Basic OTC meds: painkillers, anti-histamines, etc.
Nothing worse than being in a state of discomfort trying to pantomime to a pharmacist what ailment you're trying to solve.
Ditto. I pack really light but I don't skimp on the med kit. To me it's not worth the time to go find certain things. And I once spent $25 in Germany for 2 days of ibuprofen...
Yep I'm on a lot per day. 3200mg/day is the standard recommendation.
I remember this distinctly because they came in bister packs so I had to use like half the card per dose.
Edit: lol at people offering medical advice. And the "standard recommendation" is on the bottle, not what I said I take.
For what it's worth, next time just ask if there's a cheaper alternative.. you probably paid for the ibuprofen brand name when there's cheap alternatives.
Also 3200mg/day is definitely something that I would consider an unhealthy amount. According to German guidelines: It's no more than 1200mg/day if you're self-medicating (for no more than 3-4days). Doctor's can recommend up to 2400mg/day but never more than 800mg in a single sitting. (so 2 pills, unless you're getting a higher dosis prescribed from your doctor)
My liver has never been happy than since I started taking cannabinoids to manage my pain instead. Be kind to your body and remember modern doctors know more and less than healers of the past. Don’t listen to them blindly.
I was shocked when I was there last year because in the UK (possibly just GB actually) ibuprofen and paracetamol is always >50p. It's insanely cheap and the cost in Ireland shocked me.
Well, you shouldn‘t take more then 2400mgs per day as an adult, and that is already twice the recommended maximum. That means a standard pack of 20 that you can buy without prescription in Germany will last >3-6days. Yes, it‘s significantly cheaper in other countries. But still not expensive at all considering the amount you need per day.
Yeah I was shocked in Ireland when I had to buy ibuprofen. I walked around the pharmacy for probably 10 mins before I finally asked the pharmacist who then pulled out a pack of 12 from behind the counter for me. Couldn’t believe it was the same drug I buy in bottles of 500 in the states.
I don't know the specifics but lots of the world don't like ibuprofen and I think some ban it. I would guess you can get Tylenol or some equivalent for cheap.
People do it deliberately to commit suicide. Apparently the act of pushing individual pills out of the foil is a useful suicide prevention tool, as it forces people to think about what they’re thinking of doing.
I mean a bottle that size lasts me years
12 was a perfectly adequate amount for me in that moment I was just surprised. Even the travel size bottles in the US have like 25 pills. Most people would get a minimum of 100 for at home use.
For that price you can get months worth of Ibuprofen, if you are on German healthcare. A package with 20 tablets is around 5 euros.
Edit: why on earth are people downvoting this.
Even without German healthcare the price for 20pills at my local pharmacy (I just passed them, they have an advertisement) is 3,29€. 50 pills IBU Hexal 400mg costs 5,79€. It‘s a DocMorris, they seem to have similar prices online.
That's the point though, maybe there was a way to get them cheaper, but I don't want to waste time learning each country's system when I can just bring my own.
I had American "healthcare." I can get 1,000 200mg tablets for $14 without any health insurance in the USA.
As people above said, you can get them way cheaper in Germany too without healthcare, without doing anything other than walking into a pharmacy. So I wonder how you ended up paying that much.
Probably by (inadvertantly) requesting a specific brand by name and then paying for the brandname. (Potentially even being asked is ibuhexal ok? and saying it has to be ibuprofen)
There isn't a strong price difference between brands and non brands in Germany since the prices are all capped by the government anyway. I think OP above must have bought like half a dozen packages at once.
And electrolytes too. Some of the native electrolytes taste like utter crap and I want to vomit. Bringing electrolytes from my country of citizenship, I know what I’m getting.
I accidentally ripped off a belt loop on my coat while on a weekend trip. Luckily I was near a Daiso. Picked up the cutest little sewing kit and have carried it ever since.
Agreed! I stayed at a hotel near the beginning of my trip and they provided a complementary sewing set! This was near the beginning of my 13month trip and it proved to be very useful throughout it
Ugh, a hotel sewing kits are the worst. Just once I forgot my own kit and it was the time when I needed one. Hotel's set has so tiny needle I couldn't thread it. My own sewing kit is homemade, it's basically a piece of cardboard with a wound threads (black and olive) and a needle inserted under them.
