Anna S. E. Lundberg

Coach, Speaker, Writer

Packing list for Australia, New Zealand and Asia: what to bring and what not to bring

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Since returning from my three-month backpacking trip to South America, the post that gave my take on what to bring and what not to bring has consistently been one of the most visited on my blog. I hope my new packing list for Asia, once again with the benefit of hindsight, is equally helpful…

This time around it was a shorter trip, 31 days, I wasn’t travelling into winter weather, and I wasn’t going hiking, which all helped! On the other hand, it was still another tricky one as I was combining completely different countries, climates and trip types. I was starting off on the north island of New Zealand, which would see the coldest temperatures of around 13-14 degrees and where I would be driving around with my friend in a flashy BMW Z4. Then on to Sydney and Melbourne, where I’d be living the city life in museums, shopping malls and bars. The second half of my trip would take place over in Asia, bussing up and down the west coast of Malaysia before ending up in Singapore where the temperatures would be 30-35 degrees.

I had planned to be “roughing it” for the second half of the trip but in fact I continued my trip in comfort, staying in nice hotels and even flying domestic sometimes instead of taking the bus. I was also treating this trip differently, in that I would be working remotely while travelling. This meant bringing my computer as the iPad just wouldn’t cut it for working on documents, editing my business website, and so on.

Backpack vs suitcase: Last time, after lugging my big backpack around for three months, I actually decided that a suitcase with wheels would be a more civilised choice going forward. I once again succumbed to convention this time, though, and packed a backpack – a smaller backpack, but a backpack nonetheless. It felt like the right choice for Asia and, let’s face it, having a backpack is sort of integral to the concept of backpacking. It worked fine but again a suitcase would have been absolutely fine too. I wasn’t travelling on chicken buses and there was always a lift up to my room since I was staying in hotels rather than hostels. Next time: SUITCASE!

Sleeping bag: I didn’t bring a sleeping bag; I did bring a sleeping bag liner but didn’t use it, again, as I was staying in nicer hotels with clean sheets!

Jeans: It’s true that you don’t need jeans in Asia. It’s HOT. You need light trousers, shorts and skirts. But I brought a pair anyway for the plane journey there and back again and to wear in New Zealand as well as on the cooler evenings in Australia.

SLR vs point-and-shoot: I’m getting more into my photography and so I made the decision to bring my Nikon D5100 on this trip. I brought only one lens, a zoom lens (18-200mm) to cover most situations. I didn’t bring any other kit, I had no tripod, and I didn’t have the proper bag to put it in, carrying the camera loose in my shoulder bag for easy access. (I felt less uncomfortable with my big camera in Asia than I would have in South America, but I’m still surprised by all the tourists who openly flash their big brand cameras and iPads around all over the place.) I also brought my GoPro for the first time, shooting short video clips throughout the trip. And I had my iPhone to take some candid pics for Instagram 🙂

Computer vs iPad: I took a big gamble and brought my Macbook Air. I was very careful with it, in Asia especially: I didn’t get it out on buses or in public places, I didn’t bring it to cafés or bars. I had backed everything up ahead of time, and turned on the FileVault encryption for added security. This was a bit of a test for me as I start to live more of the “digital nomad” life…

Bags:
1 x 50l backpack (Lowe Alpine Cholatse II ND Backpack – Black/Lavender, Size 50-60)
1 x old Longchamp bag* (Le pliage)
1 x small handbag (I also bought a shoulder bag during the trip that I could wear across the body in Asia)
6 x packing cubes to compartmentalise my clothes (eBags Slim Packing Cubes)
1 x mesh bag for dirty laundry
*No small backpack this time, as I wasn’t hiking

Shoes:
1 x flip-flops (Havaianas)
1 x old sandals (thrown away and replaced during the trip)
1 x old ballerinas (thrown away at the end of the trip)
1 x sandals with heels for the evenings (barely worn but good to have them)
No trainers or hiking boots!

