Worthwhile Additions to Any Traveler’s Suitcase

Taking the time to travel abroad can be a truly soul-sustaining effort, and it may even help you find yourself. That being said, travel is not just a spiritually uplifting and thoroughly enticing adventure to focus on, but it’s also an expressed set of skills and the result of practical thinking that allows us to travel carefully and with confidence.

Part of traveling correctly is learning about your environment, researching your destinations, and figuring out the best paths forward. This means, it’s important to figure out exactly what you should carry with you on any given day. Also, practical planning before you leave your home can be essential.

In this post, we hope to explore worthwhile additions to any traveler’s suitcase. No matter if you’re a seasoned traveler or someone just starting out, we hope that you can use this list as a reference whenever you have travel plans coming up. So, consider this:

A Spare Mobile Phone

A spare mobile phone can be a vital last resort when needing to contact someone in an emergency, or if struggling to receive a signal on your main handset. When we’re out and about during our travels, it can be easy to get lost or separated from your group, and so ensuring you have a phone on you at all times is important. But what if you lose it, forget to charge it one day, or have it stolen? Then you’re in real trouble. Picking up a cheap handset with a smarty sim only can help you top up the number in a contractless rolling charge, giving you the chance to back yourself up when in need of emergency communication. Odds are, this could save you from quite the sticky situation.

A Map

Many of us are all too used to using GPS systems and phone apps to look at maps, and there’s nothing particularly wrong with this. In fact, it can be a superior method because you can easily identify where you are, print out journey instructions and also view local businesses open in your area.

The only downside to viewing maps on electronic devices is that they are battery-charged and will eventually stop working without maintenance. A paper map, on the other hand, can rip but will never run out of energy. Additionally, you can easily take notes on a map which can be very helpful. Even more than this, a local map created by a tourist board or local authority may have more detail than an option provided by Google. Locals will often know the land in a much more intimate manner. For instance, when hiking through a large national park or reserve, purchasing one of these maps could be essential. This can help you out in a bind if all other options fail or you need something more detailed to begin with.

Weatherproof Clothing

Weatherproof clothing is important to bring with you in some capacity. ‘Waterproof’ may not necessarily mean shielding yourself from heavy rainfall with a raincoat, although this certainly falls within the definition. If hiking in a warmer climate, breathable fabrics could be considered weather-resistant, because they enable your skin to breath and for you to sweat naturally as you move through the environment.

Sunglasses, hats that shield your eyes and neck from the sunlight, waterproof walking boots or slip-on beach shoes that protect against jellyfish or debris can all be of service, and so it’s important for you to prepare. If you’re in a warm and noticeably tropical climate, you may have to deal with very many weather conditions during your vacation, such as heavy downpours and intense temperatures. If traveling from one country to another or moving to or from the equator you may find yourself continually changing your weather exposure, and so it’s important to prepare for that also. The more you can do this, the better off you will be in the long run.

Hidden Money Pouches

Money is, of course, one of the most important resources to use and protect when abroad, and it’s also something that will be targeted. Each year, thieves steal from thousands of tourists through pickpocketing, hotel intrusions, or flat out robberies. This is not the norm, but it does happen, so it’s important to prepare for it. When you are not traveling in groups, be especially aware and stay safe (that is, don’t be too flashy in public settings). It may also be important to hide your money.

Hidden money pouches can give you this benefit. Additionally, a fake wallet can help you in case you are forcibly robbed. Having some money accessible that no one else knows about, or a spare card for a savings account you can use abroad, will give you an advantage in case of a robbery. It’s not hard to see just how useful this can be in a range of situations.

This also serves a dual purpose. You may find that having a few hundred dollars (or whatever your currency may be) in a hidden place can help you in a sticky situation where you require cash. And if you don’t need to use the money, perhaps you could use it to treat yourself on the way back.

A Mini-First Aid Kit

A mini-first aid kit alongside your medications and instructions for using them is important. You never know when you may cut yourself, whether on the beach or swimming in the ocean. Additionally, it could be hard to find medications easily where you’re going, so heading to a destination with some spare medications could be essential. Also, consider your destination. Hiking in a humid and sunny climate could trigger asthma in some people, while others may react with sunburn or other skin conditions. To this end, prevention and a cure (even if that’s just sun cream and sunburn gel) can be an effective solution. It’s worth keeping this in mind.

Light Entertainment

Not everything needs to be focused on your survival. Your tactical gear and awesome hiking equipment won’t be very useful when you’re stranded in an airport because of a 5-hour delay. In this situation, a light paperback book, a spare battery charger for your phone so you can stream content, or an easy-to-set-up board game can be very useful.

Light entertainment helps pass the time, and it gives you a chance to breathe and take a break. Load up your smartphone with podcasts or audiobook episodes for the flight, or ensure your music is saved offline via apps such as Apple Music and Spotify.

A Camera

Of course, you don’t have to take pictures while you’re abroad, but it can be nice to do so. Most of us have a more than capable camera on our mobile phones, but for more professional shots, bring along your SLR in a hard-shell carry case. Even a disposable camera for those vintage shots can be a lot of fun.

Taking pictures can help you relay your adventures to others, perhaps even convincing them to come with you next time. More than anything, carefully composing shots and taking pictures can add a little more fun to your adventures. Moreover, it can encourage you to get off the beaten path or find experiences you may not have had otherwise.

We hope you can apply these worthwhile additions to your suitcase, no matter where you’re going. You may only add one of these items or all of them. No matter what, we hope you’re able to enjoy your travels, inspired by the rest of the content on this website.