Packing for a trip of any length can be overwhelming! Planning enough outfits is hard enough, let alone all the other things you need think about: toiletries, tech, money, entertainment, things to keep you safe. When we were packing for our world trip, we did a lot of research into travel packing before we even started the process. And we still got a few things wrong! We ended up needing to get a few more things on the road, and there were a few things we wish we hadn’t wasted room on. After 15 months around the world (plus countless other small trips), we’ve got a number of things that we consider travel packing essentials.

We know there are no end to posts out there with comprehensive packing lists, that include everything from toothpaste to socks and underwear. We’re doing things a little differently, and sharing the items that not every traveller thinks to pack. Some of these things were absolute game-changers to how comfortable we were while travelling. Others weren’t as pivotal, but we still wouldn’t leave for a trip without them. These are things that we couldn’t have travelled without (or we REALLY wish we’d had with us)!

We’ve seen a lot of travel packing posts out there with links to products available in the USA or Canada, and even European ones. As Australians, we’ve made sure every single product we’ve linked here is available for shipping to Australia as we know it’s so frustrating to find the perfect thing that you can’t actually get. Hopefully this helps you with your travel packing!

We’ve split this post into categories:

1. Technology
2. Packing
3. Weather Specific
4. Comfort and Daily Use
5. Entertainment
6. Finance/ Important Documents

Let’s get into our travel packing essentials:

When you think about essentials in travel packing, most people think about taking their electronics and charging cords. Don’t forget to pack these items as well, as they’ll make everything much easier!

If you’re like us and are taking literally hundreds of photos and videos every time you visit a new place, you’ll need a hard drive. We brought one each on the trip, backed up our phones to both of them every week or so and never carried them together. This way we knew that all our content would be safe no matter what happened. Below we’ve listed some hard drives of different sizes and brands:

1. Western Digital 1TB hard drive
2. Seagate 2TB hard drive (We took this one overseas and can recommend it)
3. Western Digital 2TB hard drive (We also took this one and can recommend it too)
4. Seagate 8TB hard drive (This one is physically quite large, but has SO MUCH storage space)

In terms of hard drive size, we were able to fit over 80 Youtube videos worth of content onto one 2TB hard drive. This included all the original clips, the project files AND the final exported videos. So most people won’t need more than 2TB unless you’re travelling for a really long time or taking thousands of HD videos.

This is probably one of our more obvious ones, but a portable charger is a must. Some days you’ll be out for 12+ hours and having access to a charged phone can be crucial. From translating apps, to currency converting apps, to maps, you never know what you might need and when. Below we’ve listened some portable chargers of varying brands and sizes:

1. This is a thin 10000mAh portable charger with 2 USB A outlets, one USB C in/outlet and even has an in built phone holder.
2. This is a thin and light 20000mAh portable charger with 3 USB A outlets, one USB C in/outlet, one micro input and one lightening input.
3. A thin and fast charging 30000mAh portable charger with 3 USB A outlets, one USB C in/outlet and one micro input.

Every place you stay will look a little different, and sometimes your nearest power point will be on the other side of the room. This ones pretty self explanatory but a long charging cable will be perfect in these situations! This is a 3 metre USB A to Lightning 2 pack of cords and this is a 2 pack of 3 metre USB C to Lightning cords. Lastly, this is a 3 pack, 3 metre USB A to USB C pack of cords that has high speed charging and a flexible cable.

If you’re travelling to multiple countries in one trip, having a universal adaptor makes things so much easier. Instead of carrying lots of different adaptors, a universal one has them all in one item. Even if you’re just heading to Asia or Europe, that doesn’t mean one adaptor will suit every country you’re visiting. It really helps keep everything neater and cut down on storage space! This universal adaptor has 2 USB A ports on the side and this one has 3 and 1 USB C port.

Another charging related item, this is a great thing to have if you’ve got lots of items that charge via a USB cable. It’s also very useful if you’ve got access to limited power points and adaptors as you can charge multiple items from one port. This USB charger has 6 charging ports, 3 USB A and 3 USB C, and can be plugged into a regular Australian power point. It’s also small, has over charge protection and is fire resistant.

This was probably our most used piece of technology we took on the trip. Again, if you only have access to limited power points and adaptors, a power board is a must. This way you can charge multiple things from one power point. It also means you can just bring your standard wall chargers from home and plug them into your power board. This one has individual switches with 5 Australian outlets, 4 USB C ports, 2USB A ports, and a long cord.

