Practical travel gear

Essentials

What you need depends on you and your destinations — Some items are useful only in certain places: temperate vs tropical, urban vs rural and so on. Others depend on your travel style, where something that is indispensable for a mid-range traveler would never be used by a budget traveler (or vice versa).
Prioritize your list — Consider the gear below and create your personal classification: “must have,” “nice to have” or “extra.” You don’t need the “extras” and probably none of the “nice to have” items either.
Be ruthless about minimizing — Anything that “might come in handy” should be cut. Items that you will use infrequently, or even just once, should be cut. Cut anything that you can buy, borrow or rent at your destination should the need arise.
Make small & light a priority — You can take more gear if at least some of it is especially compact and light weight. (That still doesn’t mean you can take something already cut from your list.)
Quality matters — It’s not good if an item fails when you need it and it cannot be repaired or replaced locally.

This page does not include luggage accessories or travel tech accessories.

You have your luggage, clothing, travel tech and personal care products figured out. What other practical travel gear should you bring from home? Some stuff is mandatory, such as a minimal first-aid kit. Other items depend upon your travel situation.

The list below is all useful stuff, but maybe not for you. How can you be sure that something is worth taking from home? For any item you’re considering, ask yourself:

In what situation would the item be used? — Imagine yourself using the item. If you have trouble with that, you don’t need it. Some activities, notably hiking, trekking or camping, require special gear.
How often will that situation occur? — If you will use the item only a few times, especially over a longer trip, it might not be worth it. For example, a water filter that takes up precious space in your luggage might be used during a hike that is just a small part of your whole trip, but it will take up space in your luggage for the entire time (unless you sell it, give it away or mail it home).
What’s the bulk & weight trade-off? — Think hard about whether a bulky or heavy item is worth it. On the other hand, an eyeglass repair kit might never be used, but takes up hardly any space or weight.
Can you buy it at your destination? — If you end up needing an item, can you buy it on the road? A cotton t-shirt can be bought anywhere. But looking for a water filter in a strange city could be a quest for the Holy Grail. Prepare to pay high prices for specialized stuff, too.
Is it a specialty item? — Some gear, especially the small, light, high-tech gear favored by one bag travelers, can’t be purchased in your destination countries. A surprising number of items available in the US are not available even in other rich countries, let alone in middle or poor ones.

Once you’ve got a list, consider the total bulk, weight and cost of the entire collection. Add it to your clothing, travel tech and personal care products to estimate how it will fit in the volume you have available in your luggage.

Does it make sense? If it seems like it’s still too much, which single item is the lowest priority? Strike it from your list and re-assess. Repeat as necessary until you feel you can’t travel if you cut the next item on your list..

(If you haven’t selected your main travel bag yet, your collected stuff might suggest the size of bag you should get. Do your best to keep it carry-on size, even to the point of removing clothing or gear from your list.)

First aid kit

This section covers what you need for minor health and medical problems. It does not include your prescription medications, anti-malaria prophylaxis or items that could be considered personal care products (sun screen, insect repellant…).

You definitely need at least a basic first aid kit that is small enough to carry in your day bag. You’re much more likely to need some instant care while doing your daily activities than back in your room for the night. So the kit needs to be tiny, light and preferably in a soft container. You can have backup supplies of commonly used items that need replenishment, such as bandaids, in your main bag back in your room.

When people think of first aid, there’s a strong tendency to consider all sorts of “what if” situations. In response, you might want to include a treatment for each one and end up with a first aid kit big enough for an army medic. Think about where you will go, what illness or injury you could encounter and how much time it could take to reach basic medical care. You don’t need a big kit unless you’re going on an expedition where even basic medical help is hours away.

For example, you could cut yourself at any time, so antiseptic wipes and a bandaid should be in your day bag. If you are on a long bus trip and suddenly get loose bowels, you simply must have an anti-diarrhea medicine. If you’re heading off trekking, where you could be hours walk from a dispensary or clinic, you’ll need more. But in most places you’ll be, there’s a nearby clinic or pharmacy where you can get the necessary dressings and medicines.

