Top 20 Things Women Pack for Long-Term Travel

Winter in Japan back in February 2013.

One of my friends in Manila asked if I was backpacking here in Australia. Sadly, I'm not. I mean, I'm not sure if I can totally survive the backpacker lifestyle. And I think I'm too old to be considered a backpacker. Haha. Plus, I'm not the best when it comes to packing light. I love bringing all kinds of shoes and bags so yes I'm a guilty over packer.

Speaking of packing, I've decided to put up a list of essentials needed for long-term travel specially during winter/spring season. Just a disclaimer though, these are just the basics. Haha. I arrived here with 2 luggages, one of them full of winter clothing like coats, down jackets, blazers, and turtlenecks. The other luggage was full of bags, shoes and more shoes. LOL.

I told myself, "Shopping is not an option (it is hella expensive here down under) so you need to bring ALL basics in your closet!".

Btw, when I say long-term travel it means you'll be out of the country for 3-6 months. Walang uwian ok? Haha. Moving on, here's my top 20 (divided to 4 categories) list of things to pack for long-term travel specially during winter to spring season:

A. Clothes

1. Jacket - One really good/warm down jacket will do. But if you're like me who prevents to wear the same stuff twice (especially when I need to take photos for the blog), bring extra so you can mix and match.
2. Plain Shirts - Need I explain more? It's easier to repeat the plain versus printed ones. I like anything black and white which explains the monochromatic shirts in the photo above.
3. Jeans/Leggings - For the jeans, one in denim and in black. And for the leggings, at least 3!
4. Bra - Bras (with removable straps) in beige and black and one sports bra in case you decide to exercise while on vacation (which rarely happens in real life!) LOL
5. Undies - Bring a maximum of 10 (which sounds a bit too much) coz you'll never know.. you might get stranded somewhere and then realize that you need to change. For emergency purposes ladies!

B. Shoes

1. White Sneakers - Why? It's the easiest to pair up to almost any type of clothing.
2. Black Flats - Same reason as number one.
3. Boots - Preferably the slip resistant ones? As always, safety is always top priority.
4. Rubber Shoes - Again, just in case you decided to exercise. Better bring one instead of buying.
5. Flip-Flops - Give your feet a break, let them breathe once in a while.

C. Toiletries

1. Towel - I'm sure some of you would react that there are towels provided in hotels but hey are you sure they're like 1000% clean? It's all about hygiene guys. I like the microfibre towels from SeaToSummit called DryLite. They're compact, anti-bacterial and quick drying too!
2. Facial Cleanser - I assume that you prepared extra baggage for all the anti-aging stuff. Go ahead, pack all those bottles. But if you're not in the mood to cleanse, tone and moisturize while on the road, just bring your tried and tested facial cleanser to remain zit free during your whole trip.
3. Sunblock - Bring a tub if possible. You don't want to have dry, cracked skin all over your face and body. My personal favorite is VMV's Armada Sport 70 and I am running out as I type this post. For some weird reason VMV is not selling that specific sunblock online so I had no choice but to get a new one from Bioré.
4. Soap, Shampoo & Conditioner - Bring like 10 liters if possible? Haha. These three are the culprit why I got charged for excess baggage in Manila. I'm glad I brought a lot though. At least I didn't have to buy one for like 4 months now. Believe it or not a 100ml shampoo here costs between $9-15AUD. Homayygawd.
5. Makeup - This one's not exactly a priority but it would be nice to glam up once in a while specially when you have dinner with locals, etc.

D. Accessories/Other Stuff

1. Sunglasses - You don't need to bring 10! Just one statement glasses like those Wayfarer's from Ray-Ban will do. They're the best alternative to makeup AKA when you lack sleep and don't have time to fix yourself up so you have no choice but to just wear those funky sunglasses to coverup those (eye)bags.
2. Tote/Sling Bag - To be honest, I'm a sling bag kinda girl. I like my hands free from holding anything other than my phone, camera or holding my boyfriend's hand while walking.. hehe. #HHWW
3. Carry-On Luggage - Those nylon bags from the Le Pliage collection of Longchamp has got to be the best hand carry travel bag a girl could ever own. I use mine for short of out town trips or as a huge shopping bag where you can just dump it all in instead of carrying each item in separate paper bags.
4. Universal Adapter/Electronic Pouch- A family friend of mine gave me this charger from OMNI and I'm not sure if this certain model is available outside the Philippines. It's cheap and compact too! As for the electronic pouch, just provide a simple pouch where you can keep all your chargers. Don't forget to bring extra powerbank too! I love the Mi powerbanks from Xiaomi.
5. Medicines or First Aid Kit - It's easier if you have your own meds instead of adjusting to new prescription. I'm not saying they're not gonna work but you'll never know. I've heard a lot of stories from fellow Filipinos trying to send meds from the Philippines just 'coz their relatives aren't used to the medication abroad.

That's it! Oh, in case you're wondering how heavy was my luggage when I flew to Sydney? If I'm not mistaken they were 34kgs wherein 4kgs was the excess baggage (blame the shoes, jackets and shampoos). Paying for it while checking in wasn't cheap either. I think Cebu Pacific charged Php800 per kilo. Lesson learned: Book 40kgs next time even when traveling solo. Anyway, good thing they accept credit card payments coz I didn't have that much peso with me when I left Manila.

Did I miss something? ;) Leave comments below!