We are super excited about our upcoming mini world Trip. However, we are not at all excited about the packing and luggage aspect of the trip. Is anyone ever? This is especially so for this trip because it’s a 6-month trip in which clothes are needed not only for various types of climates but also for various types of activities. So, to make this mammoth task a bit easier for you, we’ve made a detailed packing list for long-term Travel.

In this blog post, we will discuss all that we had considered for our luggage and clothing along with what exactly we ended up packing. This blog post will be especially helpful if you reside in India. Indians don’t usually travel for a long-time and as such it’s not easy to find clothing and other items suited to such long trips. We have done our best to find the perfect travel wear for ourselves and have linked most items below. Plus, after we get back, we will edit this article to tell you about the items we hardly used and what mistakes we made.

Type of Luggage

We had initially decided to carry two cabin-sized suitcases (55 cm) as we do for every trip. However, we always need to check in our bags owing to our camera equipment and laptops. Checking in two pieces of luggage on this trip would mean that we would have to pay for two checked-in suitcases on each flight. This would add a significant amount to our flight costs.

So, this time we’ve decided to go with one medium size suitcase instead. Now, not only do we have to pack in one suitcase for both of us, but we also have to ensure that the weight of the luggage doesn’t exceed 20 kg (which is the limit on some flights). Can you even imagine packing this light?

At this point, we’ve finally packed our luggage after a lot of hits and trials. We ended up purchasing a 71 cm Samsonite Softcase that weighs only 2.5 kg as opposed to the general medium suitcase weight of 3-4 kg. The packed suitcase weight is 21 kg.

We’ll simply have to manage the weight for our 20 kg limit flights by wearing our hiking boots and filling our pockets with the heavier stuff

Additionally, we are carrying two backpacks between the two of us for this 6-month trip:

1. A camera backpack: We had the LowePro Tahoe which we’ve used for years and absolutely loved especially because it was completely waterproof without even putting on a rain cover. For this 6-month trip, we need a slightly bigger bag which can also fit a laptop. So we’ve purchased the Lowepro Photo Active BP 200 AW. We like it because we can access our camera, drone, and lenses easily from the sides of the bag. Plus, we can attach our hiking sticks to the front. I still find it a little small for our needs but could not find a bag we liked more.
   
2. A laptop bag: Using the CarryPro HOBO25 for this trip. It fits both our laptops Macbook 13 Pro and Macbook Air like a glove. We’ve removed the side access camera cubes because it was too heavy and are instead using that space to store easy-access items. It’s a huge bag that fits A LOT.

Picking Long-Term Travel Clothing

It is impossible to fit all the contents of this packing list for long-term travel in a medium-sized suitcase or 2 carry-ons (1 per person) without following some of the tips below. These tips not only aid in packing light but also make your life on the road easier. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – they’re not always easy to follow. We follow as many as possible and break a few along the way

1. Carry clothes that dry fast and don’t need ironing: This essentially means polyester or similar materials. I know we all like to stay away from polyester because it’s not very breathable nor sustainable but it’ll be your best friend on such a long trip where you need your clothes to dry in the AC of hotel rooms or even in an Airbnb. Often, you won’t find an iron or won’t have the time to iron.
   
   
2. Lightweight clothing: We always try and carry items that aren’t bulky. For this trip, it’s become even more of a dire need and this is what we have focused on for most of our clothing – the weight. Carrying lightweight clothing has allowed me to pack more pieces of clothing than I thought I could. Unfortunately, most clothes I’ve ended up carrying are not made of polyester but of viscose – a light flowy material that does crush. Not for the lack of trying. However, it’s not as bad as cotton or linen which I’ve tried to avoid as much as possible but Modi didn’t have as much of an option. His shirts and pants have ended up being made of cotton mostly though he did chance upon some really nice crepe shirts at the last moment. These do not crush, dry fast, and are lightweight.
   
   
3. Merino Wool: Merino wool is thermo regulating – keeps you cool or warm depending on the weather. It does feel a bit itchy at first but settles down soon enough. It is ultra-lightweight and since it keeps odour away so one can wear merino clothing again and again without the need to wash it. Both of us are carrying full and half-sleeve Merino t-shirts for hikes and regular wear. We found Merino clothing in Decathlon, M&S and Athlos.
   
   
4. Versatile Items: It’s very important to take clothes/items that can double up as different things E.g.
   My daypack doubles as a sling
   My scarf doubles as a blanket.
   Our nightwear doubles as hiking/workout wear
   Our t-shirts (merino) can be worn in any climate
   
   
5. Pack Similar Colours: Pack tops and bottoms that all go with each other so you can mix and match clothing. I like wearing colourful bottoms and hence have carried mostly black and white tops so that the tops go with all the bottoms.

Our Packing List for Long-term Travel

This packing list for a long-term trip has details of all the items we’ve packed along with links to them wherever available so you can buy them too if you’d like. The links are mostly from Indian sites and some from the US.

