15 Things Experienced Travelers ALWAYS Pack (Smart Packing Tips!)

Packing smart can make or break your trip. It is the difference between a smooth journey and a stressful one. What a travel day it has been. Today, I'm sharing things experienced travelers always pack, so you can travel like a pro. These are items I pack that come with me on every single trip. No, seriously. That was the criteria for this video. I asked myself, what are the travel essentials that never leave my backpack or suitcase that I bring with me on every trip? Not most trips, but every trip. All of these items have a clear function that will help you be a better traveler, including the last item, which is not really a physical item, but is something you should consider bringing to help you avoid a lot of the biggest stressors of travel, like lost or stolen valuables, airport security, and personal safety. Let's jump into it. Keeping track of your valuables is very important while traveling. One item I use to help me with this is a money belt. Pickpockets are everywhere, but a money belt keeps your cash, passport, and valuables secure and hidden. A money belt really helps me keep my most important items organized. Another thing I really like about my money belt that I didn't really expect was that it is way more comfortable being that I don't have to keep so many things in my pockets, making them bulky and heavy. Having money or access to money while you travel is also very important. That is why I always travel with at least one ATM card and a minimum of two travel credit cards. This will help me have access to money in any situation. If I need cash, a lost card, or a card gets compromised, you never want to lose the ability to pay for something. A pro tip, don't keep all of your cards in one place. Split between you and a travel partner or just store in different places. You don't want to lose your wallet or get it stolen and now you lose everything all at once. I'll also make sure to link some of my favorite travel credit cards down below. If you're still tossing your clothes into your suitcase randomly, in my opinion, there's a way better way. Packing cubes. Keep your clothes organized, save space and make unpacking super easy. I would also recommend compression packing cubes. They're designed with an extra zipper to compress your clothes to save space. Peak Design and Tripped Travel Gear are two brands I really like. A day pack is something I bring with me on every single trip for sightseeing, hikes, or even a trip to the market. A day pack is a lightweight way to help you carry around the stuff that you need while at your destination. I use it for a water bottle, snacks, layers, or even my camera gear. There are quite a few options that I like and that I have. One being the REI Flash 18 Backpack, the C-Line Dry Pack, and even the Peak Design Packable Tote. Choose one that is going to fold up small but is also sturdy enough to carry around a decently heavy load. Low-key, this next item is probably the cheapest but possibly one of the most useful pieces of travel gear ever. That is a Ziploc bag. These are lifesavers for organizing snacks, toiletries, a small trash bag for on the plane, or even keeping your electronics dry in a sudden rainstorm. I actually make sure I keep a fresh one of these in my backpack at all times, being that you never know when one will come in handy. This next item is like the multi-tool for travel, or at least it is for me, and that is a fingernail clipper. It is small so it's super easy to pack and you'll be surprised how often you'll need it. From hangnails to cutting loose threads on clothes, it is a must-have for me. I also found that I lend it out to a lot of people while we are traveling because it is an item that people often forget to pack. A water bottle. I'm not going to sugarcoat this one, being that I feel like I talk about this in about 50% of my videos. It is simple for me. I always like to bring a water bottle on my travels and it's an item that gets well used. Buying water at an airport is expensive and staying hydrated while traveling is key. There are quite a few options I really enjoy traveling with. Hey, if you're enjoying this video so far and finding value in it, if you could do us a huge favor and give it a thumbs up as well as subscribe to our channel for more content like this. It is much appreciated. A first aid kit, as well as some basic medications, can be extremely helpful on your travels. So here are a few things that I bring with me no matter what the trip is or how long I'm going for. These are kind of the basics. Starting with some Tums. Gotta always have some Tums for those upset stomachs. Ibuprofen, a little inflammation, headache. We have some allergy medication. We have some Neosporin as well as a few Band-Aids. We don't want to get an infection if we accidentally cut our foot or something like that. I always pack some Andromamine just in case we have a bumpy car ride or boat ride. We have some ginger chews. They taste good. Also, they do help with an upset stomach. Visine for those dry eyes. Cough drop for the dry throat. I always pack some bug spray wipes. You never know when you're going to be in a situation where you need to try to avoid those bugs. We have some Pepto-Bismol. Obviously, a lot of stuff that is going to help ease the