Trousers and shorts:
1 x jeans
2 x loose trousers
1 x lacy shorts

Tops:
4 x short-sleeved tops
2 x vest tops
1 x tunic top for temples (to cover my shoulders)

Dresses and skirts:
2 x casual short dresses*
1 x maxi dress
1 x knee-length denim skirt
*Barely worn. Even though other tourists (especially the Chinese) were wearing skimpy little skirts and hot pants, I was more comfortable wearing my long trousers while travelling in Malaysia, which is officially a Muslim country.

Underwear and swimwear:
14 x pairs of knickers*
3 x bras – 1 strapless nude, 1 white, 1 colour
1 x socks for cooler evenings (barely worn)
1 x bikini, with bag to put it in when wet
*Last time I only brought enough underwear for a week so this time I went all out!

Jumpers and cardigans:
2 x cardigans

Outerwear:
1 x light windbreaker (from Uniqlo)
1 x warm pashmina
1 x light scarf
1 x sunglasses*
1 x mini umbrella (especially useful in Malaysia and Singapore)
*Instead of my cheap sunglasses that I brought to South America, I brought my old Chanels this time darling…

Additional clothes bought on the trip:
1 x midi-skirt
1 x maxi dress
3 x tops
Ahem. I had a bit of a shopping spree in Sydney and then again in Melbourne…

For sleeping:
1 x sleeping bag liner*
1 x pyjama vest top and shorts
1 x eye mask and earplugs (no inflatable pillow this time)
*Never used, as I stayed in nice hotels with clean sheets!

Toiletries:
Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face wash, face cream, body lotion
Cleansing wipes
Deodorant, perfume
Razor
Nail travel kit including scissors, nail file and tweezers
Nail polish
Cotton buds
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
Lip salve with SPF, Vaseline
Sun cream, for face and body
Hand cream
Make-up – mascara, eyeliner, concealer, powder, blusher, lip gloss
Anti-bacterial hand gel
Wet wipes
Tampons
Tissues
Hairbrush, hair grips and elastics
Wash bag*
*I like Cath Kidston’s Cosmetic Roll Cases – they come in a larger size (it’s huge!) and a smaller one, which I use for this type of trip. The detachable pockets and the hook for hanging it make it super practical.

Medication:
Insect repellent, after-bite cream
Malaria tablets, antibiotics, Imodium, rehydration tablets*
Small first aid kit, sterile needle kit*
Migraine sprays
*I never used any of the medical kit, which is a good thing!

Electronics:
Macbook Air (11 inch) plus charger
iPhone 5S plus charger
Earphones
Kindle plus charger
Adapters for Australia and New Zealand (Malaysia and Singapore are the same as the UK)
Nikon D5100 with 18-200mm Lens plus charger
GoPro HERO3+ plus charger
USB sticks, memory card, memory card reader

Admin:
Passport, photocopies of passport
American Express, Visa debit card
Vaccination booklet
Printed flight bookings
Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei*
Small wallet
*I had this on my Kindle but I would really recommend the paperback version. It’s so much easier and more enjoyable to flip through the book in your hands, to find pages that you’ve marked, and to refer back to a map or reference that you need.

Security:
Padlocks*, including one with a cable
Money belt to wear under my clothes
*Never used on this trip, unlike in South America where I constantly padlocked my backpacks while travelling as well as locking my things up in the hostel lockers.

Other bits and bobs:
Travel towel*
Headlamp*
Notebook and pens
Toilet paper**
*Never used as I was staying in hotels and private rooms instead of hostels and dorm rooms
**I picked this up along the way and it did prove useful at some bus stops and bus terminals in Malaysia.
I didn’t bring travel detergent or a washing line this time – in New Zealand and Australia I was mostly staying in apartments where I had my own washing machine, and in Malaysia you could send off your laundry really cheaply. I had a bit of a shock when I wanted to wash something in Singapore, though, as prices there are on a par with Europe. 

As you can see, this was more flashpacking than a traditional budget backpacking trip. I had my computer and my big camera, I had a Longchamp bag, and nice sunglasses. And, though not planned, I ended up staying in nice hotels throughout the trip. If you’re going to do luxury, though, you might as well do it in Asia, where you get a huge room with 5-star service for the price of a closet in the big European cities like Paris and London.

