Essential Travel Items for Every Trip
Are you going for a short holiday or a long-term trip? We've put together a packing list of things we never leave home without regardless of the destination or time of the year.
The longer we travel, the more we realize that there are not that many things we need on the road. In fact, during the years, the number of things we never leave home without significantly reduced. Don’t take us wrong.
We like all the new travel accessories and gadgets, but in the end, we found out that there are only a few things we cannot imagine traveling without.
As budget travelers, we usually carry all the stuff in our backpack, and we had to learn the hard way that less is often better.
If you are embarking on your first trip, we are pretty sure you will overpack.
No matter how many travel guides and tips you are going to read, it is unavoidable. There will always be the one little thing you will try to squeeze in your backpack.
We traveled in South America and Central America for a year, and even though this trip was not our first experience with long-term traveling, later at home, we still unpacked several things we had not used at all.
The things we never leave home without are usually practical, and we are pretty confident that we are going to need them.
There is no space for the words 'we might need it'.
If you are still at home and you are not sure whether you will need that item or not, you will not for 99% need it abroad. And if you forget something, there is often a chance to buy or rent the missing thing, even in a foreign country.
As we would like to help you with planning your journey, we've put together this list of things we never leave home without before a trip.
It does not matter whether your next destination is the windy and cold Patagonia, or you are headed to hot Mexico.
We've handpicked only essentials we think are no-brainers for a successful trip.
Before you set off, it is necessary to know what will be your main way of transport, where are you headed, and what the weather will be like, and according to it you can decide for the right backpack.
For traveling to most of the countries, we prefer having a backpack between 30 - 70 liters.
A smaller backpack is usually enough for the countries in Southeast Asia where almost no clothes and extra equipment is needed, while the larger backpack is compulsory for a journey to colder parts of the world with changeable weather.
Especially if you are traveling for a long period of time.
No matter the purpose, we always make sure that our backpack has a waist strap and quality back support.
That's the large one, but then we also travel with a daypack we can carry either in the cities or on one-day trips in the mountains.
Daypack should also meet your high-standard requirements, but it also should have a compartment for a water bottle and your documents and extra cash.
PHONE
When traveling we like to disconnect, but it is the truth that we never leave home without at least one phone.
As we've already mentioned, the smartphone can be used as a camera, but we usually use it as navigation.
Apps like Maps.me, Google Maps, Google Translate, or Wallet are essential, and we no more can imagine traveling without it.
Even though almost every person carries a phone in a jeans pocket or a backpack, when traveling to a foreign country, pay more attention to your belongings, and make sure it is not that obvious that you have an expensive phone with you.
Our phone was stolen on a busy street in Bogota, Colombia, and after this valuable lesson we always make sure the phone is on a safe spot, and we do not use it when not necessary, especially when surrounded by many people.
CAMERA
Another thing we never leave home without is a camera. We know that many travelers nowadays use a smartphone to take photos, but as quality photography is a part of our business, we do not have much choice.
If your only reason why not to carry a proper camera is its weight, we have good news.
We have switched from a bulky DSLR camera and started using a compact mirrorless camera.
The advantage is, of course, that the camera is not that big, therefore it does not attract unwanted attention, lenses are smaller too, and even though the battery does not last that long, we are happy for this choice so far.
And yes, the picture quality is awesome too.
In case we still did not persuade you to buy a camera for your next trip, you might want to consider an adventure camera.
There were quite many adventures, for example, adrenaline adventures in New Zealand, where we could not take photos with our camera, and where an adventure camera would be useful.
We had GoPro with us in Raja Ampat, and it was perfect for swimming and snorkeling, and we did not have to worry about the camera at all.
SD CARDS
If you are like us and want to travel as light as possible, make sure before your trip that you have enough memory cards.
In the past, we were used to traveling with a laptop, so we could everyday transfer photos from an SD card, and use the same one the next day, therefore it was enough to have two to three spare memory cards.
On our last vacation in Jordan, we left our laptops at home, because we wanted to be this trip like a proper holiday without working online, that's why we needed to have a large number of SD cards with us.
The ancient city of Petra was so photogenic that we had to switch cards several times during the day when they were full.
And always remember that it is great to have extra SD cards in your hotel room, but you should always carry two to three of them in your daypack.
SPARE BATTERIES
By now you might think we are crazy, but before any trip, we really make sure we have everything for taking photos. That includes spare batteries and chargers.
Since we now use the mirrorless camera for traveling, one battery does not last for the whole day, especially if the day is full of sightseeing and top attractions on every step.
You should consider packing spare batteries all the time, but especially when traveling to more remote places where access to electricity is not a norm.
We traveled in the Peruvian jungle for seven days, and there was no chance to charge our electronics for the whole period (the promised solar power bank surprisingly did not work), so we were glad we had enough spare batteries to keep us going for that long.
