Need help packing for a long trip? I’m here to help, lets go over exactly what I recommend packing for a long haul trip no matter the season you are traveling.
Packing can be so overwhelming especially when you plan to travel for an extended amount of time. This guide will go over everything we recommend packing.
We will go over Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter essentials for both men and women as well as how to pack when you are visiting both warm and cold weather destinations on a single trip.
After reading this guide you will know exactly what you should and shouldn’t bring and how to avoid overpacking.
Whether you’re traveling for 2 weeks or 1 year this guide has you covered.
This post is all about packing for a long trip.
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Packing For A Long Trip
So we recently went on a 10 month trip around the world and needed clothing for both warm and cold weather. It was a bit of a challenge but we made it happen. Now that we have returned from our trip we know we could have easily packed less.
No matter if you are traveling for 2 weeks or 1 year the amount of clothes you pack isn’t that much of a difference. The real challenge comes when you are traveling to two distinct seasons but lucky for you we’ve done it before and can pass our knowledge onto you.
Tips TO AVOID OVERPACKING
My number one tip to avoid overpacking is investing in packing cubes. Packing cubes are a game changer! Packing cubes will not only help compress clothing but also keeps you organized. Check out this post for a full list of travel essentials.
My second tip to avoid overpacking is start packing at least 2-3 weeks before your trip and every couple days look through what you have selected. As the weeks pass you will see that the 4th dress or that 7th pair of pants you packed doesn’t appeal to you anymore and you will slowly dwindle down your selection. Trust me this helps me so much and really works!
Lastly, do laundry! We usually spend between $5-$18 on 2-3 weeks worth of laundry. Don’t do laundry at your hotel, unless it’s free or somehow cheaper than a local shop. Make sure to check local shops pricing first before using your hotels laundry service.
From our experience this is what we suggest you pack for any trip lasting over two weeks. Yes even the same list can be used for a 10 month trip like ours.
Packing FOr Spring:
Women
Men
- 9 Undies
- 5 pair of socks
- 3 bras/ bralettes
- 2 sports bras
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 sets jammies
- swim suit
- swim suit cover
- 3 pair jeans
- 2 pants
- 2 dresses
- 4 long sleeve
- 2 short sleeve
- 2 light sweaters
- blazer
- rain jacket
- booties
- sneakers
- stylish sandals
- umbrella
- sunglasses
- 9 boxer/briefs
- 5 pair of socks
- 2 workout tops
- 2 work out bottoms
- set of jammies
- swim trunks
- 3 pair jeans
- 3 chinos
- pair of short
- 3 long sleeve
- 2 short sleeve
- 2 button ups
- 2 light sweaters
- blazer
- rain jacket
- stylish shoes
- sneakers
- stylish sandals
- umbrella
- sunglasses
- belt
packing for Summer:
Women
Men
- 9 Undies
- 4 pair of socks
- 3 bras/ bralettes
- 2 sports bras
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 sets of jammies
- 2 swim suits
- swim suit cover
- pair of jeans
- 2 cloth like pants
- 2 shorts
- 2 summer dresses
- 3 short sleeve
- 4 tank tops
- light sweater
- lightweight jacket/blazer
- stylish sandals
- stylish shoes
- sneakers
- water sandels
- hat
- sunglasses
- 9 boxer/briefs
- 4 pair of socks
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- set of jammies
- 2 swim trunks
- pair of jeans
- 2 pants
- 4 pair of shorts
- 3 short sleeves
- 2 button ups
- 2 tank tops
- light sweater
- lightweight jacket/blazer
- stylish sandals
- stylish shoes
- sneakers
- water sandals
- hat
- sunglasses
- belt
Packing for Fall:
Women
Men
- 9 undies
- 7 pair of socks
- 3 bras/bralettes
- 2 sport bras
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 sets jammies
- 2 pair of jeans
- 3 pants
- skirt/fall dress
- thick leggings
- sweat suit set
- swimsuit
- swimsuit cover
- 4 long sleeves
- 3 sweaters
- 2 warm & stylish jackets
- boots/booties
- sneakers
- stylish shoes
- beanie
- scarf
- gloves
- umbrella
- sunglasses
- 9 boxer/briefs
- 7 pair of socks
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 set of jammies
- 3 pair of jeans
- 3 chinos
- sweat suit set
- swim trunks
- 4 long sleeve
- 3 sweaters
- 2 warm & stylish jackets
- boots
- sneakers
- stylish shoes
- beanie
- scarf
- gloves
- umbrella
- sunglasses
- belt
Packing for Winter:
Women
Men
- 9 undies
- 7 pair of socks ( I like wool socks )
- 3 bras/bralettes
- 2 sport bras
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 set of warm jammies
- 2 set of base-layers
- swimsuit
- swim suit cover
- pair of jeans
- 4 pants
- snow pants
- sweat suit set
- 4 long sleeves
- 2 sweaters
- Fleece
- stylish/thick coat
- 3 in 1 jacket
- down jacket
- snow boots
- stylish boots ( I love Docs )
- beanie
- scarf
- gloves
- waterproof gloves
- sunglasses
- 9 boxer/briefs
- 7 pair of socks ( I like wool socks )
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 sets of warm jammies
- 2 set of base-layers
- swim trunks
- pair of jeans
- 4 pants
- snow pants
- sweat suit set
- 4 long sleeves
- 2 sweaters
- Fleece
- stylish/thick coat
- 3 in 1 jacket
- down jacket
- snow boots
- stylish boots ( I love Docs )
- beanie
- scarf
- gloves
- waterproof gloves
- sunglasses
- belt
On our 10 month trip we needed a mixture of both warm and cold weather attire. I modified the list to what we actually used and needed and not exactly what we packed.
