Now, a lot of these are for solo female travellers, however they’re mostly geared towards safety and everyone can benefit from that! Also, I backpack so some of these may not suit your travel style, but hopefully you’ll still find some inspiration.
1) A foldable backpack
I 100% recommend the brand Eco Chic. This is the brand (and design I have) and I absolutely love it! If you know me, you know I love bees so this was a perfect design for me, but it also folds up really small and easily, is adjustable, has two water bottle holders on the side, and is made from recycled plastic bottles. These bags are lovely and big and perfect for day trips, short over-night excursions and can easily fit a laptop as well as any other essential you may have. Another brand I’d recommend are Onya. My mum has used these backpacks for a few years, and she loves them. There smaller and the material is thinner so I probably wouldn’t recommend this if you want it to hold your laptop, but its PERFECT for beach trips, or wandering around local markets.
2) A bum bag (or fanny pack)
I use my bum bag pretty much everyday, going to the shops, on dog walks, basically everywhere I need my essentials but may not have pockets (I live in leggings). Personally I use the Solo bum bags by Christianne Risman (Backpacking Bananas), I think it’s the perfect size for my essentials, without being too bulky. Check out my post ‘What’s in my bum bag’ for more information.
3) Portable locks
I have quite few of these safety locks, which most people may see as overkill, however I will take two with me on my travels, and if I lose one, I have backups. These are so helpful for safety conscious travellers (but also anyone who lives alone!) They’re simple to use, take up no room at all in your luggage and work really well, so you can have peace of mind that you’ll be very safe, wherever it is you’re staying.
4) Tupperware
Tupperware are a backpacking essential, especially if you’re staying in hostels. If you cook a meal, or buy food from a supermarket but don’t eat/use it all that day, you don’t have to throw it away and feel like you’re wasting food and money. I have a few recommendations for this one. The first would be Tupperware pouches. These are amazing if you’re space conscious. They pack completely flat and are super durable and come in many shapes and sizes. Another type of Tupperware I’d recommend would be a collapsible silicone ones. These are also super good for minimalist travellers (and over packers!) as they take up hardly any space and would be easy to squeeze into any type of bag.
5) Adapter
This should be a no brainer, however it should still be on my list. Not everywhere uses the same plug sockets, and it would be an absolute nightmare to get caught out. That’s why I would recommend getting a universal adapter. These would also be perfect if you have a lay-over somewhere that you know has a different outlet than your destination. Similarly, it would be perfect for someone touring South East Asia for example, these countries don’t all have the same sockets.
6) Extension cable
To link with the above point, an extension cable is a must, In most hostels and some hotels, there are very few outlets, or they’re really far away from where you want them to be and if you’re like me, you’ll have quite a few electronics that’ll need charging. It’ll also make you popular with the others in your dorm if you’re in a hostel because they may want to use it when you’re not but also, you won’t be pinching their sockets! Try and purchase a lightweight one with sockets and USB ports.
7) Scrubba
Now this may not be that essential, but it’s something I’ll be packing for my travels. A Scrubba is a ‘portable washing machine’. It’s a water tight bag with bumps and ridges on the inside that you fill with dirty laundry, a little bit of soap and some water, then seal it and scrub the clothes inside the bag. This is perfect if you run out of clean underwear before laundry day or just need a few items cleaned fast. This is perfect for travellers going between hostels constantly, as it can be done the day before you leave and should be dry by the time you’re packing up to leave. It’ll save you a little bit of money, however in most countries, launderettes are super cheap anyway. You may also find that many hostels don’t have a plug in the sinks to stop the water draining away so this is one solution for washing clothes on the go.
8) Eye mask
Eye masks are super helpful for all travellers, no matter your style. It makes sleeping on the go (planes, buses, cars etc.) and in hostels or hotels whenever you need to so much easier. Whether you’re recovering from a wild night, jet-lagged, or simply just want some shut eye during the day, eye masks are definitely a travel essential.
