If you are a frequent traveller, you would have noticed by now that there are certain items that are indispensable to you when travelling.  I have travelling for both work and leisure for over two decades.  I have stayed in both urban and rural areas. Over the years, I developed a checklist of essential items that I always bring with me. 

The following are these items.

Plastic bags – all sizes.  For travelers, plastics bags are lifesavers. I primarily use plastic bags for my used clothes but over the years, I found that plastics bags are useful to pack things that I collected during my travels.

There is no need to buy brand new plastic bags; reuse our grocery plastic bags by folding them into tiny triangles and put them into your luggage.  Plastic bags are lightweight and do not take up much spaces.  Do remember to dispose of them properly and mindfully knowing that plastics take thousands of years to break down.

Learn how to fold plastic bags into small triangle for easy storage:

Door stopper – This was an interesting idea which was suggested to lady travelers during a conversation that I partake in many years ago.  The door stopper is cheap and easy to pack.  It is very useful for travelers (especially ladies) who might end up in some shady-looking hotel/hostels.  Put the stopper against the door before going to sleep. Anyone looking to intrude into your room will be stalled for a while, giving you time to react.

Heat packs – I still remember the first time I used the heat pack.  It was my mum who insisted that I bring some heat packs with me to Mongolia during winter.  The heat generated by these small packs was a real lifesaver.  Real essentials especially when travelling out of warm comforts of the hotel and out sightseeing when in cold places. 

Today there are innovations in heat packs with many interesting choices for travelers!

http://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-hand-warmers-heat-packs-amazon-reviews.html

Extension cords/Multiple Cords - One pleasing trend that I observe over the past two decades of travelling is that the newer hotel rooms are starting to have a lot more power points and many of these power points are universal in design so that people from different countries can use them.

However, we tend to travel with a mobile phone (or two), a laptop, portable battery and other selected items (I bring a travel kettle with me all the time).  The power points might not be enough for us (especially if we are sharing rooms).  The extension cord is remarkably handy for such situations!

Backup USB charging cables and ear-phones – Wear and tear are normal in our daily usage of items and the last thing we want during travelling are spoilt charging cables and ear-phones, rendering our digital devices useless.  We can keep spare copies of these items in our luggage for emergency situation.

Powerbank - We can’t live without our mobile phones, tablets and other digital devices.  It can be a total letdown when we run out of battery.  Thus, powerbanks are necessities.  Do note that powerbanks need to be of 20000mAh or the airlines will not allow you to bring them onto the plance.

Weighing scale - Not those for fitness fanatics and weight watchers! The weighing scale I am referring to is one with a hook so that travellers can measure the weight of their holiday purchases and decide whether to buy more luggage allowance.  Definitely useful for travellers who go on binge shopping during travels and need to manage their luggage allowance.

Simple medication – it might sound alarming but simple medication should be packed in your carry-on bag instead of your luggage.  Simple medication include paracetamol, antihistamines, plasters and charcoal pills for immediate relief of symptoms.

I once took a flight and the flight passenger seated next to me was asking for paracetamol (she wanted Panadol). Unfortunately the stewardesses were not able to understand the medication that she was asking so she had to suffer her headache during the entire flight.  Since that incident, I always have my medication in my carry-on bag.

Sweater – I am those people who are more afraid of the cold than heat.  Usually when flying, I find that it can get quite cold and I usually ask for blankets.  Nowadays, I will usually pack a sweater/jacket with me for two reasons. One is increasingly, I fly low cost carriers as well and they do not provide blanket (at least not free).  Second is environmental reasons.  The blanket used during flights will have to be washed after one-use whereas our jackets/sweaters will be used multiple time.

These are my suggestions. If there are anything that you swear by, do drop a comment on our Facebook page and I will add them to this list.

By the way, it is not an item but definitely essential. Please buy travel insurance.

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