Packing for Warm & Cold Weather:
Women
Men
- 9 undies
- 5 pair of socks
- 3 bras/bralettes
- 2 sports bras
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- 2 sets of jammies
- set base layers
- 2 swimsuits
- swim suit cover
- 2 pair jeans
- 2 pants
- lightweight waterproof pants
- 2 pair of shorts
- 2 dresses
- 3 short sleeves
- 2 tank tops
- 2 long sleeves
- 2 sweaters
- down jacket
- 3 in 1 jacket
- sneakers
- boots
- stylish sandals
- water sandals
- beanie
- hat
- scarf
- gloves
- sunglasses
- 9 boxer/briefs
- 5 pair of socks
- 2 workout tops
- 2 workout bottoms
- set of jammies
- set base layers
- 2 swim trunks
- 2 pair of jeans
- 2 chinos
- lightweight waterproof pants
- 4 pair shorts
- 3 short sleeve
- 2 button ups
- 2 long sleeves
- 2 sweaters
- down jacket
- 3 in 1 jacket
- sneakers
- boots
- stylish sandals
- water sandals
- beanie
- hat
- scarf
- gloves
- sunglasses
- belt
Toiletries to Pack:
Shop My Favorite Toiletry Bag HERE
Shop My Favorite Makeup Bag HERE
Women:
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- floss
- soap
- deodorant
- shampoo
- conditioner
- hair Brush
- hair ties/clips
- facial cleanser
- facial moisturizer
- lip balm
- shaving cream
- sunscreen
- body moisturizer
- contact lenses
- contact solution
- razor
- makeup
- period cup
- medications
- nail file
- nail clippers
- tweezers
- hand sanitizer
- first aid kit
- insect repellent
- toilet seat covers
Men:
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- floss
- soap
- deodorant
- shampoo
- conditioner
- comb
- hair paste/gel
- facial cleanser
- facial moisturizer
- lip balm
- shaving cream/oil
- aftershave
- sunscreen
- body moisturizer
- contact lenses
- contact solution
- razor
- medications
- nail clippers
- tweezers
- hand sanitizer
- first aid kit
- insect repellent
- toilet seat covers
Remember this list is here for reference and although this works for us it might not work for you, but please make sure to customize it as needed for your individual needs.
That wraps up this post, packing for a long trip no matter what season you travel.
Travel Resources
Here you can find all the travel site links that we personally use and recommend.
CAMPSITES/CAMPGROUNDS We like to use a couple apps for last minute campsite bookings. Our favorites are HipCamp, The Dyrt and Campendium.
ACCOMMODATION: We find the best deals with BOOKING.COM. The more you book the better the perks like free breakfast with your stay, room upgrades and even higher discounted room rates.
CAR RENTALS: We have always used RentalCars.com and find them to have the best deals, customer service and selection of locations.
FLIGHTS: Our go to for looking up flights is SKYSCANNER, but we try to always book directly with the airline.
TOURS/EXCURSIONS: GET YOUR GUIDE and VIATOR are two very reputable sites with easy and hassle free bookings.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: It’s so important to travel with insurance and for this we use SafetyWing. We are currently using them for our 1 year trip.
TRANSPORTATION: For all our bus, ferry and train transfer needs in Asia we use12go.asia.
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