9) TSA approved padlocks
When choosing which padlocks to purchase, look for the little TSA approved emblem. These locks use a special key (as well as a regular key or code) that only custom agents have. This means that if they need to open your bag for any reason, they can use the key rather than cutting the locks apart. They are also high quality so you don’t have to worry about them breaking or being easy for others to get into. Personally I use code padlocks, simply because I know I’d lose the key and then I’d be screwed! I also own a few really cheap one that I would only use when walking through cities as a little extra protection on my bag, but I wouldn’t use them on hostel lockers for example.
10) Good quality beach and shower towels
Now this is a no brainer for beach holidays, however it’s a very good idea to have separate towels for bath and beach. I’d recommend Dock and Bay beach towels in size XL as they are sand free and pack up really small despite being huge. For a bath towel, I’d recommend either Decathlon or Solo towels. This is because they are cozy, quick drying and take up very little space. They are microfibre so not as thick as regular bath towels, but they’re actually better for your hair and skin.
11) Packing Cubes
Now these are widely debated as to whether they’re useful or not but I love them. I have many different shapes, sizes and brands and I love them all. I have some IKEA ones which have two compartments on either side of each one. This is super handy for over night or a long weekend trip as you could store tops on one side and bottoms on the other for example. I have a set of Cactus print ones from Amazon, which contain lots of helpful bags as well as packing cubes, and some of the big cubes contain compression straps to save even more space. I also have a grey set from Amazon, these are great as some open up like a suitcase so you can put different items together but they’re kept separate and save you using lots of cubes. I’ve also invested in some more expensive packing cubes from Amazon. These are the brand Gonex but there are also other really good brands like eono. These are perfect for minimalist packers or space conscious travellers as they compress really flat and take up half as much space!
12) Passport wallet
This one I debate. This is because generally if backpacking or travelling alone I’d put my passport in my bum bag, however, if I was travelling with a partner I may store both our passports in the wallet, but also I might not want to take my passport everywhere with me so I could leave the wallet in a secure location on days out so that I don’t have to worry about losing it.
13) Dryer sheets
Now this is an odd one, but hear me out. Dryer sheets have multiple uses and are super inexpensive. The more conventional use would be to use these to freshen up clothes in packing cubes or shoes, but the other use is for hair. I recently discovered after watching a TikTok video that if you run a dryer sheet through your hair, it gets rid of static!! This has been an absolute game changer for me, as my hair is frizzy/curly/wavy and can be super hard to tame some days so this is perfect for on the go fixes.
14) Plug stopper
This again is an odd one, however you’ll often find that hostels don’t have drain covers (or plugs depending on what you call them). This isn’t a big problem unless you’re needing to wash items like underwear desperately, as you won’t be able to fill up the sink with soapy water. These are also super inexpensive so it’s probably worth getting one if you think you’ll be doing laundry on the go.
15) A neck pillow that suits you
Take your time to research into different pillows to find the best fit for you, as hurting your neck on your flight could lead to constant pain throughout your trip, and no one wants that. I recommend a sturdy memory foam one, I personally have a more square shaped pillow, but the classic rounded one also works well. If you want to look super cool (and are not on a tight budget!), get yourself an ostrich pillow!
16) Photocopies
You should ALWAYS bring photocopies of your passport and other important documents. This is because if you lose your passport or it gets stolen, you can still get home by visiting your countries embassy but also airports often allow you to use photocopies of your passport to travel to or from your destination. Some hotels and hostels ask for passports as ID when checking in so it’s also useful to have easily accessible copies. You can also take photos and store tickets and boarding passes in the ‘wallet’ feature on most phones. So no matter how you intend to travel this is vital.
17) Curve card
Getting a Curve Card has been revolutionary. I only have a couple bank cards, but I have lots and lots of loyalty cards. I also use a pretty big purse (or wallet depending where you’re from) and although it’s great for shopping trips, it’s a bit inconvenient to travel with. That’s where the curve card comes in handy. It’s marketed as “one card to rule them all” because you can load all your cards onto one, and it’s super easy to use. And, if you sign up through the link above, or use my code (find this on my work with me page), you’ll get a FREE £5!!!! It also allows you to earn cash back from selected retailers.
