Travel Light Without Compromise

Items to carry when travelling for one week!

SFWanderlust Team November 19, 2018

In our last post we introduce you to Yosemite National Park, the fifth most visited national park in the US. Thank you again for reading and following us, and most importantly, for sending in questions and things and pieces of advice that you’d like us to share. We’re happy that you’ve found value in our work and we base our posts on what you, our readers, want to learn about. Many of you have reached out and asked us to share what you should bring when visiting San Francisco and areas around. We’ll share with you our own experience packing and give you a list of items that you might want to bring and additional items to consider.

When it comes to packing, the first and foremost matter to figure out is the duration of your travel. That seems obvious, but it is what will tell you how much to pack. Then, what is the purpose of your trip? Is it only sightseeing different places or will you be taking lots of pictures and making professional quality movies? There are folks that always bring more than they need; myself being an example.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are people that bring too little and always wish they could have x and z items. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a balance? For the sake of simplicity we’ll talk about travelers staying in San Francisco for a week (this would apply to both domestic and international travelers). International travelers would of course need to bring immigration documents such as passport, all sorts of ID, visa-if needed, etc.

In my experience

Generally when I am traveling, I want to carry as little as possible and will not bring everything from home with me to retain my daily routine. On a one week trip, I typically prefer to have 2 bags, one carry on and one backpack. There will be no check bag unless I am visiting the Arctic that requires you to have multiple layers on you to stay warm. I first decide the items that I must have followed by other less crucial items that I use on a regular basis that I could fit in, and lastly, small items that can be bought inexpensively at the destination.

a travel backpack

small but important items

small carry-on bag

Let’s break the aforementioned items down:

Must-have items: These would be driver license, 1 debit and 1 credit card, $300 cash. All of these are in my wallet. Next up is my phone, computer, and camera gear. Some people prefer to not bring a computer and that’s fine. However, it could come in very handy when you’re in need of making reservations, booking tickets, requesting documents off the web, and filling out forms that are computer optimized. None of these are fun doing on the phone and it could take you many times longer and you lose time on your trip.

Bring a light Macbook or a Windows laptop that’s under 3lbs. Camera gear is optional. For me, it’s a priority because I am a photo freak. I try to stick to a 1 camera 1 lens, and a gorilla tripod system to keep things light. If it’s a photography-specific trip, I will, of course bring all the gear I need and manage my load accordingly.

Clothing-wise, I ultimately want to have 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 1 pair of short, 1 lightweight jacket, 3 pieces of underwear, and 2 pairs of shoes. One pair of shoes is sufficient, but you always want a back-up if you happen to need a replacement for any reason. Please don’t skip on the jacket part.

What else ?

You’ve heard that San Francisco is a one-season city and that it’s in California and it must be hot. This belief couldn’t be further from the truth. San Francisco gets very cold at night, as low as low 30s F. It’s one of those cities that never gets snow, but at the same time, you would always want to have a light jacket with you. Get one of those puff jackets from Patagonia or The North Face that can fold in tight places. Last but not least, one toothbrush and toothpaste, and a small towel. Most hotels will have these items, but I prefer using mine, and you probably do, too.

Now let’s move on to the second-tier-of-importance items. For me, these are things like rain jackets, umbrellas, hair dryer, over-ear headphones, computer mouse. None of these are a deal breaker to me as they’re generally available at the destination inexpensively. But if I happen to have space and they don’t clutter, then I’d carry them. Most of the time, though, they stay home.

Little things

The last items are little things like shower gel, shampoo, cotton balls, paper towel (have some napkins in your bag though), and general grooming products. In fact you’d want to avoid any liquids on the plane unless they’re in your check bags. Leave all these items at home, I’d say as they’re found just about everywhere.

I hope my breakdown has given you some good ideas as to what to bring. Your mileage, of course, may vary as each person has unique needs.

Very important

A couple final pieces of advice I have is make sure you bring your medication if you have any, especially if they’re prescription meds. Don’t assume that you’ll find them locally and don’t rely on equivalence or generic meds at the pharmacy. I’ve seen folks having to return home a day after their arrival because they forget their medication at home, the kind of medication that is so specific that they can only get in their home country so please don’t forget this.

I think one check bag and one carry-on combo will make your experience enjoyable and your body and mind will thank you. Of course, as mentioned above, if you must have a check bag, there is no alternative.

Thank you everyone and looking forward to seeing you next time. Please see here for tips and tricks and for coverage of our other San Francisco and areas outside. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out by commenting, following us on Facebook and Instagram, or send over an email.

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