How do you pack your backpack as effectively as possible?!

A lot of travellers know the deal. You are happy you are going on a trip again. But what do you really need? How do I put my stuff away as effectively as possible? And how do I make my backpack as light as possible?! You don't want it to be too heavy, but you also want to have a nice selection of clothes that you can choose from. Practise and travel a lot, and then you will get experience!

The second time I went on a trip, I packed way too much stuff! I was in Sri Lanka, and I met a local guy where I could leave some stuff and pick it up at the end of the month. I didn't want that to happen again! When I see my family and friends go on holiday, they have big and heavy suitcases. At the moment I can live from a backpack of around 12 kilos for a couple of months.
A person doesn't need a lot to be happy!

Tips to pack your backpack.

Make a list. I love it, making lists! Especially scraping the things you've already done gives a good feeling ;) Begin with it one week before you pack your stuff; then you can always write something in the coming week

I put everything on the ground. You don't want to see the mess, but for me, it's a good way to oversee if I really have everything.

Think about what you really need... do you really need new clothes every day? You can make other combinations, like that shirt on the same pants the next day, for example. And when you have the space for it, you can always hang a shirt outside to give it some fresh air. Then you can wear it the next day again.

Don't take too many shoes with you. In the beginning, I had running and walking shoes, but now I only have running shoes, which I also walk in. Put them on when you are going to fly; that saves space in the bag and less weight to carry.

I now have an e-reader. Perfect! I normally loved to read a normal book, but it saves so much weight, and you can carry a lot of books with you.

Most of the weight I carry is my electricity, like a laptop, cables, a photo camera, etc. I just want to make backups of my pictures, because they are really important for me, and I want to write in my blog, www.aaltjeopreis.nl, to let the people at home know I'm alright and let them enjoy my adventures with me. And yeah, I want to do that, so then I will take one pantless with me. When you like photography, take an extra battery. They are light, and then you don't have to miss the chance for that one perfect picture when you are eye-to-eye with that elephant and your battery is empty. Oh-oh. ;)

Take a small extension cable with you. Then you can charge more things because, in a lot of guesthouses in Asia, for example, they only have one plug. Or a plug in your car to put in your cigarette charger; you have double from those. When you drive in a car, you can charge your phone on the way.

Buy plastic bags at your local grocery shop. You can put all the stuff in there and write down with a permanent marker what is in it... so one for your shirts, the other one for your electricity, and so on... then you can find everything easily. And you don't bother the environment with them because you use them over and over again. And when I'm at home I use them as trash bags.

Search the backpack you want. You have ones with a front loader. I also have that, but because of my plastic bags, I don't use it.

Buy liquid detergent. Then you can wash your own clothes once in a while when you are away on a long journey. In the beginning, I let it wash in Asia because it was not so expensive, but I now find it relaxing to wash it myself. And then you are sure they don't wash it in the water of the Ganga, for example, haha.

When you want to bring a sleeping bag or a mat, put them at the site of your backpack, and then you can save up some space inside your bag.

Take a flight bag with a small locker. Then you can lock it when you give your stuff at the airport. And bring a cable to put in your bag, for example, for in the trains in India. I know, when they really want, they can always take your stuff, but when you lock it, it will take them more time, and they want to run as quickly as possible when they are out on doing no good. ;)

Don't take too many toiletries. It weighs a lot, and when you need something, you can always put it in the country you are visiting. And most of the time that's even cheaper (when you are from Europe and you travel to Asia).

For safety: split all your important stuff. Put your passport for example, in a money belt; your credit card in another bag where your toiletries are; and your bank card in your wallet. Spread your money. When they steal something, most of the time it isn't your hand luggage or your suitcase or backpack... so you can always have something. The first trip I did, they stole all my stuff, and I had everything in one wallet: money, credit card and bank card. Stupid, but a very good lesson! Always spread your stuff! Take a small wallet with you; when they want to rob you, you can give that and not your important one. Or when you meet a corrupt police officer, you can show him you don't have a lot of money to pay your fine

In 3 weeks I'm going to travel again. I think I will start packing my backpack. What about you?!

How do you pack your backpack as effectively as possible?!

Tips to pack your backpack.

Helpful Tips and Links for Nepal Travel.

Alida

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How To Pack A Backpack