Backpacking Checklist

A lot of people asked me how I packed 1 single bag for my 20 day trip. 
Honestly, if it wasn’t for the numerous backpacking blogs, travel forums and 
warnings from my husband & brother about abandoning me with my heavy bags if they were made to carry them , I would have been lugging down 2 heavy suitcases and may be 2 on my shoulders.It was no easy feat – trust me to take only the “bare” essentials. Tough decisions had to be made – choosing between black pumps and cant-live-without hair dyer – with both of them eventually losing . There are were atleast 3 iterations of the “final” packing. There was also a 10pm run ( 6 hrs before leaving for the airport) to buy a new backpack. 
Here are the not-so-secret contents of the backpack that I took with me.






It was more than just a vacation – it was about learnings, experiences, meeting people, making friends, and above all living  enjoying out of the comfort zone. I wasn’t thinking about what to wear, was unfazed by the bumpy bus rides cross countries, heck I wasn’t even concerned about showering !
There was a lot I loved – the dangerous hikes,the food, struggling past the language barriers, hitchhiking – but more than anything – what I enjoyed the most was the PEOPLE – seeing them on the streets no matter what time of day (or night) , chatting away all night with the locals  & the best of all – getting welcomed into their world. 
My advice – everyone should do one backing trip …atleast one … put that on your bucket list kids  🙂