List of travel equipment: all my equipment explained

Whether you go away for two days or a year, there is always this dilemma of knowing what to put in your bag. This is when we have to choose what we will need on the spot without knowing what type of situation we will have to face. We are always afraid of forgetting something that could save our life (or at least the holidays).

So to avoid long migraines, I thought that a small list of ready-made travel equipment could surely be useful to you.

Backpacks

Yes, I say THE backpacks because I have a bag that I use as hand luggage and for day trips and a bag to put in the hold and in which I can slip my hand luggage once I arrive at the destination.

The main backpack

If there is one purchase that should not be overlooked, it’s the backpack! It will be your home for the duration of your trip and therefore should be at the top of your list. Its capacity, support, and design are of great importance for your physical comfort and practicality. There isn’t one good backpack that everyone likes; it will depend on your criteria.

Its advantages:

It offers good ventilation on the back
Its U- shaped opening allows access to everything quickly
It is easily adjustable between 45 and 55 liters (although I never fill it more than 45 liters)
It has a lot of features that can be very useful if you go on a hike, such as its front pocket, perfect for storing a water bottle

If you don’t want to put 180 $ in a bag, Decathlon offers very good bags starting at 45 $. Regarding the choice of volume, I advise you to choose a bag of 40 to 50 liters maximum. It will force you to make choices to take only the main one, and your back will thank you for it.

The extra bag

After much research, my choice fell on the Typhoon 25 liter dry bag from the Swiss brand Exped which costs 95 $. So, yes, 95 $ is very expensive for such a small bag.

I was looking for a bag that:

Serve as an extra backpack in the cabin for visiting days or short hikes
Keep all my electronic equipment dry even in heavy rain (hello monsoon!)
Either light and compact but ultra-resistant
Either equipped with side pockets to be able to put a water bottle

This model has all these advantages. I fell in love with it completely.

If you don’t want to put that much money in a carry-on bag, any other bag can do the trick. Everything will depend on your needs.

Clothes

Ah, the clothes! There would be too much to say about the clothes… So I wrote a complete list of clothes to put in her backpack.

The toilet kit

For the body.

1 Marseille soap (or a cold soap): The ideal is to choose a natural and colorless soap. In this way, it will be used to wash your body and do your laundry without staining your clothes and even to brush your teeth (yes, yes, you read that correctly). The taste is not great, but we get used to it. Find the best 100% natural soaps

One solid deodorant: There is a pebble, stick, cream, or powder version. I opted for the stick version of Savon Zébulles, but that’s just a matter of taste. It is free of aluminum salts, fragrance, alcohol, and plastic packaging. Only natural products which are very effective even after an hour of jogging. Nothing to do with alum stone. See the different types of solid deodorants

Coconut oil: Coconut oil has allowed me to greatly lighten my toiletry bag as it replaces both body cream, hand cream, after-sun cream, hair mask, bath mouth, and so on. The icing on the cake is also cooking oil, perfect for preparing fried eggs for breakfast. If you want to learn more about coconut oil, I wrote an article on 15 Ways to Use Coconut Oil.

Shea butter: Since I left Asia to live in Africa, I replaced coconut oil with shea butter to hydrate my body and hands. Besides the fact that it is produced more locally, I find that it hydrates more deeply, and most importantly, it does not run. Find shea butter

Sunscreen
One razor
One tweezer: It is used to epilate but also to remove fragments, for example.
One electric epilator: Only for trips over three weeks. Forget about the cold wax strips if you are going to a hot country. They’ll melt in a day and stick to all of your stuff. The result is even worse than the exploding shampoo bottle in the bag! And if you sleep in a dorm, invest in a cordless epilator that works in the shower, so you don’t have to epilate in front of everyone.

For hair…

Solid shampoo: There are some for all hair types. You have to find the one that suits you by going for a walk there.
One hairbrush
Hair ties can also be used for other uses.

For the rest…

One mirror
One manicure kit (scissors and file): Even when traveling, you have to stay clean. Note that scissors are also useful for other things like sewing.
Earplugs that are very useful in dormitories and for bus trips.
One sewing kit saved me a lot when I got a hole in my T-shirt or lost my pants’ button.
A menstrual cup: Yes, because tampons take up space in the bag, it’s expensive, dangerous for health, and also it is the cross and the banner to find in some countries. So I recently tried the menstrual cup. Result: I am won over! It has three significant advantages: 1- It is not harmful to health (well, from what we know); 2- It is cheaper than other hygienic protections; 3- You will no longer need to waste your time shopping around the supermarkets looking for a box of tampons. On the other hand, you must have access to a shower morning and evening to empty and clean it. And when I’m not traveling, I use period panties. I have three that allow me to make a roll and give them time to dry between each wash.

