10 Must Have Travel Essentials you need to pack

I am a minimal traveler and hate to carry unnecessary stuff – be it extra pair of clothes or big plastic shampoo bottles for a week of vacation. But there are a few must have essentials that I carry by default EVERYWHERE. Over the years I have also tried to reduce my plastic consumption as much as possible , therefore, you will see many sustainable alternatives in the below list.

1. Sustainable Toiletries Pouch
   Avoid carrying big tubes & bottles of your toiletries everywhere. Instead have a kit ready with travel size refillable bottles
   • Mini Silicon Bottles kit – Buy here at Amazon
   • Bamboo Toothbrush – Buy here at Amazon
   • Tooth Powder/ tablets – Link
   • Shampoo & Conditioner Bar – Buy here at Amazon
   • Re-usable razor
   • Reef safe Mineral Sunscreen – Buy Here at Amazon
   • Deodorant
     I really love this non toxic, travel friendly mini deodorant bar from Bare Necessities . You can Buy here at Amazon
     
2. Stainless Steel Water Bottle – Buy Here
   One thing without which I don’t step out of my house is my trusty decathlon water bottle. Not only you avoid paying for overpriced water at many restaurants/airports, it reduces single use water bottle consumption while traveling.
   
3. Stainless Steel or Bamboo Straws – Buy here at Amazon
   During travels, one of the things which would distress me was the amount of plastic which would come with packaged / grab & go food items. I carry my cutlery , steel straw & stainless coffee mug while traveling , they are especially useful during road travels and avoid unnecessary usage of plastic.
   
4. Tech Kit Organizer
   To keep all your chargers, memory cards, earphones etc. at one place and also saves time during security checks. I find this one quite useful & takes quite less space in my handbag Buy here at Amazon
   Alternatively, you can also go for this option Link
   
5. Battery Bank/Portable Phone Charger
   Choose the one depending on number of devices you are carrying & their usage as power banks come in different sizes.
   
6. Universal Adaptor – Buy here at Amazon
   A must must must have as every different countries have different plug types and it is the not the problem you would like to have the moment you land in a new city. It is definitely worth buying if you are a frequent traveler.
   
7. Crossbody sling bag or Money Bag
   This is relatively a new addition to the travel essentials list, especially for men as women would already be using it. This is super useful when you are traveling in busy areas and have to be cautious. It helps to keep an eye on your belongings all the time.
   You can go for a sling bag – something like this Buy here at Amazon or Money belt Link
   
8. Packing Cubes
   I have been using packing cubes only from 2022 but honestly I cannot imagine a time when I did not use them. They are the most revolutionary product in my opinion and a MUST to compartmentalize your items to save space & stay organized, whether you are taking a suitcase or a backpack. There are multiple options available on Amazon – Link here.
   
9. Small box of dry fruits for snacking while waiting long hours at airport 🙂
   
10. Downloaded Offline Google Map
    It’s practically impossible to survive without Google Maps, especially if you are travelling abroad. Thankfully, you don’t have to rely on internet to get going. Save/Bookmark specific areas and download it as offline map before your travel journey begins.

Please comment if you have any more travel must haves that you cannot travel without!