5 things you don’t need when going backpacking

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Backpacking is the ultimate traveling experience. It is inevitably raw, exhausting and sometimes even unpleasant, but you will be rewarded with the best time of your life. Backpacking is the great-grandmother of tourism, since this was how you had to travel centuries ago if you wanted to get from one place to another. The pilgrims of Canterbury? Backpackers. Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg? Backpacker, with slightly more money then average.

The pleasure of backpacking lies in seeing so many places, meeting people and exploring different cultures without the shelter of a luxury hotel or a business-class plane trip. And if you want to make you backpacking trip easier, you have to know what to pack, and more importantly, what  not to pack. Here’s a list of things that you do not need to take with you.

Shampoo and conditioner

Let’s face it, your hairstyle is not your top priority when you’re going backpacking. Bottles of shampoo and conditioner can be large and they are n additional weight in your backpack. If you are going to stay a hotel, you might get complimentary toiletries that you can use, even if they are not your favourite brands. In any case, bring little traveler’s  or promotional sachets of shampoo and conditioner, enough for a week or two, and buy some local stuff when they run out.

Jewelry

This one is pretty obvious. Regardless of your destination, you’re bound to visit unsavoury places too, and jewelry attracts attention. Besides, unless you are planning to attend some fancy reception, you won’t need your jewelry. There’s are the chance that you’ll lose your jewelry, for example earrings can fall out and rings can slip off your fingers, so it’s better to leave all your jewelry at home.

Books

If you’re an avid reader, you would need a good stash of books for a few months of backpacking. Problem is that no matter how great your books are, and no matter how many lonely hours of train riding can they help you through, books take up space and they are heavy. Take only one book with you (a cheap paperback), and buy others as you go along. You can always sell them at used book stores. This way, you’ll always have a new book when you need it.

Hairdyers

No matter how long your hair is, lugging around a hairdryer is not very practical, because different countries have different sockets. You’d have to buy an adapter every time you’re going someplace else. Some hotels might offer hairdryers, and in a hostel you can simply borrow one from someone who did bring it with them. And unless you’re backpacking through Siberia, you can let your hair dry naturally.

Jeans

Paradoxically, these all-purpose pants are not what you want to carry around with you. If it’s hot outside, the jeans will stick to your skin and make you want to scratch them off your legs. If it’s rainy, again, they will stick to you and they tend to retain water and they take a lot of time to dry. Plus, they are not comfortable to wear for days on end. Better take some trousers made of some kind of quick-drying fabric.

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