18) Reusable water bottle
I have a few recommendation for this. First would be the classic metal hot-cold bottles (channel that VSCO energy!) Chilly’s for example. These are robust, good for a refreshingly cold gulp of water, especially in cold weather. Another would be a collapsible bottle, these are perfect for space savers, but also if you know you’ll be wanting lots of water on hikes, it’s a bottle that will become much, much lighter as the hike goes on (bonus!) but also will take up little space in your bag when you take those all important layers off. The final option would be a GRAYL Geopress water purifier. I love this bottle. It’s perfect for anyone travelling somewhere that the water is unsafe to drink, whether that be tap water or from a stream on a hike in the middle of nowhere. This means you save money and plastic because you won’t be buying plastic water bottles. These are a little pricey, however you have to remember that money would probably have gone on plastic water bottles over the years that you will use this bottle.
19) Paw paw ointment
I swear by this stuff. It has so many uses from burns to insect bites to chafing and even lip salve. It comes in so many shapes and sizes and many different brands, I personally use Lucas’ Papaw and have done for many year. It comes with me pretty much everywhere, and you can buy pots and tubes under 100ml so they can be taken in hand luggage onto planes (pastes are classed as liquids). One 25g tube has lasted me since Christmas 2020 to mid April and there’s still half tube full and I’ve been putting this on my lips and using it religiously everyday and it requires very little (a lot of the time it doesn’t even need topping up!) and leave them so soft.
20) Cutlery
I carry a bamboo cutlery set with me to a lot of places. This is because it saves me from using plastic cutlery, but it’s also allowed on planes as a carry on. I have used my set so many times on days out to places like London, where I might be eating street food but they don’t offer cutlery, or it’s so flimsy it breaks instantly. It also comes with both a bamboo straw and a metal straw, and a cleaner!
21) Collapsible travel mug
A reusable coffee mug is a great travel essential for any hot drinks lovers as you won’t be causing more waste, but also some chain companies that you’ll find in airports and westernised countries will actually give you money off your drink if you bring your own mug! Bonus right? It will also come in handy when it comes to accommodation as some hostels or Airbnbs don’t provide mugs. Collapsible mugs take up hardly any space and weighs nothing, so there’s nothing to lose if you take one, and they’re super inexpensive.
22) Perfume atomiser
This is not just useful for travel, but everyday too. I carry one of these with me pretty much everywhere. It’s a small 10ml vial that you fill with your favourite perfume so that you don’t have to travel with glass bottles, and it fits in the 100ml carry on allowance easily.You can buy sets of atomisers super cheap online.
23) VPN
A VPN (virtual private network) is any travellers best friend, whether you’re travelling for business, pleasure or are a digital nomad like me (or at least trying to be!). A VPN essentially protects your devices when using unsecured networks, like airport WIFI for example. It stops hackers being able to access your information, and protects all your data, because the worst thing you want is your computer being hacked simply for sending an email. It also allows you to change your location. Have you ever been somewhere but you can’t watch your favourite shows because it says it’s not available in that country? This means you can still access everything you need to from anywhere. It’s useful for booking flights for this feature. It’s a little known fact that flights are actually cheaper to book in some countries. Say you’re flying from London Gatwick to Barcelona and in the UK it says the cheapest is £137, if you change your location to Bulgaria but keep the flight locations the same if could change to £75 cheapest so you could save lots of money over time. I use Surfshark personally.
24) Go Pro
I use the Hero 8 and I love it. It’s perfect for anyone wanting to be a digital nomad or even simply to record the memories you make and the experiences you have along your travels. They’re super easy to use, have hundreds of different attachments and features and are small enough that they won’t draw too much attention unlike a big DSLR. Personally, I use both in the UK but will probably only use my go pro and phone when filming content abroad (mostly because I’m really good and losing things, but it’s also less to worry about getting stolen).
DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored, these are my honest opinions and product recommendations