My Packing List For A Year Down Under

Tonight’s the night I travel to Australia to begin my working holiday visa. I flew to San Francisco yesterday to crash with a friend from graduate school, giving me some time to explore and energize before the 15-hour flight. It’s probably a good thing I only stayed for a day, because SF is one of those places that can be hard to leave!

The past two weeks since my visa was approved have been a scramble to finish taxes, say goodbye to friends/family, and of course – pack. As it turns out, packing for a working holiday in Australia is really challenging. While I can normally pack for an international trip in less than an hour, I have spent time each day packing, tweaking, repacking, and tweaking again.

I don’t know how long I will be staying anywhere or what kind of work I will find – so I have to be prepared for a variety of scenarios. Since my visa is geared towards temporary jobs and backpacking I’ve had to find a balance between packing enough stuff but not so much that I am overwhelmed moving from place to place.

I never got my suitcase to a weight I found desirable, but then again there’s no way to make a years worth of essentials feel lightweight. It’ll be nice to be prepared for chilly weather in Melbourne, or super hot weather in Cairns. I’ve packed dress clothes that can also function casually, and I still managed to find room for a plethora of skin care products (very important, btw). I’ve also packed multiple electronic devices – choosing between my iPad Pro and my MacBook Air was impossible. Below you can find my exact packing list. (Note: the suitcase holds everything except for the viola case, the iPad Pro/iPad Pro shoulder bag, and the clothes pictured above on top of the suitcase).

Documents

-Passport

-Wallet

Clothes

-7 pairs of short socks

-8 pairs of underwear 

-7 t-shirts/tank tops 

-3 flannel shirts

-2 nicer button-up shirts

-1 solid long sleeve shirt 

-2 pairs of jean shorts (grey and tan)

-1 athletic short

-1 athletic pant

-2 pairs of jeans (black, and tan) 

-1 collared sweater (black)

-1 zippered track jacket 

-1 tan belt 

-1 pair of Nike tennis shoes

-1 pair of nice, supported sandals 

-1 Light Scarf 

Electronics 

-iPhone 11 Max Pro

-iPhone 7 (unlocked, for use with foreign SIM card)

-iPad Pro 12.9 inch 

-MacBook Air 

-Fuji-film X100V Digital Camera/Case

-AirPods 

-Beats Headphones (small)

Chargers/Batteries/Converters  

-Two Camera Batteries and Charging Dock

-1 iPhone charger

-1 AirPods charger 

-1 iPad/MacBook charger 

-1 Beats Headphones Charger 

-External iPhone charging pack (for on the road)

-1 USA to Australia Power Converter  

Personal Items/Jewelry  

-Journal/Pens 

-1 photo in a 4×6 thin magnet frame 

-6 Necklaces 

-Small Ceramic Box/Six Rings

-Viola Case/Two Bows

Toiletries/Skin Care/Towels  

-1 Bath Towel/1 Face Towel 

-1 Eye Cream Tube 

-1 Face Serum Tube 

-1 Glass Moisturizer Container 

-3 Small Hotel Body Lotions

-1 Mineral Sunscreen

-1 LUSH Shampoo Bar 

-1 Small Bar of Body Soap 

-1 Cleansing Facial Bar 

-Small Bag of Calcium Bentonite Clay 

-Small Bag of Henna Hair-Dye

-Two Small Tubes of Toothpaste 

-1 Electric Toothbrush & Charging Dock 

-1 Extra Toothbrush Head 

-4 Tubes of Chapstick 

-1 Fingernail Clipper 

-1 Toenail Clipper 

-1 Electric Razor

-1 Harry’s Replaceable Head Razor

-12 Extra Harry’s Razor Heads

Extras 

-1 Nike Drawstring Bag (holds Macbook inside suitcase)

-1 Lightweight Shoulder Bag for iPad Pro 

-1 Long/Thin Umbrella 

-1 Small Combination Lock