Travel Essentials: Your Ultimate List of Things You Must Never Go on a Trip Without

I used to think that my worst nightmare was finishing a 1000-piece world-map jigsaw puzzle—this is a pretty demanding ‘fun’ activity, by the way, given that around 500 pieces of those are just blue with no indication whatsoever of where on the map they belong—and finally discovering that the last piece is missing or waking up one day and realising my four-year-old, fluffy-tailed ginger cat had sneaked out in the middle of the night and did not come back!

But as I was preparing for my first overseas trip, my already overloaded brain started coming up with every possible scenario of what may go wrong and ruin this trip altogether. For instance, getting stuck in traffic and missing my flight, forgetting to take a must-take vaccine, or shockingly noticing I left my passport and plane ticket on the dining table are all as dreadful as ubiquitous. Their consequences are also upsettingly costly.

There are a bunch of other things that make better worst nightmares!

But apart from forgetting the passport, which cancels the trip before it even starts, forgetting other things can make travel a little or a lot unpleasant. We cannot rely on our memory only to remember the travel essentials we must pack. A little bit of planning indeed comes in handy.

In this article, we will walk you through the indispensable things you must pack before you travel anywhere, whether locally or internationally. You can definitely use this as your packing checklist and expand it even more by adding your own travel essentials. So bring a cup of coffee or a gigantic mug of hot cocoa if you are anywhere in the southern hemisphere, and read on.

1. Packing cubes

YouTube is filled to the brim with videos about the best ways to pack and how to roll your clothes and not fold them to save as much space in your carry-on as possible so you can pack more stuff. The aim, of course, is to get organised but not to become Marie Kondu! That is why a lot, if not most, of that content can be somewhat overwhelming.

Why bother with all that if you can just use travel packing cubes?

Packing cubes is the most straightforward way to organise your stuff. The last thing you want to do after you have already packed is to reopen your carry-on and take everything out again to check whether or not you put your phone charger.

As they are usually sold in sets, you can use the differently sized travel cubes to categorise your belongings. For instance, assign one for your outfits, another for your pyjamas, and a third one for your socks and swimming suits, and so on. You may also pack your shoes, flip-flops, and sandals in one to ensure the rest of the cubes stay clean.

2. Travel pillow

Nothing can ruin a trip like a sore or stiff neck caused by sleeping with one’s head tilted to the side. While you should bring a muscle pain relief cream for any expected injuries, you can avoid this nasty pain in the neck by using a travel pillow.

Travel pillows help you have a good sleep, prevent future neck problems by keeping your neck in place, breathe better while asleep, reduce snoring, and generally have a better posture.

Bringing a travel eye mask with your travel pillow; sometimes, they are sold together as a set. If you want to release some fatigue, an eye mask helps block out any light, which is necessary for even better sleep.

3. Travel earplugs

While many people get that annoying sinking feeling during or after takeoff, everyone cannot help but feel tremendous pain in their ears while the plane is landing. That is due to the change in the air pressure.

Wearing earplugs is a good way to slow this down, reduce ear pain, and help the ear adjust quickly to the new pressure. Earplugs are also essential to block any loud noise, especially high-frequency baby crying sounds, and protect the ears.

4. Face masks and hand sanitisers

Well, we did learn it the hard way, and we all now know how highly significant face masks and hand sanitisers are. Apart from COVID-19, the air around us is already loaded with other little invisible evils, such as dust, smoke, dirt, gases, and Persian cats’ fluffy hairs, you name it. The sure thing is, they are all, more or less, pretty nasty to our health.

So remember to take as many precautions as you can. Keep a portable hand sanitiser within reach and clean your hands occasionally. Also, wear a face mask whenever you are in a crowded place or wherever it looks foggy, smoggy, or generally unclean.

5. Supplements, painkillers, motion sickness reliefs and allergy medications

An excellent way to enjoy your trip is to ensure you stay as healthy and physically feel good as possible. So if you take supplements or any allergy medications, remember to bring them while on the trip. It is also recommended you carry a few painkillers. Headaches, backaches, and tired legs after an afternoon of sightseeing are all widespread while travelling, so be prepared.

This list can include any cure for common physical problems associated with travelling, such as motion sickness, muscle pain, fever, or cold.

6. Your very own personal hygiene kit

An extension to the aforementioned item is bringing your personal hygiene kit to stay as clean and protected as possible, whether you are in your hotel room, out sightseeing, or on a boat trip. The items in this kit can include but are not limited to, a toothbrush, shampoo, moisturiser, conditioner, lotion, suncream, tissues, wet wipes, a comb or a hairbrush, a nail clipper, and plasters.

Your hygiene kit may also include a handy stain remover. Walking around with a coffee stain or some bloody red sticky cheesecake raspberry sauce on your white shirt is pretty annoying. It is even more irritating and tiresome to go back to the hotel to change. A little stain remover roller bottle or a spray will save you in an unpleasant situation.

7. Mosquito repellent

Although mosquito repellent sounds less essential than packing cubes or earplugs, it is a complete game-changer. Even if everything about your hotel room is perfect, just one teeny-tiny, almost invisible and weightless mosquito sneaking in from the terrace can ruin your sleep entirely and pretty much make you so pissed!

A travel mosquito repellent is a small device that releases a scent that annoys mosquitoes and keeps them away, giving you a chance to enjoy a good night’s sleep. All you have to do is plug it into the outlet, and ta-da! Your room is mosquito-free.

If you are outdoors, you can get a bug spray—OFF!, which is a well-known and trusted brand. You spray it on your clothes and hands, and all sorts of tiny flies will fly away from you, annoyed and discouraged, instead of flying toward you with open wings!

8. Portable power bank

So you are on the train for eight hours to the country’s north. You are texting your best friend about the past few beautiful days you spent in the south while checking Instagram now and then to see how many people saw the last 50 stories you posted of that paradise-like island you visited.

Suddenly, your phone beeps “Low Battery”, but it is OK because you have packed your phone charger and will soon connect it to that seat outlet. You do not remember that you are travelling on a budget train to cut down on expenses, and budget trains do not have electrical outlets. In a few minutes, your phone will die, leaving you irritated at yourself. You still have six tedious hours to get to your destination, no books, and too much caffeine in your system means you cannot even fall asleep.

But you can spare yourself all that drama if you just get a portable power bank.

There are many types of power banks, each with different features. But do not get overwhelmed. One way to choose the most suitable one for you is to check how many times it can charge your phone before you have to charge it yourself and whether or not it can charge multiple devices all at once. Also, make sure you are buying a trusted brand.

9. Universal travel adapter

At some point, you will need to charge your power bank, which you may have thought is pretty easy since your hotel room has multiple electrical outlets. So you get back late at night, remember to plug the power bank in so it can finish charging by the time you wake up.

But oops! This outlet does not seem to match your plug. It is different from any outlet you have ever seen anywhere back home.

Like imperial and metric units, every country uses a different power system, which results in differently-looking electrical outlets. What is common in your country may not exist in the country you are visiting. That is why getting a universal travel adapter is necessary to spare yourself all that hassle.

A universal travel adapter is a small device with multiple plugs that fit in the most common electrical outlets used in most countries. It also has two USB ports, so you can charge your devices easily.

10. Portable luggage and door locks

It is important to feel safe wherever you are. One way to do that is to get a luggage lock to prevent it from opening by accident. Even if your luggage has a built-in lock, it is recommended that you use another one for extra protection.

Another way to gain extra privacy and safety is to use a portable door. This way, whenever you leave your room, you are sure no one can get in. Door locks are easy to install on any door that opens inward and are pretty cheap, too.

11. Credit cards or cash for tourist debit cards

As recommended by your parents, your friends, your intuition, and everyone else on the Internet, you should not carry a lot of cash when moving around, especially in a different country. This is where credit and debit cards come in handy. You can stay safe and light by paying with them or withdrawing the exact amounts you want from any nearby cash machine.

However, those same credit cards can be useless in some countries, such as Iran, where Visas, MasterCards, American Expresses, and others are not accepted. Instead, tourists can buy debit cards to use in the country. They can load cash onto these prepaid cards and use them as temporary credit cards.

In this case, you must carry cash to load onto your new card. You can determine the amount based on the currency exchange rate, the duration of your trip, and the cost of living in the country you visit. This is a little bit hectic but super helpful.

12. Books, games, music and other activities to kill the time

While travelling is so much fun, it gets a bit boring and worn before you reach your final destination. So, you must think of different ways to keep yourself occupied as you move from here to there.

Reading an exciting book is a great way to kill time. Fiction, especially crime fiction, is entertaining and easy to indulge in. You may also take some time to create a playlist of your favourite songs to listen to during your trip. You can choose songs from your teenage and childhood years, as long as they make you feel good, of course, yet, in general, select vacation-related songs to keep your spirits up and help you stay in that fun vacation mood.

If you travel with kids, bringing a few things to keep them distracted is even more vital for you than for them! So check what they like, what keeps them busy for an extended period and what you can easily pack and carry on. This can be anything from card games and colouring books to paper puzzles and short stories.

Mobile games are also an option and a more favourable one for both kids and adults. But it is better to take this trip as a time off screen. We all know how vital that is.

13. Comfortable shoes

While yellow beach flip-flops and sandals are very vocational, it would be better to limit them to beach trips and exchange them for comfortable sports shoes if you plan on exploring the city on foot.

Unfortunately, many people underestimate the importance of wearing comfortable shoes that provide the necessary support for their feet and make it easier to walk long distances without feeling tired. Comfortable shoes also improve blood circulation, prevent foot problems, support the back and spine, and generally help maintain good posture.

14. Other Travel Essentials

Other things that may or may not be vital for you to pack include a hair dryer, personal towels, eye drops, a portable handheld fan, tea bags, facial spray, compression socks, a luggage scale and a raincoat! A collapsible one could be an easy-to-carry option, as you must always carry a water bottle to stay hydrated all day.

That said, some people like to take their travel essentials to a fancy level by packing multiple sunglasses cases, a travel jewellery box, a cable organizer, a travel blanket, or a laundry bag. Speaking of laundry, some carry an on-the-go detergent to hand-wash their clothes in the bathroom sink. This could be helpful if your instant stain remover is not very instant or if you like a piece of outfit too much and want to wear it again.

Others upgrade their list of travel essentials to an annoyingly overwhelming level by packing binder clips to use as hangers, a mini steamer to iron their clothes, a sewing kit for any emergency stitches, a solar charger for when they forget their power banks and travel adapters, duct tapes, bobby pins, gum, and portable mattresses for whatever other misfortunate scenarios their wild imagination comes up with!

If done right, planning a trip can be as fun as the trip itself. The Internet is full of websites and tools that can help you plan the best trip. Are you going on a budget vacation or a fancy, lavish one? Is your destination local or international? Do you like the country or the city? Are you looking forward to a beach vacation or a road trip? Everything you want is there and accessible. Just make sure you ask the right questions.