Pretty much everything fits in my main bag. It’s the Patagonia Black Hole Duffel (60L). My favorite thing about this bag is its durability. It’s been thrown around lots of different airplanes and buses and it still holds up with no significant wear. The zippers are excellent. I’ve stuffed this bag to the brim and the zippers haven’t popped once. It’s also waterproof(ish?). I haven’t dunked this in a pool, but it holds up with light rain. My least favorite thing about this bag is that it’s not a proper backpacker bag. Carrying this around for a long time isn’t the most comfortable.
I got these Packing Cubes from TravelWise before my big trip around the world. In general, I like to keep my big bag as a container of smaller bags. I put my clothes in one of the medium bags and that’s usually enough. The biggest packing cube takes up most of the space in my 60L bag. Sometimes I put smaller things like socks or a pair of pants in the small cube and I can usually stash that in my bag somewhere.
I originally got this bag for shower stuff. The bag was surprisingly durable and well-made. I converted this bag to my cable storage bag.
Because I replaced my first shower bag, I got this one. It’s much lower quality, but it is made of a slick material that is easy to rinse and wash.
Some hostels don’t provide towels, or sometimes they charge extra for them. Some hostels don’t even provide sheets. I usually gamble and don’t travel with our own sheets, but I usually do travel with our travel towels.
Any generic small travel lock is a great way to keep your stuff safe. If someone wanted to get into your things, they really could, but travel locks are a great way to prevent theft. I like the key-style locks and number-style locks.
I think that snoring should be illegal. It bugs me so much when I’m in a dorm and someone is sawing wood. I got a bunch of these ear plugs to help with that problem. Truth be told, I usually forget them or they’re too far away for me to want to bother. I’ll use headphones and listen to white noise as an alternative sound blocker.
I like to have an easy way to listen to music if I have a private room or if I am hanging out with friends. I really like the JBL Flip 3. If you buy it refurbished, it’s cheaper than buying it new. The speaker has the most bass that I’ve heard, and sounds great!
Need batteries? I’ve been using these for a lot of my camera equipment and for anything else that needs a battery.
Don’t have your native plug? I’ve been using this power converter for a while now. I haven’t had any major trouble. I’ve had slight issues in England with the plug not always connecting. I needed to adjust it slightly until the light turned on. No biggie!
Because traveling with a lot of converters is a big pain, I like this USB power hub. I plug this into the power converter and into the wall. I can charge six things with USB really easily. It’s been a huge help on bigger trips when I’ve had more electronics. After six months, it has started making a tiny noise (sounds like a UFO) once in a while.
I’ve been wearing the ExOfficio boxers every day for over two years. I’ve had the same three pairs for those two years. They’re great. Most of the time, you don’t realize that you have them on. One time, I actually didn’t have them on. Just kidding.
I’m always looking for a good pair of travel pants. I wore DUER pants for a while and they are super comfortable. They’re stretchy, lightweight and fit my style. Now, I wear Aviator Pants. They’re as comfortable as my DUER pants but have some more features that I really like. Wait, jeans have features? Kinda. They have a passport-sized pocket that’s perfect for travel days. They also have a front and back zipper pocket in addition to a regular pocket. This helps keep your things safe when you’re walking around in a big crowd.
I really like using binder clips for a lot of different things. I clip entry forms into my passport, use them for cash so I don’t have to carry a wallet, seal snacks so I don’t get ants and so much more. I’d recommend traveling with a bunch. You can pick them up at any office supply store or on Amazon.
I like traveling with a lacrosse ball for my back. When I sit for a long time, my lower back gets a little wonky. I use the ball to roll out the tough spot and it works so well! Various airline securities haven’t liked seeing this ball and have wondered what it is. I always make sure it’s on top or in an easily accessible spot, so I can take it out and show them.
Travel insurance is an important non-physical item to have because it protects you from theft, trip cancellation, and the unfortunate situation if you get hurt or sick. I always pick up a plan from World Nomads before I leave for any trip. I’ve heard that the claim process is straight forward with them and they’re reasonable to deal with if you need to file a claim.
If you’re doing any work from a coworking space or bigger desk area, this keyboard, mouse and laptop stand are amazing assets. They all fold up nicely or are really small.
Here’s what I take with me to work most days!
The Google Pixel 2 is one of my favorite phones. I’ve been flipping back and forth from the Google Pixel 2 and an iPhone for a few years. I like the style and integration with Google accounts with the Pixel. Plus, the camera is amazing! Portrait mode gets better after every software update.
I’ve been using Google Fi, by Google for almost two years. It works in almost every country. I really like it to check in to the airport via Swarm when I land somewhere for the first time. It’s also good to convert currency on the fly when going to the ATM in a new place. If you’re in a location for a long time, local SIMs are usually cheaper. I’ve always stuck with Google Fi without any major problems. Only once did I encounter a global outage in Portugal. I was easily able to transfer a local SIM into my phone. Google was able to refund me for the days that I wasn’t using service.
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