People are always talking about what you should pack when you travel, but what about the things that you shouldn’t pack? Here are some tips about the things you won’t need when you travel and trust me on this, I found out the hard way!
Whites:
Plain and simple guys don’t take white clothes! Let’s face it, traveling can be dirty business – taking those cramped buses, sweating your face off and eating food you’re not sure of – something I didn’t realize when I first left. Even if you wash them, they’re never going to be white again. I remember packing some white t-shirts, and had to throw them out within a week or so into my travels. While taking a bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok, there were loads of dirt tracks and with the bus windows open (no air con on the buses) the white t-shirt soon became a beautiful shade of orange, not a good look I assure you. Dark shades are the way forward!
Clothes that are prone to visible sweat patches:
If you are traveling through countries with a warmer climate, you don’t want to take any clothes that succumb to visible sweat patches so be smart with your colour choices (read: grey is not a good choice!). Try and pick clothes that aren’t susceptible to the dreaded sweat patches so you don’t have horrible marks on your tops when you’re walking around. Staring at some amazing temple, the last think you want to be thinking about is the huge dark patch on the back of your shirt.
The Hoff not pulling off the “sweat patch” look
Party clothes:
There really isn’t anything wrong with looking your best, but bringing all your best clothes when you travel is less than ideal. Travel can get a bit dirty at the best of times, so best to leave all but a few party pieces at home. Include a pair of smart jeans in a darker colour and a shirt, and that will be enough.
Clothes you ‘might’ wear:
If you’re thinking you ‘might’ wear it, leave it at home. You’re not going to wear it, and it will only serve to be a glorified backpack liner. Leave looking flash for when you get home and you’re in the pub telling your amazing stories to others!
A suitcase:
It’s not called backpacking for fun guys. I have seen quite a few people taking suitcases with them, and every time I see people in a lot of pain carrying around something that shouldn’t really be carried around. Even if it has wheels, you still have to carry it around (not everywhere has escalators or lifts) and walking down busy streets or taking it on transport can be a complete nightmare. Let’s not forget too that the wheels are prone to breaking! Just don’t be that person unless you have easy transport everywhere and not so much walking to get to your accommodation.
Books for the trip:
If you can afford it, buy a Kindle! It is so much lighter and convenient to carry around. If not you should bring only one book because you don’t want to carry more than you have to. When you’ve finished your book, you can trade it in at a bookstore or swap with people you meet (which is always a good conversation starter too).
Believe it or not, you should be concerned about taking too much not too little, in the world of backpacking less is definitely more. Doing the above will stand you in good stead, and you can have a laugh at all the people that didn’t get to read this article!
Trust me, you are going to need those whites when you go to a tropical country during the summer season. I live in the Philippines and its so hard to get by wearing something other than white during a very hot weather.