear that one Nike sneaker for everything. For everyday shoes, hiking the Dragon’s Back trail, or exploring Taroko Gorge. For this one, I made the right decision.
Electronics
- Early-2015 MacBook Pro 13"
- iPhone SE
- Google Pixel XL
- Xiaomi 10,000 mAh Power Bank
- Universal Power Adapter
- Kindle Paperwhite
Ah…my MacBook Pro. I use it for everything. Researching my next destination, browsing for tickets, browsing for hostels, checking emails, checking-in code. You can argue that I should be able to do all that with an iPhone, but it’s just not comfortable for me.
My iPhone SE will be my primary phone. As soon as I land in a different country, I will buy a local SIM card with data so I will be connected to the internet ASAP. Google Maps will be my lifeline for navigating new places. You can argue that I can do it with offline map feature, but as I told you before, I do not plan so I don’t even know what to download. I also understand that everything in airport will be overpriced, but time is of the essence and I’m willing to trade money for time. Moreover, we’ll never know what kind of emergency that requires internet connection so better be safe than sorry.
By the way, there is a great travel guide that I use for all places: Wiki Voyage. It covers a LOT of things. History, tradition, how to get to certain places, what to eat, what to see, what to do, custom & manners & etiquette (so you don’t accidentally offend locals), living cost, how to stay safe & healthy, tourist traps, even withdrawal fee on local ATM banks.
The best part? We can download the offline version so we can read it without internet connection! You can see detailed how-to about it in this post.
Google Pixel XL has superior lenses so it will be my…camera. Also, it’s a good idea to NOT take too many pictures using your primary phone as it will drain battery quite fast. Word of advice: always put your phone in battery saving mode if it’s possible. If you can bring a camera, that would be best.
Power bank. I made a very good decision by buying this item just a few days before my departure. This power bank has saved my iPhone SE from dying several times on various critical situations.
Kindle. This is a great item for reading books inside a plane if you can’t sleep. It has low power consumption so you don’t have to charge it frequently. Moreover, its dimension is small so it fits perfectly on my sling bag for easy retrieval.
Miscellaneous
- 2x Passports
- Medium-sized towel
- Moleskine notebook
- Pen
I bring both passports as my US visa is in my expired one. I need to show it when I cross Taiwan’s immigration.
The towel is not a very smart decision. I should’ve brought a fast-drying towel instead. Well, lessons learned.
I write my own private journal and Moleskine notebook is my medium. Word of advice: you can replace that expensive Moleskine with a much cheaper alternative from Miniso. The notebook quality from Miniso is surprisingly on par with those from Moleskine. Who would’ve thought, huh?
The first picture is the input, the writing is the process, and here is the output:
Started packing at around 08:00 PM, finished at 09:30 PM. Ready to go!
So how’s the flight to Vietnam? The story is here.
I’m leaving on a jet plane~
