5 Essential Travel Gear You Need [101 Travel Tips]
A common question people ask is what travel gear they should bring for their trip. Quite honestly, there’s hundreds of items you can potentially bring. It just all boils down to what you want to do abroad. Do you want to take photos? Blog? Go on off the beaten path adventures?
I believe traveling should be done as efficiently as possible. That way, you there’s more flexibility and less risk of losing valuable items. And that can only happen if you understand what you really need.
The things you need that can be purchased for a reasonable cost (e.g. certain toiletries, snacks, etc) anywhere should be omitted from your packing list.
I believe everyone has their own preference and personal needs. But here are the top 5 travel gear, I believe are most important to have.
1. Cell Phone
Ensuring I have enough coverage and data to get me through all my travels.
My cell phone is the brains of my travel ventures. I store all my confirmations & information I need in it. It helps me navigate where I need to go (which is vital). I use it as a camera so I don’t have to bring a camera. I even keep a number of credit cards and cash with the cell phone cover I have.
It essence, if I lost my cell phone I would be in trouble. This has its pros and cons. The less vital items you have, the more you’ll protect it with your life and constantly use/check it. When traveling, any additional number of “vital” items (e.g. a wallet) is just another liability that you need to keep track of and when traveling, it is incredibly easy to lose track of a number of items you’re carrying.
Now if I actually lost my cell phone, I have a backup plan also (I keep a spare card and cash in my backpack along with my laptop I can use to get help). But my cell phone is by far the most used item whenever I travel as I have all my documents stored in it, it is my navigating tool, I use Google search to find out whatever I need, and I use it to record memories.
2. Laptop
The only other tool that is almost as vital as my cell phone is my laptop. For me, this is more of a personal preference and is important so I can stay productive and continue to get work done while I travel. It’s the only function a cell phone cannot do – getting work done efficiently.
3. Uniqlo Jacket (two inside pockets, 2 outside zipper pockets).
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men-pocketable-parka-179815.html?dwvar_179815_color=COL02&cgid=
This is my “mobile carrier” that keeps all my vital tools safe while also keeping me comfortable as well. When traveling, one of the most important things is to wear something that is not only comfortable in all types of weather, but have an apparel that will keep all your vital tools close to you and safe. It took me a long time to find something that met all the criteria. The best thing about the Uniqlo light jacket is it serves exactly what is said above and it’s less than $40.
I’ve used the Uniqlo jacket in very cold conditions (though it won’t be warm enough for freezing conditions), in hot climates, in rainy weather, and it’s comfortable both indoor and outdoor.
It has two outer zipper pockets that are important to prevent vital tools (my cell phone, keys) from falling out. The jacket has two inner pockets to keep other items I may need within quick reach (boarding pass, any documents I do need).
It is really the perfect jacket at least from my personal experience. I love it so much that I own 3 of them!
Consider adding a rain jacket in your travel gear as well. For a few pro tips, this guide is very well looking into.
4. A Great Backpack
I personally use a high sierra elite backpack with an easy laptop pocket, 3 additional larger pockets, and several small pockets. Again, function and ability to protect your items is really important.
The other thing to consider in investing in a good backpack is how large of a backpack you want to get. And it all depends on your need (someone traveling on remote trips needing lots of camping items vs someone traveling for work who needs more tech gadgets will look very different).
There’s a ton of great backpacks out there. Just make sure to find one that will suit your needs. Personally though, this item is the best carry-on luggage for me.
Quite honestly, that’s all the tools I really heavily depend on when I travel. Everything else can really be replaced relatively easily (clothing, food, other gadgets, documents, etc). This of course is aside from things like passport or IDs.
5. Roaming Data / International Coverage
As mentioned above, my cell phone is my lifeline. I use it to get around, to store all my important information, take photos/videos, and communicate with people I need to contact. This really just saves a ton of clutter and makes things a lot more efficient and organized so you won’t have to worry about another piece of document while traveling.
That being said, if you’re depending on your phone for information, you don’t want to get nailed with roaming charges that can rack up extremely quickly.
The easy fix to this is just using T-mobile’s coverage which gives free roaming data (with however much data you pay for in the U.S.) in over 900 countries. It also includes free texting and a very reasonable rate for international calls if you need it. Yes, sometimes you’re going to need to call internationally (particularly if you get lost).
With these 5 essential tools, I really believe you’ll not only be able to survive any condition or challenge you may run into when you travel but you’ll really get to worry less and soak in more of what each destination has to offer.
What are some travel gear you would recommend for traveling?
If you enjoyed this post, you may find some of these other articles helpful:
How to Maximize Travel and Earn Credit Card Points
How To Travel Round the World For Cheap
101 Travel Hacks & Ways to Save Money and Travel Well, for Less