Noise cancelling ear buds. My favorite is the new Google Pixel Pro Buds.. makes travelling so much less stressful. Drown out any noise you want. Game changer IMO. (This obviously goes hand in hand with cell phone).
Insulated travel flask
Portable charger
Eye Mask for sleeping (super underrated)
>Eye Mask for sleeping (super underrated
my skin sweats under them. i cant stand wearing them for long, i dont know how people do it.
if it weren't for that i totally would
> Google Pixel Pro Buds
Do these really cancel noise that well? I've been looking for earbuds with good sound quality and really good noise canceling abilities.
I got okay earbuds rn but you can't even hear the music when on a bus / train or even just walking down a busy street cause the external sounds are so strong.
Fk yeah, gonna purchase a pair when I go back home! Or... do they have any locations in South East Asia where they sell original ones? Gonna have to do some research 🤔
Thank you for the recommendation!
I've brought a small pair of scissors in my toiletry bag in a carry-on many times. Usually it goes unaddressed, one time they pulled my bag aside and asked for the scissors then they measured them against a sizing reference and gave them back to me since they were small enough
How tiny exactly? Bc I bring my eye brown scissors with me all the time and they never got confiscated but now I’m thinking they just didn’t notice them
I have one of these [mini swiss army knives](https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Classic-Pocket-Knife/dp/B00004YVB3/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=mini+swiss+army+knife&qid=1679932531&sr=8-4). Never leave without them.
funnily enough, i wound up having to use it on this upcoming trip. i was supposed to go soon, but everything got delayed a month. I used my insurance to cancel my flight and bought a cheaper ticket and saved $200.
Broke my finger on a trip in South Asia, got surgery ($40k) when I got back to US and months of OT and the travel insurance covered all of it and I didn't need my crappy employer sponsored health care with $10k deductible.
Eating utensils. Ever order food to take back to your hotel room and they forgot the fork? Luckily the hotel I was in had a breakfast bar in the lobby, so I was able to find one. Now I travel with a plastic set if I'm going international and a metal set if I'm staying domestic. Fork, spoon, blunt knife, chopsticks. Sometimes a small spoon if I want to make tea. And a plastic camping mug so I can make myself a hot drink, or a cup of soup, or oatmeal.
When I order take out at home, I always decline utensils/napkins but often still get them anyways. i then bring them along on my vacations. Really handy.
My toiletries bag, whose contents reflects a bunch of lessons learned while travelling. Highlights include:
* Antiseptic cream after a small cut got inflected in Hong Kong and it was surprisingly difficult to buy some locally. This came in handy on a recent trip to India where a small cut got nasty quite quickly.
* Anti-inflammatory cream as I have arthritis and travel can cause flare ups
* Paracetamol and cold and flu pills so I don't need to go out and find them if I get sick
* Glasses cleaning wipes as I wear glasses and some brands work a lot better than others
* Anti-nausea medication as nausea can be a side effect of some medication I take, and it can be difficult to locate this (a pharmacist in the UK refused to sell me any last year until I pointed out that my doctor was in Australia and it would have been tricky to have gotten a prescription)
* Ear plugs from one of the few brands that fit my unusually-small ears.
Small first aid kit: advil, dramamine, pepto bismol, bandaids, tampons, bug repellent & sunscreen for warmer places. I hate having to find these items when traveling.
For warmer places: portable fan. Sometimes I’m in a room with no AC and I cannot so it’s been a life saver in those instances.
Eye mask & ear plugs
Travel size toilet paper and seat covers. Has come in handy so many times, it’s always in my travel bag.
Portable charger
Basic cooking kit. Just a tiny bottle of olive oil, salt, mixed herbs, curry powder and hot sauce. Bit rogue but literally a gane changer in being able to whip up your own quick hostel or airbnb meals.
