5 travel Items that saved my hide

I try to pack as lightly as I possibly can, but other than my wallet and hand sanitizer these items are what I consider super essential for me when I travel. Don’t get me wrong, I can deal without them, but life is better and easier with them around. Let’s get right into it!

#1. Portable USB Charger

I cannot advocate for these things enough. I carry one everywhere I go especially in the winter when the cold saps the phone battery. It’s saved not just me but some friends as well. Atlas and I perpetually had to borrow each other’s for a half hour or so at the pub, and when I travelled abroad it was vital that my phone be powered. Keep a portable charger in your purse or backpack and you’ll travel with peace of mind wherever you go.

#2. A Good Sim Card

I have nothing but praise for Three, a European phone company that I used while I was in England. As long as your phone is unlocked you can just waltz into any Three store, get a sim card, pop it into your phone and have one month’s worry free method of communication. Unlimited talk and text and three gigs of data in 79 countries will cost you less than $30 Canadian. Being able to access the internet on my phone at a moment’s notice allowed Aunt River to see St. Chapelle when she otherwise wouldn’t have been able, and now more than ever with booking times being required for tourist attractions, you’ll need the internet while you roam the world.

#3. A Hooded Windbreaker

I despise umbrellas. They’re cumbersome, heavy, useless, and don’t even get me started on those little ones that ‘you can just slip into the corner of your purse!’ Maybe other purses but not mine. I can fit mostly everything I need in my purse for a day of exploring, but an umbrella does not make the cut. Get a windbreaker with a hood and you’ll be set to weather any storm. Make sure you have a sweater beneath in colder weather, but for wandering around the British Isles and Europe in Spring and Fall a windbreaker and sweater should do you fine.

#4. Sunblock.

No, not sunscreen, sunblock. SPF 100. They sell it in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart. This will literally save your skin. I don’t tan, I just burn, so I’m always sure that I bring some with me and put on an adequate amount. I mostly try to stick to the shade when I’m in sunny places, but I spent a week in Costa Rica with that stuff and while I saw others peeling from their burns on day 3 and 4, I had maybe a bit of red on my cheeks. It’s good stuff.

#5. Backpack food.

I am known for having constant access to snacks, and this comes in very handy when I’m traveling. My advice is that unless you’re on a city exploration day, bring food. Even then, bring a couple of granola bars and a water bottle. You won’t enjoy your trip if you’re hungry, and if you happen to be served food that you aren’t too sure of or know you’re allergic to then you can always turn to your backpack snacks.

There you have it, five lightweight items that you’ll definitely want to have on all of your excursions and adventures. I’d love to know if there are some things you can’t possibly live without on your trips, let me know in the comments!