Hostel and backpacking list
Written for dorms rather than hotels, which changes three things: you carry your own towel, you need a lock, and everything noisy has to be packable in the dark.
34 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Backpack, 40–50 litresWith a hip belt. Shoulders are not meant to carry this.
- Padlock for the hostel lockerA small combination one — keys get lost.
- Quick-dry travel towelThe one thing hostels almost never lend.
- Dorm survival
- Earplugs×3
- Eye mask
- Flip-flops for the shower
- Head torchFor packing at 5am without turning the room light on.
- Extension lead or a multi-USB plug
- Clothes
- T-shirts×4
- One pair of long trousers
- Shorts×2
- Underwear and socks×5
- Warm layer — fleece or hoodie
- Rain jacket
- Something with sleeves for religious sites
- Washing
- Travel wash or a bar of soap
- Universal sink plugHalf the sinks in the world have no plug.
- Travel clothes line
- Documents and money
- Passport, plus a photo of it in your email
- Travel insurance with the policy number
- Two cards, kept in two different places
- Emergency cash tucked somewhere separate
- Health
- Basic first aid — plasters, antiseptic, painkillers
- Rehydration sachets
- Any vaccination certificates needed
- Insect repellent
- Reusable water bottle, ideally filtering
- Dry bag for wet clothes and electronics
- Small day bag that folds into nothing
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What do hostels not provide?
- A towel, soap, a padlock, and often no plug by the bed. Those four are the difference between a good dorm and a bad one, and all four are on this list.
- How big should the bag be?
- Forty to fifty litres is enough for months. Anything larger simply gets filled, and then carried up four flights of stairs at midnight.