20 Travel Essentials You Need For Every Trip

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are an essential for traveling, especially with a backpack! It is almost impossible to keep clothes organized and in order traveling with a backpack so I HIGHLY recommend buying packing cubes to keep your clothes in order. Most packing cubes come in a set rather than individual cubes. I like these personally better than the suction bags that you can also use to pack clothes and save room.

Packing cubes are less work since you do not have to squeeze the air out and will not make your clothes as wrinkled as the suctioned bags. You would be surprised how many clothes you can fit inside just one packing cube. I usually use two separate packing cubes for my normal everyday clothes, two smaller cubes for my undergarments, socks, and bathing suits, and one packing cube for my shoes.

There are no loose items in my backpack as everything is inside a packing cube. I only wish that I had known about packing cubes earlier in my travels because they are a life saver and save a lot of headache!

Personal Safety Device

If you are looking for some kind of defensive mechanism while on the road or even if you own home city, this personal safety device is the perfect low key but affective device to use, especially for solo female travelers. It is simple to use and airport/airplane safe as it is just a loud alarm that is triggered when you pull out the string attached. 

 Tripod Stand

A tripod stand is an absolute MUST for all my solo travelers out there! Nothing is more annoying that having to ask dozens of other tourists to take your picture everywhere, only to be disappointed when they cut out half the landmark or get your bad side! Why not take your pictures yourself with a tripod and set up the camera angle and positioning EXACTLY how you like it!

Insulated Water Bottle

Having a hydro flask water bottle with you is a great money saver! Rather than buying individual water bottles every time you need a new one, just fill up your own bottle and save on plastic! I love filling up my water bottle at the airport after passing through security so that I can still have water on the plane without spending extra money. Make sure to buy a hydro flask as it will keep your water cool and insulated.

Safety Locks

Safety locks are important to keep your backpack or suitcase locked as well as keeping your locker safe and secure for all those hostel travelers out there. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially if all you have to spend is $9 to have a good piece of mind! Unfortunately, these locks do have keys instead of padlocks, so make sure you put them someplace safe and will not lose them!

These small locks are made for traveling and are hard to cut and break, as opposed to many padlocks with nonmetal wires. Do not forget to purchase a backpack with lockable zippers! If you need to buy a travel backpack and are not sure where to start, check out my blog post “………”

Passport Holder

 A simple and cheap product to buy that some travelers may not think of. It is essential to keep your most precious and important document safe and tidy and always ready to use for future travels. There is even a space now to place your vaccination card! 

Portable Charger

The older my iPhone gets, the more often it must be charged as the battery life decreases. I am sure most people can relate to this typical iPhone problem. There is nothing more stressful than traveling somewhere new for the first time and not having battery on your phone to take pictures, use maps, and just google whatever you need to. I honestly cannot leave my hostel for a full day’s outing without having to charge my phone at least once or twice while I am out.

It is risky to be wondering around a new city without phone charge, as you never know when you will need your phone to help you get somewhere or to contact someone. The portable charger I have attached above allows you to charge your phone 5-6 times fully so it is also perfect for camping and multi day hiking expeditions when electricity may not be available.

Travel Adapter

A travel adapter is an unavoidable and must need product if you decide to travel abroad. I love this travel adapter because it has four USB plugins as well as a wall plug in outlet, so you can charge multiple devices and electronics at once1 It also can accommodate up to 192 countries,

so it is a onetime purchase that can be used on all of your travels! For those who do not know, this is used so that your electronic cables can fit into the wall in foreign countries, as the shape of the plugin differs per country as well as the voltage amount in the electricity.

Chacos

I am never one to buy expensive shoes, but my $100 pair of Chacos sandals was the best investment ever and lasted me five years before they finally wore down enough for me to buy another pair. My Chacos have been all around the world with me and they are my shoes of choice for pretty much every day while traveling. They are great for adventures and are a very reliable and secure shoe that will provide you with both comfort and the best Chaco tan line ever!

I have never gotten a blister from my Chacos and I even started taking them hiking with me recently on some easier hikes that did not necessarily require hiking shoes. They are perfect for any waterproof and outdoorsy activity. Luckily, Chacos are now on Amazon, so you can buy a normal pair for $65-$70 instead of the store retail price of $100 plus.

Shower Shoes

I recommend packing shower shoes to wear inside all the gross and dirty hostel showers you may experience as well as to wear inside the hostel itself. These are cheap and can easily be ditched or replaced at any point in your trip. These are also easy to remove and hold for places like the beach. 