We know wireless headphones are popular (and Krissie loves her Airpods), but do consider chucking a cheap pair of wired headphones in your bag too. Often times, cheap plane or bus companies with on board entertainment will require wired headphones to use them and then will charge you to buy theirs. There is also the terrible prospect of your wireless headphones running out of battery and needing a recharge, or worse, the case battery dying. It’s so useful to have a pair of wired headphones just in case! These headphones have a mic on the cord and have a regular headphone jack. These ones have a Lightning end compatible with apple devices and these ones have a USB C end.

If you’re somewhere where you need to use wired headphones, a splitter can be perfect for you and someone else to watch the same thing. If you’ve both got wired headphones that have a jack end, this splitter is perfect.

This was another thing we were really glad we got before going overseas. A cord organiser is so great to keep everything neat and organised, but also to keep track of all your cords. After a while of packing all your cords in the same spots, it becomes way easier to tell if you’re missing any when packing. This is the cord organiser we took overseas, it is thin and has lots of space for different things. However if you need more space or have chunkier items, this bigger cord organiser might be better for you.

The actual packing part of travel packing is often overlooked by many people. They reach for their trusty suitcase and just start loading things in. But it can be so much easier to create an organised system within your suitcase! Not only does it help save space and keep things tidy, but it’s easier to tell if things have been forgotten when everything has a place.

Another of our more obvious suggestions, but packing cubes make packing so much easier. They come in lots of different sizes and they really do help keep your bags neat and organised. We used them for the first time on our world trip and will now use them for every trip in the future. This is a set of 8 packing cubes in different sizes and includes shoe, toiletries and laundry bags. And these are some slightly fancier waterproof compression bags that also include a laundry and toiletries bag.

While you’re packing, you will more than likely be trying to stick to some sort of bag weight limit. Sometimes you’ll have access to a bathroom scale, but if you don’t a digital luggage scale will come in super handy. They’re small, pretty accurate, and can hook around any bag handle for weighing. We took one like this on our trip with us so when we bought new things or had to rearrange our bags, we could make sure we would remain under the weight limit.

We put an air tag in each of our suitcases and now will never travel without them. They’re not expensive, last over a year on one battery and are super small. Trust us, landing in a new place and knowing your suitcase has arrived before it comes out on the luggage belt is so worth it. Not to mention, if your bag were to be misplaced, you would be able to see where it is in the world. This is where you can buy an Airtag and this is the Samsung SmartTag if you’re a Samsung user instead.

This is the Kathmandu hanging waterproof toiletries bag we took which was great. This is a great accessory to take travelling because its waterproof and can be hung on railings which makes it really useful when you need to use it in the shower. It also has lots of space for all your toiletries but still packs down small enough to fit in full suitcases.

This one is not a must have, but can be super useful especially when you’re staying in hostels. If you need to leave your room to brush your teeth, it’s nice to just grab the toothbrush holder and head to the bathroom. Then you can put the holder on the bench or throw it in a bag and not have to worry about dust or dirt getting on your toothbrush. This is a 4 pack of the toothbrush holders we took which worked well. And this is an electric toothbrush holder travel case which is super cool too.

While some people prefer liquid soap, we are firm believers in packing solid soap when travelling. It takes up less space, lasts longer, and won’t impact your liquid limit if you’re travelling carry-on only. Having a specific soap holder makes it super easy when staying in accommodation with shared bathrooms. You can also store the soap in there when it’s wet. This also means you can buy your own soap instead of the hostel or hotels soap, which won’t be as nice as your own! If you have sensitive skin, you’d also know how important it is to have soap you trust! This is a great water proof soap holder that has a detachable draining rack which is useful.

One of the things we took overseas and did regret taking is shampoo and conditioner bars. They just made our hair feel so dry and gross, and we eventually ended up buying full size liquid bottles anyway and carrying them in our checked luggage. Next time we travel, we’re going to be taking all shampoo and conditioner in little liquid containers for sure. This is a 4 pack of silicon TSA approved liquid containers that would work great, especially for a shorter trip!

Obviously, safety is a big concern for a lot of people when they’re heading off on a trip. While there are some things that you can’t plan for, there are ways that you can make yourself less of a target. Here are some of our favourite travel packing items that helped to keep us safe:

We had one anti-theft backpack each and they’re some of our favourite things we bought for our trip. Of course, we’ll never know if our bags were ever an attempted target, but we never had anything stolen. The specific brand we got was also incredible quality and the bags never broke or tore after 15 months of being used every single day. They all have lockable zips, an untearable mesh layer, and a slashproof outer layer. This is the 12L Pacsafe bag that Krissie used with the zipper against your back. This is the 17L Pacsafe bag that Katherine used that fit our 15 inch laptop.

This is a portable door lock for when you’re staying somewhere and want to feel extra safe. It is small, durable and easy to install but it won’t work on every door so keep that in mind. Here is a portable door lock which fits most inward opening doors.

