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Gear & packingBy Clever Tourists · Published · Last updated
Someone leaving for months has already packed their bag, so a going-away gift has to be small, light and useful every day, or not a physical thing at all. We left for 526 days; these are the items from our gear list that earned their space, plus non-physical gifts that cost the traveller nothing to carry.
Long-term travellers count grams. A gift that does not fit will be left with you or posted home, so ask whether there is anything on their list they have not bought yet. If the answer is no, choose something that replaces a worse version they are taking.
• An anti-theft crossbody bag for cities and transit days.
• Slip-on shoes like the Keds Double Decker, easy for airport security, and temples in Asia where shoes come off at the door.
• Shoe or laundry bags that keep the pack organised for months.
• A night somewhere better partway through the trip, booked or paid toward.
• An experience at their first stop: a food tour, museum pass or day trip. Our booking page lists the tour and ticket sites we use.
• Practical help at home: looking after mail, a car or a plant is a real gift to someone leaving for a year.
Something small, light and used daily, such as an anti-theft day bag or packing organisers, or a gift that weighs nothing, such as a paid night in a nicer hotel or a tour at their first stop.
Money toward a specific experience or a hotel upgrade on the trip is a common and welcome choice, and it costs the traveller nothing to carry.
New guides and practical tips from 526 days on the road: where to stay, what to eat, what things cost and the rules that catch travelers out.
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