What are the least useful things to pack for a RTW trip? Last week, I published a post about the most useful things I packed for my long trip around the world. This time, I’m listing the things at the other end of the spectrum.
For the completely list of all the things I packed, see: What Did I Pack for a Round the World Trip? – The Complete List of 106 Items
This hobby didn’t last long.
5. Juggling Balls
“I’ll take these three big juggling balls with me, because I’ll have plenty of time to practice on the road!” I told myself before departure. Well, I had time, but I didn’t have the motivation. After four months of carrying the juggling balls around, I finally started to improve my juggling in Nagarkot, Nepal.
The result? My hobby lasted for only two days. By the third day, a rat that shared my cabin had bitten so many holes in the seed filled balls that I threw them in the trash.
Not all those who wander are lost. But those who wander with an unreliable compass are quite likely to get lost.
4. An Unreliable Compass
In my previous post about the most useful things I packed for my round the world trip, I mentioned a compass that I got as a gift – and lost on the first day of my journey. What I didn’t mention was that I had another compass that I had bought for myself.
The second compass was a micro size model that only had one minor problem: it wasn’t reliable. There was a little air bubble inside the liquid, that would push the pointers to the wrong directions. Thus, you could never know for sure if the compass was accurate or not.
In Memoriam 2016-2016.
3. Harmonica
Okay, I have to make a confession now: I got a harmonica as a farewell gift, and I’ve thrown it away. As many of my Finnish friends have noted my similarities with the Finnish Moomin character Snufkin, a close friend of mine gave me a Moomin harmonica, so I could learn to play it during my adventures.
The idea was nice, the harmonica… not so much. The cheap toy model was almost completely unplayable. As the instrument could barely produce any sounds at all, learning to play was out of questions. I sadly parted ways with the harmonica on one of my many late night throwing-stuff-away frenzies.
The least useful things to pack for a RTW trip? An extra hat ranks high on that list.
2. Extra Hats
Having a hat is useful. Having three or four hats with you just makes no sense. I haven’t used my knit cap yet as I haven’t been to cool weathers, but I might used it later, so that’s alright. But for some reasons, I also have a tweed flat cap that I consider:
1) Too expensive and nice to throw away
2) Absolutely useless in any temperatures over 18°C (65°F).
If you want to buy an unused hammock in Southeast Asia, send me a message!
1. Ultralight Hammock
Most travel guides remind you to pack as little as possible. At the same time, they might inspire you to buy things that you don’t actually need. This happened to me when I read the “International Adventurer’s Guide” by the Finnish Madventures duo (book only in Finnish). As the author’s recommended to definitely pack a hammock with you, I bought one.
Now I’ve traveled for over half a year with an ultralight hammock, and I’ve never used it. Many guesthouses offer their own hammocks, so there’s no need to pack your own. Still, I’ve found some use for my useless hammock, as I use the pouch to store some of my extra cash.
Out of all the least useful things to pack for a RTW trip, a hammock definitely holds the top spot on my list.
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