We both took only 3 pairs of shoes with us: hiking shoes, running shoes and flip-flops. Truth is: I’m a flip-flop person and so is Anders. We can wear them while exploring the city, on the beach, in a hostel and wherever else it’s warm. For our trip we planned a lot of hiking and trekking, hence hiking shoes. And our sports shoes are great for both walking around the town and exercising; they are light-weight, comfortable and we absolutely adore them! Of course, you can choose whichever shoes you need or want to have with you. For example, if you’re not into running or exercising, you can bring a pair of converse. Or change flip flops to sandals. It’s up to you!

Click on images below to see more details on Amazon.

For outer layer we use shell coats. They are water- and windproof and even in colder weather sufficient when wearing multiple layers underneath. I have minimalist lightweight jacket by Marmot and Anders uses Beta SL jacket by Arc’teryx. Both jackets are GORE-TEX.

What to look for in a shell jacket?

For us it was important that it’s waterproof, windproof, lightweight, breathable, packable and durable.

Click on images below to see more details on Amazon.

This is probably where it “goes wrong” for the most of us. While the amount of clothes you might want to bring with you is infinite, consider your needs. You don’t have to bring 15 pairs of socks, since you’ll be doing laundry on the way. If something breaks, you can always replace it. Plan for different weather, bring layers and don’t over-pack. Yes, you don’t want to have the same clothes on every photo you take, but sometimes we can’t have it all. Try to bring enough to mix and match, and remember: other countries have shops too. For packing cubes we used Eagle Creek Compression Cubes, which are quite handy and lightweight. They saved us a lot of space because of the way they compress after you zip them. 

One more tip: bring something a little “nicer” to wear, in case you’ll end up going somewhere with dress code or being invited to Serbian wedding.

Probably biggest difference between me and Anders was the variety of clothes we had to bring. Men!! They are so lucky. Anders had 2 pairs of Rip Curl Boardwalks, which are truly amazing – comfortable, light and stretchy hybrid swim shorts. You can use them for walking around, hiking, exercising, swimming.. They dry really quickly and if the weather is good, you just don’t need anything else. And ladies? I can’t do all these things in the same clothes. I need bikini for swimming, a sports bra for exercising, and I definitely can’t wear my sports shorts with a nice shirt for?! You get the point.

To finish up, one thing that we both discovered was new underwear, which is great to travel with. For me it was Uniqlo AIRism Ultra Seamless underwear. They seem to fold into a thin air and are extremely comfortable. Anders enjoyed traveling in ExOfficio Boxer Briefs, which are antibacterial and breathable.

These are contents of my packing cube: a few pairs of socks (one or two warm ones) and underwear, shorts, dress, sleeping T-shirt, bras, swimming suit, sports bra, 5 T-shirts/tank tops, jeans and one warmer layer. Besides that, whatever I was wearing (additional pair of underwear, socks and bra, training crops, top and a hoodie).

Anders had it slightly differently: 2 pairs of shorts, pants, 2 light and breathable shirts, 3 T-shirts, several pairs of underwear and socks, plus what’s on him: pants, T-shirt, underwear and socks.

Why worry at all?

You need to be aware, depending on where you travel, that you might not always be able to do laundry in your accommodation or around it. Of course, you can do it by hand, but in some hostels located in the desert areas, they don’t even allow that. As you can see, we had two laundry bags: I had an ordinary laundry bag (just for separating clothes and occasional other uses) and Anders had Scrubba wash bag, which we used to wash our clothing. We also carried Sea To Summit Pocket Laundry Wash during our long-term travel, which comes with 50 leaves and takes almost no space.

There is one thing we always bring on our trips, and that’s our microfiber towels. Of course, we had to include them in our RTW packing list! For me it’s Sea To Summit Antibacterial Drylite MicroTowel. Anders uses Cocoon Ultralight Microfiber Towel. Besides toiletries, we also brought pocket soap leaves. 

Consider bringing a hat/cap and scarf/neck gaiter.

All the bags we use for toiletries are see-through, so we can use them while passing airport security.

Ladies

For personal toiletries and make-up, you need to decide what’s important to you. Obviously, you can’t bring everything. But you can buy stuff on the go. For example, I’m not very specific in what kind of shower gel I use, but my skin is not the easiest to deal with. This is why I prefer to have some specific skin products with me. Also, I’m not into lipsticks, but I did bring around an eyebrow dye, because after sufficient amount of sun you won’t even see I have any eyebrows. If you are traveling as a couple, consider sharing some things – you can share a toothpaste, shower gel or even shampoo (this way you won’t have to bring everything in your own toiletry bag!). Again, you can’t take enough stuff for 6 months or a year, so we recommend buying something on your trip.

As for accessories I only brought a few pairs of earrings and a light necklace, all of which fit into one of these small GoTubb containers.

Now to more delicate topics: your period.

