Traveling involves lots of walking so we can get close look at the attractions. So a pair of good and comfortable walking shoes is essential. But if you are planning to do some hiking or trekking a sturdy light-weight hiking shoes will be useful. Normal casual walking shoes may not grip the slippery rocks or the sandy trail. I learn that the hard way. Make sure you break into your shoes if they are a brand new pair. Some hiking shoes look like sneakers so they can be suitable for casual walking and will not look out of place wearing them in town. Shoes are bulky and occupy lots of space in the luggage so a multi-purpose pair would be great.
Bring along a comfy and sturdy pair of walking sandals for that lovely walk in town or coast. They can be useful too for walking in water streams or shallow rivers. Otherwise hiking shoes would be more appropriate. I have seen travelers wearing sandals for cycling and walking around in the cold Patagonia, with the appropriate socks of corse. How cool is that.
Anti-slip wool hiking socks are useful for hiking and toasting cold feet while sleeping in tents up in the freezing mountains. Useful for general use such as in chilly airplanes or in the heater-less hostels. There are also hiking socks made for warmer seasons so that it will drive moisture away. Bring several pairs of socks when you travel, can be usual cotton material, for general use. Socks get dirty and smelly easily especially when wet! Other than socks undergarments are equally important.
A light foldable cheap plastic hooded poncho is an easy way to protect from sudden or unexpected rain. Pack one in. A windbreaker may do the job but a poncho may be able to cover and protect our backpack and belongings as well.
We all love to travel light. A lightweight waterproof outershell jacket with (separate) fleece layers inside will keep us from rain and cold. Windbreaker is a essential travel outfit when we travel at cold mountainous regions or traveling during winter season. Useful too for traveling in windy conditions. If we heading to cold mountainous areas undergarments such as long johns or thermal underwear might be useful too.
Sunglasses. We not only look cool wearing them, but they also protect our eyes from the glaring sunlight. For those who wear prescription glasses get transition or tinted glasses. Or the clip-on sunglasses that you can clip onto your prescription glasses. Ensure sunglasses have UV protection otherwise it is as good as not wearing one. Sunglasses is one item that can be easily misplaced or lost. So best not to carry an expensive branded one. Stylish does not means expensive.
And not forgetting a cap or hat for some sunshade. Or a wide brim hat.
If you wear prescription glasses bring along a pair of spare glasses. Just in case. Though a couple of contact lenses may come in handy too.
Don’t forget a swimsuit. Of course it would be good if you can swim in the first place! It is light and is also suitable for layering in cold weather due to the polyolefin material which acts as insulation.
If you go hiking up the mountain a skull cap will be very handy especially if you have to sleep in the freezing tent! It is generally useful at any cold weather and windy places. Not to to keep warm but to make sure our hair are not blown all over like sitting on open top vehicle.
Wide brim hat is useful for that strong afternoon sun or when you are having a lovely stroll in the jungle or the desert. Get the soft easy to fold and easy to carry type. For something unique get the hat with a neck flap, similar to Japanese hat.
A pair of gloves will be necessary if you plan on going or sleeping high up in the freezing mountain or traveling in cold weather places. There is also the high tech gloves that would allow you to touch screen your smartphone without removing your gloves!
For water activities some may prefer wearing the water shoes. There is also the form-fit flat toe shoes though walking around in town with it may seem a bit odd. We did the awesome water-filled ATM caving in Belize wearing rubber crocs shoes bought locally. Though a proper water shoes with better grips would be better.
A pair of light rubber slippers or flip-flops are handy for hostel room use or for casual use. Backpackers love to wear rubber flip-flops and look sloppy and happy. They are on vacation afterall. If you are vacationing in a warm climate area, flip-flop would come in handy.
For light packing and quick drying bring dry fit tees, which can be either long or short sleeve depending on occasion. These dri-fit tees can wick moisture easily. Great travel outfit for sweaty activities such as hiking, cycling, walking or staying in humid or damp areas. These dry-fit T-shirts are made from a combination of polyester, spandex and cotton. There are tees made from recycled materials if you are into green things. These tees are lightweight, soft, wicking material great for warm and cold climate travel. For cold climate bring the longer sleeve tees.
T-shirts are one of the basic travel clothing. We can wear T-shirts as casual wear or sleep garment. For casual or sleep wear a cotton tee will do. We can pack a couple of tees. Though a collared tee would add a bit of formality, so maybe pack one in. Of course if we intend to splurge on some fine dining or attend a symphony orchestra performance, formal shirt or dress is called for. Most establishment do accept jeans, so a pair of not so worn out is great to pack along. But jeans is heavy. A pair will do. We can always get one or two t-shirts along the way if we don’t bring enough change of clothes. T-shirts make great souvenirs too. As gifts or to remind us of the places we have been to. We sure have seen those funny words on a t-shirt that says ‘someone I know went to blah blah and all I get is this T-shirt’.
We all love wearing that casual look cargo pants with side pockets to put some stuffs. Though if there are too many pockets we sometimes have to dig into each pocket to find where we put that piece of paper! Travel clothing great for hiking, trekking or a nice stroll in town or wearing them for that long airplane ride. They can be made from poly, cotton or nylon or a combination of it. Some may be water resistant or with UV protection. Some may come with a zip-off for water activities. For winter or cold weather you can get cargo pants with internal lining so you you don’t have to put on long johns. Get the light-weight and quick drying type.
A light pyjama. As much as we want to be comfortable while out and about, we also want to be comfortable while sleeping. A light flannel pyjama will be useful for cold weather sleep. Though we would expect heater in room if its winter or if the hotel or hostel is located on high altitude. Wearing tees for sleeping is fine too. There are travelers who bring along old tees that they discard along the way or at the end of the trip to lighten their luggage and put in souvenirs.
A fleece sweater is necessary for cold weather traveling. Perhaps bring a couple for layering. A thinner and a thicker fleece sweaters for different weather conditions.
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