After almost one year traveling full time we have managed to narrow our packing list down to the bare essentials.  This is what is in our bags:

1. Eben’s Backpack (Check-in)

• 5 x Shorts
• 2 x Swim shorts
• 7 x T-shirts
• 1 x Collar shirt (for embassy’s)
• 1 x pair of Jeans
• 1 x pair of sneakers
• 3 x pairs of socks
• 5 x underwear
• 1 x belt
• 1 x jacket
• 1 x Medicine bag
  • Ibuprofen (pain meds)
  • Nurofen (kids pain and fever meds)
  • Nausea meds (kids)
  • Probiotics
  • Plasters
  • Cotton wool
  • Antiseptic/ disinfectant
  • Burn Gel packet
  • Heartburn meds
  • Deep Heat (Muscle relaxer)
  • Cold and flu meds (kids) & Throat Lozenges
  • Cough Syrup (kids)
  • Bandage
  • Sewing kit
  • Thermometer
  • Diarrhea/laxative medicines
  • Allergy medicines
  • Antibacterial cream
  • Multivitamins
  • Insect repellent
• 1 x “Technical bag”
  • GoPro brackets
  • GoPro and Sony casings
  • GoPro 360degree gadget
  • Electrical shaver
  • Glue
  • Extra charging cables
  • Extra harddrives
  • Extra chargers
  • Small screwdriver
• Kayla’s clothes
  • 7 x shirts
  • 3 x shorts
  • 3 x skirts
  • 4 x dresses
  • 5 x underwear
  • 2 x pairs of socks
  • 1 x Jacket
  • Bathing suit

2. Eben’s Carry On

• Apple Macbook and chargers
• Dell Notebook and chargers
• 2 x Tablets
• Drone with chargers
• Drone batteries
• Cellphone chargers
• Power Bank
• Earphones
• 2 x Harddrives
• 1 x GoPro and selfie stick
• Sony Action Camera (Daily Vlogger)
• Drone/extra cellphone

 

 

3. Melanie’s Backpack (Check-in)

• 7 x shirts
• 6 x pants/shorts
• 1 x pair of trousers
• 1 x dress
• 1 x bikini
• 1 x Jacket
• 1 x sunglass bag for 2 x sets of earrings
• 1 x make-up bag (eyeliner, mascara, base, eye shadow, lipstick)
• Toiletry bag
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Shampoo for girls
  • Toothpaste (us and girls)
  • Toothbrushes
  • Dental Floss
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Shower gel
  • Lotion
  • Face cream
  • Face wash
  • Roll on
  • Tweezer
  • Nail polish
  • Nail polish remover
  • Nail file
  • Nail clipper
  • Hair bands
  • Shaving kit and extra razors
  • Hair comb
  • Small Hair brush
  • Sunscreen
  • Lip balm
  • Contact lenses and solution
  • Prescription medication
  • Small mirror
• Sneakers
• 2 x small towels
• Megan’s clothes
  • 7 x shirts
  • 3 x shorts
  • 3 x skirts
  • 4 x dresses
  • 5 x underwear
  • 2 x pairs of socks
  • 1 x Jacket
  • Bathing suit
  • Sneakers

4. Melanie’s Carry On

• 4 x Passports
• 2 x unabridged birth certificates (kids)
• Pens
• Writing pad
• Children’s colouring books
• Children’s stationary (Crayons etc)
• Wallet
• Cellphone
• Earphones
• Tissues
• Headache tablets
• Wet Wipes
• Hand Sterilizer
• 2 x Sarongs (A lot of uses)
• Hats

5. Kayla’s Carry On

• Rollerblades
• Barbies and with clothes
• Play Make-up
• Jewellery kit for girls
• Kids Sewing kit
• Jumping rope
• Mini Chess set

 

6. Megan’s Carry On

• Barbies with clothes
• Dolls
• Small toys
• Stuffed animals
• Uno Cards
• Play cards
• Stuff she collects from all over e.g. rocks, leaves, shells…the list goes on…

 

Travel Hacks

• Loose the travel pillows – we used this once during our first flight from South Africa to Thailand and never used it again
• Sarongs are handy to use as towels, as blankets (when the aircon is just too cold), as skirts, to carry dirty clothes to the laundry and they take up very little space.
• Share deodorant  with your hubby, it is only him that will be sniffing you in any case 😉
• For every item of clothing you buy, leave a similar old one behind.
• Roll your clothes up, you will have more space and less wrinkled clothes
• Take clothes that you can mix and match.
• Take clothes that doesn’t show marks or stains easily
• Place underwear and socks inside your sneakers to save space
• Always carry a plastic bag with you, it always comes in handy (wet clothes, kids unexpectedly getting sick on a bus etc.)
• Always carry toilet paper or tissues with you

 

We hope you found these tips useful!

Safe Travels!

xxx