What To Pack When Backpacking (and how to fit it all in )
You’ve saved up some money, booked your flight, quit your job, and are ready to go. All you have to do is pack your bag and you’ll be on your way to your next adventure! But then you look at your backpack and wonder what exactly you need to take away with you on a multi-month trip abroad and just how you’re going to fit it all in.
How can you possibly pack to deal with every possible situation that may arise whilst you’re away?
Before you throw in half your wardrobe, remember that you will have to carry it all on your back, possibly for extended periods of time. Ask yourself whether that pair of heels are really essential in the jungles of Borneo. Here is a suggested list of what you may need; add to it anything that is specific to your travel plans but remember that some will things will be able to be bought locally.
Clothing
Try to pack the bare minimum and get used to washing clothes in the sink at your hostel or discount hotel each night.
- 2-3 short-sleeved shirts – these will ideally be fast-drying
- 1-2 long-sleeved shirts to cover your arms for warmth, as protection from mosquitoes and for modesty.
- 1 pair of jeans – hard-wearing jeans can be useful for a number of occasions.
- 2 pairs of shorts or skirts – preferably knee-length for both men and women if travelling in countries where showing too much flesh is considered taboo.
Swimwear – men’s swimming shorts can also double up as everyday shorts.
Lightweight Fleece – essential for keeping warm in cold countries, on chilly evenings and on over-air-conditioned planes.
Underwear – 3 or 4 pairs of each should suffice as long as you hand wash them whenever you get the chance – they can be stuffed in shoes to save on space.
Hiking Boots – essential if you’re going to do any form of heavy-duty hiking. Try to wear them when travelling as they are heavy and will take up a fair amount of
space in your backpack.
Flip-Flops – light and easy to squeeze into a small space, these will not only take you from beach to bar, they will be very handy in communal showers.
Essentials
Sleeping Bag – essential for any traveller, plus it can be rolled up and attached to the front of your backpack. Obviously necessary for camping but also when the sheets on your bed in that cheap hostel look a bit dodgy.
Hat – keeps your hair off your face and the sun from burning you.
Toiletries – keep these to a bare minimum – shower gel, shampoo, face wash, moisturiser, toothbrush, toothpaste.
Travel Wash – save money on laundry bills and ensure you can do a quick bit of washing wherever you are. You’ll be glad you did when you turn up at your discount hotel wearing clean clothes and looking presentable!
Travel Towel – there are some brilliant travel towels on the market which are lightweight, fold up to fit into a small space and dry quickly.
Mosquito Repellent – not only are mosquito bites unsightly and annoyingly itchy, they can also be incredibly dangerous – there are many serious mosquito-borne diseases in foreign countries so keep safe and spray repellent wherever mosquitoes are present.
This isn’t an exhaustive list but it will give you a good starting point. Don’t forget your passport, visas and tickets!
Meet the Nomads: James Betia
I was blown away with the backpacking tips that James shared in his blog. Especially his 14-day challenge around the Visayas area. A true blue backpacker that has proven once again that you don't need much money to see and enjoy the beauty of different places.
Get to know more about James and visit him at journeyingjames.com.
How did you discover your passion for travelling?
"I have been travelling a lot since 2003 but it was year 2008, when I was in Kabayan, Benguet when I met a Vietnamese backpacker. We had a simple talk about what we do in life etc. After the chat, I was so ashamed of myself that he has been almost everywhere in the Philippines for only 2 months and I'm stuck in Manila and Luzon. I said to myself, I don't want to be a foreigner in my own country. After that, I did my first backpacking trip to Vietnam and Cambodia."
What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?
"I just crossed the border from Singapore to Malaysia and was about to go to Thailand. When a man pretending to be police told me that I have drugs in my backpack in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Turns out he is a holdaper. He got my travel money, borrowed camera and worst, my passport. I was stuck in Malaysia for a week without money and any friend. Detailed story can be accessed here.
