South America Packing List: My 101 Checklist

South America Packing List

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this backpacking checklist. Before we do though, I’d like to mention one piece of advice below.

My Best Advice: Do Not overpack

Overpacking is one of the most crucial things to know before going backpacking, it is one of the biggest mistakes travelers make.

Seriously, I’m not even going to embarrass myself like that again.

It’s my duty to share these backpacking essentials for South America. Obviously, I don’t carry everything at once but you get the idea.

Please note: This list is not exhaustive and I’ll update it regularly 😎

In case you’re short on time I have made a condensed list of items that I like to carry any one time. So in other words, these are my bare essentials.

Inside my backpack

Things I carry that make my trip more comfortable when on the road.

• For Toiletries – It hangs so it’s really useful.
• To Protect my Eyes – These glasses are very stylish.
• For Power – I’d be lost with out one of these.
• Laptop Protection – Probably the best cover I’ve used so far.
• Anti-Bacterial Towel – Can’t travel without it.
• Charcoal Toothpaste – Who still uses fluoride?

I don’t carry expensive camera equipment traveling but see this camera that I currently travel with if you’re not sure which camera to carry.

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Dan’s 101 Packing Checklist

If you take a look below, you’ll see that I’ve spent some time organzing the different types of travel gear I like to carry with me into different sections.

1. Headphones

I carry a Marley Chant and headphones, so on the bus, I can keep my music low. I use them for audiobooks too.

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Keep reading below to see the books I’ve read and remember to get your free Audible Membership so you can listen to them completely free.

• This Speaker – I can’t travel without loud music.
• These headphones – For when I’m out in public.

I’m a big fan of music and listen to music constantly whilst on the go. I often have to carry two pairs of headphones so I have a backup pair.

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2. Keeping me Charged

My packing list for South America keeps me charged at all times, even if not connected to the internet.

• For Power – I’d be lost with out one of these.

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3. Backing Me Up

I’ve made this mistake in the past. Not carrying adequate memory.

• For my Camera – I have at least three of these.
• For Backing me up – Military tested for hardness.

Having a few SD cards with you also serve as an extra backpack up for your photos and takes up minimal space.

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4. Keeping everything Organized

The ultimate way to travel light whilst and utilise space. Also whilst backpacking around South America you can pick up more souvenirs.

• Cubes – The best on the market.
• Space Savers – Perfect for squeezing more in.

Staying organized is somewhat of an art form, adding space savers or packing cubes to your backpack can really change the way you travel.

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5. Securing everything

Keep all this travel gear locked up and deterring theft is a must.

• For Securing – My backpack gets locked securely with this.

See the page below for those concerned with carrying their belongings safely and who need a specific backpack to help conceal valuables.

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6. My Favorite Backpack(s)

I have a vast collection of backpacks in my arsenal so it would be difficult for me to suggest a single best backpack for South America.

• Dan’s Favourite Backpack 2019 – The most durable yet.
• For the day (2018) – I used this as a daypack.
• Osprey Backpacks – See backpacks by Osprey.
• Patagonia Backpacks – Ethical made backpacks by Patagonia.

My best backpacks get used time and time again after years of travel.

I’m a big lover of canvas backpacks and tend to use them in-between longer trips because there durable and look cool.

Now I know (or have a better idea at least) how to travel lighter and leaner than I ever have before! It’s taken year of solo travel practice to achieve.

I invite you to learn from all my mistakes.

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7. Learning Spanish

Here are some tools for learning Spanish while on the road.

• Fluent in 3 Months – Tips and Tricks to become fluent.
• My Library – Dan’s vocabulary [built over 5 years].
• Travel Phrase Book – Perfect for lazy learners on the road.

In addition to that, ensure you’ve got a proper travel journal that you can jot new words and phrases in.

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8. Blogging Tools

I use the genesis framework and wrote all about my travel blogging journey if you’re curious about starting your own travel blog.

• Genesis – My blog’s theme.

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9. My Workstation Essentials

For working online, here’s a list hardware I carry. I’ve recently traveled without some of these items and added new items to the list.

• My Favourite Camera
• Macbook Pro 15
• Ergonomic Stand
• Sony DJ Headphones
• Moleskine Journal
• Jackery Charger
• UniPin Set
• Gorilla Pod

I fit all these into one daypack. Usually either a Herschel or Tortuga that can hold some good weight. I love testing out backpacks 🙂

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10. My Tool Belt

This is like my digital pencil case. I carry pens and paper but without digital tools, I’d have a difficult time publishing content online.

• WorkFlowy – For creating next action list.
• Genesis – My blog’s theme.
• WordPress – I use to run my blog.
• Gmail – Use for all my email activity.
• Hootsuite – Handling social media posts.
• Slack – For teamwork.
• Sublime Text 2 – Writing all my code.
• Keynote – Building presentations.
• Trello – Creating visual boards.

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11. Travel Tools

Expert or not, when it comes to travel, whether you decide to go backpacking or not, knowing the best app’s to find flights is crucial.

• Skyscanner – My go-to app for finding flights.

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12. Where I Stay

As always and as part of any backpacking travel checklist I recommend you consider where you’ll stay before arriving in a new place.

• Luxury Hotels – I use this site mostly.
• Hostel World – For when I want to be more social.
• Couchsurfing – Not got around to using this yet.

Here are just some ideas to get you to start and to make sure you get the best deals, AirBnb has been one of my favorites lately.

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13. Money

No South America travel checklist would be complete without mentioning money. I use a delightful app to help me with conversions.

• Currency App – The most elegant currency app.

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14. Apps I use on the Road

• Google Maps – By far my most valuable travel app.
• Pocket – For bookmarks synced across devices.
• Google Translate – For when I need speedy translations.

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15. Most important books for solo travel

Although I do have hardcopy versions of most of these books. I prefer to read these books on my iPad as a way to save space whilst traveling.

• The Art of Living Dangerously
• The Hero With A Thousand Faces.
• The Education of Millionaires
• The 4 hour Work Week
• The Shortness of Life
• Manage Your Day-To-Day
• King, Warrior, Magician, Lover

Don’t like reading? Did you know you can get your Audible Membership to trial books for free! They’re great for those long bus or plane journeys.

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16. Personal Pleasantries

I aspire to live minimally with minimal possessions. I don’t 100% rely on things too much but here are items I’ve not learned to live without.

• Aeropress Kit
• Green & Blacks
• Coconut Oil
• Black Soap

I never thought packing for South America would include personal luxuries, but the more time I spend there the more I miss them.

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17. Hostel Packing List

Believe it or not, staying in hostels can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your entire adventure.

• The Ultimate Sleep Mask
• The Best Ear plugs on earth
• 5-Way Headphone Splitter
• 3 Dial Tsa Lock & Cable

Hostels can also be one of the worst experiences of your life. With just these six items you can ensure you’ll have a better experience.

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South America Packing List

Hopefully, with my packing list and my personal insight into how I travel, you’re inspired to travel lighter, longer, and stronger than ever before.

As mentioned earlier, I’m constantly updating this packing list.

If you think there is anything I’ve missed on this backpacking South America packing list that I should travel with feel free to let me know.