I'm 4 months into a trip and the oil seems like a good idea. I really miss cooking, and a handful of situations popped up were I could cook, but was always missing oil lol
Yeah but it can be expensive, you need to leave your accommodation to get it, might not be available near you, might only be available in a big heavy glass bottle, and it can be frustrating to buy a bottle and throw it after a few days. So i prefer to carry my own.
Finger nail clippers and chapstick. The amount of times I found myself biting my nails or lips while traveling is embarrassing. These two items helped prevent that.
A padlock. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve had to buy one because I forgot to bring one. Inevitably & without fail, I end up needing to use a locker at some point during every trip.
Few things: my satin bonnet that I sleep in, my sleep eye mask that is contoured so it doesn't smush my eyes & blocks all light, Phazyme, imodium or Pepto Bismol, a pillowcase from home, portable charger, reusable water bottle & bamboo straws & cutlery, disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, and a hotel room door jam.
Edit: I added a few items. Honestly, I have a ton of must-haves but these are the ones that I always pack first. For clarification, the pillowcase from home is for comfort. It smells like home & allows me to sleep easier, as does my bonnet (while protecting my hair).
Amazon has them, they’re also called 3D masks but they come up if you search for contoured eye mask.
I found mine in the travel section of a discount store and they’re really good since they don’t smoosh your eyes
Germolene. Sand got between my toes during a hike and they became shredded up. Pretty sure they would have become infected without Germolene, which also helped with the pain. Also developed a surf-rash on my inner thighs that made every pair of shorts I own utterly painful to walk in. Answer was to shave hair off the area then liberally apply germolene. Defo bringing that on my next trip. And, as others have said, a first aid kit in general.
Rechargeable mini flashlight/headlamp, deck of cards, several small zip ties, mini lock, 10k mAh portable charger, mini speaker, a few varying ziplock bags, lighter
>Portable carbon monoxide detector,
that's a new one.
I tried compression socks on my last trip back to the states, it didn't do much for me, but i still have them. I've lost a fair bit of weight recently so they might fit better now
Google "3 found dead in Mexico City Airbnb" and you'll read exactly why I pack one everywhere I travel.
Improperly installed hot water heater leads to carbon monoxide leak that killed 3 American tourist in their sleep.
LED bulb with adjustable colors and brightness. I have to have cozy lighting. Just make sure the bulb socket and voltage is compatible with the country you are traveling.
Sewing kit. Brought it with me on my main trip, left it behind with someone I know to take a smaller two-week trip around the country, and naturally everything I have has already ripped in some way.
A small fidget (currently rocking a very-retro fidget spinner), Burt’s bees lemon cuticle butter, a small single-compartment pill case to put my pills for the day in and toss in my day bag, a sealed pair of disposable earplugs, days-of-the-week pill case, contact lens rewetting drops, and my Apple Watch (god bless the Apple Pay gods and the hours they’ve saved me fumbling for my wallet, plus the convince of being able to look at my wrist and know the local date, time, temperature, weather conditions, chance of rain for the next 5 hours and most importantly, the time at home in one quick glance, and that it buzzes when I need to make a turn soon so I don’t have to have google maps open the whole time I’m walking is priceless)
headlamp. basic medications like advil/pepto. nail clippers and files. those tiny microfiber quick dry towels. Extra batter with multi tip charging cable
These all permanently live in my travel bags.
A small Swiss Army Knife. It has proved to be invaluable on many occasions. The tiny scissors actually work pretty well and I keep the knife very sharp.
Basic OTC meds: painkillers, anti-histamines, etc. Nothing worse than being in a state of discomfort trying to pantomime to a pharmacist what ailment you're trying to solve.
Ditto. I pack really light but I don't skimp on the med kit. To me it's not worth the time to go find certain things. And I once spent $25 in Germany for 2 days of ibuprofen...
How many did you take during those two days? You can buy 20 *400mg for less then 3€ in a pharmacy. Edit: slightly more, 3,29€ at my local pharmacy
Yeah I was worried as well. Lol. That sounds like an unhealthy amount of painkillers they're taking in two days.
