“International Travel Packing List” will get you on the road with a feather light full backpack. You’ll have all the top quality gear you need. From the Serengeti to the streets of Paris, you’ll be comfortable, confident, and prepared for anything.
My #1 International Travel Packing List rule is PACK LIGHT.
You will be very unhappy carrying 40+ pounds of stuff. I’ve seen couples walking through airports with a massive 80 liter backpack on their back, with hiking boots and rolled up sleeping mats dangling off the top, AND another bursting-at-the-seams 30 liter backpack strapped to their chest. They look very sad and confused. It doesn’t have to be that way!
I recommend limiting yourself to a backpack of 45 liters or less, with a small, foldable 10-18 liter daypack, and a maximum of 25 pounds of total weight. I recently traveled comfortably for five months, through all types of weather, with 22 pounds of stuff. Every year I take less and less. This International Travel Packing List will help you minimize and comfort-ize.
Think carefully about each item you pack.
Do you really like that shirt? Have you used it often on past trips? There is nothing more regret-inducing than re-packing your bag at the end of each stop, and seeing some heavy object that you still haven’t used. It is a waste of your limited packing space, wasted physical effort to jam that thing in there, and wasted effort to drag it all over the world.
Weigh everything you plan to take.
This forces you to evaluate the “energy expenditure cost“ of bringing each item. That extra pair of shoes are nice, but do you really NEED them? Especially now that you know they weigh 2.3 pounds? The 22 pound international travel packing list below had to get me through 95 degree afternoons in summertime Africa, as well as 25 degree mornings in wintertime Germany. I had to have clothes for European coffee shops, and for days on Madagascar beaches. I needed to survive a 46 hour journey from Hawaii to Addis Ababa, and a 16 hour day on Mozambican buses.
Take the international travel packing list “Proper Packing Test”.
Put all your gear in your backpack. It should fit with a little room for a few more things (that you’ll want to buy on your trip). Now put the backpack on, click the waist-belt shut, cinch the shoulder straps. Put your choice of walking shoes on. Go walk around your town…at noon…for two hours.
How do you feel? You should feel hot and tired, but not in pain. Your back should not be hurting, your shoulders should not be chafed. If you feel just plain tired, you have achieved success. If it was absolutely miserable, then it’s time to re-evaluate. Backpack a bad fit? Too much weight? Find the answer BEFORE your trip. You can replace a lot of stuff on the road, but there is no REI in Lesotho.
Travel is not a fashion show.
Unless you are Insta-famous and making big bucks from your Taj Mahal photo-shoots, it’s just not practical or necessary to lug around piles of clothes. You need to become comfortable with wearing the same clothes. Besides, if you are moving to new locations every three or four days, no one at that location will get to see any more than your three core outfits. So pick three outfits you really like, and be prepared to do some hotel sink/shower washing every three days.
I highly recommend investing in some merino wool. Merino wool is a magical fiber that really, truly does not stink. You can wear a merino shirt for three days and it will not smell. YOU might smell, but the shirt will not.
On your international travel packing list, there are some things you CANNOT forget and must not lose:
These would be: your passport, 2 ATM cards, 2 credit cards, emergency cash stash, smartphone, and any critical uncommon medications. These items must be secure at ALL times. They should never be tucked away in the bottom of your backpack. When you are moving between locations, they should be kept securely ON YOUR BODY, in a zipped pocket, or in a well hidden travel wallet.
Additionally, these things should be duplicated, and placed in separate locations. Location A has one ATM card, one credit card, half your cash, and your passport. Location B has one ATM card, one credit card, half your cash, your cell phone, and a laminated photocopy of your passport. For more on this, read my post How to Access Your Money in Foreign Countries.
You should also have scanned copies of passport/atm/credit cards kept in your email inbox, or google docs, or anyplace you can easily retrieve from any computer. Generally, you should leave the items in location A in your hotel when you are settled in a place. Even in countries that legally require you to have your passport on you at all times, I would still leave it in the hotel, and keep the laminated copy with me.
How much do I need to spend on stuff for my trip?
The short answer is nearly nothing. Almost everything on this international travel packing list are items you’ll already have. You don’t need to buy special “travel-size” things. However, if you have a little money to spend there are some things that can really improve your travel experience.
Remember that you can buy just about anything you need on the road. Surprisingly, people wear clothes pretty much everywhere. In fact, they wear interesting, different clothes, which you’ll want to buy. So leave some space in your bag. And every place on earth has cell phones. That charging cord you lost? You can buy a new one in Uganda. If you didn’t bring the correct electric plug converter for Myanmar, I guarantee you can pick one up in the local market for a couple bucks. Prescription antibiotics can be purchased over the counter in most countries, and for much cheaper than in the USA. SIM cards, camera memory cards, earbuds, all that stuff is available wherever you are going, probably for cheaper than at home.