POWER BANK
A power bank is a lifesaver, and a must-have in your backpack when traveling abroad. Although at home it is normal to charge all your electronics daily, it is much harder to find a free socket, usually when you need it the most.
A travel power bank is small, light, and it will recharge your batteries several times before it needs power.
This item is really great especially when you are going to spend all day on the bus, at the airport, or any place without a conveniently located power socket.
We do not travel with Kindle usually, but we like to read books on a phone when traveling, and a power bank saved us many times on long bus journeys in South America.
COCOON
Travel sheet, sleeping bag liner, or as we call it, cocoon, is our secret tip, and one of the items high on our list of things we always pack with us.
We used silk liner thousands of times, and cannot praise it enough.
As budget travelers, we must say that we slept in sketchy-looking hostels more than we would be willing to admit.
In many places, where we were not absolutely sure about the cleanliness, the cocoon was an item we could not live without.
But you can use it on overnight bus trips when it is too cold, or as a proper sleeping bag liner when camping in the mountains.
Cocoon does not protect you only from cold, it is also very comfortable to sleep in when it is too hot, so you can use it instead of a blanket.
The great advantage of a cocoon is that it is easily foldable and light, so you will for sure squeeze it in your backpack no matter how small it is.
HAND SANITIZER
Nowadays, more than ever is hand sanitizer a thing no one should leave home without.
For us, the hand sanitizer was a must-have item in our backpack even before the situation that hit the world hard in 2020, and you should for sure buy at least one pack before your trip.
When traveling, it is often hard to keep similar hygiene standards like at home.
Running water is often unavailable, especially on buses in less-developed countries, or the eateries, and when there is no way how to wash hands, we always rely on having hand sanitizer in a small bottle.
And if you are wearing contacts, hand sanitizer can help a lot in many situations.
TRAVEL TOWEL
A travel towel is an integral part of our permanent packing list. It is light, it dries quickly, and it is multifunctional.
Yes, the main purpose of travel towel still did not change, but we often use it as a pillow when necessary, or as an extra layer to a sleeping bag when it is too cold.
And yes, we don’t like to pay extra for towels in hostels.
The days when we traveled with terry cloth towels are long gone.
The old fashioned towels are great at home when you want to feel comfy and you have a warm place where it can dry quickly, but they are not practical on the road.
The most valuable lesson we learned on the road is, that only really practical things should have space in our backpacks.
And you can also use them instead of beach towels when lazing on the beach.
PACKING CUBES
If you think that it is impossible to stay organized when traveling with a backpack, you are wrong. Sure, it is harder, but thanks to super-useful gadgets such as packing cubes, your travels will be much easier.
Back in the days, we did not use packing cubes, it was almost impossible to find the clothes when we needed them, and after some time it was also hard to distinguish between clean and dirty clothes.
Packing cubes were a true game-changers that will keep your luggage organized.
The transparent cubes are light, and you will always find what you are looking for as it's never been easier to separate things such as underwear and small travel gadgets.
Packing cubes are cheap, and it is that kind of investment that lasts for a long time.
The secret of packing cubes is to use them wisely, you don’t need to bring all of them and not everything has to be packed in them.
DRY SACK
You've probably already noticed that thanks to the nature of our job, we travel with the electronics a lot. To make sure that our things will stay safe, we use multiple dry sacks .
Regardless of the destination, dry sacks have been an essential part of our packing list.
We even pack it when traveling to completely dry countries, and in that case, we use dry sacks against dust or against the moist.
You do not have to plan on spending your entire holiday on a boat to need a dry sack.
For example, we used it for kayaking in Malaysia, canyoning in Costa Rica or even a jeep tour in Wadi Rum.
But dry sacks are also useful in countries with high humidity.
There are several sizes of sacks, so you can choose the right size for all your valuables. For our documents (passport is the thing you should never leave your home without), we use special water-resistant passport covers.
WATER BOTTLE
There are many countries around the world where it’s perfectly fine to drink tap water.
You don’t need to buy water bottles in the store every day, just bring your own favorite water bottle and refill it on the go for free.
These water bottles are built like tanks and we love ours.
If you want to reduce your plastic consumption to a minimum, we recommend you to buy filtered water bottle before your trip.
This way you will avoid buying liters of water in plastic, and you will make sure that you leave nothing but a footprint in a foreign country.
When you count how much money you spend on bottled water in a few days of your holidays, you will find out that having a water bottle will soon pay off.
Travel Insurance
It might sound like a cliche, but we really never ever leave our home without a good travel insurance.
Some people still might think that traveling without proper insurance is cool or saves money, we just think it is stupid.
You never know what will happen on the road, and we just see no point to risk your health and money to save a couple of dollars.
