What should you pack for backpacking overseas?
Short answer: 24 items, from cash in small notes for markets and tips through to zip-lock bags for organising and waterproofing. The complete Backpacking Overseas checklist is written out below — and the exact same 24 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Backpacking Overseas checklist — all 24 items
- Cash in small notes for markets and tips
- Cellphone and charger
- Duct tape (patches packs, shoes, tents)
- Earplugs (dorm rooms are loud)
- First aid kit with basics
- Flip-flops for hostel showers
- Head torch
- Laundry bag for dirty clothes
- Medication in carry-on
- Money belt or hidden pouch
- Multi-tool (checked luggage only)
- Padlocks for hostel lockers
- Passport
- Phone charger wall plug and adaptor
- Photocopy of passport stored separately from the bag
- Portable door lock for dodgy hostel rooms
- Power bank, charged the night before
- Quick-dry towel
- Sewing kit (small tears happen constantly)
- Sleep mask
- Spare glasses or contacts
- Spare passport photos (for visas on arrival)
- Travel insurance details saved offline
- Zip-lock bags for organising and waterproofing
A backpack has maybe forty litres, and every gram of it walks with you through airports, hostel stairwells and bus stations for months. Overpack and your shoulders pay daily; underpack and you're hunting for a laundromat in a language you don't speak. The gap between the two is a proper list, not vibes.
This checklist is the long-haul backpacker's kit: passport with photocopies stored separately and spare photos for visas on arrival, the money belt and padlocks for hostel lockers, first aid and carry-on medication, and the electronics that actually earn their weight — power bank, adaptor, head torch. Sort it a week out, tick as you pack, and board with everything that matters and nothing that doesn't.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "passport copies" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you pack for backpacking overseas?
You need 24 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from cash in small notes for markets and tips through to zip-lock bags for organising and waterproofing — and the same 24 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=backpacking%20overseas opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Backpacking Overseas list (24 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.