The excitement to travel to a new place is something that can’t be merely expressed in words. After all, who doesn’t like a vacation? For that perfect traveling experience, you’ll have to make sure that you plan your trip properly in advance. Right from choosing a place, booking your accommodation, making your travel itinerary to planning your transportation, you’ll have to take care of tons of things. All of this may surely get you all pumped up for your holiday. But what about your travel essentials?
Whether you relate to the trio from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara or consider yourself more like a spontaneous traveler, you’ll still need some basic travel essentials for your trip. You wouldn’t want to waste time hunting for your meds or your sunglasses while making a mess in your room right? That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 7 items you should never travel without. Let’s just dive right in!
Important Documents
Nobody wants to get into any chaotic situation where you’re asked for some important document like your passport or driving license, and you’re unable to find it. What will you do then, apart from panic?! That’s why some of the most important travel essentials are your important documents. You’ll need to carry things like your passport, license, travel tickets, Aadhar card, credit cards and medical insurance copy with you.
Whether you’re going for a two-day trip or a long vacation, it’s going to be difficult for you to hunt down any of these important documents during emergencies. That’s when a travel wallet will save your day. You can arrange and organize all of your important documents in a travel wallet or pouch. Once you have all this ready, you can just relax, be at ease and enjoy your long-awaited journey.
Travel Toiletries
Many travelers tend to skip toiletries thinking they can be purchased while traveling. But if you’re going for a long trip or a road trip, they come in very handy. Not always will you find the exact toiletries you may need during emergencies. And if you’re a person who’s particular about using a certain brand of toothpaste or lotion, you may not always find it. So, it’s better to carry your small bag of toiletries for your trip to save you from any kind of trouble. Plus, this also helps you be more eco-friendly!
That being said, the concern about leakage, especially when it comes to liquid toiletries like your lotions and shampoo, is always present. So it’s best if you use a tote bag or small containers to store your toiletries. You must carry basic toiletries like a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, personal hygiene items, deodorant, and travel towel.
First Aid Kit
Again, just like your documents, a first aid kit is a must while traveling. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry right? Now, a first aid kit doesn’t mean a huge box where you try to accommodate all kinds of medicines. For instance, if you’re planning a beach vacation, you might need diarrhea medicine, antacid, fever medicine, cough drops, etc. But if you’re going for an adventurous trip with tons of activities, you’ll probably need bandaids, motion sickness pills, eyedrops, a thermometer, allergy medicines, etc.
It’s good to prepare a first aid kit in case of emergencies depending on the kind of trip you’re planning. In case you’re going on a trek and get bit by an insect or catch the flu, your first aid kit will surely save your vacay from going sour. There are some basic things a first aid kit must include. So make sure you carry personal prescriptions, cold, fever, and diarrhea tablets, allergy creams, fever medicines, bandages, and insect repellents.
Portable Charger, Charging Chords And Camera
Regardless of whether yours is a two-day trip or a long journey by plane, you’ll obviously be needing a phone. Imagine you wearing your noise cancellation headphones and streaming your favorite movie on Netflix. Just when the climax of the movie is about to occur, your phone battery dies. Wouldn’t that be a real mood-killer? To save yourself from such unfortunate events, it’s best to carry a portable charger.
You can enjoy your movies, music or games without having to worry about the battery going dead. These are things you should pack before everything else as they can make your boring days interesting and fun. Let’s not forget another traveling essential, your camera! There’s no trip where you won’t find something that’ll fascinate you. It can be the hospitable locals, scenic surroundings or beautiful wildlife of the place. That’s why you’ll need a camera to take these memories back home.
Travel Mug And Water Bottle
Your travel mug and water bottle can be considered as your best buddies while traveling. One of the bonuses of carrying your own travel mug and water bottle is that it helps reduce your plastic waste. And let’s face the fact, water at the airport can be quite expensive, so it’s best if you have your water bottle handy.
