How we packed for a 7 week trip with only hand luggage
We are good at minimalist travel. If you have been following us for a while, you know from 2010 to 2012, we backpacked through 35 countries for 2 years, seven months and 4 days. We also travelled for 10 weeks through 19 countries in Europe with just a 50 litre backpack. Also, earlier this year, we did a week of the Camino de Santiago Português with just a daypack, so, by now we are turning travel minimalism into an art-form. Since the advent of the washing machine as well as laundries and laundromats, travelling with small bags is not really rocket science, you just have to be organised, brave and detached. However, to be honest, we have to say we kind of struggled a little with this one because of both the change of seasons and the moving between beaches to cities. So, we decided to write a little chapter about how we packed for 7 weeks on the road with a 35 (me) and a 30 (Paul) litre backpacks.
To begin with, all the toiletries were placed in 100ml plastic bottles, placed in clear ziploc bags and shared between the two of us. We also never leave home without 2 small hard plastic cups (for wine or coffee), 2 bag clips for anything opened but not finished, a triple adaptor (so you can charge your devices even if all the plugs are being used) and a small bottle/wine opener (we’ve lost one too many Swiss Army Knives to airport security over the years). We also packed a small nail kit, a very basic medicine bag (paracetamol, cortisone cream and band-aids) and a pair of wash bags (we use them to store dirty clothes but also to protect our delicates in the washing machine).
I packed a pair of runners and a pair of Birkenstock black EVA (rubber) sandals (they go from beach to restaurant), a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, a very light cardigan, a rain proof jacket (the kind that becomes a little wallet), 1 bikini set, a very light beach dress, a cap, one singlet (vest), a very light thermal but warm underwear top, 5 T-shirts, 2 scarfs, 2 sets of running clothes (shorts, t-shirts and tops), 3 bras, underwear, socks and 2 pairs of PJs. I also carried my tablet and charger.
Paul packed my small, light laptop (our TV set on the road) and cellphone with both chargers, a pair of runners and a pair of Havaianas. A pair of jeans and a pair of bermuda shorts, five T-shirts and two singlets. A pair of beach shorts, a cap and 2 sets of running clothes. One very light jacket and a thermal long sleeved top, socks and underwear. I honestly feel that we took more things than we needed and the trick to make it all work was that we washed all the light, synthetic pieces in the bathroom and every so often booked an apartment with a washing machine and washed everything before leaving, so yes, it’s absolutely possible.
