Ricardo’s Travel Advice: My Packing List

Welcome back to Ricardo’s Travel Advice, a series in which I lay out some of the insight I’ve gained from my overseas journeys. This advice comes from the perspective of an American male who’s done three solo extended overseas journeys—two to Europe and one to Japan and Korea—and might not apply to everyone, but there should be a lot here that’s broadly applicable. Today I’ll be showing you exactly what I took with me on my last overseas trip.

Last week I published a post on packing light, and after that post went live I started thinking it might be helpful if I showed people exactly what packing light looks like, at least for me. Before embarking on each of my three overseas journeys I made a list of what I was bringing, mainly so that I could double-check it before departure and make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything important. With each trip the list changed slightly and what I’m going to lay out below is the list of what I brought last year when I spent 6 weeks in Japan and South Korea. I was there in September and October, so the weather ranged from hot and humid to cool and pleasant. If you’re traveling during winter you may need to do something a little different than I did, and if you’re not a photographer then you won’t need space in your backpack for camera stuffs like I did.

Essentials
* Passport
* Rail pass
* International Driving Permit
* Phone, power cable, USB outlet
* Driver’s License
* Credit Card
* Debit Card
* iPod and USB cable (yes, some of us still use ancient technology like iPods)
* Money belt
* Wallet
* House key
* Watch
* Boarding pass for the flight
* Instructions on how to reach first hostel

Clothing
* Convertible cargo pants
* 4 shirts
* 4 underwear
* 4 pairs of socks
* PJ’s (for me this is one undershirt and one pair of athletic shorts)
* Hoodie
* Shell jacket
* Shoes
* Flip-flops
* Swimsuit

Camera Related
* Camera
* Prime lens
* Spare batteries
* Battery charger
* Spare memory cards
* USB cable
* Gorilla Pod
* Lens cleaner

Toiletries
* Liquid laundry detergent
* Electric razor and charger
* Aftershave
* Moisturizer
* Shampoo
* Kleenex packets
* Clothesline
* Rubber sink stopper
* Travel soap
* Toothbrush
* Toothpaste
* Comb
* Earplugs
* Melatonin
* Lip balm

Other
* Headphones
* Outlet adapter
* Multi-USB adaptor
* USB power adapter
* Travel notes pages
* Notebook and pen
* Day bag/pack
* Combination lock
* Secondary lock
* Flashlight and spare battery
* Power pack (for phone or ipod)
* Umbrella of Constantine