It can be tricky to narrow down what you actually need to take when you’re going travelling, especially if packing light isn’t your speciality.
There are so many recommendations out there about what to take. Here are some of the best things that I have taken with me on my travels to Asia and Europe.
*Disclaimer*
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Collapsible Tupperware and cutlery
I was sceptical about how much we would use these but they turned out to be very useful. To save money we often eat breakfast in our hotel room. This will usually consist of granola/cereal and yogurt. Obviously some sort of container and cutlery is essential to be able to eat this.
The Tupperware and cutlery were also useful for making sandwich pack ups. Making your own sandwiches saves a lot of money!
Definitely pack both of these items for your trip.
Fire stick (and remote!)
We aren’t big party people and we enjoy a chilled evening in watching some Netflix. Taking the Fire stick meant we could plug it into the hotel TV and watch Netflix in bed.
Just make sure you don’t forget the remote or forget to unplug the stick before you leave your accommodation!
I wanted to get back into reading whilst travelling but I didn’t want to be carting around heavy books. Jacob got me a kindle as a Christmas present before we left the UK, and I have got so much use out of it.
It’s lightweight and it can even fit in my bumbag. Make sure you get a case for it though because I found that it does scratch easily.
I saw these all over TikTok so of course we each got one. I don’t like them for their hanging feature (I haven’t hung it up once) but I do think you can fit more in them compared to a normal toiletry bag.
I like that there are 4 different compartments in the style I have so I don’t have to worry about liquids leaking onto everything else.
These were a very last minute (in Heathrow airport) decision but I’m very glad I got them. They have been perfect for noisy buses, planes and also for using in the gym.
This was always going to be an essential for me. I wear glasses and struggle to see in normal mirrors because of bad lighting. A small light up mirror means I can see properly when applying make up or just doing my eyebrows.
The one I have is rechargeable too so I don’t have to worry about the batteries running out.
I used this every single day in Asia. It only cost a tenner so it’s probably the best value for money item that I purchased.
The bum bag that I have has four separate compartments which is ideal. I can fit everything that I need in it and it keeps all my belongings close to my body to reduce the risk of being robbed.
Uniqlo bum bag
I took this bag with me on our travels to Europe purely because it was a bit more stylish than my Amazon bum bag. I actually found that I could fit more in it than my Amazon bum bag.
The only downside was it doesn’t have any separate pockets or compartments so I can be a bit hard to find what you’re looking for in the bag.
These were all over backpacking TikTok too so I thought we would give them a go. They’re very useful for keeping everything organised in our bags. The fact that they compress means it reduces the space it takes up inside the bag. Overall pretty good.
I have only used this a handful of times but that is a good thing. I have used it in a few hotels and on a sleeper train when the pillow provided looked a bit gross.
Having my own pillowcase gives me peace of mind that I’m not putting my face on something dirty.
We each have a cable organiser where we store all of our cables. This makes sure we don’t lose any of our wires. In Asia we had one each but we managed to share one in Europe to save space. You can actually fit a lot into one.
This has been a lifesaver. In Asia I was only washing my hair once a week to prevent water damage so I was in desperate need of dry shampoo. The powder is in a small grey tube so takes up minimal space and it lasts for ages. A great product.
We tried out a few different travel pillows before settling on the Flowzoom pillow. I’m very glad we went for this one. It’s a very good neck pillow and it can also be used to just lay on. I found it pretty useful on the sleeper buses in Vietnam. It rolls up very tightly and fits into a sleeve which can easily be clipped to the outside of your bag.
These are an essential to keep your bags secure. Use them in airports, on transport, and in your accommodation to keep your valuables secure.
The TSA approved locks mean that airport security can open them using a special key if necessary without needing to break the lock.
We also got ones with a flexible wire so they could be tied around things if necessary.
We had an AirTag in our day bags and in our big bags. This was more of a peace of mind kind of thing, and luckily we never lost any of our luggage.
However we did have a strange incident where Jacob’s AirTag somehow came out of his big backpack in Singapore airport and ended up outside the airport, despite the fact we never left the airport. Spooky…
Shower filter
This is, in my opinion, an item that is specific to travelling in Asia. The water in Asia is incredibly harsh and is full of harmful metals and bacteria. This can be very damaging to your hair and skin if you aren’t used to this type of water.
After months in Asia my hair was suffering from sun damage and damage from sea water. It was feeling pretty dry and coming out quite a bit when I washed and brushed it. I think that the shower filter prevented further damage and without this my hair would have been in a very sorry state.
The shower filter that I used was from Travel With Hair which was created by a woman called Holly who lost her hair due to the harsh water when she moved to Bali.
Down to Earth Travel 
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