Have you packed this essential travel kit?

No matter how much you prepare, you’ll always find that when you eventually get down to the business of travelling there will be something you absolutely wish you’d thought of packing for your journey. Luckily, in most cases, you’ll find what you need while you’re on the road. Here’s a few items I’ve picked up along the way that, now I know, I’d never travel without:

HEAT ELEMENT

If you think this looks dangerous, well, you’d be right. But there’s nothing like having the freedom to make a nice cup of tea or coffee whenever and wherever you like. As long as you have access to a powerpoint, just plug in, drop this baby into your mug of (clean) water and create your beverage of preference. Just don’t do it while you’re having a bath.

BUNGEE ROPES

No, not the kind that encourage the contents of your stomach (and worse) to evacuate – these handy little fellas are incredibly versatile – use them to keep your backpack in order; set up a DIY washing line to get your clothes dry; stretch one out and hang a sheet over to give yourself some privacy if you’re sharing a room or if you need an impromptu curtain to stop unwanted peepers.

WET WIPES

It can be hard to stay clean on the road, particularly in remote parts of the world; but you can feel a bit fresher with Wet Wipes – whether you want to give your face and hands a bit of a scrub or if you’ve other areas that need some attention, it won’t hurt to make room for these.

PLASTIC BAGS

Always useful to have a handful of plastic bags around – they’re great for organising your packing to make sure you have quick access to whatever you need from your backpack – clothes, paperwork, medical kit, toiletries and so on – there’s nothing worse than having to empty the whole backpack just to get to your travel-size toothpaste. Plastic bags are also great for keeping your dirty washing out of harm’s way until you reach a laundry.

NEEDLE/THREAD/BUTTONS

Chances are, when you do reach a laundry, your clothes will be taking a beating, particularly if you’re travelling in India – don’t be surprised if your shirts come back with some or all of the buttons looking like broken teeth from the bashing they’ve taken on a rock by the river. Carry this handy bit of kit and you’ll have that problem sewn up in no time!

What essentials do you carry with you when travelling?