It’s officially been 3 years since I could call a certain place home, and there are a lot of things I’ve learned along the way. One of those being what I should have with me at ALL times! These things make life so much easier, I wish I had them from day 1! All products have links to Amazon (where I literally buy all my things).
1: A Universal Power Adaptor
The best $12 dollars of my life I’ve ever spent has been on this thing. Too many times I’ve been stuck without power (especially my laptop) because I either forgot an adaptor, got the wrong one, or the one I got only supports two-prong outlets *straightface*. Check out the one I use here.
2: A Backpack
Okay, so I finally have everything packed into my carry on, my luggage, and my half-luggage that still counts as a carry-on but I won’t actually bring it anywhere.. sound familiar? I carry a backpack (or pack it) wherever I go. I find it the most versatile thing whether I go to a beach environment, city, or a hike. It also allows me to keep my camera not in a camera bag (adds a target for thieves in some countries!) I also don’t really like purses so backpacks are the way to go for me! (I also always have food in there because I can get HANGRY. I love carrying Quest Protein Bars) I currently use the North Face Women’s Recon Backpack!
3: A Fanny Pack! (aka money belt or bum bag)
I learned this trick during Carnaval in Brazil a few years ago. How on earth was I going to keep my phone and money safe while partying with THOUSANDS of other people on the street? When I’m not using my backpack, I just put the essentials in here and get to go about my day worry free. Make sure to get a thin one that you can hide under your clothes, I use this this one because it’s slim and easily hidden!
4: Packing Cubes
THESE. So packing to go somewhere always seems fine, until after two days everything’s a hot mess, you don’t know where anything is anymore, and you have no organized way to separate your dirty clothes from your clean clothes. That’s where these come into play. It’s a great way to organize your things and STAY organized, especially on those longer trips. **Packing tip: instead of just packing all the shirts and items you like, pack by outfit. You’d be surprised how much less you bring. Also make sure to keep any liquids in something plastic, just in case they spill! There’s lots of different ones out there, but I use this one by Bagail.
5: A Credit (or debit) Card with NO FOREIGN FEES!!
I can’t even start to explain how much money I’ve saved because of this. It’s like every bank in the world is out against you the second you want to change currencies. The first card I got was the Delta Gold SkyMiles Card because of the initial sign up perks (free luggage, 50,000 mile sign up bonus which is A LOT, and the BEST rate ever sometimes better than Google). This one is good if you’re going to touristy places, however it is an American Express, which is not accepted everywhere, and why I also have the American Airlines and Chase travel cards. Just do your research and find out which one’s best for you!
6 (optional but highly recommended): A Camera!!
I first got into photography because I couldn’t put into words how beautiful Australia was (my first trip). Since then, I’ve learned a lot. But no matter what camera you have, how many photos you’ve taken, or where you’re going, I promise that you will be glad you captured the memories you’re about to make. I first started with the Canon Rebel T5i, upgraded to the Canon 70D and have used that up until now. I’ll be (hopefully) getting the Canon EOS R as a Christmas present to myself this year!
For a full list of what’s in my bag, check out my list on Amazon! Or, go to our Travel Gear page here!