We all have our preferences, some use pads, some use tampons, and depending on where you are heading, most likely you can buy them. It might not be your favorite brand, but you’ll find something, unless you are planning to spend over a month in a jungle/desert. I personally prefer a cup (I use Mooncup) – it’s easy, safe, eco-friendly and saves you a lot of headache on the road. Lately I’ve been transitioning to some environmentally friendly alternatives in general, so some of the above mentioned items will be soon replaced. Let me know if you have any ideas and inspirations about eco-friendly toiletries for your RTW packing list!

My set looked approximately like that – I had some refillable travel sized bottles, where I had my favorite facial products, as well as some leftovers from beauty products we bought on the way. Since I don’t use much foundation, I put some in a tiny round container, in case I’ll need it one day

This is my second bag with non-liquids. Notice that I also brought along a non-liquid shampoo bar from Lush

Guys

Bring whatever you need.

Anders is a little more minimalistic – basically it’s dental care, deodorant, grooming and a few other things

Maybe we went a little overboard with our electronics, but to be honest, we didn’t regret it. On our RTW packing list we had 2 iPads (mini and air) for entertainment, a computer for work, DSLR with extra lens, GoPro and a drone. We lost a pouch with all our GoPro accessories in Rio, so for the rest of the trip we only had GoPro itself in a waterproof case. But we still used it. If I would change something, I would bring mirrorless camera instead of DSLR, but that’s what we had at that moment and we didn’t want to buy a new camera. Now we travel with our cables packed into an Eagle Creek Pouch and our favorite MOGICS Bagel for power. I also bring along a power bank.

These are cables that fit into the pouch – bagel, computer charger, camera charger, hard drive and several different cables for charging phones, iPads and GoPro

Drone

We use DJI Mavic Pro, which we bought before Mavic Air came out. We bought it for making aerial photos and videos (duuh), but apparently it’s also a cool toy and a very expensive selfie camera. If you decide to bring a drone to your trip, you have to be aware of a few things.

1. Different countries have different rules about flying and bringing drone into the country. For example, while normally you have to bring your drone in a carry-on, Hungary wants you to pack your drone in a hold baggage. Cuba prohibits bringing in drones all together, so we had to ship ours from Peru to Bulgaria. 
2. Good quality drone can take up a significant part of your luggage. You will quickly realize that you can’t use it in many places. Thus, think in advance – why, where and how much you plan to use your drone, and if it’s worth taking it with.
3. Please, always be considerate of other people, countries and cultures. Don’t fly drone where it’s prohibited, especially when you are clearly disturbing other people or wildlife. Be respectful and abide by the law.

Camera

Today phones take such great photos that you might not bring a camera at all. We brought our old DSLR (Nikon D5200) together with 2 recently purchased lenses, but it was quite heavy. That’s one of the reasons next time we invest in the camera, it will probably be mirrorless. If you decide to bring a camera, read tips below.

1. Bring additional battery. You never know when you run out of power, so bring both batteries around.
2. Bring a hard drive or get a cloud subscription. We’ve heard so many times about how someone’s camera got lost or stolen and so were all the amazing memories. Back up your photos every few days!
3. Make sure you practice taking photos with your camera before you head out. This way you’ll be ready to use it!

Computer

If you need to do some work, there’s a big chance you are bringing a laptop. Today, of course, it’s not necessary – there are so many capable tablets and even phones, it gives you plenty of possibilities. But depending on your needs, you might choose a notebook after all. Before the trip, we bought new laptop, having our long-term travel in mind. We chose Dell XPS and frankly, I’ve been super happy about it. It’s lightweight, convenient and has a great screen for photo editing. 

iPads

We both brought iPads with us, and we won’t apologize – simply for entertainment. Anders used his for writing or finding out our next step while I was working on laptop, that’s why he had keyboard with him. iPads can be a good entertainment while you are on a bus or plane, and can be a great tool in finding hostels, flights, bus schedules and more. 

GoPro

I wouldn’t say that GoPro was the best thing we’ve ever bought, but there are some quite cool pictures we’ve taken that we wouldn’t have without it. However, we found that we used it much less than we initially planned, especially since after first month we suddenly were left without any additional equipment and decided not to invest again during the trip.

There were a few other things we added to our RTW packing list and were happy about it. When in Paraty, the choice of places to stay wasn’t that good, so we ended up in a pleasant hostel with erm.. not that pleasant sheets. This was one of many times we were glad to have Cocoon Silk Travel Sheets. When we had to find a place to hang our laundry while camping in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina, we used bungee cords with hooks similar to these ones. I can’t count how many times in New Zealand we ate with our sporks. And of course, one adorable item we never knew we needed – an Ööloom sleeping mask – we used them in hostels, on the planes, buses and trains.

And also: 

• TSA Lock with or without a cable – cable is good for example for locking your bag to your seat in a dodgy bus
• Insulated bottle for tea and water like Thinksport or Klean Kanteen
• Many travelers know how difficult it can be to get a photo of themselves – we brought this Miggo Mini Tripod
• To keep things in order, especially while we fly, I use my favorite Bellroy Pocket as my travel wallet – it fits my passport, cards, phone, few cables, headphones and it comes with a pen