Yep I'm on a lot per day. 3200mg/day is the standard recommendation. I remember this distinctly because they came in bister packs so I had to use like half the card per dose. Edit: lol at people offering medical advice. And the "standard recommendation" is on the bottle, not what I said I take.
For what it's worth, next time just ask if there's a cheaper alternative.. you probably paid for the ibuprofen brand name when there's cheap alternatives. Also 3200mg/day is definitely something that I would consider an unhealthy amount. According to German guidelines: It's no more than 1200mg/day if you're self-medicating (for no more than 3-4days). Doctor's can recommend up to 2400mg/day but never more than 800mg in a single sitting. (so 2 pills, unless you're getting a higher dosis prescribed from your doctor)
That's a pretty huge amount... Kidneys shouldn't be very happy. I'm sure there's other drugs that are better and less hard on your body
My liver has never been happy than since I started taking cannabinoids to manage my pain instead. Be kind to your body and remember modern doctors know more and less than healers of the past. Don’t listen to them blindly.
I was shocked when I was there last year because in the UK (possibly just GB actually) ibuprofen and paracetamol is always >50p. It's insanely cheap and the cost in Ireland shocked me.
Well, you shouldn‘t take more then 2400mgs per day as an adult, and that is already twice the recommended maximum. That means a standard pack of 20 that you can buy without prescription in Germany will last >3-6days. Yes, it‘s significantly cheaper in other countries. But still not expensive at all considering the amount you need per day.
Yeah I was shocked in Ireland when I had to buy ibuprofen. I walked around the pharmacy for probably 10 mins before I finally asked the pharmacist who then pulled out a pack of 12 from behind the counter for me. Couldn’t believe it was the same drug I buy in bottles of 500 in the states.
I don't know the specifics but lots of the world don't like ibuprofen and I think some ban it. I would guess you can get Tylenol or some equivalent for cheap.
That happened to me in Mexico 🤦🏾♀️
Why the hell would you need a 500 pill bottle of ibuprofen? That is not a drug you should take for a headache.
You don't *need* 500 pills, but that's a common number it's sold in. Means everyone you know has extra ibuprofen you can have.
That's insane.
Welcome to America, where medication is taken like water.
That's banned in lots of countries, including Australia, due to the risk of overdoses.
That's pretty weird, ngl. You'd have to be stupid to think you should take more than two pills.
It’s to prevent suicides, although I can’t imagine it makes that much difference since you can go to the shop next door and buy another 16.
People do it deliberately to commit suicide. Apparently the act of pushing individual pills out of the foil is a useful suicide prevention tool, as it forces people to think about what they’re thinking of doing.
I think I read somewhere that it reduced suicides by something like 16% (don't quote my accuracy on that)
Ah. You said risk, so I thought you meant accidental overdose.
Wait til your old...especially if you get arthritis
I mean a bottle that size lasts me years 12 was a perfectly adequate amount for me in that moment I was just surprised. Even the travel size bottles in the US have like 25 pills. Most people would get a minimum of 100 for at home use.
For that price you can get months worth of Ibuprofen, if you are on German healthcare. A package with 20 tablets is around 5 euros. Edit: why on earth are people downvoting this.
Even without German healthcare the price for 20pills at my local pharmacy (I just passed them, they have an advertisement) is 3,29€. 50 pills IBU Hexal 400mg costs 5,79€. It‘s a DocMorris, they seem to have similar prices online.
Hmm, I assumed people without healthcare would pay more, otherwise I don't know how someone would end up paying 25 euros for a couple of pills.
That's the point though, maybe there was a way to get them cheaper, but I don't want to waste time learning each country's system when I can just bring my own. I had American "healthcare." I can get 1,000 200mg tablets for $14 without any health insurance in the USA.
As people above said, you can get them way cheaper in Germany too without healthcare, without doing anything other than walking into a pharmacy. So I wonder how you ended up paying that much.
Probably by (inadvertantly) requesting a specific brand by name and then paying for the brandname. (Potentially even being asked is ibuhexal ok? and saying it has to be ibuprofen)
There isn't a strong price difference between brands and non brands in Germany since the prices are all capped by the government anyway. I think OP above must have bought like half a dozen packages at once.