We took one suitcase lock each and put them on anytime we were travelling between locations. It just made us feel a bit better that our stuff was locked away, especially on trains, ferries, and coaches when anyone could have access to our bags. You can also use these locks on lockers if you stay in a hostel so they are super useful to have. This is a pack of 2 TSA approved suitcase locks with flexible cables that would be perfect.

This is self explanatory but you never know when you’ll need it until you do! We took a small first aid kit that stayed in one of our backpacks at all times. It had lots of band aids as well as some tweezers, wipes, bandages and anything we might need. This is a small first aid kit with 92 pieces inside that’s perfect for travelling.

Some items that we would consider ‘essential’ travel packing for some locations are going to be completely useless in others. On our 15-month trip, we spent time in pretty much every climate, so we took all of these items with us. Some of them you may not need, but they’re worth considering!

We both took a small foldup microfibre towel on the trip and while we didn’t use them often, when we needed them they were very useful. Hostels sometimes don’t provide towels or charge for them, so they’re great for that. They’re also great to take to the beach since they fold up so small. This is a 24×48 inch foldup microfibre towel with a little carry case.

If you use an umbrella at home when it rains, you’re going to use one when travelling too. We also found ourselves using them in the sun when we weren’t near any shade. The small ones fit in a backpack easily, so are perfect for travelling. Here is a wonderful extra strong, quick dry umbrella that packs up small. This one is a reversible umbrella that would help keep you bag dry when you pack it away.

However, if you’re more of a rain coat person, definitely take one of those travelling instead of an umbrella. You can find some great lightweight ones that pack down super small into carry bags so they’re also easy to carry. This is a lightweight women’s rain jacket with elastic cuffs and hood to keep the rain out and a carry case. And this is a lightweight men’s rain jacket with an adjustable hood, an inside zip pocket and a carry case.

This one obviously depends on where you’re travelling and what kind of climates you’ll be in. But if you’re heading somewhere cold, thermals are a must have. They’re lightweight and pack down small but do help to keep you warm, especially if you layer them. We wore thermals every day while we were in Scandinavia in winter, and for most of our time in Canada. This is a women’s top and bottom thermal set and this is a men’s top and bottom set.

The day-to-day part of travelling may seem like it’s going to be similar to your everyday life at home. In some ways, it absolutely will be, but in others, you’re going to need to prepare a little differently. When heading out each day, you’ll likely be out for many hours at a time, so you’ll need to make sure you’ve got what you need in your day bag. For daily life in your accommodation, there are also some tweaks you can make from your routines at home to make things more manageable. Here are our essential travel packing items for day-to-day life on the road:

When you’re out wandering around for hours at a time, there really is nothing better than having an ice cold drink in your backpack. When choosing one, just make sure to take into account how big and heavy the bottle is. This one comes in 3 sizes, is vacuum insulated and has a leak proof straw lid.

These really came in handy when travelling and we were really glad for our foldable cutlery sets. Small, easy to use and easy to clean, you never know when you’ll need some cutlery. There were a few times that takeaway places had no cutlery left, or we bought ready-to-eat food from a supermarket, and it was so handy having a fork with us. This is 4 sets of cutlery with a knife, a spoon and a fork each in lightweight carry cases in a variety of colours. And this is a stainless steel set with a knife, a spoon, a fork, 2 straws, a straw cleaner and a set of chopsticks with a carry case.

One of our favourite things we bought before the trip! While often we stayed in accommodation that provided washing powder, sometimes it didn’t and you can’t be caught without it. These sheets last forever, take up the tiniest amount of space in your suitcase, and worked great. This is the brand we took overseas and has 32 loads in it, which will last you a long time! You can even break them into smaller pieces if you need to just wash a few things by hand.

After travelling for a couple of weeks, you’ll find yourself needing to do a clothes wash. If you then don’t have access to a dryer, this compact washing line can really come in handy. Absolutely tiny, it takes up no space in your suitcase but can hold a decent amount of clothes. You could even take 2 or 3 to make sure you’ve got enough hanging space for a full wash. This is a small portable washing line with 12 clips on it, a carry bag and hooks on either end. We would often have to be creative with where in our room we connected the hooks, but it’s so much better than having nothing.

Definitely not a necessity but we took our own silk pillowcases from home. Apart from silk just being better for your hair, it also made us feel a bit more comfortable having something from home every night. We also didn’t have to worry about how clean it was like you sometimes do with hotel or hostel linen. This is a pair of silk pillowcases that comes in so many fun colours!

