Top 20 Must-Have Ingenious Travel Things

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When traveling, there are things you need to bring along for comfortable and smooth trips wherever you go. These ingenious travel necessities have helped me in my adventure travels across the globe, and I hope you also find them valuable. Ranging from duct tapes and portable power banks to LED flashlights, find out the top 20 ingenious things for your next travel.

20 Must-Have Ingenious Travel Items

1. Duct Tape

You must be asking yourself, ‘Why would I need a duct tape on my travels?’ It can come in handy when you need a quick fix for a hole in your bag or even cloth. If guidebooks, maps or any other paper you’re using on your trip tears, use a duct tape to put them together.

You never really know when a duct tape might come in handy until you really need it. It’s versatile enough to help you in various ways. Just ensure to pack one for your next adventure travel.

2. Water Bottle

Buy a durable, refillable water bottle to carry clean drinking water wherever you go from your hotel room. The bottles aren’t just eco-friendly, but cost-effective as you don’t have to spend money every time you need to pack some water for your backpacking adventure. Bringing some water with you ensures that you get to keep your body hydrated.

The Nalgene water bottle is BPA-free, easy to access, and attaches on backpacks through clips or fits into most water bottle side pockets such bags come with. This is the water bottle I always bring with me on my travels as it is compact in design, hence occupies less space.

There are many other good brands of water bottles on the market you might want to consider for your next travel. The Vapur water bottle can be rolled up when empty to fit into small spaces or pockets, making it a handy water bottle for backpacking.

3. The Sarong for Ingenious Travels

Make the sarong your best friend if you’re planning to visit places where you’re expected in modest dressing such as temples. This versatile garment doubles up as a beach towel, a shawl in the cool climates and a picnic blanket or even a make-shift bag when there’s need to carry extra items to or from your adventure trips; simply tie the opposite corners to each other in the form of knots.

The list of possible use of the sarong is endless.

4. Packing Cubes

Use packing cubes to ease your travels. They’re not just ideal for luggage organization, but also help save storage space. Packing cubes are must-haves when planning to only use travel carry-on on your travels. I used packing cubes when I was travelling all over Europe on a backpacking trip that covered various climatic zones within three months.

Consider the Shacke Pak packing cubes in a set of four; you’ll love the free laundry bag it comes with.

5. Portable Power Bank

When backpacking for a trip in the woods, mountains or in the middle of nowhere, you don’t know when your phone’s battery will run low. This is where a portable power bank comes in to help you use your tablets, cameras, e-readers or even phone whenever their batteries die.

With a good portable power bank, your electronics get charged, ready-for-use whenever and wherever you need them. Looking for the lightest and smallest power bank that charges up fast? Consider the Anker Power Bank. I have used it on several of my trips and love its reliability.

6. Headphones/Earbuds for Ingenious Travels

I have tried several headphones and earbuds, both affordable and expensive brands, before I finally found something that I really liked. Many years ago, I discovered the Skullcandy Method Earbuds while I was still studying at the university. They aren’t just less expensive, but deliver top sound quality.

However, if you’re looking for high-end headphones to keep you busy during those road trips ahead, consider the Bose QuietComfort Cancelling Headphones; you’ll dig deeper into your pocket to get your hands on these headphones. I have a friend who has used them for many years.

7. Hand Sanitizers

When traveling, washing your hands is almost impossible. This is not just because you’ll barely come across water on your trips, but also since the blanket of bacteria in public wash areas might be a turn off. You definitely wouldn’t want to stay back in your hotel room due to an illness instead of exploring the outdoors and what Mother Nature has in store for you in your travel destination.

With a hand sanitizer at hand, you don’t have to worry about finding water to wash your hands. The Bath and Body Works hand sanitizers aren’t just effective, but come with sweet scents you’ll love. I have used this brand of sanitizers on many of my travels and it’s an absolute must-have.

8. Dry Shampoo

Just like washing your hands on the go, washing your hair can also be difficult. Buy a good brand of dry shampoo to remove all the shine for cleaner and fresh smelling hair. With the Batiste Dry Shampoo, your hair won’t just be as good as washed, but also gain from volume enhancement.

9. Eye Mask & Earplugs

Invest in a good pair of earplugs to save you from all the noise on your trip that can drive you crazy. Whether it’s someone snoring in the next room in your hostel or hotel, or noises in trains, airplanes or even buses, you’ll be happy to have brought a pair earplugs along.

The Sweet Dreams eye masks have helped me rest comfortably where light would have made it almost impossible for me to enjoy sleep. Pack an eye mask and a pair of earplugs for your next travel as you never know when you might need them.

10. Headlamp or LED Flashlight

Consider buying a small flashlight to help you navigate bus terminals, a dark street, a dark room or even your tent at night if you go camping. A flashlight will come in handy when your smartphone goes off. Find one in a compact design, with a long battery life and a strong beam of light. You’ll love the J5 Hyper V Tactical Flashlight; it meets all the three requirements.

