Packing Lite -For 3 Months

In preparation for our trip to Ukraine, we started looking for the most effient ways to pack and travel.  Our volunteer trip would be from December 2023 to March 2024, and we would be traveling primarily by plane to Poland and train within Ukraine. 

We had made of point of speaking to as many people familiar with this trip as possible so we would understand what the trip would be like and some of you may know, the primary way to travel in Ukraine is by train.  The Ukrainian rail system was started in the late 1800’s and of course it has seen growth and improvements. What the rail system is lacking in terms of modernization in most stations are escalators, ramps and elevators – especially to, from and on the train platforms.  While we did find an elevator at the Kyiv train station, it wasn’t near our train. We also knew our Poland-Ukraine connection was all stairs, with no assist such as an escalator.

As a side note, the trains in Ukraine are the lifeline during the war. They have moved millions of internal refugees, volunteers, medical aid, patients, wounded, soldiers, equipment and food to frontline villages. The train workers are tireless and amazing people who have worked in the most dangerous areas and times to help people move around the country.

Ukrainian Railway (Ukrzaliznytsia) car attacked by Russians, on display in Kyiv

Knowing we would be climbing stairs; we wanted to use backpacks and skip the rolling luggage.  This turned out to be a great decision and we did not regret it once. We settled on backpacks with a light frame for the bulk of our gear and small front packs that would transition into our daily packs once we were in country.

We used clothing bags to vacuum seal our clothes and I used travel pouches for cosmetics, which I still use today for traveling.  I have a link to our travel must-haves on our “Links and Resources” page.  The temperatures for our trip ranged from 10C to -18C. We brought the following clothes and hoped for the best:

John                                                                              Traci

5 T shirts                                                                1 long sleeve top

1 cashmere sweater                                      2 cashmere sweaters

1 polo shirt for teaching                              1 scarf

1 base layers                                                         2 base layer tops

2 sets of cuddle dud base layers        2 sets of cuddle dud base layers

3 pairs of pants                                                  3 pairs of jeans

1 pair heavy work pants                             1 fleece pullover

1 fleece zip up                                                     1 fleece zip up

1 puffy coat                                                            1 puffy coat

1 raincoat and pants                                     1 raincoat and pants

Gloves/hat                                                             gloves/hat

Heavy boots                                                         heavy boots

Other essentials unique to our trip but not a bad idea to bring anytime you travel, we also brought:

2- personal trauma kits

2-small led flashlights

2-multi-country plug adapters

4- usb hand warmers (lifesaver!)

2-portable battery charger for phones/watches/flashlights (solar charged was the best)

2-packs bathroom wipes

Hand sanitizer

Multiple packs mini-Kleenex (every pocket/pouch)

Medicine and antibiotics

Go Pro/batteries

iPad/adapters/cables

Covid tests/masks

After our trip, we felt our backpacks weren’t exactly the style we needed and exchanged them for a different type.  The first pack opened on the top and had limited access to the bottom of the pack.  Also, air gap between the pack and frame used a lot of space. Although this made it comfortable, it wasn’t necessary for the amount of time we had the packs on vs. a backpacking trip.  We traded the framed packs for these packs:

These packs are 55L with the front pack attached to the back pack or you can have more space in each pack and wear it separately. These also open up more like a suitcase, easier to access your items and you can utilize the entire pack.

We believe we packed well for the weather, for the type of travel and work we did. We purchased very little in Ukraine outside of gifts, toiletries and food. By the way, the food was amazing!

Lessons learned?  I haven’t met anyone who flew the Frankfurt -to- Krakow route and their luggage made the flight with them.  Just a note to remember, allow time in Krakow for your luggage to catch up.  Also, if you have a layover in Frankfurt, it is a big and beautiful airport that shuts down at 8pm.  That is means no stores, snacks or food of any kind. If you are flying international, the international hotel inside the airport can not be accessed after 8pm and you have to leave the airport if you want a hotel.  They do have sleep pods inside the terminals for $75 that work in a pinch and are better than sleeping on the airport chairs.

Questions? Drop us a note at travelisticways@gmail.com

#Backpacktravel #volunteerukraine #ukraine #packinglite #traintravel #wintertravel