Day bag first aid kit

The mini-kit in your day bag should include:

Pain control / fever reduction tablets (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, paracetamol…)
Sterile wipes
Antibiotic ointment
3-4 assorted bandaids (plasters)
Blister patches (especially if your footwear isn’t completely broken in or you’re doing a long march)

Everything else, such as antihistamines, an anti-diarrheal, anti-itch ointment and so on can be left in your main bag or purchased as necessary.

First aid supplies for special situations

Some items are particular to you or your activities:

Motion sickness medication if you’re susceptible and will take a lot of flights, boats or lurching buses.
Yeast infection tablets (not the cream) if you have a history of susceptibility to yeast infections.
Altitude sickness tablets if you’re going to over 2500 meters (8000 feet). Even if you give yourself time to adjust to elevation, some people react badly, no matter what. It could be you.

If you’re going into the back country, you might not be able to find a few items:

Broad spectrum antibiotic.
Blood clotting agent (such as Celox or Quik-clot).
SAM splint (for sprains and breaks).
Syringes (poor country clinics may reuse syringes, but you should not trust their sterilization).

Laundry kit

As an independent traveler, especially if traveling one bag, you won’t have many sets of clothing and will often find yourself without quick and affordable laundry services. Then there’s no choice but to do it yourself. If doing your own laundry is rare, you can get by with just the Must-have items. But if it’s what you do all the time, consider some of the Nice-to-have items.

Must-have

Laundry clotheslines — You need laundry lines to dry clothing in your room. Yes, that’s two laundry lines strung together, since one is not long enough. They should be of braided rubber, allowing you to pinch your clothing between the braids to hang dry.
Detergent or soap — Bring only the tiniest amount of powder detergent in sachets from home, enough for your first batch of laundry. Replenish at your destination. Detergent is available almost everywhere, although you might have to buy an inconveniently large bag from time to time. Laundry bar soap is also available, although not as convenient to use in a sink, where you don’t have a good scrubbing surface. Don’t carry liquid detergent due to airline baggage restrictions, risk of leakage in your luggage, bulk and weight.
Rag — Any old piece of absorbent cloth will do to clean your bag, shoes and other soiled gear.

Good-to-have

Sink stopper — If you’re going to do your laundry in the sink, you need to fill the sink with water. That’s not a problem in a good quality lodge, but many budget lodges are missing the sink stopper entirely, so the water drains away instantly. In other lodges, the built-in stopper is not a good seal and the water disappears before you can finish. A simple rubber disk that covers the sink drain solves this problem. There is a no-cost hack for this: stuff rolled-up socks into the sink drain. However, if you’ve seen the drains in many budget lodges, they can get so disgusting that you might not want to wear those socks ever again.
Scrub brush — A standard stiff-bristled, small scrub brush is helpful for getting stains out. It can also be used for cleaning your luggage and footwear.
Travel towel — While you might sometimes need a towel for drying your body, a large towel is indispensable for squeezing water out of freshly done laundry. Removing the excess water by rolling each wet garment in the towel and squeezing it (be careful about twisting any garment that might stretch) will speed-up drying time considerably. Only an ultra-light and compressible microfiber towel is suitable for one bag travel. A conventional towel is far to bulky and heavy.
Inflatable hangars — Use these to hang shirts and pants to lessen wrinkling and speed drying. They are very small when uninflated.
Scrub bag — Instead of using a sink, you can wash your laundry in a sealed bag, either a sturdy dry bag or the specialized Scrubba bag, which has nodules on the inside surface to help scrub the garments.
Gloves — If you use a sink instead of a scrub bag and your hands are sensitive to detergent, you might bring rubber gloves. Strangely, they are very hard to find in many poor countries.

Sewing & repair kit

Just a tiny kit will help with any repairs to clothing, luggage, even footwear. Is a commercial kit an option or is it easier to assemble from scratch?

Needles — You’ll need one light needle for clothing and one heavier one for luggage seams, zipper tapes and other thick material.
Thread — Most sewing kits come with black and white thread. Those default threads may not be particularly strong, so you might want to replace them. You may also want to get thread with better color match to your main clothing theme and the color of your soft luggage.
Gaffer’s tape — This is an all purpose tape, handy for quick repairs to luggage and other fixes where you might use duct tape. It’s harder to find than duct tape, but is easier to peel off. You won’t need much — wrap a small item such as a pen with maybe an arm’s length.
Super glue — This stuff comes in tiny tubes and is useful for many repairs (some travelers even use it to close wounds). Most of your stuff is made of flexible material, so get the type of super glue that is flexible when it dries (regular super glue is quite brittle).

Shoe kit

It’s critical to keep your footwear in good condition, since you’ll be on your feet so much while traveling. That means not only protecting the exterior from water, salt and abrasion, but having footwear that looks good enough for a casual social occasion. You don’t need a commercial kit; they’re really for business travelers and are too bulky. Simply gather the needed items yourself and put them in a container that makes sense for you.

Polish or cleaner — If your footwear is leather, you’ll need a polish. Don’t use liquids or creams. Get a tiny tin of the cake type instead. If your footwear is made of synthetics, all you need to do is clean it with soap and water.
Waterproofing — It’s a good idea to waterproof your walking shoes before leaving home. It’s not really worth bringing more waterproofing with you. If your shoes really need it again, search for a local solution.
Buffing rag — Save the space taken by a dedicated shoe brush and buff your shoes with a cotton rag.
Spare laces — You’d be amazed how hard it is to find laces in some places, especially if they’re an unusual length or color. Quality can often be very poor as well. Bring at least one pair of spares from home.

Food & drink kit

Water bottle — Don’t be one of those travelers who leaves a mountain of plastic water bottles in their wake. As long as you can be confident of the source of water or purify water yourself, use a tight sealing water bottle that fits in or on your day bag.
Water purifier — To be entirely confident that tap or stream water is free of protozoa, bacteria and viruses, you will have to process the water yourself. According to the CDC:
- Boiling water is effective, but it’s hard for travelers to do.
- A combination of filtration (maximum 0.3 microns) and chemical treatment (iodine or chlorine) is the only other highly effective purification against protozoa, bacteria and viruses.
- UV alone is not enough in many situation. Too many travelers think that a SteriPen is enough. It’s not.
- Disinfectant alone is not enough either.
Collapsible bowls — Collapsible silicon bowls with tight-fitting lids have many uses:
- Disinfecting fresh fruit and vegetables (in treated water).
- Preparing uncooked food from the grocery or market (a great money saver in rich countries).
- Receiving street food when you’re doubtful about the cleanliness of the dishes.
- Taking leftovers from restaurants and street food stalls. (Don’t keep food more than a few hours if you don’t have refrigeration.)
Spork — Functioning as both spoon and fork, this single implement comes in handy when eating in your room or at street stalls where the cutlery may not be clean.
Immersion heater — Use this little electric coil to heat water for coffee, tea or noodle soup. It is not intended to cook anything. In a pinch, it can be used to purify water. For one bag travelers, it is likely the only fixed voltage appliance, make sure it’s 110v or 220v as appropriate for your destinations.
Metal cup — A large metal mug is great for making beverages or soup. Make sure it has some protection against burning your lips on the hot edge.
Tea / coffee filter — A simple filter can be used to make coffee from ground beans or tea from loose leaves. The combination of the filter, a large cup and an immersion heater will allow you to make a hot beverage in your room. You can have that hot cup at 5 a.m. and save money from buying coffee or tea in restaurants.

