7 Travel Essentials Everyone Always Forgets

Travelling is fun, everyone loves it. However, there are certain situations that can arise that you never considered- even the minor things! I travelled for nearly a whole month straight to different places and only brought a carry on. The space was limited, but it fit the travel essentials I needed and used during the trip. So here’s a list of things I carry and have learned to bring next time I go pack to travel.

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1. Laundry Detergent

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This is one of those travel products you don’t often think about. If you don’t want to carry anything heavy, bring a small bag of the powder-detergent. I’d stay away from laundry-pods because not only are they expensive, but are more difficult to use to hand wash loads when there aren’t any washing machines available to use. Hand washing things like: undergarments, bathing suits, and small loads in the sink are perfect for if you need a piece of clothing quickly. Using detergent beats using the hotel bars of soap big time!

During the long trip, we ran into a hiccup in Greece that needed our trip to be extended about a week. So in that case, we had to do laundry. Can you believe that hotels charge about $2 USD for detergent for one load?! It’s also the same cost to turn on the washing machine, get dryer sheets, and use the dryer. It’s ridiculous! Make sure you put detergent on your travel products to bring list. It’s light and doesn’t take up much space in a ziplock bag.

2. Running Shoes

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We all want to look cute in photos, that’s a given. However, you need to be very practical about your travels as well. Even though you don’t think you’ll be hiking or taking part of any physical strenuous activities, bring a comfortable pair of running shoes or sneakers as one of your travel essentials. Even walking on flat, paved ground for a long time can be tiring. Hiking up Split, Croatia made me thankful I brought running shoes with me.

I’d recommend wearing them and then changing into cute shoes that you can carry in a backpack for photos. I ran into a lot of surprise staircases and slopes on my long trip in places Venice and Salt Lake City that made me thankful that I wore the running shoes. 

3. Power Bar & Adapter

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This is specific to trips overseas that have different outlets, causing you to need an adapter to use your electronics in the country. When buying an adapter, make sure it has surge protection and conversions so your chargers and other electronics don’t get fried.

Once you have an adapter, a power bar or strip is one of the most important and neglected travel essentials. Power bars are what’s neglected on peoples’ lists of travel products to bring. It’s great that you have an adapter, but only one means you can only charge 1-2 things at a time (unless you brought a laptop, in that case you have to charge things slowly through USB). We made that mistake when we went to Paris, France. It was just shifts on and off through the night to charge everything. If you’re not a solo traveller, that can become a problem. So I’d recommend that you’d get a power bar so you have enough outlets for everyone.

4. Pocket Wifi

Phone plans can be expensive, but even if you get data from your service providers, it can still be extremely slow and unresponsive. We had to travel blindly a lot around Europe because our data was slow overseas regardless if it was “LTE”. So if you can, get wifi that fits in your pocket so you’ll always have internet everywhere!

5. Non-Perishable Snacks

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A lot of people bring snacks, but not a lot consider to bring snacks that are filling. For example, granola or protein bars. These are great to throw in your purse or backpack on the go while exploring your destinations. When we hiked around the Grand Canyon, it was great to have granola bars to snack on throughout the day. Sometimes it’s hard to find a food place that isn’t overcrowded or your body finds it hard to adjust to the new timezone to eat at appropriate times. In our case, we were always too far from any food locations to just walk there and stand in line for forever. In that instance, when you’re on the go, a filling granola or protein bar will be great to pull out to eat.

6. Refillable Water Bottle

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Unlike the United States and Canada, water isn’t always free and drinkable. Add a durable water bottle to your travel essentials list because it will come in handy. If you need to take motion sickness pills before boat or plane rides, it will save you money to refill it at the airport before hand instead of buying a bottle of water. You can also store ice from hotels in it that can melt down into water if your hotel doesn’t have water fountains. If you’re craving juice, you can refill the bottle with juice from breakfast in the hotel lobby and leave it in the fridge of your hotel room. And finally, just use it to avoid buying water bottles because not only is it bad for the environment, but in some places, water bottles can get very pricey. This is definitely something not to be neglected.

7. Waterproof and Theft-proof Backpack

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Theft-proof backpacks can be hard to find on a budget, so consider getting locks from your hardware store to lock the zipper together instead. It won’t be slash-proof, but it’s an extra layer of caution. Plus, if I was a pick-pocketer, I’d be less likely to want to steal from something with a lock on it.

Having a trusty backpack is great for going anywhere when travelling. It’s one of my camera essentials. Make sure the straps are padded for maximum comfort for a long day. It’s also a good idea to invest in a quality bag that will last you through plenty of wears and adventures. I chuck a lot of camera equipment, snacks, water bottles, and other necessities in it and it allows me to be ready for anything. 

What are some travel essentials you can’t go on trips without?


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