Packing for a bucket-list trip to Nepal or Peru or Thailand may seem daunting, because hey, it’s not every day you head thousands of miles from home. How many socks? Should I bring the trekking poles? What goes in my carry-on? And how do I keep my passport safe?
We sat down with two experts at REI Adventures, our adventure travel arm that offers 150-plus active guided trips around the world, and one REI employee travel-guru to bring you top tips from their combined 50-plus years of travel experience.
1. Keep important documents safe. What you need with you at all times is your passport, driver’s license and travel insurance—seriously, if you’re going on an adventure travel trip, buy emergency medical and evacuation coverage. Keep these on your person at all times. It’s also a good idea to scan these documents and save them to your phone and email them to yourself and your contacts at home. For the rest of your important documents—like reservations and itineraries—save them as photos you can access in your phone and create an email folder you can easily access from any location. “If you’re traveling internationally, also have a physical copy of your passport and pack it separately so you can go to the closest embassy and show it to get help faster,” says Belinda Gardner, REI Adventures program manager.
2. Lighter is better with adventure travel. If you’re touring by bike or exploring multiple destinations, you “may be moving every night, so you don’t want to have a ton of stuff. Keep your luggage light and small,” says Janel Jensen, REI Adventures travel program manager. Don’t know where to start? Ditch items that don’t serve two purposes—for example, Belinda packs a poncho instead of a rain jacket and pack cover.
3. Be smart about your carry-on. Belinda always carries a warm layer, spare toiletry kit, medications, clean socks and underwear in a day pack. She wears her hiking boots and straps her cycling shoes and helmet to the outside of her carry-on (which doubles as a great conversation starter), so she’s ready for day one of her adventure, even if the airline loses her luggage.
4. Go with quick-dry clothing. “You want clothes that you can hand-wash and dry overnight on a towel rack,” says Janel. Synthetic pants and shirts not only pack small but wick sweat and dry lightning quick after washing. Be extra prepared by bringing detergent along too. We love the Sea To Summit Trek and Travel (liquid) and Pocket (mini-sheets) laundry wash—which are both TSA carry-on compliant.
5. Fewer clothes are better. Janel brings three pairs of clothes—a mix of trekking pants and shorts and long-sleeve and short-sleeve shirts, and usually one dress, too. “People get so worried about wearing the same clothes over and over again—but no one is paying attention,” adds Belinda. Remember what you’re there for, and think and pack like a backpacker.
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