stomach, especially if you're traveling internationally eating foods that you don't normally eat. I also usually pack some Ammonium as well. Those cover the bases and those are what I bring on almost every single trip. If you're curious about what I bring on longer trips or just a more detailed video, I would recommend watching this one here. I'll make sure to have it linked below as well. I do a whole video describing everything that I put in my first aid kit as well as medications that I bring, but these will cover the bases and this would be a great place to start if you're looking to build out your first aid kit or medical kit. Airplanes in different climates can dry out your lips fast and a simple tube of chapstick can make a huge difference. Kind of lame, but is an item that's really important to me. Now, when it comes to clothing, there are not too many items I can honestly say I bring with me on every trip, just being that destinations and weather can vary greatly, obviously. One philosophy I keep in the front of my brain when packing clothes is packing a capsule wardrobe. Instead of overpacking, try sticking to a capsule wardrobe. Versatile, mix-and-match pieces that work for different occasions and different weather conditions. To do that, you should be thinking about items that are neutral colors like blacks, grays, blues, greens, and tans. Every pair of bottoms should go with at least three tops. Lightweight layers to keep you warm or cool. Packing clothes like this will save you space and help you be prepared for any situation. Above is one of the few pieces of clothing that I am always packing. Except for a recent ski trip I went on that I actually forgot to pack one, which is so weird because I always usually pack multiple buffs, but I forgot. Anyway, that's a good reminder for those of you watching this video that even people like myself who claim to know what they're talking about sometimes make mistakes. This tiny piece of fabric is so versatile. Use it as a headband, eye mask, or even a face covering in dusty or cold conditions. I even use one to protect some of my camera gear. Different countries equals different outlets, so an international travel adapter is a must. But the main reason I bring my international travel adapter on every trip is the ability to charge multiple devices at once. So I even pack this for my trips around the U.S. This next item I can confidently say probably about 90% of people travel with these days, and that is headphones. Actually, if you don't travel with headphones, let me know down in the comments because I'm going to ask you how. I feel like everybody travels with headphones these days, and I am no different being that I travel with my AirPod Pros for the size as well as the noise cancellation abilities. These are a must for flights, trains, or just trying to block out noisy environments. Next, we have my Garmin watch. This is a great travel item. I have the Fenix 6 Pro Solar, which is an older version. It was a bit of an investment, but this thing really doesn't even come off my body, and it's no different when I travel. I keep it on even when I sleep because I like to look at the sleep data. But this is a great travel item. The Garmins are really basically indestructible, scratch resistant. Even if you do scratch it, it looks cool, waterproof. It's great on any activity, especially for hiking if you're somebody that likes to track your hikes. This is a great travel item if you have the ability to make the little bit larger investment. This next item might just be the game changer you need to help you avoid a lot of the biggest stressors of travel, like lost or stolen valuables, airport security, and even personal safety. This is something we started doing when we were traveling full time, and that is creating a locked folder on your phone with scans of all of your important travel documents. So this is obviously not something you have to pack, but it's something that I make sure to prepare for all of my travels. What I do is I will scan copies of passports, driver's license, credit cards, insurance, and visas. You can do this with really anything you might need access to in an emergency situation that contains confidential information. This will help you navigate the worst while traveling like a lost passport or driver's license, which might prevent you from boarding a plane or getting into your desired country. Now, hopefully preparation like this never actually gets put to use, but if the worst happens, you will be ready and able to turn a potential big issue into no problem. What travel essentials do you not travel without? Let me know down in the comments. I would love to hear those items that you pack in your suitcase or backpack on every single trip, no matter the destination or length. If you enjoyed this video and are looking for some more travel essentials to try out, and are maybe looking for some products that you might not bring on every single trip, but a lot of trips, as well as they are budget friendly, I would highly recommend watching this video here, where I compile the list of travel items that are all under $20. Thank you for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, please, please, please give it a thumbs up, as well as subscribe to our channel for more content like this. We will see you in the next video.