Travel Light & Far With These 10 Essential Travel Accessories
After traveling to 30 countries and taking hundreds of flights, I know that people tend to pack waaay more than they need.
I’m here to tell you that there is great joy to be found in packing only a few essential items, and departing on your grand adventure with a light load. Tim Ferriss — my minimalist travel idol — explains and offers some advice:
If you pack for every contingency — better bring the hiking books in case we go hiking, better bring an umbrella in case it rains, better bring dress shoes and slacks in case we go to a nice restaurant, etc. — carrying a mule-worthy load is inevitable. I’ve learned to instead allocate $50–200 per trip to a “settling fund,” which I use to buy needed items once they’re 100% needed. This includes cumbersome and hassle items like umbrellas and bottles of sunscreen that love to explode. Also, never buy if you can borrow.
Amount of Stuff Vs. Travel Joy 😁
I’m a big believer that the amount of joy you experience on a trip is inversely proportionate to the amount of stuff you take.
A few years ago I walked 700km across the North of Spain on the historic Camino de Santiago. It was one of the best experiences of my life of my life. However I know for a fact that it would have been significantly diminished had I packed more.
I only took two pairs of underwear, one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, a sleeping bag, my kindle, a water bottle, mini quick dry towel, and toiletries. All of this fit into a day pack. It was the smallest and lightest backpack of almost anyone I met. Most people thought I had another bag which I paid to have transferred to the albergue where I would spend the night.
Many of the other pilgrims packed more than twice as much as I did, which affected their experience considerably. They got tired faster, found it harder to walk up/down uneven terrain, and suffered from brutal blisters. A few heavy packers even ended up losing a toe nail. Ouch!
Now, walking 700km over a month is a bit of a unique experience for any traveler. Packing as minimally as I did is just not practical for most trips, but it does illustrate a point.
You can get by on much less than you think you need, and will likely enjoy yourself way more. Especially if you find your head resting on a different pillow every night.
The Essential Travel Accessories ✈️
With all that said, there are a few items to take with you that will make most trips waaay more enjoyable! You will also notice that this list is quite different from most other travel accessory lists out there. It’s lean, focused, and lacking fluff. But every item here delivers tremendous value, and will increase your travel joy!
1. Passport Cover 🛂
The passport cover is my favorite travel accessory. In Why Passport Covers Are The Most Underrated Travel Accessory, I wrote:
One thing you will not find in any list of must have travel accessories is the humble passport cover. I find this super strange, as having a passport in good condition is probably the most important thing to have when traveling internationally. If your luggage ends up in Mogadishu and your phone goes swimming in the toilet, your passport will still be there for you when you want to cross your next border like a champ.
Pretty compelling, eh?
If you get one from The Wander Lab you’ll be able to personalize one of our stunning designs by adding your name. So not only will you be taking excellent care of your precious passport, you’ll also be traveling in style. Go you!
Enter our giveaway to win 6 passport covers for you and your friends!
2. Compression Bags And/Or Packing Cubes 👝
I remember when I figured out that I could nearly double the space in my suitcase just by putting clothes in a compression bag. My mind was blown. I now always use this trick! These bags also keep everything perfectly organized, and can be used as laundry bags.
If you’re not familiar with compression bags, you’re able to remove the air and dramatically reduce the footprint of your clothing. They are also waterproof if that’s something which is important to you. Great for those times when a rain storm sneaks up on you in Raincouver!
Packing cubes allow you organize the contents of your bag into smaller — wait for it — cubes 😜 If you want to be a packing ninja you can put your compression bags into your packing cubes. Most packing cubes do provide a certain degree of compression, just not to the same extent as compression bags. They are also good if you want to organize your items, but don’t want to compress them.
Get your compression bags and packing cubes on Amazon.
3. Power Converter ⚡
One thing many first time traveler’s don’t realize is that power adapters do not protect their device from a difference in voltage. It’s true that many devices do accept a range in voltage. For example my laptop charger accepts a range of 100–240 volts. However many devices do not.
