My take on packing for Remote Year. From a former Remote who completed a 4-month program, and now halfway through leading a 12-month program.

How do you plan for 12 months of travel across 12 countries, four continents, and several different climates? Not-so-secret Secret: It’s not easy, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

That’s the dilemma every remote has to face before embarking on their Remote Year journey. And if we can get through it, so can you.

Here’s what I packed:

Super Duper Most Important

  • Passport
  • Driver’s License / ID Card
  • Optional: International Drivers License (useful in renting cars in certain countries)
  • Debit Card
  • Credit Cards (I would recommend bringing at least two)
  • Prescription medicine*
  • Contacts* / glasses

*When packing for Remote Year, make sure you bring enough medicine / contacts or have a plan in place for how you will get refills if needed. Prescription medicine can be hard to obtain in other countries. Also, if you have any controlled substances (e.g. Adderall), get a note from your doctor to be safe in case you’re ever stopped at a border. In some countries, it’s illegal.

Electronics

  • Phone
  • Back-up phone (unlocked)
    • If you travel for long enough, there’s a solid chance something will go wrong with your phone)
  • Home country SIM card
    • Keep this in a safe place! In case you do have to switch phones, 2-Factor-Authentication (2FA) can be a huge roadblock without access to your home phone number you registered for everything with.
    • Pro-tip: Before leaving, switch your registration phone numbers to a Google Voice number. That way you don’t have to pay roaming fees putting your home SIM card back in.
  • Charger cords – 1 long, 1 short
  • Portable Phone Charger (+respective cable if it’s different from that of your phone)
  • Computer + charger
  • Headphones (x2)
    • Make sure you have at least one for normal jacks (looking at you Apple users). Or, a converter dongle that connects normal headphones to lightning ports always comes in handy (especially if you ever want to use an aux cord to play music).
  • Bluetooth speaker (I looove my UE Roll)
  • Kindle + charging cord
  • Adaptors + converter
  • Bonus: Aux cord. External hard drive to back up your computer. Headlamp if you ever plan to go camping or on sunrise /sunset hikes.

Clothing

  • Swimsuits – 2 options is plenty, but if you’re anything like me you’ll probably bring more. But remember, you can always buy things on the road and you’ll likely want to at some point. 
  • Rain Jacket – This will come in handy at some point. Throw in a compact umbrella too while you’re at it.
    • I held off on packing this and just bought it on the road, because my first few months weren’t in rainy climates.
  • Nightlife Outfits – 1-2
    • It can be fun to pack 1-2 outfits that have absolutely no other purpose besides wearing out to the bars / clubs. 2 is the maximum though. Update: Ditched one, kept one nightlife romper, which I continuously debate ditching.
  • Jeans – 1 blue jeans, 1 pair black jeans
    • Now we’re in our Asia stretch where it’s hot and humid AF. I ditched these when we left Europe in May and headed to Vietnam in June. Jeans are heavy!
  • Leggings – 2 pairs daily wear, 2 pairs athletic
    • Also left behind my “daily wear” leggings in Europe, which were wearing thin anyways. I just kept my two pairs of Lululemon yoga pants (one black, one forest green). Leggings are cheap and easy to buy on the road from places like H&M.
  • Shorts – 3-4 pairs daily wear, 2 pairs athletic
  • Athletic shirts – 1 t-shirt, 2 tank tops, 1 long sleeve
  • Socks – 5 pairs of socks
    • I have since lost many of these socks. I think I’m down to 3 pairs, which has been enough.
  • Underwear – 7-10 pairs (why is it called a pair?)
  • Bras – 3 nude, 1 black, 1 nude strapless
  • Sports Bras – 2-3
    • I packed two good ones for running, one yoga one, and a sleeping / bralette one.
  • PJs – 3 sets
    • 3 sleep shirts or tanks, 3 sleep or comfy shorts
  • Casual day tops – 4
    • If you’ll be spending any time in hot and humid climates, the name of the game here is ‘light and flowy.’
  • Day-to-night tops – 2
  • Night tops – 2
    • Nicer tops for going out for dinner or drinks
  • Dresses – 4
    • 2 casual daytime dresses, 2 “nicer” dresses (mine are still sundresses, think Sunday brunch)
  • Skirts – 2-3
    • One daytime casual, one skater skirt that’s more “nighttime”, one long maxi skirt
  • Jackets – 2-3
    • Before I had a jean jacket, zip-up fleece, leather jacket, and Patagonia nano-puff zip-up. (I ended up having to buy a proper winter coat in Prague, but that was our last month.)
    • Since I was mostly going to be chasing summer this year, I just packed my Patagonia, a leather jacket, and one long sleeve (super thin) sweatshirt. Ended up ditching the leather jacket, and buying a jean jacket in month two (Morocco) for day-to-day wear in chilly weather.

