List #7: 30 Essential Items I Pack Backpacking

30 Lists of 30 to Celebrate my 30th Birthday

Photo by Presley Roozenburg on Unsplash

The What & Why Behind This Project:

This year I turn 30. And my gosh, I have been thinking about it a lot. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic, or the fact that this milestone is loaded with many societal expectations, but my mind has inundated me with reflections and memories from the past, with questions arising about my life choices and lesson learnt, about my expectations of being a human and about my desires for the future. And this combined with pandemic reflections has meant there has been a lot on my mind….🤔

I started writing a series of questions and lists of all the elements I wanted to capture and articulate. There were a lot, unsurprisingly; 30 years is a long time really! So I gave up on the 1 list idea that I normally write (30 reflections/lessons turning 30) and decided to write 30 lists.

30 Lists of 30, for my 30th Birthday.

Who are these lists for, you might wonder? I started writing reflections many years ago to get to know myself better. And when I shared these raw and real accounts with friends I discovered that what I wrote about my individual journey, touched upon something universally human. Beyond the masks and labels we wear is a messy, beautifully complex life, with highs and lows. And more similar to others than we might think.

So I share them in the hope that you too might feel something — intrigue, joy, resonance or maybe even difference — as you reflect on what it means to be a human. I recognise that my experiences are my own, that some come from a place of privilege and that they may not all be relatable or interesting to you. I know I can’t please everyone, so take what you can…(and let me know what lands!).

So, Back to Lists…

The Why Behind List #7: 30 Essential Items I Pack Backpacking

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to travel and see the world. I got hooked on exploring new places, especially those that represent a style of living very different to Western European ways. I planned multiple backpacking trip for 3–6 weeks across a few continents. Part of my planning for this involved creating extensive packing lists (when I searched my laptop I found over 10!) to ensure I wouldn’t forget anything and also to stop those last minute additions from being added! I honed these lists over time as I learnt both what I did and didn’t need to carry with me. This list forms the basis for a 3–8 week backpacking experience staying at hostels in towns/cities (rather than camping — which requires a wholly different list) and everything fits into 1 large backpack & a small day bag. Hope it is of use!

List #7: 30 Essential Items I Pack Backpacking

1. Wallet with: Passport, drivers license, x2 (minimum) debit & credit cards, student card, spare Passport Photos, EHIC card.
2. Colour photocopy of: passport, drivers license, debit & credit card & vaccination certificates, Blood group certificate, insurance docs.
3. Combination Lock
4. Diary/ Journal, sheets of paper, 2–3 pens & 1 pencil
5. Swiss Army Knife
6. Repair Kit (needle, thread, safety pins, hair tie, elastic bands, buttons, tape, spare batteries, hair clips)
7. Head torch
8. Travel Alarm clock (pre smart phone days!)
9. Camera, (+ spare battery) + memory stick*2 (again pre-smart phone days), memory (USB) — 16GB +
10. Ipod, iphone and camera chargers (back in the day we had separate cameras & ipods)
11. World Adaptor
12. Watch (Casio)
13. Sleeping bag liner
14. Reading glasses
15. Sunglasses
16. Travel washing line
17. Books: x1 Fiction Novel/ Non-fiction Book, x1 Lonely Planet Travel Guide (books were the hardest thing to choose from as I consistently carry 2–4 books when I travel for a 2 night stay, let alone a month!)
18. Spork
19. Pack of playing cards (not your favourite pack as they will get ruined)
20. Small Emergency Medical Pack: Tiny scissors, 10 plasters (different sizes), paracetamol — 2 sheets, ibuprofen — 2 sheets, antihistamine (1 sheet) , anti-diarrhea tablets ( 1 sheet), Lemsip — 2–4 sachets, throat sweets (condensed into a tiny toiletries bag), probiotics (1 sheet) & antiseptic wipes (2), Rehydration Sachets (2), tiny savlon, acclimatization pills, Olbas Inhaler, tiny zinc oxide tape, 4 Alka-Seltzers tablets, travel thermometer.
21. Toiletries bag: small mirror, small hairbrush, travel toothpaste, toothbrush, travel shampoo (2 small), travel conditioner, insect repellant, insect bite cream, lip balm (x2 — carmex), moleskin/ blister pack, travel loo roll (link), razor, travel soap dish (I collect and use the ones from hotels), face washing wipes (that also remove makeup), minimal makeup — concealer & brush, mascara, 1 eye liner, 1 eye shadow (with multiple colours), tweezers, tampons/panty liners, small travel wash, small moisturizer — 1 face, 1 body, suntan lotion, aftersun, travel hand moisturiser, travel tissues — box & 2 packets, deodorant (cream), ear plugs, tiny perfume, small pack wet wipes, x2 pink teeth cleaners/flossing, small vaseline.
22. Small pillow — blowable/ real small pillow preferred (even if its extra space, everywhere becomes a place to nap, be prepared to get this dirty or lose it — I left my favourite purple pillow at the top of Mt Mulanje inn Malawi!)
23. Water Bottle x2 — x litre. Must fit in the outside of a small daysack
24. Shoes — x1 trainers, x1 sandals (with straps so suitable for walking) x1 flipflops (literally no space for anything more than this!
25. Waterproof jacket (a thin one, in a bag) & small umbrella
26. Swimming costume or bikini
27. Travel towel — 1 large, 1 small
28. 5 pairs of earrings & 2 necklaces (stored in a tiny cotton bag)
29. Plastic bags x5, freezer bags 2–5
30. Clothes: x10 underwear, x10 socks, 3 bras (1 sport), 6 t-shirts, 1–2 light long sleeves, 1 cardigan, 1 fleece/hoodie/jumper, x2 shorts, x2 trousers (1 lightweight/hiking-esque), x1 everyday dress, Pyjama top & bottom, running shorts & top, light hat/cap, warm hats/gloves (if travelling to higher areas)