So what do you think? Anything missing that you couldn’t live without? Anything I’ve included that you think is completely unnecessary? Let me know how you get on with packing for your next trip!

Why not also check out my other packing lists, for South America and for travelling as a digital nomad!

Packing for Asia

Packing list for three months in South America: what to bring and what not to bring

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The time has come to share my two cents on how to pack for a trip to South America. I was 99% happy with my packing: I used almost everything, and didn’t miss anything important. Of course it was annoying to carry around lots of medication and first aid kits that I (thankfully) didn’t use; and I wish I could have worn my pretty clothes more often instead of spending day in and day out in my basic backpacker gear; but overall I didn’t have any regrets.

I used a couple of great sites for inspiration as I planned the trip, the most useful being Travel Independent and Worldly Nomads. Of course, although the basics will stay the same for everyone, the rest will depend on which countries you’re going to and at what time of year, and if you’re a solo traveller or travelling with someone so that you can share some things like toiletries… I was alone so I needed to bring absolutely everything in my own luggage, while I was expecting hot weather in the beginning and then heading into South American winter so I needed quite a range of clothes.

But first, my take on some of the most controversial discussions raging on the topic of packing for this kind of trip:

Size of the backpack: Every cool travel blogger recommends travelling with a small bag of a maximum of 40 litres, while making sure that you have space left over for things that you’ll buy along the way. This sounds great, and I did buy a small backpack – a beautiful teal one – and tried to fit everything in… but it was close to exploding, even with the use of vacuum packs to save space. In the end, I returned the small one and took my big old backpack, with lots of spare room as I left, and a weight of 13kg as I boarded the plane.

Backpack vs. suitcase: Beyond the size of the backpack, the next question is whether you should have a backpack at all. It’s called backpacking for a reason, you may say, and indeed you lose a bit of street cred if you arrive at a hostel with a trolley bag. BUT I’m leaning towards taking a suitcase on my next trip – I simply can’t see the benefit of having a backpack, except maybe as you climb the stairs to the upper floors of a hostel. Otherwise, a suitcase on wheels will be much more practical as you walk to the bus or to your accommodation, and will avoid the sore shoulders that I was left with after three months of lugging my big bag around. I’m 30 and I can do what I want.

Sleeping bag: I didn’t bring one – you don’t need it when you’re staying in hostels or hotels, and for things like the Inca Trail and the Salar de Uyuni tour you can rent a good one cheaply.

Jeans: A lot of sites tell you not to bring jeans. Qué?! I don’t understand this one at all. Well, if you’re only going to countries that are hot both during the day and at night then maybe this makes sense, but for the rest of us, jeans are indispensable in the cool evenings and, during winter, in the daytime as well. In fact, I wish I’d brought two pairs, as I ended up wearing the same ones every day for the last few weeks.

SLR vs point-and-shoot: I was very tempted to bring my SLR – I’m by no means a professional photographer, but even set to automatic the SLR gives me much better photos, in particular close-ups. But the fact remains that it is huge, and it is a complete magnet for thieves (I would have felt very self-conscious every time I brought it out; and carrying it around in a big Nikon case would not have been a good idea either…). My Nikon Coolpix has a 14x optical zoom which is great for wide shots, and the close-ups and portraits aint too bad either. If you’re an average Joe traveller, a point-and-shoot will be just fine; and if you want professional shots of the blue-footed booby on the Galapagos you can find them via Mr Google…

So without further ado, here is my list in all its glory:

The contents of my backpack

Bags:
1 x big backpack (I don’t know how big it is, I can’t find it anywhere on the bag! Maybe 60l?)
1 x small backpack
1 x small handbag
6 x mesh bags to compartmentalise my clothes, including 1 for laundry

Shoes:
1 x flip-flops (for beach and hostel showers)
1 x hiking shoes
1 x comfortable sandals
1 x old ballerinas
1 x nice sandals for the evenings*
(5 pairs?! I know! But most of them were slim and took up little space)

*Considering the winter season in which I was travelling, I would have been better off with a nice pair of trainers, as I spent most of the cold days and nights in my hiking shoes.