The pharmacy

Some water-resistant plasters and special blisters
One bandage
of packs
Of essential tea tree oil to clean wounds and treat skin problems passengers. I tell you more in this article.
One pair of latex gloves can be used if you injure your hand, disinfect a wound, or on a hike to collect waste on your way.
Tiger Balm: It is a miracle product that replaces many drugs. It should always be on a travel equipment list. It will relieve a headache, warm your feet in cold weather, repel mosquitoes, relieve itching from bites, unclog your nose and relax your muscles after exercise. If you want to know more about this miracle product, I wrote an article listing 24 possible uses for Tiger Balm (yes, 24!).
One box of Doliprane
One box of Imodium: This medicine is for a traveler with a fragile stomach’s best friend. And even I, who have a foolproof stomach, still keep Imodium in the bag “just in case”…
Micropur tablets to disinfect water when you can’t find potable water. This will stop you from going through the box of Imodium only after.
Mosquito repellent: To keep those pesky critters away, coconut oil or tiger balm is quite effective. And if the mosquitoes are completely crazy about you anyway, an essential oil-based mosquito spray will save your life.
An antimalarial treatment with the prescription that only serves if you go in at-risk areas.
“Special Single Men” – Condoms: It is important to know that the sizes are not the same depending on the world’s regions. So if you are a man and you are single, I strongly advise you to bring a box of condoms from your country of residence to not have any unpleasant surprises during your trip. I certainly don’t need to draw you a picture …
“Special Women are taking the pill” – Contraceptive pill packs accompanied by the prescription: If you have another method of contraception, all the better for you. Otherwise, it is important to carry pill packs for the duration of your stay as it will be difficult to obtain them on site. In many countries, contraception is not common, and it is often highly regulated. Don’t forget to bring your prescription with you if you are entitled to a border check. You will be notified.

Electronic

One smartphone: to take pictures when I don’t have my large device handy and to use Google Maps in all circumstances.
One notebook or tablet: It will depend on your needs. Word processing is much easier with a real keyboard, but a tablet is lighter and easier to carry. If you’re going away for less than a month, there’s a good chance you can do without a tablet or notebook altogether.
One external hard drive that I leave in my locker. That way, if someone steals my computer, my photos and other memories won’t be lost. Otherwise, the cloud is also a good option like for example, Google Drive or Dropbox.
1 USB stick: This is always useful, for example, when you need to print your e-Visa or store a copy of your passport.
1 Kindle: It avoids carrying around kilos of books… I bought mine for $ 79 in 2012, and it still holds up very well despite all its travels and the humidity in some countries. He is indestructible! And since Kindle books are cheaper than paper books, it has paid off a lot since then. See the different types of Kindle
One camera + 2 batteries + 2 memory cards: This is unnecessary if you are content with your smartphone. For my part, I fell for an SLR (Canon EOS 100D + 18-55mm lens + polarizing filter + 50mm 1.8 lenses) because it is really small and light for an SLR while doing the job (I’m far from ‘be a pro). The device, accessories, and house weigh a total of 1 kilo. It is, therefore, a choice that is yours.
1 MP3 player + headphones: It saves your life when you leave for long hours of travel, and it is much more discreet than a telephone (so you are less likely to be stolen). Mine cost me 13 $ on Amazon, and it fulfills its mission very well.
One external charger (power bank): As we travel with more electronic devices, the external charger is really useful. Already, it allows our devices to be recharged anywhere, and also, we are no longer afraid of leaving our phone unattended while it is charging. I opted for a Tecknet 16750mAh charger at 30 $. It allows me to charge my phone about three times. That’s all it takes. See the different external chargers
One international adapter: Without it, no electricity in some countries where the electrical outlets are not the same.

Documents

Passport + photocopy: Since I had my purse snatched with the passport in it, I always leave my passport in my locker at the hostel when I go out for a walk and only take a photocopy. I still take the original for the visiting days because some sites ask for it. The best thing is to keep a scanned copy in your mailbox.
Visas
European Health Insurance Card for all trips within the European Union. It is free and can be requested here (remember to make your request several weeks before your departure).
International vaccination book: if you travel to a country where vaccinations are mandatory, you will have to anticipate sufficiently in advance to make an appointment at a vaccination center and make any reminders. You can check the vaccines needed by country on the Institut Pasteur website.
International + national license: If you plan to drive a vehicle, some countries require you to present an international license in addition to the national license. The international permit is obtained free of charge on a simple online request on the Public Service website (for French nationals). Allow about three months to obtain it, and it is then valid for three years. It must always be presented with the national license.
Travel insurance certificate: I traveled for several years without insurance until the day I was the victim of a robbery. I lost almost 2000 $ between what was in my bag and what I had to spend following the theft: paying the Police (Hello corruption!), New passport, new visa, sending off the new credit card in Chronopost, etc. So travel insurance is not a luxury!
Credit or debit card

In the handbag

A wallet
Tissues
A paper notebook and a pen
Eyeglasses and sunglasses

In total, my equipment weighs approximately 14kg, clothing included. It’s too much for my weight of 50kg. To stop fracturing your back, it would be wise not to hit 20% of your weight. So a 50kg person should limit himself to 10kg of luggage while an 80kg person should limit himself to 16kg of luggage.

If I wanted to reduce my equipment’s weight even further, I would tackle electronic devices that alone weigh 5kg. By removing 1 kg for the camera and 2 kg for the computer and the external hard drive, we gain 3 kg, which gives us a total of 10 kg of luggage.

Do you want to go on a road trip? Do you need to rent a car in Islamabad or any other city of Pakistan while traveling on business? Or to visit Carlay Car Rental? Whatever your reason, here’s everything you need to know about car rental. It works for Pakistan as well as for abroad.