What to pack for South America

what we wore

I thought a review of the things we took to South America might be a good idea.
I did a fair bit of research before we went and used our past experiences as well.
It's always tricky to pack for a long trip but I think we did OK.
Everyone's experience is a bit different, but this is what worked (mostly) for us.

We were away for 3 months, mostly autumn. From the end of February to the end of May.

We travelled from north to south and then north again. From hot to cold to warm.

We stayed in cities, we camped and we walked a lot. We did the usual sightseeing.

We didn’t stay in smart hotels or resorts or eat in swanky restaurants or go to nightclubs or the opera!

We travelled by plane and bus (the best buses when we could)

We wanted to be comfortable but not look too much like tourists (that is hard!)

My main criteria were to travel as lightly as possible although we still seemed to be dragging too much stuff around.

Bearing in mind that we tried not to fill our bags too full as it becomes a real pain to pack up everytime and we wanted to allow space for gifts and souvenirs.
Actually not having much space was a good incentive not to buy lots of stuff.

I tries to include a mix of nicer travel clothes and old stuff or designated bushwalking gear.  
As I said we didn't anticipate going to any posh places where we would need formal gear.                         

Most importantly – Being comfortable was a major consideration.

Shoes – four pairs does seemed a bit excessive and we could possibly do without sneakers or sandals.

Thongs (flipflops) take up no space and are useful for popping off to the bathroom where there are shared facilities. Also I was glad of extra black Keens shoes that I took.

PACKING FOR HER

Rain jacket

Rain pants

Warm jacket – fleece

Down jacket

1 jeans

2 long pants – 1 bushwalking, 1 other

1 shorts

1 threequarter pants

Nice pants and top

Short sleeved dress

6 tops – mix of short and long sleeve, 1 for bushwalking

Thermal top – merino/polypropylene

Thermal bottoms – merino/polypropylene

PJs or nightie

Trackies

8+ undies

6 socks

4 bras

Walking boots

Walking sandals

Other shoes

Thongs/crocs

Swimming cossie

Sunhat

Beanie

Buff

Gloves

Scarf/shawl

I actually cheated and took two sets of thermals which I wore on the 5 day trek we did in Patagonia. Other times I wore the long sleeved tops under my short sleeved tops for warmth.

PACKING FOR HIM

Rain jacket

Rain pants

Warm jacket – fleece

Down jacket

1 jeans

2 long pants – 1 for bushwalking, 1 nice pair

2 shorts – 1 bushwalking, 1 nice

2 long sleeve shirts

4 tshirts/short sleeved shirts

1 nice shirt

Thermal top – merino or polypropylene

Thermal long johns – merino or polypropylene

PJs

Trackies

8 + undies

2 singlets

6 socks

Belt?

Walking boots

Sandals

Thongs

Sneakers

Swimming cossie

Sunhat

Beanie

Gloves

I don't think G wore his down jacket more than once but it is kind of an insurance policy. I also don't think he wore his trackies.

what the locals wore

OTHER STUFF

Rucksack/travel pack

Day pack

Handbag

Money belt

Sleeping bag

Sleeping mat

Inner sheet

Travel pillow

Microfiber towel

Travel clothes line

Laundry soap*

Scrubba washbag 

Water purification tabs or steripen

Drink bottle 1 litre

Padlocks

Plastic ziplock bags various sizes

Pen knife

Sharp knife

Sporks

Plastic chopping board

Sunnies

Walking sticks

Camera and memory cards

Spare camera battery

Phone

Ipod  and earplugs

Kindle

Chargers

Adapter

Power bank

Notebook and pens, pencils

Pack of cards

Zilch a dice game

Spare glasses

Earplugs and eye mask

Headtorch

Because we were doing a trek, by ourselves we took our own sleeping bags and mats although we could have hired them from the town we started from, but I am fussy!
We used the steripen a lot to purify tap water in iffy places, mainly Bolivia and Peru. Bottled water was always available everywhere but it saves on plastic bottles to make your own water.
We also bought plastic mugs and plastic plates over there and they were used on the trek but also came in useful for lunches.
We used all our ziplock bags quite quickly even though we washed and reused them.

MEDICAL

Diamox

Malaria pills

Medication and script/letter from doctor

Panadol

Nurofen

Antihistamines

Immodium

Gastrolyte

Antacid chews

Betadine

Tea tree oil/ointment

Aloe vera gel

Insect bite treatment

Bandaids

Tape

Bandages

Non-stick dressings

Tweezers

Travel sickness pills

Sleeping pills

Antibiotics

There were lots of things we didn't use eg Diamox for altitude sickness.
Most medicines are freely available over the counter from pharmacies - you can get antibiotics and I managed to replace my thyroid meds which got left behind along the way. However we always take a basic medicine kit.

PERSONAL STUFF

Wet wipes*

Handsanitiser*

Tissues*

Soap*

Shampoo and conditioner*

Shaver

Lip balm

Deodorant

Nail scissors/clipper and nail file

Nail brush

Moisturiser/face cream

Cotton buds

Comb/hairbrush

Insect repellent

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Floss/floss sticks

Toilet paper*

We took lots of insect repellent because of the Zika virus as we thought there might be a shortage of it. There wasn't. There was a shortage of insects.

MISCELLENY

Snacks (energy bars)

Nuts

Tins tuna

Lollies to suck on the plane

*Could buy these items there

 

OTHER THINGS
Pop a pair of undies in your carry on bag in case your luggage goes astray.

Also toothbrush and small travel toothpaste.

Getting laundry done is be pretty cheap and especially in the tourist areas quite quick.

Take a photo of your luggage. In case it gets lost.(something we should have done but didn't)

Write your name inside and out of all your bags.