Trousers and shorts:
1 x pair of jeans
1 x cargo pants
1 x tracksuit bottoms
1 x denim shorts
1 x short white leggings
1 x long grey leggings*

Tops:
6 x vest tops
1 x short-sleeved t-shirt
1 x long-sleeved t-shirt*
1 x nice top for evenings

*I only wore my leggings and long-sleeved top once, for sleeping on the coldest night while camping on the Inca Trail.

Dresses and skirts:
1 x casual short dress
1 x nice short dress for evenings
1 x maxi dress
1 x casual short skirt

Underwear and swimwear:
8 x pairs of knickers*
3 x bras – 1 strapless, 1 normal, 1 nice
3 x pairs of socks, including 1 for hiking
1 x bikini, with bag to put it in when wet

*I wish I had brought more underwear! It takes up no space at all so really there is no reason not to stuff your bag full. Each time I had to do my laundry it was because of my underwear, not because of dirty tops or trousers.

Jumpers and cardigans:
2 x cardigans
1 x merino wool jumper

Outerwear:
1 x light down jacket (I bought a great lightweight one that stuffed into nothing, the Ultra Light Down Jacket from Uniqlo)
1 x light windbreaker (also tiny, the Light Pocketable Parka from Uniqlo)
1 x warm pashmina
1 x light scarf
1 x cheap sunglasses

Additional clothes bought on the trip:
1 x alpaca jumper (I only wore this when my merino one was in the wash)
1 x pair of gloves
1 x woolly hat
1 x pair of warm socks
1 x rain poncho
1 x sun hat
1 x panama hat

For sleeping:
1 x sleeping bag liner
1 x pyjama vest top and shorts
1 x inflatable pillow, eye mask and earplugs

Toiletries:
Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, face wash, face cream, body lotion
Cleansing wipes
Deodorant, perfume
Razor
Nail travel kit including scissors, nail file and tweezers
Nail polish
Cotton buds
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss
Lip salve with SPF, Vaseline
Sun cream, for face and body
Hand cream
Make-up for nights out – waterproof mascara, eyeliner, concealer, powder, blusher, lip gloss
Anti-bacterial hand gel
Wet-wipes
Tampons
Tissues
Hairbrush, hairgrips and elastics
Foldable wash bag with a hook to hang in the bathroom

Medication:
Insect repellent, after-bite cream
Malaria tablets, antibiotics, water purification tablets, Imodium, rehydration tablets
Motion sickness tablets and wristbands
EchinaceaFirst aid kit
Sterile needle kit
Migraine spray*

*I only brought two migraine sprays as I thought that I would be migraine-free on my holiday! I had several migraines, though, at the start of the trip, so I would recommend that you bring plenty of any special medication that you need and that you won’t be able to get easily hold of while travelling.

Electronics:
iPhone, iPad (some websites are still built in flash and don’t work on iOS, boo, hiss!)
Earphones
Kindle
Chargers and adapters*
Nikon Coolpix camera

*I brought a ridiculous amount of chargers and adapters, didn’t use most of them, and still had to buy specific ones in Chile and in Argentina.

Admin:
Passport and ID
Photocopies of passport
VISA credit and debit card
Vaccination certificate
Printed flight bookings
Small wallet
Cheap wristwatch

Security:
Padlocks, for the big backpack and hostel lockers, including one with a cable
Money belt to wear under my clothes

Other bits and bobs:
Travel towel
Head lamp
Swiss army knife*
Lonely Planet’s South America on a Shoestring
Lonely Planet’s Latin American Spanish phrasebook
Spanish language book
Notebook and pens
Travel detergent and washing line**
Toilet paper***
Pack of cards

*As is the case for most people, I think, I never used the Swiss army knife.

