Often people ask me what do I do with my things; how do I travel so light. First of all, I was not always like this! I used to take 20kg for a trip of 7 days, with time and also because it is cheaper to travel lighter, I realized having all my wardrobe with me was not the most important thing. Plus, as I move a lot, I don’t own so many things anymore – in 2016, I through away most of my belongings (six boxes at the time) and since then, I have not bought much…
Traveling with a heavy backpack/suitcase means:
- Less freedom to move whenever and to wherever you want;
- Being worry all the time;
- More expensive.
Obviously, it all depends on where you are going and for how long … So, here, a post with 3 types of trip and the luggage, things and weight that I took for each one of them.
1. What I am taking with me to the US
This is not easy for the United States because I think I will be staying for more than a year and Chicago is cold! The ideal is to take the warmest clothes you have… The problem is that I have little or nothing (I’ll have to buy and improvise when I get there).
- 3 coats
- 4 jeans
- Sports clothes
- Underwear and lots of socks
- Makeup
- 8 handbags (way too many but anyways)
- 8 pairs of shoes
- 3 pairs of sneakers
- 10 scarfs (I am a big fan of them)
- 5 hats
- 4 blazer jackets
- 5 shirts
I am sure Ia m missing lots of things but I would say these are the essential!
- Duration: 1,5 years
- Temperature: VERY COLD, snow and negative temperatures
- Suitcase Samsonite 40kg
- NorthFace backpack 65l
- Backpack of 8kg
If you asked me what suitcase to buy, I would recommend Samsonite, the brand is a bit expensive but the quality is amazing. This model is a newer than the one I have. I bought mine in 2013 and it is still PERFECT!
2. What I had in my suitcase to Australia
When I moved to Australia, I decided to play save and not take more than one suitcase with me. From my experience in South America, having too much can be annoying sometimes. I took mostly office clothes because my goal was to find work as soon as possible. A friend of mine went to learn English and work in the farms of northern Australia, evidently the clothes were not the same. Having an idea what you will be doing, always helps.
- Duration: 1 year
- Temperature: HOTTTT
- Suitcase Samsonite 23kg
- Backpack of 8kg
3. What I took in my backpack for 8 months
During my 8-month trip, many asked me how I survived with 13kg (see my article on travel essentials here). My sabbatical year, besides turning my head inside out, also taught to live with less! – let me know if you want to talk more about my backpack preferences –
Backpacking:
- Duration: 8 months
- Temperature: Hot weather but I have many treks at 0ºC – 5ºC
- Berg backpack: 55l + 5l, around 13kg
- Small backpack: 20l, around 5kg
Hope this article was helpful for some of you who are planing to travel soon.
Beijinho,
Daniela
Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash