Today I’m packing up to leave behind work in Thailand and spend some long-overdue quality time with my son in the Philippines.
Still after nearly 7 solid years of frequent international travel, the one thing that probably makes me the most anxious every time is packing!
Deciding at the last minute what to take, what to leave behind, and how to cram it all in can still be the most worrisome part of travel.
As a digital nomad, a permanent traveler, someone who tends to move around every 1-3 months and hasn’t had a steady “home” since I left California in 2008, many have been asking me what’s on my packing list for years, and what if any special travel gear I recommend for new location-independent entrepreneurs and frequent travelers. So I’ve finally put together this page to share my travel packing checklist for nomads.
I’m not the lightest traveler in the world, and I don’t consider myself a minimalist really, but I have been living out of two bags for seven years.
Yes, that’s right, pretty much my entire life at this point fits into two travel bags, with the exception of a few basic items in storage back home with my folks.
I travel slowly, but frequently. In other words, I have lived across 4 different continents now, but I tend to stay for at least 3 months to a year with a sort of “home base” in one city for a while, and then make frequent small trips or visa runs from there at least every three months.
This is pretty much everything I own, and this stuff has gotten me through Asia, South America, and Europe for over seven years now.
If you’re asking how, it’s because I mostly rent long-term furnished apartments and condos wherever I go so I don’t have to invest in or own too many things. Aside from a new blender, a kettle, and maybe a couple other small household items whenever I relocate!
Every traveler has his own unique needs and preferences on the road, so the gear I use obviously won’t work for everyone. The following travel gear list is just what has proven to work best for my slow-travel style over the last several years.
Some may need more outdoorsy or camping equipment, some obviously will need specialized gear for certain sports or activities, some of you are probably professional photographers, but I assume you already know your trade or hobby, so I’m not going to tell you what you need. And I’m not going to dig too deep into what toiletries to bring — you’re an adult so I’m sure you can figure that out.
While I often travel on a budget, I usually try to do my best to invest in durable, best-of-class gear, especially technology since that’s what enables my business and my lifestyle, so while there are lower-cost alternatives to a lot of things here, I often spend a fair amount of money on high-quality stuff, and I’m especially happy to keep things as long as they’re useful (so for example, some of my tech equipment is a generation or two old, but being the luddite that I am, I’m perfectly happy with my gadgets as long as they still get the job done well).
So, with all that in mind, below you’ll find my ultimate travel packing list for long-term travelers and frequent business travelers, with all the travel gear I depend on after years of slow-travel and working on the road.
Some of the vendors that I link to below, like Amazon, may give us a small commission IF you make a purchase. This helps us keep the lights on here at TH, so I thank you for purchasing through our referral links here on the blog, but without a doubt, I ALWAYS recommend gear and equipment that I actually use and love (like everything, if I DON’T like it, it usually doesn’t make it here on the blog, OR perhaps you can listen to me bitch about it on my twitter or Facebook!)
First off, my travel bag:
REI Cruise UL 60 pack – 65 liter volume, this is a big pack that has gotten me through probably about 30 countries now. It’s probably getting near time to finally replace this bad boy, but it has been one dependable pack that has lasted the better part of a decade already and could still take a beating. I’m mostly growing out of the “backpacker” style at this point in my life, so I’m looking at changing this up soon, but if it suits you, especially for US and California residents, REI has a wide selection of great backpacks and awesome sports and travel gear, plus they have a pretty amazing co-op membership club with jaw-dropping return policies. I usually check this monster in and carry a day bag with my laptop and a few essentials – but I have even managed to carry this on some flights and cram it in the overhead so I could skip the baggage claim. Total weight of everything that goes into the check-in bag is only about 17kg (or 37 lbs) for me.
If you’re not in the US, I’m looking into the highly-rated Minaal travel bag and Tortuga Backpacks for my next purchase, both of which have been designed with more business travelers and digital nomads in mind.
North Face Surge backpack – this is my carry-on and day-to-day backpack that I carry around my stuff in on the ground wherever I am. High quality. Or check out the Tortuga Daypack.
I also have a great REI laptop slip case that I’ve used since the beginning as well. Nicely padded, with a handy pocket, but as far as I can tell they don’t make them anymore. Case Logic has some very quality sleeves and hard cases to protect your most precious assets though.
That brings me to the tech gear that I use to run my location-independent business:
Apple MacBook Pro – I’m still carrying around a late-2012 13-inch I got in Kuala Lumpur actually, my third or fourth MacBook Pro over the years. The unibody aluminum models have been great to travel with (I always manage to drop my laptops, as well as leave them running 24/7 for months on end, but they keep on going. This thing is a tank!).
iPhone 5s factory unlocked – I used to tote around the 3G for ages, then the 4s, and now I’m still using a 64GB 5s that comes factory unlocked so you can use it anywhere around the world, on any carrier. Otherwise, grab the unlocking instructions here for use off your normal network, international travel & data access. I know I’m behind the times since there’s a 6 or a 12Gs+ out now, but I still love my slender little 5s, the camera and HD video, as well as audio capture are fantastic, and it does everything I need, so I’m personally staunchly anti-6 with it’s silly big fat size. Still the best phone I’ve found for running a multi-national business remotely!
US-based readers, if you travel abroad often, consider switching to the T-Mobile Simple Choice Plan for the most international-friendly setup by far, including free international data everywhere you go.
Airport Express – Less and less necessary over the years as wifi is becoming more and more ubiquitous even in developing countries, but this handy little gadget will turn almost any ethernet connection around the world into an instant wifi network, or strengthen existing networks. Fits in my cargo pocket, and you can also use it to remotely connect to printers, sound systems, and other USB devices, which is fun.
Buffalo 1 TB external hard drive – tiny and shock-protected for easy traveling, this is where I keep my local backup and external storage space.
Urbanears earbuds – more durable and slightly better sound quality than the regular Apple iPhone headphones.
Schoche boomBottle mini – weatherproof rugged little wireless Bluetooth speaker for watching movies with the lady or just blaring some podcasts in the shower.
Transcend 64GB USB drive
GoPro HERO 3+ black edition – awesome high-def photos and videos, easy to strap on to yourself or your equipment for parasailing, paddle boarding, motorcycling, or pretty much anything.
Panasonic Lumix slim camera – I still use the iPhone as my primary camera since the quality shot up amazingly in the 5th generation, but I used to carry one of these around, for those who want a more serious camera in their pocket.
Gorillapod – compact, versatile, flexible, bendable cool little tripod/mounting device for the iPhone or small cameras.
Tikker watch – just a little reminder that my time here is limited.
My top travel apps:
Skyscanner – these days, I almost always find the best flight deals listed on Skyscanner app or Google Flights.
AirBnB – Web & mobile app if you need a nice, furnished, short-term apartment to crash when you first arrive in many cities around the world, AirBnb is the first place I look. This is where locals and expats sublet out their own homes and apartments, so you often get more of a local feel and a bigger space than you would in a hotel. Sign up with this link and get $20 free credit.
Agoda – when you’re searching for hotels, resorts, and other accommodation (especially in Asia, but much of the world) this is my #1 go-to website/app.
TripIt Pro – this is THE killer travel app for iPhone and iPad. TripIt keeps track of all my travel booking information, for flights, accommodation, and more. You can set it up to easily import all your travel itinerary/confirmations, keep your trips and ticket information organized, and almost never need to print a ticket again.
Scribd – another great app for the iDevices that I use to fill up my phone with audiobooks and ebooks before a long flight. The best, cheapest monthly membership I’ve found that gives you access to TONS of good quality books.
Speedify – this desktop app lets you combine multiple internet connections into one (for example, smartphone data, DSL and wifi), for those times when you’ve got really shifty connection in some underdeveloped countries.
JRE podcast – my favorite long-form interview podcast, I always fill up my iPhone with Joe Rogan before I head to the airport.
Square – for a limited time, grab a free credit card reader from this new online processor and you can start accepting credit card payments from your iPhone or iPad no matter where you go.
Sleep Time – this is the only wakeup alarm I use anymore. It’s great, goes off your natural sleep cycle.
Money & cards:
Delta Skymiles AMEX – I try to put as many of my business and travel expenses as I can on the American Express when I buy online, racking up the points for my next free intercontinental Delta flight. Sometimes they offer a great signup deal like 30K or 50K points if you meet the minimum spend in the first 3 months. But mind, in much of the world you can’t use AMEX on the ground, so always bring something with the Visa logo on it too.
Charles Schwab Bank – attached to my Schwab brokerage account, the absolute best damn bank for US resident who are frequent travelers, without a doubt. I don’t know how they get away with it, but Schwab reimburses all my ATM fees worldwide and has no international fees on their checking accounts. Plus I earn a small percentage on my savings.