Why should you trust me?
- I chose the stuff on my International Travel Packing List by searching trusted review sites like The Wirecutter, Outdoor Gear Lab, and others. I’ve spent hours and hours choosing the BEST item for my personal international travel packing list. I have learned through trial and error. I’ve lost money through many pairs of uncomfortable shoes, and wedgie-producing underwear.
- I paid my own hard-earned cash for all of these things and I use them on every trip I take. That includes a five month around-the-world trip in 2017/2018 through freezing temperatures in wintertime Europe, scorching heat in summertime Africa, through 40 countries, and dozens of airports, buses, trains, vans, taxis, bicycles, and one camel. I used every item on the list, and I’ve ONLY listed items that YOU will be glad to have with you.
- I have not been paid to endorse, nor been provided, any product by any of these companies.
The Ultimate International Travel Packing List:
The Stuff I ALWAYS Pack:
CHECK ON AMAZON At 56 ounces, the Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Backpack is my top choice for a travel backpack today. (Full Disclaimer – I’m currently using an old no-longer-available REI Ruckpack 40L, but when it dies, this is my pick) My factors in choosing a backpack are – airplane carry-on-ability, durability, weight, comfort, price. This one ticks all the boxes for me. It is durable enough to last years of travel without a single rip. It’s comfortable and light enough that you could walk 10 miles with all your stuff in it. It’s really only 40 liters, with a detachable 15 liter day pack, which is all the space you need.
It meets US carry-on baggage requirements. This is critical as it allows me the flexibility I need to change itineraries, drop segments, accept bump vouchers, avoid bag fees. Is it possible to travel with a rolling suitcase? Yes, but only if you are limiting your travel to first world countries, and mostly in cities. A rolling suitcase is going to be a real bummer the first time you have to walk a mile down a dirt road or broken sidewalk to get to your hostel from the bus station.
CHECK ON AMAZON 40oz The ASUS Chromebook Flip CM3 is the smallest, lightest laptop I can find
CHECK ON AMAZON 17.2oz Osprey Daylite 15 Liter Day pack. (this is effectively the attached 15L day pack that comes with the Farpoint combo pack. Now that I lug a laptop with me, I decided to upgrade from a squishy cheap day pack. The Osprey Daylite feels light and comfortable, yet bulletproof with a durable water repellent exterior. It has a side-entry zipper located by the padded back panel to inconspicuously hold a 13″ laptop. I especially like this, as I can lug my laptop while still looking like a broke backpacker. On the front of the pack, a long zip-closing stash pocket keeps small important items handy. The shoulder straps and back padding are much more substantial and comfortable than the average day pack.
0.4oz Ink Pen. Bring three pens. You’ll need them to fill out customs forms at each new country. Be the hero who has one to share with your fellow traveler.
0.1oz Small Paper Clip This is actually a really important item. You need one of these to pop open your phone to change out the sim card. I once wasted an hour asking people to borrow one in Japan.
Men’s clothing Packing List:
Guys, here are my tips on choosing clothes for long-term travel:
Pack lightweight clothes.
Consider the weight of each item you pack. Travel pants weigh half that of a pair of jeans. Sturdy hiking boots can weigh as much as all your clothes combined! Go light with every item.
Pack LESS clothes.
You don’t need more than two of anything (except underwear). Pack only clothes that you REALLY like. Don’t bring that shirt you don’t wear much, but you kinda think it might be good on a rainy day. Nope, it will just sit in your bag and haunt you. Bring that one shirt you think you looks really good on you, and wear it every damn day. Also, be willing to do some sink scrubbing every three days.
Embrace Merino Wool.
I know $50 for a tshirt sounds crazy, but when you wear it you’ll see why it is worth it. Super lightweight, cool, non-smelly, and saves you frequent trips to the laundromat.
Here is what I wear:
3.3oz Banana Republic boxers. I bring 5 pair of these plain old cotton/poly boxers. They just fit me best. I have tried merino boxers and Ex Officio briefs, and they just don’t work for me. Nothing special about these, undies are certainly a personal choice.
International Travel Packing List – Toiletries / Medical Packing List:
This is the stuff that gets jammed into my see-thru bag. Most toiletries can be replaced on the road. Some of the medicines are actually much cheaper and easier to buy abroad than in the USA’s bloated medical system. If you need very specific medication, be sure to bring it with you.
- Toothbrush (cut in half to save room)
- Travel size Toothpaste
- Dental Floss
- Hairbrush
- 3.4oz sunscreen tube (expensive to buy in places with no indigenous pale people!)
