What is in my backpack: Australia?

 

The idea of living a year out of a backpack is scary because what do you bring in such a tiny bag?!

I have looked all over the Internet but still hadn’t found what I was looking for and before I left I still had no idea what to bring with me. Lot of stress! My friend Saskia helped me a lot during this time. I was still packing my bags couple of hours before I needed to leave!

And because a lot of people have been asking me what I took with me to Australia I decided to tell you how I eventually made my decisions and what I brought.

So what’s in my backpack for Australia?

Bags:
A good backpack is very important! I bought my big backpack in 2008 and I still have it!
It wasn’t cheap but also not too expensive. I went to a special store where I tried a couple of ones on and they really helped me with buying the right one. Like telling how to wear the backpack, putting weights in, etc.

I can tell you more about what to look for but eventually you are the one that feels it the best and the people working in the store know what they are talking about.
So trust them!

Tip: how bigger the backpack the more you will bring and the more you will have to carry around. Think about it.

For my smaller backpack I thought about choosing one that was not to big but also not to small. I also wanted enough pockets.

Clothes and more:
Oh my god this was such a hard decision! The only thing I was sure about was that I didn’t wanted to bring clothes that I needed to iron because be real, that isn’t going to happen.

So I put those clothes on the side, even though I really liked them.

Then I made sets of clothes because you won’t be wearing that top or short if it doesn’t fit with anything else, right?!

Also, make sure you feel good about yourself when you are wearing the clothes because otherwise you won’t be wearing it and then you are walking around with it for no reason because you probably won’t throw it away. This has happened to me.

Here’s a list of what I eventually put in my backpack:

Tops:

• 4 tops
• 3 t-shirts
• 2 tops for under t-shirts (1 black, 1 white)
• 1 red cardigan
• 1 Quechua fleece vest

Bottoms:

• 2 Denim shorts
• 1 red shorts
• 1 black shorts
• 1 thick black leggings
• 1 jeans

Others:

• 3 pair of socks
• 7 underwear
• 2 bras (1 black, 1 skin color)
• 1 pj
• 2 bikini’s
• 1 North Face rain jacket
• 2 light weighted towels (one big, one small)
• 1 sunglasses
• 1 black pashmina scarf
• 1 small cross bogy bag
• 1 sleeping liner
• Eagle Creek packing cubes
• 2 Universal adaptor

Shoes:

• 1 pair of Nike’s
• 1 pair of flip-flops
• 1 pair of black Toms
• 1 pair of Teva sandals

Toiletries:

• Toilet bag
• Travel electronic toothbrush + toothpaste (Later changed to a Braun toothbrush)
• Venus razor + 3 extra heads
• Day crème
• Travel size hairbrush
• Deodorant
• Perfume
• Hair ties
• Contact lenses + liquid
• Eye make up remover patches
• Cotton swabs
• Travel size shampoo and conditioner
• Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette
• 1 Mascara
• Lip balm
• Insect repellents with Deet

Medical:

• Small EHBO kit (bandage, scissors, needle and wire, sea sick tablets, tweezers, etc.)
• International health insurance pass.
• Personal pills (Migraine, etc.)

Hand luggage:

• Passport
• All needed papers for Australia (approval code working holiday visa, resumes, copy of diplomas, international drivers licenses, ect.)
• Camera + charger
• Ipad + charger + photo up loader
• Iphone (charger shared with Ipad)
• Ipod + charger
• Wallet with money and credit cards
• Eyeglasses

 Me and Saskia being very tired before boarding, also: twins much?!

Even though I didn’t bring my whole closet there were still pieces I didn’t wear.

I also changed up my wardrobe by switching up some tops and t-shirts. I also bought a sweater because winter in Sydney can be very cold and I also used it in New Zealand so that made me feel less guilty!

I was lucky enough to meet my parents in New Zealand so they brought me some warmer clothes and brought some new items to switch up my wardrobe again.

As you probably noticed I didn’t bring a sleeping bag. This is because I was staying in hostels and because of bed bugs you aren’t allowed to use your sleeping bag.
Plus I only needed one on my tour in the outback and I could rent one.  And that’s when the linen sleeping bag comes in handy ;).

Before I left Australia I was so sick of my t-shirts that I put them in a bag and went to H&M and donated them. For this I got a voucher so I could buy something new if I wanted to. Of course I did 😉
I also threw out; my two long pants (worn out) and my Nike’s because oh my, what a smell and I didn’t think I wanted to see those shoes again after wearing them for a year, haha.

I think that’s about it! I hope I could help whoever was looking for something for this because I know I could have used it! I didn’t go camping so that info was irrelevant for me, which you can find everywhere online!

Other than personal things you can always buy in the country itself. Don’t forget that 😉

If there are any question just ask!

So now that I told you what’s in my backpack for Australia I now have a clothing ‘problem’ for my what’s in my backpack Canada! Any tips? They are all welcome!

backpack

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For more Australia post click here