Travel Gear

It can be really difficult to decide what travel gear to pack for your trip.  Really it depends on how much luggage you are taking with you, are you taking just hand luggage or will you be checking in a bag or taking a large bag on your trip.  If you are taking a large bag or suitcase then obviously you can take more things with you on your trip. 

Personally, I normally do hand luggage only for trips to Europe or less than 3 months, but when I do long haul trips for some reason I can’t seem to manage without my big rucksack. Maybe that is because in the past you could always check a bag for free. Recently though this has changed on many airlines and a lot of the long haul airlines have a basic fare and you need to pay extra for any extras and checked bags.

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Amazon Kindle

There are lots of accessories that you might want to take a trip with you.  One thing that I can’t live without is my Amazon Kindle.  I have had 2 over the years and it’s an essential now.  I love reading and books are too big to carry around, especially if you only want to travel with hand luggage and so with a Kindle you can fit hundreds of books into it and read when you want, on the plane, on the beach or just sat in a cafe somewhere in the world.

Filtered Water Bottle

A filtered water bottle is really needed if you are going to a country where you can’t drink the tap water or if you are planning on going hiking.  This way you don’t need to buy thousands of plastic bottles which is bad for the environment and also the cost can add up.  You can buy different types of water bottles with filters, so if you are going somewhere where the water just tastes bad it can filter it to taste better, but if you are going to a country where the tap water is not good or you are going hiking and want to drink the river water, you can do so without worrying that you will get ill from it.

Travel Blender

If you are like me and enjoy a fruit juice or smoothie on a morning then travelling with a travel blender is essential.  I normally stay in a hostel and even though kitchens are normally well equipped, most of them do not have blenders for guests to use. 

Nowadays you can find travel blenders that are quite light and are easy to travel with, the only problem is if you are flying with hand luggage only, you are unable to fly with the blades in hand luggage and they must go into your checked bags.

Travel Hair Dryer

It can be very important to dry your hair after washing it, even when you are on holiday.  Depending on where you are travelling in the world you may or may not be able to take your own hair dryer.  For example US hair dryers are not compatible with European electricity outlets as they run at 220 volts, whereas in the US it is 120v.   

You can either buy a convertor and an adaptor to use it abroad, or you can buy a travel hair dryer, that will be much smaller to fit into your luggage.  You can also get hair dryers that are dual voltage meaning that you can use it anywhere in the world by flicking the switch on it.

Travel Iron

If you prefer to have your clothes crease free while you are on holiday or maybe you are travelling for work, then instead of bringing your huge iron with you, you can get a much smaller travel iron.  Normally these are around 15-20cm in length and much lighter to travel with.

If you are staying in a hotel then you might have one in your room though this is not always the case and depending on which country you are travelling in, it could be quite rare to have one available for you to use.  Make sure to check with your accommodation before you travel to see if it is best to take one with you.

Travel Kettle

If you are travelling within the US or even in Europe it can be quite common for you to find a kettle or a coffee maker in your bedroom.  It may seem like a great thing to find in your room, but have you heard the horror stories of what people are using the kettles for in hotels!!

Often people are using the kettles to boil wash their underwear, or to warm up small towels and even to cook rice in and you can even find some sites telling of travel hacks to clean your underwear mentioning to use hotel kettles.

As hotels do not deep clean kettles between each new guest, I personally prefer to travel with a kettle so I know that it is clean and hasn’t been used for inappropriate things.  You can get a travel kettle that will flatten down so they take up barely any room in your case.

Travel Board Games

If you enjoy playing board games and miss them when you are holiday then you can buy the travel version of the game.  A lot of games have a travel version of the game, which is much smaller and lighter, meaning that it will fit into your bag much easier.

If you are planning a more relaxing holiday or even travelling a lot and spending a lot of time waiting around for buses, to check in to places then a travel board game can be a great way to alleviate boredom.

Travel Gifts

Useful Gifts for Backpackers

It can be hard to decide what to buy someone who is a backpacker, especially when they have limited space in their bags and do not want to be carrying around unnecessary things.  To make sure that they will take your gift them, then make sure to find them a useful gift for backpackers.