Traveling without travel insurance is not worth the risk.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
We believe that our readers are responsible, and purchasing travel insurance is as natural as getting vaccinated before you travel.
We've been traveling together for more than twelve years, and even though we used the insurance only a couple of times, and most of the time we were lucky we did not need any help, we still never leave the house without it.
Even when we go only on a day trip from Prague to Dresden.
There are many types of products you can choose from, so always read conditions carefully, and make sure the insurance covers countries and activities you plan on doing.
For example, when you plan on crossing the Thorong La Pass in Nepal, it is essential to have in your contract that you are going to climb above 5000 meters and that you are going to do sports activities.
Yes, it will cost more, but it’s definitely cheaper than to pay for the helicopter, that costs thousands of US dollars.
MEDICATION
You should never leave your medication at home. Even if you do not use any pills regularly, you should always have food poisoning meds such as Imodium, and painkillers that help with pain in general, such as Ibuprofen.
We think that we often overpack a bit when it comes to preparing our medical kit, but we find it super-important to have it, in case there would not be any hospital or a doctor available.
Except for food poisoning meds, we find essential to pack motion sickness pills.
Without it, we would not be able to enjoy our trip to the Galapagos Island, where we stayed on a boat for a week, at all.
Or to survive with dignity some of the crazy rides in Colombia.
SUN PROTECTION
You can get sunburnt anywhere in the world therefore, the quality protection should not be missing in your backpack.
We do not use many things for our skin when traveling, but we never leave home without sunscreen (usually SPF 30 and higher) and lip balm.
If you want to enjoy your vacation and not to be sunburnt after the first day on the beach for the rest of your time abroad, reapply sunscreen regularly.
If you plan on snorkeling, check out this waterproof and reef friendly sunscreen.
EMERGENCY CASH
We always pack with us at least 150 USD per person as emergency cash. Even though it is not the currency in a country where we travel, we are pretty sure that when something would have happened and we needed help, people would accept US dollars.
We know that nowadays most of you pay with credit cards, but we traveled quite extensively in countries where cash is still the king.
You may run out of local currency or something unexpected can happen.
That's when you will need your emergency cash.
Do not have this extra money in your wallet, store it rather out of sight, and use it really only when you need it.
As we have already mentioned, this is an emergency cash for emergency use only.
TRAVEL WALLET
A good travel wallet is one the best ways to keep safe your ID, cash, credit cards, etc.
Of course, it’s always better to keep your valuables in your hotel room, but that’s not always an option. Travel wallet should be light, simple, and all essential documents and cash should fit there.
TRAVEL LOCK
If you are used to staying in hostels, packing a travel lock is probably already a routine. But still, we cannot fail to mention it here.
A padlock is a small, but very essential item we take with us on every trip.
Not only you can use a padlock for securing locker in a hostel, but you can use it as extra security, and use it to lock your backpack when traveling on a bus.
In South America, we traveled the continent extensively by bus, and night buses were our everyday bread.
As we are super-cautious when it comes to our valuables, we always kept the backpack with all our stuff in the middle of our seats, plus we locked it, just in case.
HEADWEAR
We are fans of a multifunctional headwear. It is small, light, and it can be used in so many ways.
It can be worn as a hat in winter, you can wrap it around your neck, use it as a sleeping mask to cover your eyes, cover your nose and mouth when feeling sick, or prevent sweat running down your face.
A multifunctional headwear is a real gem, and it always has a space in our backpack.
DOWN JACKET
A few years back we invested in down jackets, and since then it is our must-have thing when traveling abroad.
It is super-light, super-foldable, and very comfortable. We carry it in a backpack even when we travel in countries with a warmer climate, just in case.
A high quality down jacket is perfect for hiking trips.
When you need to take a break for a snack, put on a down jacket, and it will keep you warm and it’s perfect for cold evenings at the campgrounds or huts.
And although there are still places in the world such as Annapurna Circuit where the cash is the king, nowadays more than often you can pay for accommodation, meals, transport or things by credit card.
Also withdrawing money from ATM without a credit card is quite challenging and some might say almost impossible task to do.
Similar to paying by phone, you can withdraw money using only a phone, though you might have a hard time to find an ATM that will allow you to do so.
PASSPORT
And lastly, the most essential thing to have when going on a trip abroad is the passport or ID.
There are some exceptions, but it's always good to keep in mind, that without a passport, you won't be traveling internationally.
And what are those exceptions? Here is the best example we can give as we are both European citizens.
As more than half of the European countries are members of the Schengen Area, last time we went to Vienna we didn't have to bring passports with us, just the ID was enough.
Said that it's always better to check whether you need the passport or not when you want to travel abroad.
As the passport is one of the most essential things to pack for traveling, do yourself a favor, and buy passport holder to protect it from any damage.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