If you’re traveling to cold places like Ladakh or Himachal, you’ll be needing a stainless steel bottle. This helps you eliminate the worry about your water getting cold because of the weather outside. Plus, all the adventure junkies who are planning a trek or a hike should definitely carry a travel mug and water bottle. After a tiresome trek, there’s nothing better than hot chai in your favorite travel mug.
Emergency Cash
Online transactions have made things very easy for us. And why not? It’s fairly safe, and easy transactions can be made through so many platforms. Some of you may be used to buying all your stuff using credit or debit cards, swiping left and right. But what are you going to do when you’re in a new place where they don’t accept your credit card?
That’s why another mandatory traveling essential for all travelers is emergency cash. You never know when you’ll be needing it. And if you’re a nomad traveler who loves to explore offbeat places, you’ll probably have to do all your payments via cash. Whether it’s buying souvenirs for your friends from a local shop or eating a traditional delicacy at a street stall, there will be times when you can only pay in cash.
Let’s just consider all possibilities. There can be times when your credit or debit card gives up on you and doesn’t work. In the worst-case scenario, you may not even find an ATM near you, and even if you do, it may not be working. Remote locations like Ladakh won’t have too many ATMs around, so this reality is closer than you think. At times like these, your emergency cash will save your day.
Travel Pouch
This is one of the best things that’ll help you hunt down items just when you’ll be needing them. It isn’t called a travel pouch for nothing! You can use it to store some of your personal and most used items like sunglasses, camera, earphones, phone, sunscreen, meds, travel map, and itinerary, etc. Depending on what you’re comfortable with, you can choose to carry a shoulder pouch, backpack or even a waist pouch.
Since this travel pouch will be with you instead of being squeezed inside your luggage, it’ll definitely come in handy. For instance, you can keep some light snacks like chocolates or chips to fulfill your cravings during your journey. Otherwise, if you’re like Bunny from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, you can carry your small journal inside it. You’ll get just what you want, just when you need it. Sounds cool right?
Conclusion
When it comes to packing things for a trip, there’s a golden rule you need to follow – Less is more! Packing for a trip can get really stressful and overwhelming at times. You might go crazy while deciding what to pack and what not to. But something that you shouldn’t compromise on is your traveling essentials. Now that we’ve taken you through the 7 items you should never travel without, you’re ready to pack your bags for a new adventure. And hey, don’t you forget to check our goSTOPS hostels that are available in 20 different locations in our country. Now you don’t have to worry about where to stay as we at goSTOPS give you that perfect hostel experience while staying light on the pocket!
FAQs
What Is The Most Forgotten Item When Traveling?
There are so many things that you may forget to pack when traveling. Here are some of the most forgotten items when traveling:
- Emergency cash
- Important documents
- Medical prescriptions
- Toiletries
- Sunglasses
- Portable charger
- Undergarments
What Should You Not Pack For A Trip?
When packing for a trip, you need to follow the golden rule of less is more. So you should avoid packing too many garments and shoes, make-up bags, unnecessary medications and toiletries, huge books, expensive devices, etc. They’ll just add up to your luggage and you won’t even be needing most of these things.
What Are The Must-Haves When Traveling?
Some of the must-haves when traveling include the following:
- Important documents
- Travel toiletries
- First aid kit
- Portable charger, charging chords and camera
- Travel mug and water bottle
- Emergency cash
- Travel pouch
What Should You Not Forget On A Beach Vacation?
Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat, towel, flip flops, beachwear, and motion sickness tablets are some of the things you shouldn’t forget on a beach vacation.
How Many Outfits Do You Need For A Four Day Trip?
The number of outfits you need to carry depends on the place you’re visiting and the duration of your trip. For a four-day trip, you’ll need around 4-5 tops or t-shirts and 3-4 bottoms. You’ll also need to carry around 4 pairs of undergarments and shorts or night garments for your stay in the hotel.
