My Essential Travel Gear
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Having been on the road since April, I thought it’d be a good time to finally take some time to share my favorite travel gear. I’ve been wanting to write this one down for a while because I’ve come to realize how much I rely on some of this stuff in my day to day.
Here’s a selection of the travel gear I can’t leave without — you can find more of my essential kit on my Kit.com page.
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A picture I took at home, before leaving for 9 months on the road[/caption]
Travel Gear
Tortuga Backpack
Preparing a trip of 9 months across the world, I needed to ensure that the very basic backpack would be solid, and allow me to cross borders, airport security, but still fit on the cabin of the many aircrafts to come. After a quick search for a good-looking, sturdy travel backpack, I decided to purchase the 35L Outbreaker, from Tortuga. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever taken in terms of gear to choose. I absolutely love this backpack, from the design, to the splash-proof material, and how sturdy it feels on my back.
Packing cubes
This is a more recent addition, but after realising I was unpacking/re-packing every month, I been looking for a more efficient way to travel. This is partially solved by these packing cubes which allow me to put everything together in my bag, saving up a bit more space, and the hassle of wondering how I managed to pack so much in two bags in the past few months.
Travel mug
I picked up this travel mug during a recent trip to Amsterdam earlier this year. I stumbled upon it in the Design Museum’s store, and couldn’t resist the nice design and simple click mechanism.
Anti-pollution mask
I knew that I’d be visiting some countries with dust and/or a fair amount of pollution (Dubai, Shanghai, Vietnam, …) so I knew that a face mask would be a good investment. This one is meant to last longer than the usual paper masks you can find in convenience stores all over Asia, and you can even change the filters once you’ve used them for a while.
Day bag/tote
What happens once you’ve reached your accommodation? You go out and EXPLORE. My day-bag is a simple tote I’ve got as a gift from my subscription to Monocle Magazine. Simple, but essential, as I tend to put my wallet, my external battery, my laptop or iPad if I’m walking around, and any other accessory I might need on the day.
Accessories
Noise-cancelling Headphones (preferably wireless)
My go-to pair of noise-cancelling, wireless headphones. I simply can’t live, and especially can’t travel without these: noise cancellation is really on point, even when a toddler is sitting behind you and crying on a plane.
The battery life is huge for me (20h+) so I can keep them on my head from the moment I leave my Airbnb, go to the airport, fly for 10+ hours, land, and travel to my next accommodation —and I’ll still have some juice left!
Wired earphones
I need a dirt cheap basic pair of earphones, for when I want to listen to podcasts or music, or have a facetime call, whenever I’m outside and walking around… at least until I decide to get myself a pair of Airpods…
Sleeping Mask
Similarly to the noise-cancelling headphones, this is something I absolutely need in order to get some rest on a plane. On average, in an 8-10h flight, I hardly get more than 2 hours of sleep, generally 30-40 minutes at a time. So investing in a better sleeping mask than the basic ones given on a plane is also a small but crucial improvement. I bought my current one in Vietnam for about 3€ ($4).
Cable organizer
Something so simple, and yet so incredibly vital to anyone traveling on the road with a few gadgets: this travel organizer is possibly the wisest 10€ I have EVER spent.
There’s a small zipped compartment which is perfect for small adapters, SIM cards, and memory cards too!
Cables
Obviously, something to fill the travel organizer with. If, like me, you travel with a few electronic gadgets, I’d recommend having a few spare ones.
For example, if you have an iPad AND an iPhone, have at least 2 charging cables. Or, if you travel with an android phone and another gadget like a Kindle e-reader, make sure you pack 2 USB to Micro-USB cables, etc.
Apple’s World Travel Adapter Kit
Overpriced? Definitely… But you can’t beat the quality, comfort and ease of use of Apple’s chargers and their related kits!
Multiple Port USB charger
This one, from Anker, has become my go-to charger for the gadgets I have whenever traveling, but also at home when I’m staying in my own place!
External Battery Charger
Mine comes from the good folks at Xiaomi, who are trying to sell Westerners on good quality accessories prior to launching their Android phones in the West. I love this sleek-looking external battery, but if I had to pick another one, I would probably invest in a solid one from Anker.
External Hard Drive
For backing up my laptop regularly, and storing tons of movies, tv shows, comics and more, while traveling around the world! I love how sexy this thing looks!
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Ready to hit the road, with 2 bags for 9 months![/caption]
I think it’s fair to say that some of these are pretty straightforward. However, when I was planning on my own, it was easy to forget about certain things. For example, when I arrived in Australia, I realized that I needed to buy an extra adapter. Or, more recently, a sleeping mask. These are just small things that are essential the more I travel, to make sure I can optimize my experience abroad with the least amount of friction.
Now, do I need every single item on this list? Probably not. However, having it available at hand with me when I travel makes my experience of going around the world a much easier one.
Think I forgot something? Want to add something that I should check out before I hit the road again? Let me know what are YOUR travel essentials!
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