- Carmex lip balm
- Travel size Deodorant stick
- Solid Cologne (for when deoderant just isn’t enough)
- Razor with replacement blades
- 3.4oz Shaving gel
- Macks Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs
- Ibuprofen (great for swelling, and my nightime pain reliever)
- Excedrin (my morning pain reliever as it has caffeine. The best hangover cure on Earth)
- Eyedrops (for dry eyes)
- Antibacterial wipes (to clean cuts and scrapes)
- Antibacterial gel (to put on cuts before applying a bandaid)
- Bandaids
- Tweezers
- Mosquito repellent (at least 40% deet)
- Hydrocortisone cream (for allergic skin reactions, poison ivy)
- Cough Drops
- Azithromyacin Z-PAC (this is the universal tool of the antibiotic world. It cures traveller’s diarrhoea, as well as killing multiple bacterial infections. You can get it over-the-counter nearly everywhere outside the US. Keep at least 4x250mg tablets on hand. It could save your life.)
- Malaria pills (if needed for your destination. These are NOT cheaper to get abroad. You defenitely want to get these before you go.)
International Travel Packing List – Documents:
I keep all of this inside my Shacke Hidden Travel Belt Wallet w/RFID Blocker.
Passport with at least 6 months validity and no ripped pages or damage (confirm this before you fly)
Two laminated color copies of your passport (to carry with you everyday, and show to corrupt police, instead of your actual passport)
Yellow Fever proof of vaccination (Some countries won’t let you in with out this yellow card)
Two Debit/ATM Cards (in case one gets lost/stolen/ has banking account issues) For more on this, read my post How to Access Your Money in Foreign Countries.
Two Credit Cards that get you travel rewards (in case one gets lost/stolen/shut off) See my post: Free Flights Worldwide in Nine Steps to choose the best card for you.
At least $200 cash in US Dollars or Euros
US Drivers license (in case you might rent a car)
International Drivers License (This is required to rent a car in most countries that do not use the Latin Alphabet, and you can get this by mail from AAA for just $20)
Ten passport photos for visas-on-arrival (these are becoming less needed as countries switch to e-visas)
I keep this stuff printed out with a paper clip:
Flight itinerary both into and out of the country (some airports won’t even let you in the door without proof of a booked flight, and some countries won’t let you on the plane without proof of an exit flight booking! I once had to book a one-way flight out of South Africa on the spot at check-in to avoid being denied boarding.)
Booking of your first hotel/hostel (even if it’s fake. Some countries won’t let you in without proof of lodging.)
World Nomads Travel Insurance policy info (If you can’t afford Travel Insurance, you can’t afford to travel!)
Digital Packing List:
There are some things you need to have “packed” digitally in the cloud. You need to be able to access these items even if every physical object you have is gone. Keep these in your Google Docs, or email account, or anywhere you could access from an internet-connected device.
Picture of your passport ID page (to get a replacement if lost, and to be able to fill out forms with your passport info even if it is not on your person)
Pictures of each current/future visa (in case passport is lost)
Picture of all your credit and debit cards, front and back (if you lose them, you’ll know the numbers, and who to call.)
A time-stamped photo of your bag and all of its contents (If anything is stolen, you’ll have proof of ownership for your World Nomads Travel Insurance)
A picture of any prescriptions for critical medication (to get refills, though most meds are available without a prescription outside the US)
Things that do NOT make it onto my international travel packing list:
- Several pairs of shorts. – Quite simply, grown men do not wear shorts in most of the world. Even when it is 90 degrees out, adult males do not wear shorts in pretty much all of Africa, the Middle East, and much of Asia. If you want people to laugh at you behind your back, wear your Gap cargo shorts across Africa. You could even be arrested for wearing shorts in some muslim countries.
- Zipoff pants. – The look stupid as pants. They look stupid as shorts. You wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them at home. That’s a false economy of utility for me.
- Packing cubes – If you need ways to organize your stuff into smaller bags of stuff, you brought too much stuff.
- A DSLR camera. I’m not a pro photographer. My Pixel 3XL takes really good pics and I have it with me at all times. A big camera is a flashing red light that screams “I am a tourist, and I have expensive things” I like to be able to walk down any dusty dirt road and say hello to people, and look like I am carrying nothing of value. Maybe I actually have the equivalent of 6 months wages for a Zambian in my pocket, but my sandals, t-shirt, and carefree smile says “broke backpacker”.
- An umbrella. I find that rain is often accompanied by wind. Wind is the enemy of the umbrella. A good rain jacket like the Marmot Precip works much better then an umbrella, and is lighter and smaller.
When you are ready to book your trip, be sure to use the best booking sites:
Book Your Flight:
Find your flight using Momondo.com. It is the best airfare search engine, as it finds the cheapest flights, and will find ALL the flights. (Here’s the proof.)
Book Your Accommodation:
Choose your lodging using Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)
Get Travel Insurance:
You can’t afford to travel without travel insurance. Car accidents, illnesses, and theft do happen. It could save your life. I never travel without it. I use World Nomads.
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