Clothes for him (Modi’s list)

1. 4 shirts: 1 red wrinkle-resistant | 1 blue wrinkle-resistant |
2. 3 t-shirts: 3 t-shirts that double as casual, workout, and nightwear. These are really light-weight, quick-drying, and wrinkle-resistant
3. 3 pants: 1 black | 1 cream | 1 grey (the first two are stretchable and stain-resistant)
4. 3 shorts: 1 stretchable blue (from Thailand) | 1 peach | 1 khaki (the latter two are stain-resistant)
5. 2 Hiking Tops: 1 half-sleeve Merino, 1 full-sleeve Merino
6. 2 Hiking Bottom: 1 beige, 1 black
7. Night Suit: 2 bottoms (one of them can double as workout wear as well)
8. Swimwear: 2 trunks
9. 7 Underwear
10. Socks: 7 no-show socks, 1 hiking sock
11. 1 microfibre towel
12. 1 Northface Rain jacket
13. 1 Down Jacket
14. 1 Fleece
15. 1 Set of Thermals: Top | Bottom
16. 1 Belt

Shoes (for him)

1. 1 Hiking Shoes: For hikes
2. 1 Loafers: For daily exploring
3. 1 Sandal: For beaches, bathroom visits and light walks

Clothes for her (Trisha’s list)

Typically one doesn’t need as many clothes as I’m carrying. If I wasn’t a content creator I would definitely not have packed as many items. I might’ve carried fewer skirts and dresses. But that’s totally up to you. We have just one rule while packing clothing – that all our daily wear should fit in one medium-sized packing cube. So basically, all the skirts, dresses, pants, shorts and tops listed below do fit in one medium packing cube except the yellow skirt which is actually only for photography purposes.

1. 3 dresses: 2 short and 1 midi – Mini black dress|Printed mini dress| Light blue midi dress
2. 3 skirts: 1 red midi skirt | 1 white maxi skirt |1 yellow maxi (made in my mom’s boutique)
3. 3 pants: Black Culottes| Dark Blue Pants | Blue Pants
4. 3 shorts: Black Skort | Khaki shorts | Leafy Shorts
5. 12 Tops: 1 white half sleeve | 1 grey ribbed | 1 black ribbed | 1 H&M beige bodysuit |1 black dressy vest | 3 sleeveless tanks (from a store in Koregaon Park Pune)| 1 white off-shoulder| 1 black off-shoulder | 1 white shirt | 1 pink overlay
6. 2 Hiking Tops: 1 half-sleeve Merino, 1 full-sleeve Merino
7. 2 Hiking Bottom: 1 comfy legging (can double as travel wear), 1 trek legging
8. Night Suit: 1 satin, 1 regular (doubles as workout wear as well), 2 tops (that double as workout wear. Yes, they’re t-shirts for men. Modi ordered them for himself but it was small for him so I kept them because I loved them. Had to get them shortened though)
9. Swimwear: 2 sets
10. Bras: 1 sports bra| 1 regular supportive |1 strapless | 1 no show
11. Underwear: 7 panties (I also carry 2 shorties because of thigh chafing)
12. Socks: 7 pairs of no-show socks, 1 regular, 2 hiking socks (merino)
13. 1 microfibre towel
14. 1 Rain jacket
15. 1 Down Jacket
16. 1 Fleece
17. 1 Set of Thermals: Top | Bottom
18. 1 Shawl cum Scarf ( because I feel extra cold I’ve borrowed Mom’s Pashmina)
19. 2 caps – 1 warm beanie (from New Zealand), 1 baseball cap
20. 1 glove (from New Zealand)
21. 1 belt

Shoes for her

1. Hiking Shoes: for hikes
2. Walking Shoes: for daily exploring
3. Slippers cum Sandals: for beaches, parties, bathroom visits, etc.

Sanitary & Hygiene Items for Her

I see hair removal being a huge issue while abroad and have set myself up to be self-reliant and hence have packed a million things. You could easily do with just menstrual cups and an epilator/wax strips/razor.

1. 6 Pads: For heavy flow days. I wish I could use menstrual cups or tampons but I find neither comfortable.
2. 2 Uniqlo Period Panties: For day 2 onwards
3. Epilator cum Razor: To get rid of my arm and leg hair
4. Face Razor: Lipstick size razor I go nowhere without
5. Wax Strips: For underarms only
6. Upper Lip Hair Removal Spring: For upper lip hair
7. Tweezer: For eyebrow hair
8. 2 Nipple Pasties: 1 with support and 1 without
9. 2 Transparent Straps
10. Safety Pins
11. Sewing Kit – Thread and Needle
12. Rubber bands and clips

Make-up for her

I rarely use makeup on trips. However, I’ve still carried some so that if I’d like to look nice someday, I have the option!

1. Kajal
2. Waterproof eyeliner
3. 2 lipsticks – day/night
4. Lip and Cheek Tint
5. Blush, Contour, Highlighter Palette
6. Foundation in a little box
7. Makeup Remover Wipe

Toiletries for both

All toiletries we’ve kept are 80 ml or below (most 50-60 ml). We’ve either purchased travel-sized products or filled them in 60 ml refillable bottles.

1. Shampoo
2. Conditioner
3. Body Wash
4. Tooth Brush
5. Tooth Paste
6. Facewash
7. Lotion
8. Hairbrush/comb: Comb cum Hairbrush from the Emirates Business Class Kit. They’re super lightweight.
9. Face Moisturizer
10. Niacinamide & Zinc Serum
11. Face Sunscreen
12. Body Sunscreen
13. Deodorant
14. Perfume
15. Lip Balm: with SPF and without SPF
16. Liquid Detergent
17. Detergent Powder
18. Nail Clipper
19. Bug Spray

Gadgets

Being content creators, we carry a full bag of gadgets. Listed these below along with some travel essentials.

1. 2 MacBooks, 1 charger
2. Camera
3. 3 Lenses: 17-26 mm, 50 mm, 70-300 mm
4. Tripod
5. Go Pro Creator Kit
6. Go Pro Accessories: Floatie, Head Gear
7. Drone + Remote Controller + Extra Batteries + Charger + Extra Propellers
8. Mic
9. Selfie Stick cum Tripod
10. Gimbal
11. Universal Power Adaptor
12. Power Strip
13. 2 earphones
14. 2 Hard Disks of 2 TB each
15. 4 SD Cards
16. Rechargeable AA Batteries + Charger
17. 2 Power Banks

Travel Essentials