Please take a good look at this photo, taken in February 2017 at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. What do you see? Two people, my husband and me, and two back packs. Starting a three-month trip around the world. I repeat: two backpacks, one backpack each. A lot of my (lady) friends commented more on the packing than the trip itself, so I thought I’d share a few tips and observations:
- This trip through Africa, India, Asia and New Zealand made me realize how little I really need. Comfortable clothes that wash easily and dry fast, good shoes and a few essentials.
- My phone was super useful: phone, laptop, organizer and camera all in one. I bought a few books online and downloaded them on my Kindle and made a point of reading a book by local authors wherever we went (so I read again Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie during our three-day trip from Singapore to Bangkok. Luckily, no one died on that trip!)
- Clothes can be washed in a bucket (Africa) or in your hotel sink when you don’t have time for laundry. In Zimbabwe and Bali we brought our dirty laundry in big trash bags to the local laundry. The hairdryer (if available) or the iron can be useful to dry your clothes.
- When I felt like dressing up a bit, in Singapore or Hong Kong, I put some lipstick and wore earrings and a nice shawl, et voila!
5. All those free cosmetic samples you get when shopping at Sephora? Save them, they will become oh so handy during your future trip(s).
6. If you have clothes you want to give (in good condition of course) bring them along and leave them behind, then get new ones as you go. The same works with books.
7. If you’re backpacking, make sure you get a good quality bag with many compartments, so you can easily find what you need. Tom’s bag was bigger than mine but didn’t have as many compartments as mine, so most of the time he had to unpack everything to find that one item needed in Botswana or New-Zealand.
Happy travelling!
Evelyne
Evelyne Fallows Author 