This is what I packed for 2–6+ months of traveling

And I didn’t really pay attention when I did it

Note: I’m mostly going to talk about what I packed, which in the above, consists of the top two bags (and the pillow pet). The bottom layer, well that’s the boys and I have no comments on his shit other than the occasional communal item.

So, what’s in there:

Clothes

  • 5 socks (yes pairs, not individual socks)
  • 6 bras (3 normal, 3 sport)
  • 7 underwears (thank you kids of Kate+8 for the term)
  • 3 bathing suits
  • 1 pair of jeans
  • 4 pairs of shorts (1 “normal”, 3 athletic)
  • 4 leggings (1 nice, 2 athletic, 1 sleep/lounge)
  • 7 tops (1 nice, the rest sleep/athletic/”normal”. Multipurpose is key)
  • 3 dresses (1 nice, 2 whatever/beach)
  • 1 sweatshirt (though I keep stealing the boy’s sweater so I should probably count this as 2)
  • 3 pairs of shoes (sneakers, flats, and flip flops)

Toiletries

  • Glasses & 4 months of contacts
  • 1 of my prescription shampoo
  • 1 multipurpose shampoo/soap
  • 1 face wash
  • 2 face sunscreen (accident)
  • razor
  • shaving cream
  • toothbrush
  • floss
  • mouthwash
  • deodorant
  • makeup (foundation, powder, blush & eyeshadow kit, mascara, lipstick)
  • nail clipper & file
  • tweezers
  • Advil & Advil PM
  • band aids

Electronics

  • Mac & charger
  • UP3 & charger
  • Phone & usb-c cable+usb-c adapter (I have a Nexus 5x)
  • Sony camera
  • Waterproof iPod shuffle & headphones
  • 1 international adapter

Random Things

Now, what are some of these weird ass things I brought and why? The sarong is a great multi-purpose item, acting as both a beach cover up, towel, and picnic blanket at a moments notice. Bringing the white one… well that was probably dumb.

The sheet set is in anticipation of some not so obviously clean hostels. It’s a simple way to be much happier wherever I am staying if I find myself in a situation where I can’t just switch. Or maybe it’s just too hot for anything else, at least I have the control. I will say though, this takes up some valuable suitcase space and may have to be ditched at some point.

The pillow pet I’ve found to be the ultimate travel pillow. Putting him in “pet form” means I can attach him to the handles of my suitcase and carry hands free. On planes, his head stops the pillow from sliding down the wall (I’m a window seat person) so I don’t end up waking up without a working neck.

Things I probably overpacked: bras, toiletries, and needless electronics.

Yeah sports bras can double as a bathing suit top, but is this really necessary? Not so much. Am I really going to go on so many consecutive hikes that I can’t do laundry, even in a sink? Yeah no. One, MAYBE two, would have been enough.

For the toiletries, with the exception of contacts and my weird shampoo, I can just buy all that stuff on the road. I shouldn’t be lugging a bunch of travel size nonsense I’ll go through in a hot second anyway. Whoops.

Lastly, I got a bit aggressive on the electronics front. Most of it is actually useful, but what stands out to me is the iPod shuffle. I bought it in SF with the intention of making swimming more interesting so I would actually follow through with it. Problem is, I never actually used it. I took it out of the box, tried it on, even put music on it, but I never actually made it to the pool. So I brought it with the pipe dream of using it now, but who am I kidding? I’m not going to swim laps at a beach in Costa Rica. Yeah this guy is small, but the concept of all the nonsense I didn’t need to bring still holds.

We’ll see what else turns out to be dumb after I use it for more than a week… Did I forget anything I’ll regret?

Who am I? I’m Jessie, a former engineer, model, and employee. I’m currently testing out nomadism and traveling the world. Follow me on Twitter (@jszem) to find out where.