It’s the age-old conundrum deciding what to pack for your impending holiday and no matter how often you travel you never quite seem to get it right! But we travel, and we learn, in the hope that one day we’ll get the perfect balance to our suitcase. Whilst there are the essentials like clothes, shoes, toiletries and a camera, there are also a few items that while not necessary can really change your travelling experience.
So, we combined our knowledge and have come up with our top 6 items that will up your comfort game while on holiday.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
A very important item in our office and an investment we highly recommend, especially if you travel often. Wearing them on long flights, overnight bus trips and at night if you happen to get a noisy hotel can be a lifesaver. Not only to listen to music but to cancel out a crying baby or the annoying people on your bus that like to talk at 3am in a very loud voice and to just generally help you to get some peace and quiet and catch up on some much-needed sleep!
Double Adaptor/ Power board
In today’s technology driven world chances are you will have a variety of items requiring charging – phones, cameras, go pros, wireless headphones – the list is endless! If your hotel room only has one power point and you and your room mate both have items to charge at the same time a power board (bonus if it has extra usb plugs as well) or even a double adaptor will be your saviour. Of course, you can’t forget your country adaptor as well, but having the ability to charge 2-4 items at once will make your travels easier.
Neck Pillow
This item is probably a pre-requisite for most travellers and although they can seem like a hinderance to carry around with you everywhere you go, your neck will definitely thank you for it. For those wanting an easier to carry alternative, there are inflatable neck pillows which can easily fit back into the front of your luggage when you don’t require it. We know being comfortable on a 15-hour flight in economy or on a 7 hour bus trip is not always easy but having a neck pillow is always better than not having one!
A Towel
It’s an item which sometimes gets left out because it takes up too much room and people think they can just use a hotel towel but quite often than not you end up needing an emergency towel. Whether it’s because you’ve stopped mid drive for a spontaneous swim in a waterfall or the hotel towels don’t look too inviting (or aren’t allowed to be taken off the premises) having a towel handy will always be useful. Our tip – if you don’t want to carry around a large beach towel get a smaller quick dry travel towel, it will take up less room and still be useful if a situation arises.
A Scarf
This one is probably more related to female travellers, but whether you are going away in the summer or winter a scarf can be a very useful travel item. Bring it on planes and buses and it can double as a blanket if the air conditioning is up too high, have it in your bag when out sightseeing and if you decide to enter a church it can be used to place over your shoulders to cover and allow you entry. Or if you forget a jacket and it suddenly gets cold or rains you can pop it over your shoulders to keep warm. Not just a fashion accessory!
Back pack/ Overnight bag
Lastly, an extra bag is always handy. Even if you’re not going to use it as an everyday travel bag having the option to pack a backpack for a day at the beach (to fit your towel in) or for a long day trip is very useful. It’s also useful for returning home, because who doesn’t buy a range of random and tacky (wonderful) souvenirs during their travels and needs an extra carry-on bag to get it all home!