MY PERFECT BACKPACK & WHATS IN IT!

If I could have gone back in time and change what I decided to bring with me to South East Asia, I totally would!!
After backpacking for 2 and a half months now there is so much I wish I had done differently. Today I thought I would share my perfect backpacking and everything that's inside it!
As for the backpack itself... keep in mind you'll probably want to bring it as a carry on everywhere you go. It's way less of a hassle that way & you wont have to wait for baggage claim.
My backpack is made by Osprey and its 35 L & also has a rain cover. Most people would consider that a small bag for the length of time we are traveling but I love it! It's small and easy to carry around & surprisingly fits a ton!! 
Here's a quick break down of what I would have brought!

CLOTHING;
T-Shirt x 3
Tank Top - Loose fitting x2
Tank Top - Built in bra x1
Dresses x 2 or 3 (Up to you, I would have preferred to have 3!)
Leggings x 1
Elephant Pants x1 (Or loose fitting light weight track pants)
Shorts x 4 (One pair of jean shorts, the rest easy to wear light weight shorts)
Bathing Suits x 3
Underwear x 7
Bra x 1
Sports Bra x 1
Socks x 3
Hat x 1
Scarf x 1 (Great as a pillow, blanket & for covering up at temples)
Rain Coat x 1
Micro Fiber Towel x 1
Sandals x 1
Sneakers or Running shoes x 1

TOILETRIES:
Tooth Brush x2
Tooth Paste
Shampoo
Conditioner
Deodorant
Soap
Body Soap
Hair Brush

FIRST AID ITEMS & OTHER:
Band-Aids (Lots)
Pepto
Diarrhea Pills
Clove Oil (Great for tooth pains)
Halls
Advil
Bug Spray (Deet %30)
Eye Drops
Sunscreen (Lots)
Aloe
Kleenex (A few to go packs - super handy!! not all washrooms have toilet paper)  

COMFORT:
Neck Pillow
Eye Mask
Ear Plugs

PASS TIME ITEMS:
Cards
Books
Note Book & Pen

Keep everything simple! Its super easy to shop here & you'll definitely want to pick up some items while traveling so the less you bring from home the better!
As for doing laundry while traveling, that's simple! There are tons of places that do your laundry for you & its pretty cheap! However, if your like me and you want to save money, do your laundry yourself! Pick up a plastic bag & just add water and shampoo or body wash & mix it around! Let it hang to dry and your good to go!

Something you should also keep in mind - Showing off too much skin in SE Asia is frowned upon. Low cut tops & short shorts might not be the best idea. If you plan on seeing a lot of temples etc, make sure you do your research before & dress appropriately!

That's all for now! If I forgot anything, I will be sure to add it.
Comment below if I have forgotten anything important!
Safe travels!

MY D.I.Y FIST AID KIT

Hello everyone & welcome back to my blog! 

Today I wanted to share my do it yourself first aid kit for backpacking! 

Sometimes buying a first aid kit can get expensive and I was on a budget so I thought of another way to make my own! Most of these items I already had around my house so this was super easy to throw together! 

A good thing to remember is that depending where you are traveling you will likely be able to buy most of this stuff there. However, I am a crazy OCD freak and I didn't want to be stuck somewhere and not have the things I needed. Im also insanely cheap and knew I did not want to purchase things in another county when I knew I already owned them. 

Below is a picture of my DIY First Aid kit & how I organized it.

So now Im sure your wondering what exactly I packed and why?! So here goes, here is a list of everything I packed and beside why I packed it. 

Firstly, I packed everything in a 1 quart clear zip lock, this was because it will be way easier to get through airport security in a clear bag. Another reason why I chose a zip lock bag was because if anything leaked it would be easy to change the bag & it wouldn't get all over anything else I packed. 

SIDE NOTE - As you can see in the first picture I also put things into smaller individual bags so that it was easier to find the things I needed. For example, if I was sick with the flu I have a little flu bag or if I was cut I have a small first aid bag with band-aids etc! 

This also helps if anything were to spill or leak it will keep the mess to one contained area. 

WHAT I PACKED 

* Tissues - For obvious reasons, also for washroom situations where there might be no toilet paper since here in Canada Kleenex and toilet paper is a luxury item. 

* Vaseline - This was for my fiance as he gets bad chafe and the Vaseline is good for when your legs are rubbing. I also love Vaseline for chapped lips so thought it would be a great item to bring.

MINI FIRST AID BAG 

* Plysporin - Great for cuts 

* Burn cream - I get horrible sun burns so this is from my doctor, great for sun burns and or cuts! 

* Benadryl Cream - Great for cuts. burns, anything really! 

* Band-Aids - Obvious reason 

SICK BAG 

* Advil - I get horrible headaches so this was a must! 

* Halls Lozenges - Awesome for soar throats, or if you start to get sick 

* Benadryl Day & Night Pills - In case we get sick 

* Diarrhea Pills - Self explanatory..... 

OTHER MINI BAGS 

* Q-Tips - Good for applying any medication & also for our ears (mainly my fiances) 

* Eye Drops - Good for dry eyes or allergies 

* Clove Oil - In case we get tooth aches, clove oil helps with the pain - use q-tips to apply to tooth 

* Davids Tea - Cold 911 - Amazing for nipping a cold in the butt! 

* Tea Bags - To use for the tea or in case we need to make our own coffee

* Small Sewing Kit - For our clothes or if our bag breaks. 

* Extra Hair Ties and Bobby Pins - Just nice to have on hand! 

& That's it! Be sure to check back once we arrive in Thailand to see if I ended up needing any of these items and how useful this was! Again, all of these items I already had lying around my house. All I needed to do was put them into bags and draw a little first aid sign on the main bag! 

Thanks for reading! 

alicia xox