First Aid Kit

Safety is always my priority while traveling, so it is always good to have a small and simple first aid kit on you for your adventures. You never know when it can come in handy and you will be very grateful when the day comes when you need it, even if it is just for a Band-Aid.

This kit includes medical scissors, which is something you will have to remove if you are packing this in a carryon bag while flying. I always add extra band aids to mine as I get blisters quite often and this is the product I always tend to run out of.

Fanny Pack or Money Belt

I know that a fanny pack is such a typical tourist product and immediately exposes you as a tourist, they are still very useful and make for a smart traveler. I usually keep my bigger items like my water bottle, snacks, jacket, and tripod stand in my day trip bag while keeping my valuable items like my passport, wallet, air pods, portable charger, and any small medicines in my fanny pack.

Because the fanny back is placed right on your body in front of you, it will be harder for people to steal or pit pocket you without you noticing first. A money belt is the same concept but is small enough to be able to be worn underneath your clothes and will help you blend in as a tourist more while still keeping your valuables safe and visible.

Foldable Day Bag

This cheap 10-liter foldable bag only costs $6 from Decathalon and is easily one of my favorite and most used travel items. I use this bag at the airport as my carry on bag, since I usually must check my big back pack. When I do not need it anymore, I simply fold it up into its small pack and keep it in my main luggage. It can hold the perfect number of items needed for a day trip and is made from extremely reliable and durable materials. 

Air Pods

 For a budget traveler like me, air pods are an extra expensive product that is not technically needed. However, I am so glad bought air pods for traveling as they are the perfect traveling headphones. Because they are so small, they can easily be fitted in your fanny pack, money belt, or pockets for easy convenience.

I love how you can charge your air pods with the case directly multiple times so if they die while in use, you only have to charge them for a brief time period to be able to use them again.

These are needed for long plane, bus, train, and car rides while on the road or even for just wondering and exploring a city for the day solo. They are also very lowkey is you are traveling in a more unsafe country where you should not really be flashing any fancy or expensive products. 

Water Proof Phone Bag 

This is really only needed for those travelers who engage in a lot of water activities such as snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking, boat rides, jet skis, water parks, and the beach. If you want to bring your phone and capture some epic pictures of you doing a water activity, it is always a good and smart idea to bring your own waterproof phone bag so that you do not have to pay a ridiculously overpriced touristy rental fee to rent or buy one on site. 

Quick Dry Towel

A Quick Dry Travel Towel is perfect for those who are always on the move and moving from hostel to hostel! Depending on what hostel you are at, many hostels do not provide towels free and make this service an extra cost. Quick dry towels are easy to pack as they fold up small and are perfect for going to the beach and pool or nay other water adventure where you would need a towel.

My towel only takes about 15-20 minutes to dry once in the sunlight which makes it easy to roll up and pack after a day in the water. I usually have two quick dry towels with me: one for the beach (since this towel will get sandy and salty) and one for the shower which always stays fresh and is only used with normal non salted water. 

Waterproof Speaker

Okay having a small waterproof Bluetooth speaker is not technically an essential for traveling, but it is a fun thing to have and something many travelers may not think to bring. This is perfect for parties at your hostel, beach days as well as running and hiking. The speaker does not take up much room in your bag, so it does not make a difference in weight just adding this tiny speaker to your luggage.

You will regret it if you don’t pack this, especially next time you are at the beach and hiking and wish you had some entertainment and music to keep you motivated.

Waterproof Wrist Watch

 I feel so lost not having a watch always on my wrist. I like to wear a cheap waterproof sports watch on my travels that just does the basic functions such as having a timer, an alarm, and stopwatch. It is inconvenient to always keep taking your phone out of your fanny pack or backpack just to check the time, and it is not always the safest to have your phone out all the time also depending on where you are traveling.

I am a budget traveler so a budget watch it best for me, and if it ever gets lost, stolen, or broken, I will not be upset and can replace it easily since it is not an expensive product. 

Electronic Organizer

Like the packing cubes, this is the best way to keep all of your stray cords and chargers organized so that you can easily store them all into your backpack without losing or damaging any and allow you easy access to their location. 

Trip Planner/ Travel Journal

If you want one book that is small, lightweight, and fits all of your information, then I highly this travel planner and journal. It has separated individual sections for your flight, train, and bus information, contacts that you meet, a calendar with a planner, a packing list, and a travel journal. Why not combine all of your needs into one book?

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