Sleep kit

Sleep is so important to the quality of your trip. If you’re not rested, a transport leg can be more exhausting than fascinating and a day’s activities can be a chore. Yet moving from room to room and bed to bed can disrupt quality rest. While you will do what you can to ensure that your room and bed are restful, there are a few items that can help you get better rest.

Ear plugs — Travel will throw you into new and noisy places all the time. Some people can sleep through any noise. If you can’t, use earplugs.
Sleep mask — If you need darkness to sleep, even the cheap sleep masks provided free by airlines will help.
Travel pillow — The more long transport legs you take, the more you will try to sleep en route. And you will sleep better if your head isn’t nodding and bobbing.
Sleep sack — Used mainly by budget travelers. Many hostels require you to have your own sleep sack (also called a sleeping bag liner). They are also handy where the bedding in your lodge, sleeper train or bus isn’t clean or warm enough.

You will need to assemble any of these that you need, since there is no commercially packaged kit. Ear plugs and sleep masks are sometimes sold together.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are required because chances are you chose sunny destinations and will spend a lot of time outdoors, exposing your eyes to UVA and UVB radiation.

Not all sunglasses are created equal. Sure, you can buy a cheap pair, but they will not have quality optics and might not maximize UVA/UVB filtering. They will also scratch or break easily. Nor do you need an expensive pair of fashion sunglasses, since sunglasses are one of the “most lost” travel articles. (It’s a shame you left those $300 designer glasses on your lounger at the beach, went for a swim and — poof! — they’re gone.)

The same advice applies to sunglasses as to prescription glasses: the most durable are full plastic frames, moulded plastic nose piece (if your nose doesn’t require individual wire nose pieces) and spring-loaded earpiece joints that flex when bumped.

Wearers of prescription eyeglasses have options: UV-sensitive tinting on your regular glasses, clip-on sunglasses or an entirely separate pair of prescription sunglasses.

You should have a hardshell case for your sunglasses. Since they will be worn only a small percentage of the time, they’ll be vulnerable to breakage all the rest of the time.

How to choose sunglasses

Like shoes and backpacks, you need to put sunglasses on your face to see whether you like the look and whether they fit correctly.

If you already wear eyeglasses, you have an advantage in online shopping, since you know sizing and what types of frames (and especially nosepieces) work for you.

Should you want to order online, check the returns policy of the seller and give yourself enough time to return a rejected pair and try another.

Umbrella

Travelers spend a great deal of time outdoors, so getting caught in the rain is inevitable. Okay, you’re in the Jordanian desert… use the umbrella as portable shade, as is common in tropical Asia.

On any day when there’s a risk of rain, you need rain gear that will take minimal space in your day bag. Water repellant outerwear is one option, but outerwear is bulky and heavy. In the tropics, a waterproof jacket or rain cape is too hot. A telescoping umbrella is a smaller and lighter solution. The exception, of course, is when a strong or gusty wind is blowing.

Towel

Most lodges provide you with a towel, but not all hostels do. You might need one at the beach, too. For many travelers, a towel is used mostly to squeeze the water out of fresh washed clothing.

A conventional towel is far too bulky and heavy for travel, but a microfiber travel towel will serve very well.

Flashlight (torch)

When you travel, you can’t always know when you’ll be caught out in a poorly lit district after dark, need to illuminate your room in the event of a power failure or find your way along darkened pathways or corridors in your lodge. You may also want road traffic to see you or need an emergency beacon to let help know where you are.

You have two choices: a phone with a built-in flashlight or a dedicated flashlight. There are now some dual purpose devices that combine a flashlight with another function, such as a backup battery for your phone. If you need that other function, this type of flashlight could be a good choice.

You can default to the phone flashlight if your need is rare and you don’t need to light anything further than a couple of meters (yards). After all, a phone flashlight has a low lumens rating, so it doesn’t cast a strong beam very far. It’s okay for watching where you’re placing your feet as you walk in the dark or fumbling around in your room. But it’s not strong enough or focussed enough to view down the street or look for signage at a distance. And it’s pretty much useless if you’re out in the country at night. You can’t see enough to reconnoitre. For that, you need a dedicated flashlight with a higher lumens rating and perhaps a lens, so that you can focus or spread the light.