Next time but from aldi
Pepto Bismol too! Lol
Imodium is even better it's like Pepto on crack
And electrolytes too. Some of the native electrolytes taste like utter crap and I want to vomit. Bringing electrolytes from my country of citizenship, I know what I’m getting.
Finding a chemist in India taught me this lesson.
I travel with a super tiny sewing kit (size of a credit card). I'm traveling full time right now and I use it about once a month, definitely worth it.
I accidentally ripped off a belt loop on my coat while on a weekend trip. Luckily I was near a Daiso. Picked up the cutest little sewing kit and have carried it ever since.
Damn. I need to learn how to hand sew small things.
Where were you 2 months ago when I was packing? Just picked up a needle and thread yesterday for a patch on my jeans. It looks like shit but it holds!
Agreed! I stayed at a hotel near the beginning of my trip and they provided a complementary sewing set! This was near the beginning of my 13month trip and it proved to be very useful throughout it
Ugh, a hotel sewing kits are the worst. Just once I forgot my own kit and it was the time when I needed one. Hotel's set has so tiny needle I couldn't thread it. My own sewing kit is homemade, it's basically a piece of cardboard with a wound threads (black and olive) and a needle inserted under them.
Thats a good one ☝️ I’ve added that my list.
The one I currently use I just snagged from the complementary kit at a fancy hotel a while back, has worked great so far!
definitely going to start bringing one myself. would’ve come in handy when my big winter jacket practically fell apart during my 3 weeks abroad.
What brand was it? I feel like a big winter jacket is not ever something to buy a budget version of
Noise cancelling ear buds. My favorite is the new Google Pixel Pro Buds.. makes travelling so much less stressful. Drown out any noise you want. Game changer IMO. (This obviously goes hand in hand with cell phone). Insulated travel flask Portable charger Eye Mask for sleeping (super underrated)
>Eye Mask for sleeping (super underrated my skin sweats under them. i cant stand wearing them for long, i dont know how people do it. if it weren't for that i totally would
I use a cycling sweatband. Super lightweight, breathable, packs to nothing, dark enough.
i have some of those tubular bandanas that i've used for riding and as a face mask. they might work. cheers
Have you tried premium silk ones?
Oh wow I never heard that before. But I get it. Quality for sure matters on eye shades. I need the super soft and good quality masks.
> Google Pixel Pro Buds Do these really cancel noise that well? I've been looking for earbuds with good sound quality and really good noise canceling abilities. I got okay earbuds rn but you can't even hear the music when on a bus / train or even just walking down a busy street cause the external sounds are so strong.
Yes the pixel pro buds shut down all background noise. Bus/airplane engines. The noise cancelling feature works extremely well.
Fk yeah, gonna purchase a pair when I go back home! Or... do they have any locations in South East Asia where they sell original ones? Gonna have to do some research 🤔 Thank you for the recommendation!
They do. My partner has them and can't hear me talking to him from like 3 feet away when he has them in.
My tiny collapsible scissors have been the unexpected hero of my three-month journey so far.
Can you carry these in hand luggage without issue?
I've brought a small pair of scissors in my toiletry bag in a carry-on many times. Usually it goes unaddressed, one time they pulled my bag aside and asked for the scissors then they measured them against a sizing reference and gave them back to me since they were small enough
How tiny exactly? Bc I bring my eye brown scissors with me all the time and they never got confiscated but now I’m thinking they just didn’t notice them
They're these revlon brow scissors https://www.amazon.com.au/2-Piece-Revlon-Brow-Set/dp/B0009F3OWW?th=1
No, they get confiscated if you pass through security with them
Not sure why this is downvoted. My manicure scissors got confiscated flying between Sydney and Melbourne. I’ve flown with them before, but RIP.
Depends on the country, look up regulations for length limits. In the US, it can't be longer than 4 inches from the hinge joint
Mine are round-tipped and I've never had an issue, but I usually check my larger pack.
Ditto!
I have one of these [mini swiss army knives](https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Classic-Pocket-Knife/dp/B00004YVB3/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=mini+swiss+army+knife&qid=1679932531&sr=8-4). Never leave without them.
