What to Pack for a Slow Trip: The Essential List

The rule of slow travel is: the less you carry, the better you travel. A light backpack makes you independent. You can change trains, hop on a bus, walk up a steep borgo without suffering. A heavy suitcase chains you to the car and the hotel lift.

The ideal backpack for slow travel is between 30 and 40 litres. No more. If everything doesn't fit, you don't need everything. The challenge is to bring only what you'll actually use every day, not what "might come in handy". That "might" is the enemy of light packing.

Clothing: three t-shirts, two pairs of trousers (one long, one short or convertible), a light shirt for evenings, underwear for three days (wash and rotate), a fleece or sweatshirt, a light waterproof jacket. Neutral colours that mix and match. No separate "outfits" for each day: slow travel is not a catwalk.

Shoes: two pairs at most. One for walking — light hiking shoes or trail runners, already broken in — and one for evenings, which can be simple low-top trainers or sturdy sandals. Shoes are the most important item in your bag: don't cut corners there.

Toiletries: the minimum. Toothpaste, toothbrush, solid soap (which works for hair and laundry too), sun cream, a microfibre towel. Travel-size versions of products are available everywhere; there's no need to bring a full bottle of anything.

Technology: phone, charger, a universal adapter if you're traveling abroad. That's it. If you're considering a laptop, ask yourself honestly: do you really need it? A tablet or e-reader is lighter and covers most needs.

Useful accessories: a water bottle (fill it at fountains), a small multi-tool, a cloth shopping bag for the market, earplugs, a small headlamp (for borghi without street lighting), a notebook and pen.

Things you do NOT need: a hairdryer (almost all accommodation has one), a paper book (an e-reader weighs less and holds a thousand titles), an umbrella (the waterproof jacket is enough), formal clothes (slow travel doesn't involve black-tie dinners), more than two pairs of shoes.

The final test: pack everything into your backpack, put it on and walk for a kilometre. If it's comfortable, you're ready. If it's too heavy, take something out. Every gram saved is a little more freedom.

A journey where everything you own fits in a single backpack changes your perspective. It frees you from the idea that you need things, and lets you focus on the only thing that matters: being fully present in the place where you are.