Regus membership card – great workspaces and day offices for business travelers and nomads around the world – over 2,000 locations in over 100 countries.
Zipcar membership card – easy access to cars throughout the USA, UK, Europe, and Canada, when you need wheels.
The rest:
I like to keep in mind Tim Ferriss’ BIT method of travel: Buy It There; and never buy if you can borrow. Some of the below are marked BIT when it’s highly likely you can easily grab items in any airport or local mini market:
luggage locks
laptop lock – useful for keeping your most prized possession safe, also handy to secure all your bags in the airport if you need to take a nap.
neck pillow (GIT in the airport)
4 tshirts – I love these ones
2 shorts – Molecule make great cargo shorts perfect for travelers, made in Thailand!
1 pair swimtrunks
2 pairs jeans – I get mine cheap in Bangkok and then get them tailored
7 pairs dress socks
4 pairs athletic socks
5 pairs boxers – Exofficio are still the best
6 dress shirts (again I get these custom-tailored in Thailand for very cheap when I can)
1 polo shirt
1 ball cap
Adidas cross-trainer shoes
1 pair dress shoes
1 pair Crocs flip flops (or GIT)
1 lightweight poncho I picked up at 7/11 for the monsoon season here in Thailand (GIT)
Cruseau candle
Bialetti French press – gotta have my coffee, small enough to wrap in something soft and pack in your carry-on.
Remington haircut kit
Kikkerland universal outlet adapter
microfiber towel
books – yes, I still prefer to carry around a few hard copy books. I still keep The 4 Hour Workweek and a couple other books with me for reference. And I’m currently packing Dad Rules for the plane. Just don’t get the same feel from reading in front of a screen, though I think I’ll finally get on the train and try the Kindle Paperwhite soon.
2 notebooks (GIT) – for all the brilliant ideas pouring out of my head.
documents – tickets, passports, driver’s license, and any other useful cards (student ID, hotel membership cards, healthy insurance, and so on). Also note some countries will require a vaccination or health record. Photocopies of your passport and a dozen passport-size photos will come in handy for visa applications.
fish oil tablets (GIT)
coconut oil – great for cooking, for putting in your bulletproof coffee, and lots of other beautiful things (GIT most places, especially in Asia).
Dihydromyricetin anti-hangover pills – for those big nights out with the boys (these are the real deal, with 70-80% reduction of hangover symptoms on even a heavy night)
daily multivitamin and vitamin-C (GIT – I usually just get these at GNC)
Tylenol, charcoal tablets (or diarrhea pills) for the Dehli belly (GIT)
any other prescription medications you need
Betadine & hydrogen peroxide in case of any scrapes or cuts (GIT in most pharmacies)
toiletry kit
small pack of tissues (GIT) – can come in handy across Asia and elsewhere
glasses and contacts gear
earplugs and sleeping mask
duct tape and a lighter – you never know when these might come in handy
pocket knife – also handy, but only for the brave. Be aware: some countries, like Singapore for example, will prohibit these even in your check luggage.
Evernote page full of my most important contact details, bank info, everything else I don’t actually want to have to carry around with me.
And there you have it. Aside from a few basic toiletries that’s pretty much all I carry around with me, and this packing list has got me through over 30 countries successfully.
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A note about traveling solo:
I know from experience how tough it can be galavanting all on your own for extended periods of time. It’s easy to meet backpackers and fellow expats, but sometimes it can be tough to find other entrepreneurs and digital nomads.
And it can often feel quite isolating if you’re traveling while you bootstrap your business, without too many business colleagues around you. I felt that after the first couple years of nonstop travel.
But when I finally got really active building my own communities online, joining other groups, and pulling together a peer group for regular MasterMind meetings again, it made ALL the difference!
Now, a few times each year, I bring together a small group of successful, high-level entrepreneurs to have the time of our lives and see what magic happens when you get a bunch of explosive talent all together in one place.
This November is shaping up to be the most incredible of these gatherings yet — my fifth entrepreneur retreat in beach paradise for 10 days of adventure and MasterMinding with fellow, like-minded ballers! We already have a few accomplished 6- and 7-figure entrepreneurs on board, and still looking for a couple more qualified high-achievers to join us for a very unique experience in Thailand…
So if you’re someone who understands the value of surrounding yourself with the right people, and it interests you, then click here for more details. I’d love to see you there!
Read the original article on Thrilling Heroics here: My Complete Travel Packing List after 7 Years as a Full-Time Traveler
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