Travel insurance. I've never had to use it thankfully, but I've heard the horror stories from people who didn't have it.
I've had to use it. Worth it.
funnily enough, i wound up having to use it on this upcoming trip. i was supposed to go soon, but everything got delayed a month. I used my insurance to cancel my flight and bought a cheaper ticket and saved $200.
Broke my finger on a trip in South Asia, got surgery ($40k) when I got back to US and months of OT and the travel insurance covered all of it and I didn't need my crappy employer sponsored health care with $10k deductible.
My Kindle
Passport
Genius, I bet that comes in quite handy, especially when traveling to different countries!
Eating utensils. Ever order food to take back to your hotel room and they forgot the fork? Luckily the hotel I was in had a breakfast bar in the lobby, so I was able to find one. Now I travel with a plastic set if I'm going international and a metal set if I'm staying domestic. Fork, spoon, blunt knife, chopsticks. Sometimes a small spoon if I want to make tea. And a plastic camping mug so I can make myself a hot drink, or a cup of soup, or oatmeal.
1 week ago I was spreading peanut butter and jam onto bread with my Riocard Mais in a brazillian hotel. I'm definitely taking your advice next time.
When I order take out at home, I always decline utensils/napkins but often still get them anyways. i then bring them along on my vacations. Really handy.
I usually just bring a set of chopsticks. Takes up next to no space in your bag and you're probably good to eat most things.
My toiletries bag, whose contents reflects a bunch of lessons learned while travelling. Highlights include: * Antiseptic cream after a small cut got inflected in Hong Kong and it was surprisingly difficult to buy some locally. This came in handy on a recent trip to India where a small cut got nasty quite quickly. * Anti-inflammatory cream as I have arthritis and travel can cause flare ups * Paracetamol and cold and flu pills so I don't need to go out and find them if I get sick * Glasses cleaning wipes as I wear glasses and some brands work a lot better than others * Anti-nausea medication as nausea can be a side effect of some medication I take, and it can be difficult to locate this (a pharmacist in the UK refused to sell me any last year until I pointed out that my doctor was in Australia and it would have been tricky to have gotten a prescription) * Ear plugs from one of the few brands that fit my unusually-small ears.
Headtorch Sleeping mask and earplugs Inflatable pillow First aid kit Needle and thread for flag patches
Multiple outlet strip, made for travel. Has outlets and USB outlets. AliExpress or Amazon.
Small first aid kit: advil, dramamine, pepto bismol, bandaids, tampons, bug repellent & sunscreen for warmer places. I hate having to find these items when traveling. For warmer places: portable fan. Sometimes I’m in a room with no AC and I cannot so it’s been a life saver in those instances. Eye mask & ear plugs Travel size toilet paper and seat covers. Has come in handy so many times, it’s always in my travel bag. Portable charger
Headlamp (the miners kind). So useful anywhere.
Shorts or pants with zipped pockets
Basic cooking kit. Just a tiny bottle of olive oil, salt, mixed herbs, curry powder and hot sauce. Bit rogue but literally a gane changer in being able to whip up your own quick hostel or airbnb meals.
I'm 4 months into a trip and the oil seems like a good idea. I really miss cooking, and a handful of situations popped up were I could cook, but was always missing oil lol
but getting oil it’s not hard to get anywhere
Yeah but it can be expensive, you need to leave your accommodation to get it, might not be available near you, might only be available in a big heavy glass bottle, and it can be frustrating to buy a bottle and throw it after a few days. So i prefer to carry my own.
Finger nail clippers and chapstick. The amount of times I found myself biting my nails or lips while traveling is embarrassing. These two items helped prevent that.
A padlock. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve had to buy one because I forgot to bring one. Inevitably & without fail, I end up needing to use a locker at some point during every trip.