Shoes

  • Athletic Sneakers (ideally with good traction if you ever plan to hike; I brought a pair of trail running shoes and used them for both hiking and road running)
  • Casual closed-toed shoes
    • On my four-month program I always regretted not bringing my black Converse. This time, I ended up packing them and I wish I hadn’t. I basically only wear sandals.
  • Sandals – 2+ versatile comfy sandals
    • If you’ll be traveling in mostly summer climates, I would recommend bringing 2+ that go with anything. If you wear them every day (like I did) you’ll wear through them in 2-3 months, and might not be able to find a similar kind you love. Having a back-up is always nice. You can throw in an additional fancier pair to wear out at night.
  • Flip-Flops – 1
    • Cheap ones you can throw on to run an errand, go to the beach, wear in communal showers, and easily replace!
    • I’ve considered buying sport sandals a few times, but never pulled the trigger. If you already own a pair that are good for outdoorsy activities / can get wet, they’ll probably come in handy!
  • Pro-Tip: Don’t bother bringing rain boots. But if you are going to be spending a lot of time in rainy or colder winter climates, bring a pair of boots that won’t get ruined if they get wet. Ideally a pair that are durable but also cute – simple black or brown.

Accessories

  • Sunglasses – 1 practical, 1 fun
  • Sarong / Thin Beach Towel
    • Turkish towels are great travel towels. Otherwise, a throw / sarong will come in handy for everything from drying off at the beach to a picnic in the park to a go-to transit blanket.
    • I also pack a face washcloth.
  • Earrings – 2 daily wear studs, 2 dangly, 2 hoops
  • Necklace – 1 I always wear around my neck, 1 long
  • Bracelet – Unless you have one that you always wear, don’t bother. You’ll probably find a cute one on your travels you’ll want to buy!
  • Rings – I have about 3-5 rings I’ll wear on a regular basis, but again rings can be fun (and small) memorabilia to collect on the road.
  • Hats – Unless you wear hats all the time, don’t bother. They’re just annoying to pack / carry around and you’ll maybe take one instagram photo in them. Or two. If you really want to wear a cute hat one day you can borrow someone else’s or buy one wherever you are.

Bags

  • Suitcases – 1 large to check, 1 carry-on (my carry-on is a travel backpack)
  • Work bag – I have a tote work bag that I use for my computer and daily work items
  • Day pack – Some sort of backpack that you can pack a day’s worth of belongings in, beach gear, gym gear, hike supplies, short trips, etc.
  • Drawstring bag – It’ll come in handy at some point
  • Packing cubes

Other

  • Reusable water bottle (I really like my Camelbak Groove that has a filter in it)
    • Update: Have since lost said water bottle. I think I left it on a plane. Replaced it with a sustainable glass bottle I purchased from Natura in Spain.
  • Hair brush
  • Hair ties
  • Bobby pins
  • Toothbrush + toothpaste + travel holder
  • Makeup
  • Hair products
  • Razor(s)
    • I’d advise packing a sturdy one like a Venus Gillette 5-blade and just bringing replacement razor heads. Takes up less room than individual disposable razors!
  • First-Aid Kit
  • Ibuprofen

This is a pretty female-centric packing list. Here’s another collection of tips on packing for Remote Year from people who have been there, done that.

It’s true that packing for Remote Year feels like an overwhelming task, but you can do it. Ultimately, don’t stress – you can always buy just about anything you need on the road.

What essentials do you pack for extended travels? Comment below!