**I didn’t use the washing line at all, as I always handed my laundry into the ‘lavandería’ in the hostel or in a nearby launderette, and on the rare occasion that I washed my underwear in the sink, I just hung it up to dry in the bathroom.

***I bought special compact travel paper but it was so stuck together it was hard to open. Normal rolls are fine!

So what do you think? Anything missing that you couldn’t live without? Anything I’ve included that you think is completely unnecessary? It seems like a ridiculously long list and, hey, if you can travel with less, good for you! But I like to have a choice of what to wear each day, I like to be comfortable, and I like to be dressed right for the weather; and I was very happy with my packing for this trip!

Why not also check out my other packing lists, for Asia, for skiing, and for travelling as a digital nomad?

A lover of lists

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I am constantly writing lists. Shopping lists, to-do lists, must-not-forget lists… In the past I wrote these lists on paper, now I write them in Notes on my iPhone, or in my shopping list app. This is mostly so that I don’t need to rely on my limited brain capacity. A couple of years ago, I did a “time management with Outlook” training, in which we were told to create task lists, calendar entries, and follow-ups for anything and everything, both at work and at home. The idea was to use tools available via Outlook to organise our projects and next steps, thereby liberating our brains from all those obligations that would otherwise be swirling around in our heads. Although I haven’t exactly implemented the system to the letter, I have to admit that for the last couple of years I’ve been able to let go of work when I leave the office and had less sleepless nights worrying about everything I have to do the next day.

The other benefit of this Outlook system is that you can easily review all your completed tasks at the end of the week to reassure yourself that you’ve actually done something. Sending emails, having meetings, working on endless PowerPoint presentations and 1-pagers… it’s easy for the working week to go by without any concrete evidence of your efforts. Writing lists and ticking off the items one by one gives me a sense of accomplishment. Although, naturally, I never manage to finish everything on the list, as I’m constantly adding to it.

I have also perfected my packing list for travelling and I now have a very comprehensive list covering everything from the basics that I need on every trip through to more niche items for specific types of holidays. When visiting my family in Sweden or England, I won’t need things like shampoo that I have left behind or can easily borrow. On the other hand, skiing weekends and beach holidays each require very different equipment. My ski boots would make an interesting fashion statement in Bali, while my sarong would do little to keep me warm in Chamonix. Now that may seem obvious, but it’s the details that are easy to forget: my wallet with euros, flip flops for communal showers, a torch for finding the door during the night without waking everyone up, SPF 50 sun cream to protect my nose from going all Rudolph… I can just check my list before leaving and I’ll be sure to have all the those little extras to make my trip more comfortable. (Let me know if you want a copy of The List, although the key is to adapt it 100% to your personal requirements. There is no need for men to bring make-up and bras… unless you’re into that sort of thing. No judging.)

Of course I have a special list for my South America trip. It’s a balance between not wanting to forget anything that I might really miss, and trying to heed all the advice of experienced backpackers who say that your biggest regret will be taking too much. The goal, apparently, is to travel with a lightweight backpack of just 45 litres. Sounds great in theory, but I can’t quite see how I will ever manage this…

I also love lists like “the 100 books to read before you die”. There are so many books in the world – It helps to be guided towards a few that you know are going to be worth reading! In a similar vein, one of our former senior directors (Jim Lafferty, a great, if polarising, motivational speaker) once gave a memorable training on work-life balance and encouraged us to write a list of 100 things to do before we die. The idea was to do at least two of these every year. It could be simple things like “wear red lipstick”, which you can complete in one day, or things that require more long-term effort, such as getting your book published. (I’ve done the former, still working on the latter.) It’s actually surprisingly difficult to come up with 100, and most people get stuck around the 50 mark. Speaking of which, I need to look for mine – it’s from the days in which I was still writing on paper, so it’s bound to be hidden away in some drawer at home.

One of my friends once told me that she’s “not a box-ticker”. But I don’t think that’s what I’m doing. Writing lists in no way takes away from the experiences I have along the way, or prevents me from being spontaneous. If anything, it helps me have more experiences, and then leaves me the freedom to enjoy each experience to the fullest. Long live lists!