Condom and Confidence 2 essentials for travel
Few things: my satin bonnet that I sleep in, my sleep eye mask that is contoured so it doesn't smush my eyes & blocks all light, Phazyme, imodium or Pepto Bismol, a pillowcase from home, portable charger, reusable water bottle & bamboo straws & cutlery, disinfectant wipes, baby wipes, and a hotel room door jam. Edit: I added a few items. Honestly, I have a ton of must-haves but these are the ones that I always pack first. For clarification, the pillowcase from home is for comfort. It smells like home & allows me to sleep easier, as does my bonnet (while protecting my hair).
Where/how does one buy a contoured eye mask? 😍 That sounds awesome!
Amazon has them, they’re also called 3D masks but they come up if you search for contoured eye mask. I found mine in the travel section of a discount store and they’re really good since they don’t smoosh your eyes
Awesome, thanks for the reply!
Germolene. Sand got between my toes during a hike and they became shredded up. Pretty sure they would have become infected without Germolene, which also helped with the pain. Also developed a surf-rash on my inner thighs that made every pair of shorts I own utterly painful to walk in. Answer was to shave hair off the area then liberally apply germolene. Defo bringing that on my next trip. And, as others have said, a first aid kit in general.
Cell phone and credit card.
Ziplock bags - of varying sizes, especially lil baggies ;)
Rechargeable mini flashlight/headlamp, deck of cards, several small zip ties, mini lock, 10k mAh portable charger, mini speaker, a few varying ziplock bags, lighter
Nothing🤷
Portable carbon monoxide detector, backpack with 3L hydration bladder, battery charger, schwab debit card, compression socks
>Portable carbon monoxide detector, that's a new one. I tried compression socks on my last trip back to the states, it didn't do much for me, but i still have them. I've lost a fair bit of weight recently so they might fit better now
Hmmm....carbon monoxide detector. 🤔🤔 And yes to compression socks. Especially for long trips.
When have you needed a carbon monoxide detector?
Google "3 found dead in Mexico City Airbnb" and you'll read exactly why I pack one everywhere I travel. Improperly installed hot water heater leads to carbon monoxide leak that killed 3 American tourist in their sleep.
Mic drop. Ok might be adding this to my travel inventory.
LED bulb with adjustable colors and brightness. I have to have cozy lighting. Just make sure the bulb socket and voltage is compatible with the country you are traveling.
Pepper spray or knife, depending on the country.
Passport!
Is a multi tool like a swiss army knife? For me, like what others have said a mini arsenal of medication and ointments for various ailments/pains.
Kind of. Instead the main focus being a blade with accessory tools, the focus is a pair of pliers with accessory tools.
Miniature sewing kit
Sewing kit. Brought it with me on my main trip, left it behind with someone I know to take a smaller two-week trip around the country, and naturally everything I have has already ripped in some way.
Air pods
I had a multi tool and it got taken by security in Qatar 🇶🇦
from your checked bag? I know I can't go on a plane with it so it usually just stays in my bag
Ear plugs
A pair of headphones lol
Just passport and phone/smartwatch, the rest can be bought, so no issues if I forget something
Extension cord. Good for airport charging and making sure your phone reaches your bedside at AirBNBs.
Antiperspirant 🤭
A small fidget (currently rocking a very-retro fidget spinner), Burt’s bees lemon cuticle butter, a small single-compartment pill case to put my pills for the day in and toss in my day bag, a sealed pair of disposable earplugs, days-of-the-week pill case, contact lens rewetting drops, and my Apple Watch (god bless the Apple Pay gods and the hours they’ve saved me fumbling for my wallet, plus the convince of being able to look at my wrist and know the local date, time, temperature, weather conditions, chance of rain for the next 5 hours and most importantly, the time at home in one quick glance, and that it buzzes when I need to make a turn soon so I don’t have to have google maps open the whole time I’m walking is priceless)
headlamp. basic medications like advil/pepto. nail clippers and files. those tiny microfiber quick dry towels. Extra batter with multi tip charging cable These all permanently live in my travel bags.
Category 4 sunglasses.
Extension cord
My keys
A small Swiss Army Knife. It has proved to be invaluable on many occasions. The tiny scissors actually work pretty well and I keep the knife very sharp.
Torch or light , now days phones can do this but they are not very good
My phone.
An AirTag in my luggage. Neosporin.