How to Pack Light For a Month (OR MORE!) : Includes Our COMPLETE Packing List!
How to Pack Light For a Month (OR MORE!)
Let’s be honest: just about anyone considering long-term travel for a month or longer is going to be worried about their budget. We wanted to keep our costs pretty low overall.
That meant traveling pretty light, because a lot of airlines charge more for checked or oversized baggage. So, as hard as it was, we decided to bring only carry-on luggage, which meant we each got one small suitcase and one personal item.
How did we do it? For the short answer, check out our first-ever Escape Visa YouTube vlog! For more details, read on. Packing this way allows us to travel full-time, usually spending a month in each country, without needing to worry about essentials. And this is exactly how I would recommend that you pack light for a trip of a month or longer.
PRIORITIZING
This part is so important. There are tons of things that we all feel like we need, but actually don’t. My rule of thumb was that if I didn’t absolutely love a piece of clothing, or hadn’t used an item in the last week or so, it wasn’t coming. Also, think about your destination! Do you really need to bring your favorite stylish leather jacket on your trip to Bangkok in summer?
STRATEGIZING
Once we had narrowed down our belongings to a much more manageable pile, it was time to strategize. For example, my phone and computer take the same kind of charger plug, so I brought the computer one and ditched the phone charger. This means only being able to charge one at a time, but so far that hasn’t been a problem.
For clothes, I focused on layers and versatility. I wanted very few items that were limited to just one use or context, which meant a few sad choices like leaving behind the ultra-fancy dresses and high heels.
We knew that we wanted to have the option of flying the low-cost airlines in Europe, which have different standards for carry-on sizes than the big airlines in the US, so we bought suitcases designed for the European budget carriers. This gave us even less space than we would have had if we had used US-sized carry-ons.
Yet we made it all work, and had room to spare. Here are lists of exactly what Gustavo and I brought.
GRETCHEN’S PACKING LIST (WITH NOTES)
CLOTHES, ETC.:
8 shirts. I made sure these were versatile and layerable.
2 tank tops. Extra warmth on cold days, and perfect for hot summer days
1 sweater.
1 light jacket. This is more for staying dry and wind protection rather than warmth.
1 pair of long jeans. I went with a fairly dark wash to make them more versatile.
1 pair of capris. See above.
1 dress. I picked one that rolls up small and is versatile. The perfect gift from a lovely friend with impeccable taste!
A week’s worth of underwear.
8 pairs of socks.
1 pair of thick tights. For style, modesty, or warmth, depending on the situation.
Black ballet flats. I needed something that I could wear comfortably to walk around in, but also dress up.
Puma running shoes. These are super comfortable and work well for long days on foot.
Swimsuit.
Large scarf. A large, medium-weight scarf is warm on chilly evenings and large enough to cover my head and shoulders when extra modesty is needed.
Beach cover-up tunic. A cover-up for my swimsuit when we go to beaches, or even for street clothes in some countries.
Everyday bag. This cloth bag is small enough to use daily, but big enough to hold my camera, or several days’ worth of groceries.
BONUS: flip flops. I hadn’t planned to bring these, but actually had extra room in my suitcase!
BONUS: Irish dancing shoes. Again, I hadn’t planned to bring them, but they fit. I ended up leaving these with a friend in Germany since we won’t be able to do much Irish dancing elsewhere.
BONUS: colorful purse. Hey, if there’s room, throw in another purse, right?!
ELECTRONICS:
Laptop with cord and charger.
Phone.
Camera with case, charger, and cord.
External hard drive.
Earbuds.
MISCELLANEOUS
Wallet. A little bit of local cash, cards, ID, etc.
Toiletries. Some basic makeup, travel-sized toothpaste and deodorant, toothbrushes.
Knee brace.
Various medications for traveler’s diarrhea, altitude sickness, etc.
Important paperwork. Flight confirmations, passport copy, etc.
Blank book. This was completely a splurge on my part. I fell immediately in love with this gorgeous blank book and decided on the spot that I absolutely had to make a scrapbook of our adventures.
Mini blank canvases. (We ended up giving up on this idea and leaving these behind.)
A couple small pieces of jewelry. I brought pieces with an emphasis on versatility and sentimental value. Nothing super flashy that screams “I have money, rob me!”
Extra pair of glasses and case.
GUSTAVO’S PACKING LIST
CLOTHES, ETC.:
8 shirts.
2 dress shirts.
1 sweater.
1 light jacket.
1 pair of long jeans.
A week’s worth of underwear.
8 pairs of socks.
Swim trunks.
Puma shoes.
BONUS: flip flops. Gustavo hadn’t planned to bring these, but had extra room.
BONUS: Irish dancing shoes. Again, bringing these wasn’t part of the plan, but they fit!
ELECTRONICS:
Laptop with cord and charger.
Mouse.
Phone.
Camera with case, cord, and three lenses.
External hard drive.
GoPro with accessories, extra batteries, charger.
Osmo Mobile gimbal with charger and base.
Mini tripod.
Travel tripod.
Converter and adapter.
Earbuds.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Wallet.
Important paperwork.
PACKING TIPS
Packing light for a month of travel (or more) is a little different from how I pack normally. Instead of worrying about trying to avoid wrinkles, I wanted to maximize space. After all, we can iron or shower-steam clothes one we arrive, since we’re in each place for a while!
This meant:
Rolling most clothes as tightly as possible.
Stuffing socks into shoes to save space.
Slipping things in wherever they fit instead of trying to maintain a logical order (with some exceptions).
With that said, there were a few things I wanted to pack very precisely. My valuable electronics all went in my smaller bag in case the plane was so full that I had to check the larger one. It’s a lot easier to replace clothes than a computer and camera! Similarly, all of my ultra-essentials (wallet, paperwork, phone, boarding passes) went into very specific places in my smaller bag so I’d be able to find them immediately.
BUYING IN EACH PLACE
When it comes to clothes, our logic is that we can go to a thrift store anywhere we end up, which will actually be more cost-effective than trying to bring everything. Right before we leave each country, we’ll donate back any clothes we aren’t taking with us.
For example, I didn’t bring a pair of lounge pants or a t-shirt to relax around the apartment. Bringing everything like this might have pushed me into checked baggage size ($50ish per flight). At a thrift store, I can get them for $5 or so. That extra $45 per person per flight adds up quickly!
In other countries, like Morocco, the appropriate clothing standards are so different (for me more than Gustavo) that it only makes sense to buy a couple of outfits there. As you saw on my packing list, I have a tunic I can throw over my usual clothes to make them more appropriate, but I’d rather not wear that every day for a month!
FINAL THOUGHTS
We were both dreading trying to fit our entire lives into two relatively small bags each. It seemed basically impossible, and we were seriously considering whether we could afford to check a bag each time we flew.
Once we tried it, though, it turned out to be incredibly easy. We haven’t missed anything we left at home or regretted not bringing it. (Well, I regret not smuggling in a few California-style burritos!)
Before we packed like this ourselves, I would have found this hard to believe that all this stuff would fit. If you do too, check out our video on YouTube to see all of this in action!