This time next week, I will be enjoying my first day in Taiwan! I am a bit nervous as it will be a long time before I am back… but mostly just very excited.

I have made plans to see a few friends while in Taiwan and a rough itinerary is coming together. Accommodation is booked for the first 2 nights to let me find my feet (and to give me something to write on my landing card) and the rest is nicely open-ended.

Have been to collect some travel money today; not much more still to do before the flight except relax and spend time with family and friends.

The tricky thing about open-ended travel is determining what to take with you. This is not only to prevent having a massively unwieldy bag (case in point – 40kg “body bag” I took to China in 2009) but also to allow yourself to be flexible with travel plans, adapt to different climates easily, while having all the essentials on hand.

Bag:

Osprey Farpoint 55

I will be taking an Osprey Farpoint 55 with me – the backpack itself is 38L plus a 15L daypack. I like the fact that it can zip onto the main backpack for storage as and when I use a handbag, but otherwise I purchased it more because I didn’t want to have to spend time researching a daypack as well as a backpack. The daypack has a cushioned area to protect a laptop/tablet – unfortunately doesn’t have any small pockets for phone/lip balm but as it’s such a small bag, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Once the bag was sorted, this made it easier to work out what to take, as I now only have a finite amount of space. I will be checking in my bag as I have hold luggage on all my flights.

Shoes:

• 1 x pair of Tevas
• 1 x pair of Ipanema flip flops
• 1 x Nike Zoom Wildhorse 3 trail running shoes

Tops:

• 4 x cotton t-shirts
• 4 x cotton tank tops
• 1 x long sleeve cotton shirt
• 1 x black waterfall cardigan
• 1 x hoodie with UV protection

Bottoms:

• 2 x cotton shorts
• 1 x rayon mini shorts
• 1 x rayon mid-length trousers
• 1 x cotton/linen trousers
• 1 x cotton skirt
• 1 x cotton dress
• 1 x rayon sundress

Lingerie/Swimwear:

• 2 x sports bras
• 1 x fashion bra
• 10 x underwear
• 2 x bikini sets
• 5 x pairs of socks

Technology:

• Anker PowerCore 20100 external battery
• International plug adaptor
• Surge protected USB charger (up to 4 devices)
• ShoulderPod S1
• GorillaPod
• iPad mini
• iPhone 6 (in Otterbox case)

Miscellaneous:

• Sarong
• Kaftan
• Trekking microfibre towel
• SE Asia language phrasebook

Toiletries:

• Shampoo bar from Lush
• Body wash bar
• Suncream SPF 50
• Suncream SPF 50 for face
• Travel micellar water
• Travel razor
• Mascara
• Deodorant/antiperspirant
• Concealer
• Tweezers
• Nail clippers
• Emery board
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• A lot of tampons

First aid kit:

• Rehydration sachets
• Imodium
• Ibuprofen
• Throat lozenges
• Antiseptic cream
• Antiseptic wipes
• Antihistamine cream
• Thermometer
• Plasters
• Blister plasters
• Gauze
• Microporous tape
• Bandage
• Small scissors

It seems like a lot but packing cubes have made everything easy to find, and it all fits comfortably into my backpack! Backpack is ready to go!