Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using them, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! When I spent 10 months in Spain last year, I brought 2 giant Samsonite suitcases and a small carry-on, plus a decently sized tote bag I used to carry to work that fits a ton of stuff. For the next leg of my travels, I decided to embrace the backpacker lifestyle and for Christmas, asked for an Osprey 70L backpack (55L backpack + 15L day bag). Before I get into the packing list, here are a few things you should know: This is not a guide on how to pack light. This is more of a guide on how much you can actually stuff into a 55L backpack. When I tell people I have a 55L backpack, they comment on how much space that is. But not for me. I have to allocate an extra 30 minutes to get it zipped everytime I pack up to go to the next destination. I need options. I’m no fashionista, but I need more than two t-shirts. Plus, I am tall and have giant feet so my shoes take up quite a bit of space. I didn’t even bring my hiking shoes this time around and have been relying on my old Nike Frees, which has so far been working for the short hikes I have been doing. I wear daily contacts, so I had to bring at least 4 months' worth, which came out to 120 pairs. The number of contacts I could fit in my backpack was really one of the deciding factors of length of this trip. I would be spending time in tropical Continue Reading
Camino de Santiago Female Packing List Essentials
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using them, we will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Jump straight to the packing list or download here: PDF | Excel I had always wanted to do some sort of backpacking trip, a la Reese Witherspoon in the movie Wild, but the idea of having to carry water purification tablets, pitch a tent, and sleep alone in the wilderness had always deterred me. So when I found out about the Camino de Santiago which has food and shelter available every few kilometers, and requires ZERO tent building, I added this to my list of goals for the year and started making plans to complete a portion of the Camino Frances (which is one of several paths of the Camino de Santiago). Of course, my first question was "How on earth do I pack for this?" Based on my research and what actually worked for me, I have compiled my complete Camino de Santiago female packing list into the following post, also available for download so you can easily edit and print to prepare for your Camino! Disclaimer: I didn’t do the entire Camino due to time constraints, but the last 1/3, from Astorga to Santiago. However, as laundry is readily available, I would have packed the same amount even if I had done the entire thing. First things first... what is the Camino de Santiago? What is the Camino de Santiago? The Camino de Santiago (the way of St. James), is a network of routes in Europe that Continue Reading