What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?
"My recent 14-day Solo Backpacking trip to West Visayas where I challenged myself to spend only Php250/day (all-in food, transpo and accommodation)."
What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?
"The wonders of God's creation both the nature and the people are amazing. Take care of nature and she will take care of you. Respect the people and they will really love you."
What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?
"Challenges and an unending lust to explore new territories. Curiosity and the love for learning."
This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?
"A lot: Les Stroud of SurvivorMan, Janet Hsieh and Bobby Chin of TLC and Bear Grylls of Man Vs. Wild. Lastly, Keira Knightley of Pirates of the Carribean would be a great companion for Round-the-World Cruise.haha"
Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?
"Easy! Palawan. I live there for almost a year just because I love the island."
What do you think about yourself?
"Self-proclaimed backpacker. I appreciate God's love through the beauty of his creation- human kind and nature."
"Adventures and travel discoveries of a Filipino backpacker." - James
Inside Bangkok
When most people think of Thailand they think of glittering beaches, palm trees and backpackers. They don’t initially think of culture, modern urban areas and luxury city-based accommodation.
However, many people bypass its capital altogether, using it as nothing more than an entry and exit point. The rumours are true. Bangkok is smoggy, congested, chaotic and slightly crazy, but under the dirty veneer and stress-inducing traffic there is an enthralling and engaging city, full of wonderful people, colourful history and shimmering temples.
Thailand, and Bangkok more specifically wants to embrace modernity and it does so by building malls and towering glass office blocks. There are so many malls here it is hard to know where to start. Having said this, Siam Paragon and MBK are two of the biggest and best. The Siam Centre has a giant aquarium and MBK has a huge cinema and bowling complex.
However, it is also a city that remembers its heritage. There are temples and shrines everywhere as well as old houses, stately mansions and museums. The most famous temple complex is the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, home of the Reclining Buddha and Emerald Buddha. This is the most sacred place in Thailand and everything from the decoration to the symbolism is divine.
The National Museum documents Thailand’s history with vast collections of artifacts, furniture and art. It is well worth a visit and only around 50 Baht, which is roughly £1.
The National Theatre and Thailand Cultural Centre are great places to go for traditional and classical dance and music shows. The costumes of the performers are so decadent and colourful they are reason enough to go.
Flight Centre offers a variety of cheap flights to Bangkok for travel throughout the year.
Three Reasons Not to Book Roundtrip
A lot of my friends frequently ask me about itineraries in the places that I’ve travelled to and the first thing I always tell them is not to retrace your routes (if time and money permits).
Here’s why:
More Places to See:
Instead of booking Manila-Singapore-Manila, I will usually opt for Manila-Singapore - Kuala Lumpur - Manila (or vice versa) instead. There might be an additional charge for the overland trip from Singapore but there will definitely more places to see in almost the same amount of time. I also do that for overland trips. Instead of going to Sagada from and to Banaue, I chose Manila – Banaue - Sagada - Baguio –Manila.
Sometimes it’ s Cheaper:
Specially for flights. Why? Because in some areas, there are more low-cost carriers that fly to your next destination. That means you have more options to choose from and more airline competition often results to cheaper fares (though it doesn’t always apply). Always check fares in nearby airports before you book your ticket. Sometimes the overland cost is still insignificant compare to the savings that you might get.
Gain a Lot of Travel Learning Experience:
Sometimes my “no retracing policy” gets me into little trouble but it’s still worthwhile. Since I’m not a fan of going back where I came from, I always end up researching possible routes thus gaining more information and experience about travelling.
Do you always book Roundtrip Tickets?
Meet the Nomads: Edcel of Soloflighted
Edcel or Ed is the author of SoloflightEd (this is just one of his blogs) that chronicles his adventure within and outside the Philippines. His recent travel to Macau really caught my attention because he bungy jumped from the highest bungy jumping facility in the world. What an awesome feat that I know I might not be able to endure hehe because Flip is so afraid of heights.
