Trip Report/ Update on my trip to Chengdu
Update on this post:
I got back from my trip to Chengdu last week and I had an absolutely amazing time!
Here’s my “packing review”. All in all, I’d say that I packed pretty well! I’ll list some highlights from things I brought depending on how useful they were/ additional thoughts
Let’s start with the thing(s) I was missing:
-A belt/ better fitting shorts
I tried on the one pair of shorts I brought while it was straight out of the wash and I didn’t realise that they were very large on me until we landed in China. I was able to sort of fold over the top, but just having them fit would have been better
-iberogast
I probably would have been fine without this but I did end up taking some my friend had brought on a few days that my stomach felt queasy so I thought I should include it in the list
Stuff I brought that wasn’t on the original list
-chia seeds (fibre to help digestion)
-duct tape
We ended up actually needing it (but I lost it somehow)
-rain jacket (mentioned in first post)
Bought it for this trip and it came in quite handy on the one day it was 20-ish degrees and drizzling
-Aux cable for headphones
Used it on the first flight to watch 30min of weck it Ralph part 2, could have lived without this but eh.
-Small earbuds / headphones
Slept in these at the hotel, probably could have gone without the additional big over-ears but I liked having the option of noise cancellation. Next time I’ll only take these.
-50€ cash
Just in case , didn’t need it
-pack of tictacs
Better case than my mints
-sweatpants
A lot of people suggested I wear linen pants on the plane but I would have frozen my ass off on my way to the airport and on the first flight. The second flight was surprisingly warm so I stayed in my shorts and changed in a bathroom when we got back to Germany. Totally worth it
-sweater
Word on flight and in the hotel at night because my roommates wouldn’t compromise on not blasting the AC like crazy
The other stuff I brought (highlights):
-neck pillow
Someone in the comments under my last that I could skip this but let me be clear: BRING A GOOD NECK PILLOW if you plan on sleeping on the plane. I used a borrowed (sort of shitty) inflatable one of the first flight and had an awful time (though I was glad to have it at all) due to intense fatigue and desperation I got an ergonomic pillow at the airport on my way home and it was the best 30€ I’ve spent in long time
I know it’s not “minimalist”, lightweight and bulky but so incredibly worth it. I don’t think I’ll use it anytime soon but I’ll keep it for next time I need to take an overnight journey. If you’re in the market for a neck pillow really consider investing in an ergonomic one. I tried the basic one my friends had brought and they were as bad as my shitty inflatable one.
-sleep mask
Essential on the plane + the blinds in the hotel didn’t fully close so I used it for the entire week
-tooth brush
I could have left this at home bc we were provided with some at the hotel but I liked having my own and being able to brush my teeth on the plane
-the amount of clothes I had was perfect
-used an entire tube of pain-gel (shared with my friend) and took two ibuprofen a day. Next time I’ll take it easy the first few days and maybe avoid this lol)
-my waterproof hiking shoes are ugly as shit but perfect for all occasions, we even went to one slightly upscale restaurant , but I don’t think anyone noticed or cared
-tissues
There’s no toilet paper in a solid 60% of bathrooms, so I was glad to have my pack and ended up buying new ones
My slightly excessive edc:
I brought my normal every day edc with a few swaps and used almost all of it
-loved tictacs
-used the salt just straight up on my tongue when I felt like I needed some electrolytes
-THE PAPER WAS AN ABSOLUTE WINNER!! BRING PAPER!!! completely unforeseen but there were MULTIPLE spots where I could get cute stamps (better than any souvenir)
-got a blister despite my hiking shoes being absolutely amazing, but I could have brought less
-lip balm with spf50 was my best friend
-used the scissors multiple times
Stuff I could have left at home/didn’t use
-earplugs
I brought an entire pack of wax earplugs that I only used one pair of in chongquing bc I was getting overwhelmed by the noise. Didn’t need to bring an entire pack, since I mostly slept in headphones anyways. Might invest in re-usable ones next time and just bring one pair in my edc
-umbrella
We had good luck with the weather and I didn’t bring the umbrella on the one day that it actually rained. not sure if this was a “should have left it at home” item bc Chengdu is usually super rainy during this time of year
the stuff I didn’t bring that was on the list/stuff I didn’t bring and didn’t miss
-my wallet
Used one of those large paper-clip thingies instead
-daybag
I agonised over this so much but I just used my slingbag on a day to day basis and carried a few additional things like a water bottle / shoppingbags in my hands. This was way less annoying than I thought
-Plug adapter
The hotel had usb-A and European outlets (one of my friend had the issue of only having brought usb-c to usb-c cables and had to borrow my charger)
-portable charger
thanks to a helpful commenter on my last post i knew to leave my portable charger at home. I bought one when I got to China and would recommend doing the same, since you’re sort of lost without your phone
-jeans
Took the advice of everyone In the comments on my last post.
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Additional notes
-Despite some people warning me of this i didn’t get any stomach issues
-this probably disqualifies me from being a “one bagger” but i bought a small suitcase and packed it with souvenirs (a few gacha, a really nice mug otherwise mostly candy and tea), will bring it empty on any future trans-continental trips. Honestly curious how other “one-baggers” deal with souvenirs? When I travel in europe I don’t really get things/ If anything I get consumables but I knew I wanted to get a lot of tea in china. I probably could have gotten less stuff in general and fit it in my bag but that would have been annoying/felt limiting. Genuinely interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts!!
-Feel free to ask me any questions about my trip!