This is where a power converter saves the day. I never travel without the Bestek 220 to 110 voltage converter (this is the conversion you need if you’re from North America). With its three plugs plus four USB charging ports you can charge up to 7 devices at once! From one wall plug I’m able to charge two laptops, an electric tooth brush, GoPro, kindle, iPhone, and power bank simultaneously. I use this device everyday, and couldn’t imagine traveling without it.
If you’re from outside North America, be sure to do some research on the voltage in your home country and destination country. This way you will be able to buy the correct power converter for your devices.
Get your power converter on Amazon
4. Power Bank 🔋
There are so many times when I’ve needed to charge my phone or GoPro while on the go. This is where a power bank shines. Exploring a new city with my iPhone, local sim card, and power bank makes it easy to roam all day with confidence.
5. Electronics Organizer 🖱️
If you travel with a lot of electronics I highly recommend using an electronics organizer. It’s a great place to store your power converter, power bank, SD cards, USB cables, and even an iPad. I also pack an HDMI cable as I love being able to plug my laptop into a TV!
Not only will an electronics organizer keep everything neatly in one place, it will also help to keep your cords in excellent condition and extend their usable life.
Get your electronics organizer on Amazon
6. RFID Thin Travel Wallet 💳
I’ve been using a thin travel wallet as my everyday wallet for five years. I can’t imagine using a regular wallet at this point. When traveling, I find this especially important. In order to appear unattractive to pick pockets, I try to reduce the outline a wallet makes in my pocket as much as possible. I also think it just looks better to not have a brick in the front (or back) of your pants.
The other great thing about travel wallets is that you can combine the benefits of a small wallet with RFID protection, keeping the information stored in your credit and debit cards safe.
Get your RFID Thin Travel Wallet on Amazon
7. Hard Shell, Water Resistant Laptop Case 💦
There are not many things I own which give me more peace of mind than my hard shell, water resistant laptop case. I never worry about stuffing my backpack with laptop inside a tight overhead compartment, or getting caught in a rain storm while riding my scooter through Ubud.
My laptop is the most valuable thing I travel with, so taking care of it while in transit is at the top of my priority list. The great news is that hard shell laptop cases take up no more space than a soft laptop protector, and weigh about the same.
Get your hard shell, water resistant laptop case on Amazon
8. Smart Phone Lens Kit 🤳
If you like to travel light without a DSLR camera, then it’s definitely worth it to get a lens kit for your phone! The kit linked below comes with a super wide angle lens, a 180° fisheye lens, and a 10X Macro Lens. All of which clip together to reduce space. At less than $20, it’s one of the cheapest items on this list. Not bad for something that will take your Instagram game to the next level!
Get your smart phone lens kit on Amazon
9. High Quality Carry-On 🛄
A high quality rolling carry-on can make a huge difference. If you are super minimalist and make excellent use of compression bags, it can allow you to avoid checking a bag altogether.
A robust carry-on suitcase will also enable you to pack more than a carry-on backpack, and will keep the weight off your precious spine.
One model I really like is the Travelpro Crew Spinner Carry-on. It’s a favorite of flight attendants and pilots. With this model you can even place your power bank inside the bag and connect it to the included USB port. You will then be able to plug your phone into the external USB port for a charge anywhere.
Get your Travelpro Crew Spinner on Amazon
10. VPN Subscription 💻
If there’s one thing that every traveler with a laptop should have, it’s a virtual private network (VPN) subscription. If you’re unfamiliar with VPNs, here’s an explanation from Wikipedia:
A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. Applications running across a VPN may therefore benefit from the functionality, security, and management of the private network.
This means that your connection will be protected when you join a wifi network in places like airports and coffee shops. If you connect to a wifi network without a VPN, the admin may have the ability to read all of your transmitted data.
Lastly, a VPN allows you to change the location of where you’re accessing web content from. For example, when I login to my online banking I always set my location to Vancouver, Canada. This way I’m less likely to raise any red flags with my bank.
I use Freedome and have been very happy with it, but there are many other VPNs out there.
Over To You 🎉
- ¡Leave a comment below. We’ll reply! We’d looove to know what your favorite travel accessories are!?
- Wander over to thewanderlabs.com! Discover how fun it is to personalize meaningful travel accessories. ✈