☕ If you enjoyed reading this list and want to support my writing I would love a coffee!

👉 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/30Listsof30 👈

Your support will help me fund my PhD starting in October 2021 at the School of Design Engineering, Imperial College, London. The subject: Human Connection & Conversation Design. This research lab > interactionfoundry.com

Want To Read More Lists?

I’m publishing one list every day in August (and will add the hyperlinks below).

1. 30 Reasons Why I’m Writing 30 Lists of 30
2. 30 Questions I’m Living Right Now
3. 30 Ways To Have An Awesome Conversation
4. 30 Risks I Took & What I Learnt
5. 30 Ways to Create and Cultivate Community
6. 30 Questions I Reflect on Every Saturday Morning
7. 30 Essential Items I Pack Backpacking
8. 30 Skills We Need But Don’t Teach
9. 30 Things I Wasn’t That Grateful For But Am Now
10. 30 Reflective Questions that Lead to Fascinating Conversations
11. 30 Signs I am Most Definitely an Adult
12. 30 Beliefs I Changed about Myself & Life
13. 30 Games I’m Playing in Life
14. 30 Confusing Messages I’ve Internalised About Who To Be & How to Live
15. 30 Ways I’m Totally Imperfect
16. 30 Considerations for Designing Meaningful Human Connection Experiences
17. 30 Mundane Experiences That Can Actually Be Quite Magical
18. 30 Words To Describe Elements of My Pandemic Experience
19. 30 Things I’ve Learnt About Human Behaviour That Show Up Everywhere
20. 30 Words I Love
21. 30 Parts of Me
22. 30 Principles I Live By
23. 30 Lessons from 5 Years of Entrepreneurship and Creating
24. 30 Health, Productivity, Creativity and Happiness Optimisation Experiments I’ve Explored And The Life Hacks that Resulted From Them
25. 30 Things I am Proud of (Achieving) Before 30
26. 30 Experiences (& Goals) For the Next 10-ish Years
27. 30 Things I Need To Let Go As I Move Forward Into The Next Chapter
28. 30 Journal Entries from the Last 20 Years
29. 30 Lists That Didn’t Make it to the 30 Lists
30. 30 Reflections Writing 30 Lists of 30

Follow me on Medium to read them.

Still Curious?!

💬 Watch my TEDx talk: Talking to Strangers: Having a Meaningful Conversation

📖 Read about some of my work recently published in Entrepreneur.com How to Become a Master at Talking to Strangers

✍️ Stay connected through Conversations With Georgie: The Home of My Thoughts as a Life-Long Learner. Curious. Deep. Exploratory. Real and Raw.

📧 Contact Me: Georgie@Triggerconversations.co.uk