I just returned from three and a half glorious weeks of travel to some very different climates.
After flying from Seattle to Bangkok, I went onward to Bhutan where temps at night weren’t quite freezing but definitely cold.
After 12 days there, I passed back through Bangkok and went onward to Bali where temps were mostly in the 80’s and 90’s with high humidity in some spots.
While this wasn’t one of my longer trips, the fact that I had to pack for varying weather conditions meant I had to be more judicious about my packing choices if I were to pack light.
First I’ll fess up that I broke my “only bring one carry-on bag” rule for this trip. That had more to do with me wanting to leave a bag behind in Bangkok with warm weather clothes than it did for lack of space. Actually, it would have been really tight (and heavy) had I just taken one carry-on bag, but one larger (perhaps 24″) checked bag would have been easy.
Because my favorite bag (this Briggs & Riley bag) happens to be a 22″ carry-on, I stuck with that and then brought a small duffel for some extraneous things. Checking one bag with the airline was free because these were international flights so I checked the Briggs & Riley packed with my clothes, gifts and non-essential electronics. I put my cameras and other important items in the duffel bag and used that as a small carry-on in addition to my backpack/laptop bag.
So that’s the how, here’s some of the what and some ideas for clothes to pack for long-term travel…
All too often I get asked how I could possible carry so little when I travel. The trick is to have a few essential travel pieces and not carry too many pairs of shoes (two is the max). Here are just a few of my favorite items that made their way into my bag for this trip.
1) Kuhl Vala Roll Up pants – I actually brought two pairs of Kuhl pants, including these roll ups, in slightly different colors (so slight, apparently, that it caused one of my tour peeps to ask if I only brought one pair of pants with me!). Having two different pairs allowed me to wash out one pair on days where I spent more than one night. These dry quickly so I was able to wash frequently. The other pair feature zip-off legs. In either case, if the day got too warm, I’d be able to turn them into capris in no time. In Bhutan, it turned out, it was never quite warm enough to warrant that.
2) ExOfficio underwear – On this trip, I brought four pairs of ExOfficio underwear. I favor these because I know they’ll dry out quickly. I found that four was just the right amount so that I was able to wash them every few days. I found they would dry in just hours if I hung them next to (never ON) the heater in the room. Sweet!
3) KEEN Newport Sandals – These were the only shoes I brought with me to Bhutan. They worked out really well for me in all conditions. With a pair of socks, I wore them to a festival we attended in the middle of the night which was a truly cold night out. I also wore them on all of our day hikes without socks because it was warm enough to do so.
4) Chaco Reversiflip Flip Flops – I wore these in Bangkok and throughout my time in Bali. They were very comfortable and gave my feet some breathing room while in the intense heat of both locations. I got these just days before leaving on the trip but never had a problem breaking them in. (Full review coming shortly.)
5) Ice Breaker Viento Jacket – I wore this jacket over a base layer on most days in Bhutan (I’m wearing it in the very top photo with the group). Though we really didn’t run into any rain, it would have been fine as it’s water resistant. On super cold nights, I doubled up and wore it with this Mountain Khaki Old Faithful sweater.
This was, of course, not my full packing list. Just some of my favorite items that I couldn’t have done without.
I ended up being short on tops in Bali. I did not expect the level of heat we encountered and picked up a tank top and a couple of short sleeve shirts while in Ubud (where the shopping is FABulous). These are nice souvenirs as well as practical clothes for my next warm-weather trip.
All in all I felt like these were some pretty good choices and will be sure to keep them on my permanent packing list. For more tips, you can find these packing tips for women travelers.
What are your favorite travel items that always get packed?
Travel Well,
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