Get to know more about Ed and visit his blog at SoloflightEd.com.
Here's Flip's short interview with Ed.
How did you discover your passion for travelling?
"I started travelling back when I was 10 years old due to my father's line of work. We've lived in different places and I've studied in 8 different schools from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. At first, I didn't like the idea of having to go to one location to another and having to settle and start over but I realized that it has been an asset knowing that I've gone to a number of locations even at a young age.
My passion for travelling started when I joined the Business Process Outsourcing industry. I was able to join a number of outings with different teams in the company where I work. It’s very cost-effective as we all just have to chip in a minimal amount. I realized that instead of posting those team adventures in Facebook, Multiply and other social media sites, I’d rather post them in my blog where I can also write a better description on the things that we did for other people’s reference."
What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?
"It's not really horrible but there was a time when I was waiting for a boat ride in Dumaguete back to Cebu. I still had an hour to burn and since I was a bit groggy, I dozed off at the terminal. When I opened my eyes to check the time, the boat had already left and I looked like a fool for being so complacent. It's a good thing I knew my way around town so I just made the most out of the terminal fee and slept on one of benches in the port terminal; I took another route the next day.
Also, I was on a boat ride back to Dumaguete from Siquijor. In the middle of the sea, we saw some smoke that emitted at the back of the fast craft. The boat halted and we were getting panicky since we didn't know what was going on. At the back of my mind I was thinking that we were stuck at sea and the boat was going to explode any time soon. What's worse was how the crew handled the situation; they just smiled and laughed at the situation when other passengers were already in distraught. It turned out that a screw or bolt was missing that's why they had to stop the boat. All the while people were getting seasick and anxious."
What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?
"Bungy jumping from the world’s highest bungy in Macau! We dropped by Macau on our 6-day Hong Kong trip and I was able to bungy jump from a height of 233 meters. The trip was memorable because it cost me an arm in order to jump and attempt suicide (harhar). Really, a friend told me about her experience doing the bungy and I couldn’t wait for my turn to do the same. I had a year’s worth to save up for the jump and when I arrived in Macau, everything just fell into place.
Aside from the travel, it's more on the feeling of visualizing yourself to be where you wanted to be. When your vision has come to fruition, there's a feeling of accomplishment that you can’t help but be proud because it has materialized.
The first trip abroad was very memorable because it opened my eyes to see that there are places that I haven’t explored. It’s totally different when you’re actually at the spot itself. When I stepped foot on foreign soil, it made me realize that I can actually go to places outside the country; with my own hard work."
What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?
"The world is big and I’ve already wasted a lot of years not being able to explore it."
What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?
"I used to hate traveling because of the need to wait for a number of hours before I could reach my destination. We all know that traveling is expensive, even if you're on a budget as you're still paying for the fare, food, lodging etc. A lot of people think that traveling is a luxury. However, I don't go to bars a lot and I don’t collect cars; everyone has a vice, traveling is mine.
I am motivated to travel when I see other people travel. If others can do it, why can't I?"
This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?
"Haha, can't think of any; so long as the person doesn't have any reservations -- no high-maintenance attitudes please."
Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?
"The Philippines is still the best because we’re rich with natural resources. But I can say that Macau is beautiful – and I hardly use the word ‘beautiful’."
What do you think about yourself?
"There is a need for me to always do something and keep myself busy. For now, I have a number of old acquaintances who have started to settle with families and homes but I'm still at a point wherein I CAN’T stay put and I have to get out and explore."
"My blog was a personal journal that evolved into a travel blog. I share my experiences of places I've been to so people may see the world in my eyes. It helps a lot that I'm able to provide tips and things to do in the places I go for added information. I want my site to be as useful as possible; the same way that other blogs have been helpful in giving me tips to the places they’ve been." - Ed
November 2010 Wrap Up
I will be posting a monthly wrap up starting this November to help new readers catch up with Flip's Adventures and to share some Travel Tips and Tricks as well.
