Whether you’re a frequent traveller or planning your first trip, I can guarantee that you have left behind an essential item before or that you definitely will in the future.
Apart from the obvious essentials like passports and other travel documents, sunglasses, camera etc., some handy little items are easily overlooked, but they can simplify your travelling experience to a great extent. When travelling you don’t have the convenience of going back to a fully kitted out home with everything you need, sometimes you’ll even find yourself miles from the nearest store! Below you’ll find a mini checklist of the less obvious items sure to help you out when you find yourself in a pickle:
Bandanna
As random as it may seem, the bandanna is a jack of all trades in your backpack and it takes up virtually NO space! This nifty piece of cloth functions as a hand towel, camera lens cleaner, hair tie/headband, scarf, a quick emergency sling for an injured arm, bandage or you can tie some loose belongings up in it to carry around with ease.
Duct tape
This is a handy tool to keep in your backpack, provided of course that you’re not planning on kidnapping anyone and holding them hostage – be prepared to explain your possession of duct tape to airport officials in the event that they do ask! A small roll is cheap and can fit in your suitcase or carry-on. Uses include: taping up a suitcase that exploded (from all the gifts you bought), patching up shoes when hiking/walking (also helps with waterproofing), fixing up your travel journal when the spine gets worn and you can remove lint from clothing. You will probably figure out additional uses as well as you go along.
Wet wipes
These are not only handy for babies and toddlers with sticky hands, they are also useful for public restrooms and other surfaces (buy the germ killing kind!). They also make fantastic face/neck wipes after a long flight or walking about sightseeing all day AND they make you feel all cool and fresh - like a mini bath in a packet.
Travel bottles for toiletries etc.
Being an essential item, I assume you have some of these already. For your next trip however, opt for the silicone bottles – they are soft and flexible, allowing you to use all of the gooey stuff inside without shaking and banging a bottle on the counter to get that last little drop of shampoo. They also last longer than their plastic cousins.
Safety pins
These can be used as a replacement when a button or zip malfunctions, securing zippers on backpacks to keep those pesky pickpockets at bay and you can effortlessly tack up your pant legs when trudging through wet, muddy terrain.
Ziplock bags
I’m not even going to explain this one because if I have to list all of the uses for ziplock bags, you’ll be reading this blog until next week this time!
Happy packing!
Written by: Christine Kleyn
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