Ten Things We Never Travel Without!
Sometimes what we pack depends on the destination, weather, and activities we have planned. But no matter where we go there are a few essentials that always make the cut. These are items we have found ourselves using again and again. They are particularly good quality, and we just wouldn’t be able to travel without most of them! Usually they pack down small, and serve more than one purpose!
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This one is kind of non optional if you are leaving North America. As you travel around you will find different electric outlets in different countries. You don’t want to arrive in Europe and find that you can’t charge your phone overnight! One simple necessity you should always keep handy is a universal adapter! These handy little guys work for outlets in most countries around the world, and have multiple ports for USB, and USBC chargers as well as regular plugs. We recommend at least one adapter per person, plus an extra for the bathroom! I am going to assume that I don’t need to tell you to bring your tooth brush!
We spend a lot of time on airplanes, busses and trains. Especially on long travel days my headphones are life savers! Shane and I have been using these headphones for a few years, and we like them so much we got them for our whole family last Christmas! When you first get them, you have to download the app, and then you can set up noise canceling mode. The battery lasts forever, I can’t remember the last time I had to charge them. The case fits easily in my purse so I always have them on me, and they are comfortable enough to wear all day! These are a must have for me!
Even if all of my luggage was lost or stollen, I could survive with just my cross body bag! A fanny pack, or bum bag is a tourist staple for good reason and I fully subscribe to this practice! I don’t love the look of generic fanny packs, so I found a leather cross body bag that could be worn as a purse, or converted into a hip pouch! The “cross body” aspect of the bag helps to keep me safe from theft. The adjustable strap allows me to drop it onto my hips when we are hiking. It is big enough to fit my passport, phone, credit cards, cash, headphones, and chapstick! I can get anywhere in the world with just this bag!
Some times unexpected things happen while you travel. On our road trip through France we got locked out of our car and had to stay overnight in an unexpected city! It was inconvenient, but even though all I had was this little bag, it was enough! We could pay for a hotel for the night. We could have gotten on a flight if we had to! It is a feeling of security to have all of your esentials always safe at hand!
I have a lot of neck problems, including arthritis and hypermobility. If I don’t sleep with an orthopedic pillow I usually wake up with a migrane. You can imagine that would put a damper on our trips. As we move from place to place the beds are always changing, and so are the pillows. It used to be a big problem for me, but when I started traveling with my pillow life got so much better! Now I sleep well regardless of the accommodation.
My pillow is large, and it would take up a lot of space in my suitcase. For that reason I started rolling it up into a compression bag. The soft foam of the orthopedic pillow can squish down super small, and still spring right back into shape when we arive at the next hotel! It even fits in my back pack for shorter trips and weekends! A good night’s sleep makes all the difference when you travel, and I highly recommend this hack!
The Turkish towels go with us everywhere. It is the most flexible item in my bag, and we take it with us literally every day as we explore! In the summer it is a picnic blanket, towel, and swim suit cover up! On hot days I dip it in the water and throw it over my shoulders to keep me cool and keep the sun off! When it gets cold unexpectedly I wrap it around myself as a blanket, and in the winter it is a perfect scarf! I have even tied the ends together and taken it to the grocery as a shopping bag!
The lovely thing about turkish towels is that they fold down so small, so they are easy to pack! They also dry out very quickly, so they function as a towel super well! This simple piece of kit has come in handy on a daily basis and I can’t recommend it highly enough!
We walk a lot! Walking is one of the most fun and rewarding ways to explore a new country, but it can take a toll on your feet! I have bad knees so good shoes mean a lot to me! I particularly love these barefoot walking shoes by Whitin! Barefoot shoes are “Zero drop” meaning your feet are flat on the ground, as nature intended. They also allow plenty of space for your toes to spread out and support you. My knees feel so much more stable walking with these shoes because they let my feet do what they were made to do and support me!
If you have never worn barefoot shoes before, whitin shoes are a good place to start! They are affordably priced, and have a good amount of protection, so your feet won’t be too exposed. They are cute too! I never feel like I’m wearing clown shoes with these! You should spend some time breaking them in before your trip. Walking in barefoot shoes strengthens the muscles in your feet, and you will probably feel the workout the first few times you wear them!
I know this may come as a shock, but drinking water is important! We do a lot of hiking, in addition to our usual walks, and staying hydrated is so important! Our reusable water bottles also help us save money in parts of the world where drinking water is expensive!
Most countries in Europe do not give you free refills on your drinks with dinner. Sometimes the drinking water you get with dinner can be very expensive too! In Belgium we usually paid 7 or 8 Euro for a liter of water with dinner. If you have been walking all day you really need to keep some extra water on you to stay hydrated! We like these bottles by Stanley because they are easy to carry and easy to clean!
Before leaving on our big trip we invested in a new laptop/tablet. The Samsung tablet flexes between a laptop and tablet, and we decided to go for the high storage option with 500GB of storage. It is slim and light weight so it travels well. The optional keyboard is a must have for writing this blog! We also use it for watching movies in the evenings depending on the TV situation at our hotel. I regularly back up all our photos and videos here as well.
One thing that took some getting used to is the file transfer system. I was used to dropping photos via USB ports with cables, but this tablet has only one USBC port. We have a converted just in case, but it is easier to share everything via quick share. It is much faster and doesnt involve any cables. We also have cloud storage as back up instead of a hard drive. This keeps things simple and uncluttered so we don’t have to drag as much gear around with us!
I am a photographer, and I have my drone pilot’s license, but I almost never use fancy equipment for our photos. When we first started this trip I packed a whole bag of camera gear including our drone, Sony Mirrorless, Go Pro, and all the equipment to go along with them. After a few weeks though I realized how impractical it all is. When you are traveling you want to be in the moment, enjoying the experience, not trapped behind a camera holding up the group. Hauling all that gear around is a pain, and no matter how hard you try, you won’t always have it on you.
There is good news though. The camera in your phone is better than you think it is, and they are only improving with time. If you take a little time to learn the basics of exposure and composition you can take great photos and videos just on your phone! There is still one piece of gear we always keep with us though, a water proof phone case! Make sure you get a good quality one, and test it with a paper towel in the sink before you trust it with your phone! We have used this case in cenotes in Mexico, and Canyoning in France. I even used it to keep my phone secured while I video on the bike! For such a small piece of gear it can do a lot for your adventure photos!
10) Snacks!
This one depends a great deal on you and what you like, but snacks are always a good idea! For some reason I used to have this idea that you could not bring any food with you on the airplane, but its not true. Some countries will have regulations on meat, and fresh produce. You can still bring a few snacks with you though! We like to have cookies, and some chocolate as a minimum! Travel can be unexpected, and delays are extra frustrating when you are hangry, so plan ahead and pack a snack! This is a marriage hack as much as a travel hack!
We have also become big fans of picnics during our travels. There is usually some kind of local farmers market wherever we are visiting. We like to pick up some fresh meats and cheeses, maybe with a bit of fruit and go for a little hike! There is nothing like eating local charcuteries under a mountain waterfall! Try it, and thank me later!
Now that you are all packed, let us help you pick your next destination. Check out our TOP PICKS for THE BEST DESTINATIONS we have every visited!