If you’re going camping, you might want to bring with you a headlamp for hands-free cooking, tent setup or book reading outdoors. Check out the LE headlamp; it has never disappointed me so I can recommend it.

11. Phone Casing in the Style of a Wallet

When traveling, the need to pack light and streamline your luggage cannot be overstated. A wallet-style phone case can help you store your bank cards, phone and money (or anything else that can fit in it) in one location. It would eliminate the need for you to bring along a bulky wallet.

There’s no need to carry cash (or coins) with you on your travels as using credit cards come with many benefits. For instance, exchange rates on purchases made using credit cards are usually higher than currency conversions at change bureaus. What’s more, certain cards charge no fees on foreign transactions.

However, since not all places abroad accept card payments, you’ll be using cash in some places. Therefore, bring along with you a coin pouch to store all the coins you accumulate as you travel the world.

12. A Universal Adapter Plug

When traveling abroad, you’ll need a universal adapter plug because different regions across the world use different plugs. With a universal plug, you’ll be able to use a plug or socket abroad that’s not compatible with your electronic devices such as cameras and smartphone.

With a single universal adapter plug, you can travel the world in peace without worrying about not being able to charge your gadgets. When I travel to Europe and during my Indonesia trip, I used the Insten Universal Travel Adapter Plug. You might want to give it a try for your next trip overseas.

13. Ziploc Bags for Ingenious Travels

Use the versatile Ziploc bags to separate what’s dirty from what are clean, dry things from wet ones, etc. The bags can also help you prevent messes that result from leaky items by sealing them inside. Need to organize your cords and chargers in clear containers for easy access? You can bet on the Ziploc bags to get this done.

14. A Scarf

You never know when you might need to snuggle up in a soft, warm scarf. It could be in the airplane, while walking across a street or deep in the forest when you go trekking or camping. A scarf will come in handy to keep you warm, hence a must-have for your travels.

What’s more, you can adone your scarf as a cape, a dress, scarf or a cardi signature style, among other stylish looks in a single cloth. The Encircled Chrysalis Cardi scarf has never let me down; I roll it and fold it nicely so it takes up a small space in my backpack and I bring it wherever I go.

15. A Folding Down Jacket

Traveling in winter or to a place known to for cool temperatures? You need a foldable down jacket to keep you warm in the cold weather ahead. The jacket isn’t just comfortable, warm and lightweight, but also foldable for easy packing. It can also come in handy for your chilly spring or fall travels.

A good example is the Calvin Klein down jacket I have been using for many years now when visiting cool climatic regions. Although I can fold it small to take up less space in my backpack, I can also use it as a travel pillow by rolling it into its storage bag or pouch. Another great brand is the Patagonia Down Sweater that’s warm and lightweight for light backpacking.

16. Sneakers

The best traveling shoes are durable, comfortable, stylish and lightweight. I absolutely love the black Toms and white converse Chuck Taylors for the comfort they offer during city adventures. When I brought a pair to Europe when I went backpacking, I raked at least 30,000 steps daily.

Moreover, these sneakers go with almost any kind of attire ranging from dresses to skinny jeans. Do you need something more comfy for your long hikes or adventures outdoors during an ingenious travel? Asics shoes can never disappoint. The Asics GEL-Cumulus 17G-TX is great for indoor or outdoor workouts. I absolutely love working out in them.

17. Tissue Papers

Tissue papers won’t just come in handy when you need to visit the toilet, but can also help if you need to clear up a mess or even clean a running nose. Although you’re likely to find tissue papers wherever you go, it’s safe to bring a pack for your own use whenever you need to.

18. Flip-Flops

Going for a tropical adventure or concerned about sharing flip-flops in your hotel or hostel showers? Bring a pair of flip-flops to keep your mind at ease. Furthermore, they might come in handy when there’s need to aerate your feet after a long day of travelling in closed shoes.

19. A Pen and a Travel Journal

I never forget my travel journal and a pen wherever and whenever I travel. It gives me the platform I need to air my thoughts and even record my experiences and memorable moments. I keep track of my favorite spots, memorable happenings, quotes and even songs. All the ideas that cross my mind as I travel go into my travel journal.

You’ll also find post and business cards in my journal. I keep them in there for future reference. When back home, I can go through my journal to refresh my memory regarding my experiences as I travelled. I get both positive and negative memories of my travels. Invest in a light yet attractive travel journal for easy backpacking and motivation to consistently write on it daily.

20. A Cross-Body Bag

When exploring local cities in my country of travel, I always carry a cross-body bag. They’re compact in design to take up less space, stylish for an aesthetic look and functional to carry whatever you need to bring along your travels. You can easily fit your necessities in a cross-body bag for easy access.

When travelling across Europe, I always had a cross-body bag with me. Currently, I own one similar to the Guess Satchel Handbag to fit all my necessities.

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