Every accommodation is different and the AMOUNT of places we stayed with sheer curtains in the bedroom was truly astounding. If you need darkness to sleep, an eye mask can really come in handy for a good nights sleep. You can also treat yourself and get a nice silk one too. This is a thin cotton eye mask that includes a travel pouch too.

Same as the eye mask, every accommodation is different and sometimes they can be really noisy. If you need silence to sleep, ear plugs are a must. They’re also tiny so definitely worth chucking some in for your travels! This is 5 pairs of soft foam ear plugs with a plastic carry case and this is one pair of higher quality ear plugs with a case too. Katherine found that the foam ear plugs were great for her, but Krissie prefers ones that are designed for comfort. It’s worth trying out what you prefer at home so you know which ones to pack.

While we personally don’t use these, a neck pillow is a very popular travel item. They make long journeys a lot more comfortable and don’t take up too much room so really are popular for a reason! This is a simple memory foam travel pillow and this is a fancier pillow with shoulder support. Personally, we have both used the standard ones and found that they don’t really help that much. We’re interested in trying the fancy ones, though, so maybe we’ll update this and let you know what we think!

We originally had one of these packed, and then unpacked it thinking it wouldn’t be needed. Soon after we left, we ended up buying one when a beanie pom pom needed to be sewed back on. We also used it to re-hem pants and sew buttons back on so you’ll never know when you might need one! They’re also reasonably small so it really is worth it to take one travelling with you. This is a great sewing kit in a case with some needles, pins, buttons, thread, scissors and more. Just to make sure to pack it in your checked luggage when taking it on a plane!

Travel might seem from the outside to be all fun and games, but there is actually so much down time! From waiting for public transport, long flights or coach rides, rest days, or layovers, there are so many times that you’ll need something to keep you occupied. Here are our favourite travel packing items that are purely for entertainment:

One of the little home luxuries we missed while travelling was reading. An e-reader is obviously way smaller and lighter than a book, and can contain hundreds of books at once. They are perfect for reading while travelling! This is a 16GB Kindle with a 7 inch display and this is a 16GB Kobo with a 6 inch display. If you’re from outside the US, you won’t be able to access library books on a Kindle, but you can on a Kobo. This means that you can use an app like Libby or BorrowBox to borrow e-pubs from your local library and ready them on your Kobo. This is great for saving some money as well as keeping yourself entertained!

Of course you might be considering taking some form of laptop or tablet on your trip, but its important to really think about how many and which ones. For our 15 month trip, we took one 15 inch laptop and one standard iPad. We made sure both fit in our carry on bags and weren’t too heavy. It was the perfect combination for both of us to work on the blog or edit videos and watch something at the same time. This worked for us without taking up too much space that two laptops might have done so it’s important to consider what will work for you!

There is a lot of down time while travelling so some type of game can come in handy. They don’t take up much room and are great if you don’t want to or can’t use use any technology for entertainment. However we definitely thought we’d play games or do puzzle books more than we did so we would recommend not packing too many. This is a great puzzle book with over 150 games that you can fit into any bag. This is a great 2 player game we took with us called Hive Pocket that comes with a carry bag.

Unfortunately life admin doesn’t stop when you travel. We had important things we needed to keep safe in case we needed them, and we also spent a lot of time making sure we were on budget. These are some things to think of when travel packing to make the admin side of things as smooth as possible:

When we travelled we had a folder with important printed out documents. In here we had hard copies of our travel insurance policy, our passports, any visas we had acquired and copies of our bank card details. We also made sure the folder was waterproof in case we got caught in rain or something leaked. This is a 5 pack of the document folder we took, which has a zipper and is waterproof.

These hardly take up any room and just bring peace of mind that your passport is protected. It also makes it easier to find in your bag as passports are usually quite dark coloured and small. Even better is you can get ones with cute designs or customisable ones so it really is a win win! You can get a regular but still cute passport holder here or you can get some customisable ones on Etsy. We actually got ours in our third country of the trip when we realised how useful they would be.

Depending where you’re going, you may not need cash at all but it’s important to always have some on you just in case you need it. Because it often costs money to get cash out of international ATMs, the best thing to do is take a lot of cash out, then keep some in your suitcase and carry some on you. That way, if you were to lose some of your cash, you won’t lose it all. We also made sure to carry each others back up travel cards for this same reason.

Travel packing can be so overwhelming with where to begin and what to pack. We hope our list has helped you choose some things that will be important for you to pack.

If you’re super overwhelmed like we were, just remember that as long as you have your passport and access to money, you can get anything else you might need on your trip. Have the best time, and let us know if you decided to pack any of these items!

To see more about what we packed and what we wish we’d had with us, check out our video below: