10 Things You Don’t Need When Backpacking

Yep, you read that right! You DON’T need these things.

1. Jewelry and Valuables

The only thing, i brought on my travels was one pair of earrings, studs and one necklace my evil eye. You really don’t need any of these things when you’re going on a backpacking adventure. It keeps unwanted eyes off of you and one less valuable to take care of. Interesting enough, when i lost my one pair of studs (I lost them in the Adriatic Sea) I decided to buy some homemade earrings from a local. Once I lost those… I just gave up haha.

2. Full Toiletries Bag

I promise, you do not need a full bag. I went down with basics (extra toilet paper) and I ended up not needing as much as I had. There were so many 7/11’s or stores that would sell it and I was always able to restock.

3. Multiple Cotton Cloths

Yes, cotton clothes are very warm but depending on where you’re travelling it is not necessary to bring 4 shirts, 4 sweaters! You only need a few items. Would you be interested in a “What I pack to travel” post? let me know in the comments below. The reason why you do not need multiple cotton clothes is because they can get extremely heavy when there are wet and the key to backpacking is travelling light.

4. More than one pair of jeans

You don’t need it! Trust me, I went backpacking in Europe and Asia and I only brought one pair of jeans for both trips and I was gone for over two months! You learn to recycle outfits and make it look different with different styles of wearing it. I,e, rolling up the bottom or using a scarf as a belt. I got super creative.

5. Bulky Towels

Two Words – Microfiber towel! I purchased this one and it worked fantastic. It was also large enough to cover my entire body and become a curtain when I didn’t have drapes in some hostels.

6. Large Camera

This one is situational because some people vlog using a big camera. I often used my Iphone 8 at the time and it worked fine. I also purchased a “Go-Pro” from amazon and the footage was phenomenal and captured all my adventures. You can shop my link here for that Go-Pro! If you purchase through my link, a small gain is made and supports me. Please let me know if you purchase it, I can walk- you through the best settings.

7. Full Makeup bag

You do not need a full travel makeup bag. Bring the basics especially if you are going to a hot country. You’re going to get that full on glow! without having to try! I always brought mascara but I did not end up needing it. I just got exhausted. I kept all my toiletries in this bag and I still have it to this day!

8. Those Nice shoes

You. Dont. Need. It!

1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of a ‘fancy flip-flop’, 1 pair of runners. The best way to go is either black, white or grey. It matches everything!

9. If You Think “What if…” or “For this one occasion” When Packing This One Item

When I was backpacking outside of my mom yelling at me not to go. There were moments when she said “what-if”. By the time, i was finished with what if’s I realized i was overweight. I took everything out. You do not always need to think the what-if when packing an item. 8/10 You wont need it. Which brings me to the last note…

10. Things You Can Buy There

YOU CAN BUY THINGS THERE! HELLO! There were so many things I packed that I could of bought while in that particular country. But, you live and you learn!

If you’ve made it this far.. I wanted to tell you exciting news! Given all the feedback, I’ve finally made an “Amazon Store”. Where you can shop all my travel favourites. Usually, I post the direct link and you can purchase and shop through there. The support means everything to me, xoxo.