ITEMS THAT WILL MAKE TRAVELING MORE FUN AND EASIER

Traveling is of course already the most fun thing there is, but there are things that make it all even more enjoyable and easier. You could say the exact opposite of the Tax Office so. Or well, almost. Here they come.

Notebook

For all your travel adventures, unfortunate moments, crying moments, euphoric moments – for everything really. It’s delightful to be able to write everything down and even nicer to read it all back weeks, months, or years later. Just last weekend I found my travel diary from Rio and I spent a whole hour reading it. Wow, I was dealing with such different things back then than I am now, it’s bizarre how quickly things can change. Also, such a notebook is handy for jotting down names, phone numbers, and keeping receipts, tickets, and other paper mementos. This brings me to the next point.

Tape

I always carry a small pencil case with pens, pencils, keys, and a roll of tape. This is handy in so many situations, but I mainly use it to stick receipts from delicious restaurants, tickets from places I want to remember, written notes, or other fun things in the notebook.

Padlock

For those sleeping in hostels, this is of vital importance. In a dormitory, there are lockers (and if there aren’t any you have to look for another hostel), but those lockers don’t have a lock, you often have to take care of that yourself. You can first look for a lock, but that’s a hassle; you can often rent them at the hostel, but that costs money every time, so it’s better to buy a lock for a few euros before you leave and always take it with you.

Sleeping bag liner

So you’re lying in that dormitory and sure, the sheets are regularly steamed and washed at a thousand degrees, but it’s often not completely fresh. Moreover, you’re lying with 10 strangers in a room, so let’s say you’re a restless sleeper (one who always throws a leg outside the sheets), then it’s nice that you don’t have the possibility of getting into unclean situations. Enter: the sleeping bag liner. A thin kind of sleeping bag in which you lie under your sheet. My father once bought me one of those for extra warmth in a sleeping bag, and I thought it was all nonsense, but now it’s one of my most beloved travel items.

Travel towel

Okay, I think May-Britt is probably cringing while reading this, but I’m going to recommend that you don’t take a real towel (because it’s big and heavy) but a travel towel. A travel towel is small, dries super fast, and weighs nothing. I had in Rio, China, New Zealand, and actually everywhere two travel towels the size of a tea towel. One to dry my hair, the other for my body. The towels are made of microfiber, dry incredibly fast after use, don’t need to be washed every time, and are available in every travel or outdoor store (keep breathing, right, May).

Backpack cover

Every time I’m amazed by backpacks that arrive completely naked on the baggage carousel. A bit of a backpack has quite a few loose parts, and they can all get stuck in the dark, gloomy corridors where the luggage is sorted. A backpack cover is a kind of large bag that you put over your backpack, close with a lock, and then you’re done. It’s also nice because it takes a bit more effort for people to rummage through your backpack.