Here's what happened this November.
I got featured in Journeying James's Backpacker of the Month. Thanks a lot James!!!
I interviewed Shannon O'Donell of A Little Adrift, and two of my favorite food blogs: Mr. G and Ms. Gourmantic of Gourmantic and Akila and Patrick of The Road Forks, and I also had a chance to interview Josh Summers of Far West China, one of the few people who blogs about China's must see region, Xinjiang.
This month, I featured one of Cebu's Pride, the Dancing Prisoners, I'm sure all of you have seen them in Youtube and they also got featured in local and international TV shows.
I was also in Singapore looking for some 'raket' and spent the Halloween in Clark Quay. I also celebrated Deepavali together with Ron of Fliptravels. And since I'm already in the Land of the Merlion, I wrote some tips and tricks to help you travel cheaply in Singapore.
When I am not travelling, I love writing articles about various interest. Recently I shared with you guys how travel changed my life. I had fun writing about my top three fictional destinations and I also shared with you my Top 15 Philippine travel blogs that I think you should follow (seriously, these guys are awesome!!!).
I also got in touch with my friend Dhane, who's currently staying in Chengdu and I'm thinking of joining his cycling expedition from Nepal to Sri Lanka. This expedition is not just a travel and adventure fun cycle, Dhane and his fellow cyclist will help local children along the way. I also stumbled upon Passports with Purpose and decided to post their badge on Flip's homepage. I hope you will spare some time to visit their site and read about on how you can help build a village in India.
Finally, I posted a long overdue article about my friend's experience in Thunderbird Resort. Special thanks to Nica for the invite. I also have a sponsored post this month that will definitely help out those who are thinking of going to Los Angeles.
And for all of you who are thinking of backpacking and feels confused with all the information out there, check out my recommended four websites for backpackers.
If you wanna backtracked my previous interviews with amazing travellers, check out Meet the Nomads and for my old articles check out my Archive. :-)
It would be cool if you could share my post in your FB and if you wouldn't mind, retweet my articles as well in Twitter. Thanks for continuously supporting Flip!!! :-)
A New Side of Los Angeles
When most travellers consider a trip to LA - it's all about bright lights, world class shopping, celebrities and Hollywood - but did you know that there is a whole new side to the City of Angels? (And we're not talking about East Side - West Side!) Los Angeles is well known for many ground breaking cultural innovations, inspiring major literary pieces and works of art, being home to outstanding architectural achievements and offering a number of unique experiences for the nature lover. Discover a whole new side to Los Angeles.
Bookworm heaven
If you're a literary buff - LA is certainly drool-worthy having inspired some of the greatest works of fiction in history including the likes of Raymond Chandler, Evelyn Waugh and James Ellroy. In true Los Angeles fashion, there are a number of literary tours that take you through some of the most noteworthy landmarks in the area that were frequented by your favourite writers.
*Spend some time at the LA Central Library - not only is it one of LA’s greatest architectural achievements, but a young Charles Bukowski spent many of his days holed up in its Central Reading Room.
Adventure traveller's dream come true
Come to LA at the right time of year and you can surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon! There are plenty of great natural landscapes to explore during the time you spend in the area. Partaking in ocean sports and hiking the nearby mountainous terrain are some of the favourite pastimes enjoyed by the locals and many visitors will revel in the spectacular scenery of Malibu Creek State Park, the Santa Monica mountains and of course endless stretches of postcard perfect beaches.
*For those who are so inclined, spend your morning surfing and then hire a car and head to Big Bear, a few hours' drive outside the city that offers the best skiing conditions in Southern California through the winter months of Nov. - Feb.
Around the Food World in a Day
When it comes to cultural hot spots, LA has a diverse gathering of communities and cultures from all corners of the globe - which is a haven for gastronomists and food lovers. In addition to countless Mexican restaurants, there is a large sampling of Asian inspired cuisine due to the city's close proximity to the Pacific. Forget going round the world, there are plenty of local food tours to satisfy your palette - including the LA dumpling tour or a visit through Thai Town or Little Tokyo.
Qantas operates cheap flights to Sydney from Los Angeles and back. Los Angeles is a great starting point for those looking to travel through the rest of the States or if they're looking to make the most of their Hawaii holidays.
What side of LA do you want to see?
Meet the Nomads: Josh Summers
Josh is the author of the blogs that I've been following for more than a year now. Josh features the part of China which we (in the Philippines) don't know that much, Xinjiang.
Xinjiang was supposedly part of my itinerary last year which unfortunately did not materialize due to some "stuff" that went on in that area.
China is more than Beijing, HongKong and Shanghai and Josh will you give you a lot of information about tourism in Far West China.
Get to know him more and visit him at www.farwestchina.com.
Here's Flip's short interview with Josh.
How did you discover your passion for travelling?
"I first fell in love with traveling when I crossed the border from America to Mexico. Even though there was only a small space of land separating the two countries, the change in scenery and culture was so dramatically different that I was hooked. From then on I was addicted to being wide-eyed and mystified by other cultures."
What’s the most horrible experience that you’ve had on the road?
"On a flight back from England I was caught in the worst storm I have ever experienced. We tried to land 3 times before finally bouncing onto the runway. To make matters worse, all other flights were canceled so my wife and I had to sleep on the New York airport floor with hundreds of other stranded travelers. It was awful."
What’s the best travel experience that you’ve ever had?
"Oooh...see now that's a much harder question. I think my favorite experience as a single guy was staying in a chateau on the mountainside in Switzerland. Since being married - which is such a different travel experience - I'd say our trip to the Philippines (100 Islands, Sagada, Baguio City) has been the most memorable."
What’s the biggest realization that you’ve got out of travelling?
"Despite the dramatic visual differences between cultures and countries, we're all very similar. We all love to share experiences, tell stories, enjoy old friends and make new ones."
What keeps you going? What keeps you motivated?
"If you don't practice a language, you lose it. If you don't exercise you get fat. If you stop traveling, you lose your sensitivity for global issues. I don't want to do that."
This is a silly and hypothetical one. If you would be given a chance to travel with a popular person or a celebrity, who would it be and why?
"I think I'd want to travel with a comedian like Jerry Seinfeld or Rodney Dangerfield. Nothing makes traveling more fun than being able to laugh at every uncommon or stressful situation you run into!"
Where’s your favourite place in this planet and why?
"My favorite place is wherever my wife is :) After that, it'd have to be the Alps for its beauty or Central Asia (especially Xinjiang!) for its fascinating history. Of course, she'd rather be on a beach in Hawaii, the Philippines or Thailand...so I guess that'd have to be on my list too!"
What do you think about yourself?
"I'm really not that interesting. Trust me! I'm fun when I'm with fun people and boring when I'm with boring people. I get fascinated by the most simple things and I would much prefer to walk around a good museum than to go souvenir shopping. I'm flattered that anybody cares to read what I write and it serves to motivate me to both travel more and learn to tell better stories."
"FarWestChina is a small window into a very unknown and misunderstood province. Xinjiang is China's largest province yet few people have been there or heard about it. I want to change that. I want to use my pictures and stories to entice people's curiosity to explore this part of Central Asia. It is my 2nd home and I love it." - Josh
Help Build a Village in India, Please Support PwP
Passports with Purpose is an annual fund raising program pioneered by Travel Bloggers around the world. Last year, #PwP were able to raise $30,000 to build a school in Cambodia. This year, the goal is a little higher, $50,000 to build a village in India.
Flip’s supports Passports with Purpose and you can too.
Visit Passports with Purpose and know how you can help build a village in India.
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