Another downside to a phone flashlight is that you have to carry it in your hand, leaving you just one hand for any other task. A phone is also an attractive target for thieves who could lurk just a few meters away, outside your range of illumination.

On the other hand, if you get a dedicated flashlight, there’s a fair argument that it should be a headlamp. The headband adds a small amount of webbing to your luggage, but leaves both hands free.

Tote bag

Security devices

Travelers, especially solo women, need to be very conscious of room safety. Forget mace or pepper spray, which is likely to be confiscated. There are devices to either reinforce the door or at least alert you to an attempt at unwanted entry.

Simple stuff you (might) need

There are a bunch of small, low-cost items that cost nothing or next to nothing, but prove very useful:

Watertight bags — The famous Ziploc or a similar brand has many uses. Sandwich size are good for keeping small stuff (documents!) dry. Gallon size are good for airport security, wet laundry, the instant travel pillow (described above) and much else. Be sure to get the heavy gauge plastic with the simple but sturdy closure.
Binder clips — Medium size binder clips can be used to pin the gap in hotel curtains, hang heavy gear to dry, gather your cables, close your detergent bag, wrap your ear buds, prop up your phone beside your bed or even to perch your filter into your metal mug while steeping tea. Check out some options this video.
Scotch tape — For sealing containers of liquids and tops of powder shakers.
Notebook & pen — You should have at least a tiny notebook and pen for writing logistical information and notes to yourself or others on the fly.
Journal — If you want to keep a journal (highly recommended by many travelers), don’t carry anything too big. You can always get a second journal en route. Since journals are so precious, it would be a tragedy if you left it on the bus or a cafe table. Consider shooting a picture of each page fairly frequently. Then email the photos to yourself or store them in DropBox (or other cloud storage).
Gifts — Tiny gifts are appreciated. Forget the pens for schoolchildren. They can get pens and in some places pens from tourists has turned into a resale racket. The best giveaways are souvenirs of your home, such as a decal, sticker, postcard or lapel pin. They have no intrinsic value but make a friendly connection. The usual rules apply: gifts should be very low volume and light.

Stuff you don’t need

There are plenty of popular publications and blogs telling you to take this or you can’t possibly get by without that. In fact, you can get by without a whole lot. They fall into four basic categories:

Special gear required for limited situations — You don’t need to travel with specialized kit (camping gear, a surfboard, climbing equipment etc.) unless that activity is entirely central to your trip. An alternative is to buy or rent the gear near to your activity destination and not have to carry it before or after.
Stuff you can buy locally and usually for less — Mosquito nets, mosquito coils, insect repellant, sun screen, laundry powder… While specialized travel gear may not be available, consumables will be.
Stuff you can’t put in a carry-on bag — Assuming you’re not checking your main bag, you will be limited by space, weight and airport security restrictions. You’ll have to leave that multi-tool at home. Besides, as handy as they look, how often do you need an awl or a tiny saw or any of the tools on that thing apart from a blade? Buy a cheap knife locally. If you’re feeling lucky, you can try to board with something like the Leatherman Micra, although it’s lacking the one tool that could be really useful for a self-catering budget traveler: a can opener. Never mind that hair dryer, travel iron or other bulky and heavy electrical appliance.
Stuff they said you “had to have” in that magazine or blog — There are innumerable gadgets and clothing accessories for travel. Some of them look like they might even be useful, while others are just ridiculous. And there’s a whole blogging subculture about gadgets for business travelers and another subculture about how to look hip while traveling. Think very carefully about any of this stuff. Chances are, it’s not a “must have” after all. If you’re tempted and have the budget to acquire this junk, well okay, but buy a big check-in bag.