There are travel necessities and travel luxuries, and how that's defined depends on who you talk to. Rick Steves wont leave home without his sink stopper and bungee clothes line, while we just scratch our heads. Do you really need it? Couldn't you go MacGuyver and just make it all out of duck tape and a paperclip?
From mini toothbrushes to solar chargers, there's a lot of stuff out there geared for the traveler. Admittedly, we don't buy a lot of it ourselves and favor DIY solutions created at home. But, we do enjoy looking at the array of options and wonder if some would really make travel easier.
What's the one travel gadget or travel-sized product can you not live without? What ones are complete rubbish? For us, those clothes lines are a waste, the suction cup never sticks. And we can't live without a couple collapsable Space Bags
Have to agree with you on the travel clotheslines. They don't stick, or, end up being a safety hazard when they come loose and like an elastic, whip across the room.
My own must-pack travel item is a silk sleep sack. Bit of a luxury, I know, but makes all the difference when I'm sleeping in budget digs.
That's a good one, I might have to add that to my packing list. And as far as luxury items go it's not too bulky.
I can't take long flights without my noise-canceling headphones. It really lowers my stress level being able to block the engine noise.
I've been carrying a PDA (now a smartphone) for years for contacts, alarm, currency conversion, agenda, travel data, etc. It's the one thing I cannot do without. I've even used it as a flashlight.
Last, especially when I'm staying in a room with others, I need my eye mask. When jet lag has you on different sleep schedules from the people around you, it's priceless.
Yup, we ditched the travel clothesline within a month of our RTW journey. Bungee cords work much better!
If you're going to be staying in budget accommodation, a silk sack is a life saver. It just gives you that added comfort when you're not sure when those bed sheets were last washed! You can buy them in markets in Southeast Asia for around $10.
Earplugs are one of our most prized possessions in our backpacks.
Must haves: Silicone ear plugs, eye mask, USB memory stick, and in sketchy countries I need a money pouch and water sterilizer tablets.
Useless junk: Photo backup hard drives (bring more SD cards), those clothes lines, *anything* bulky, travel hair dryers, oh, but the list goes on.
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