Useful Travel Accessories

Updated:2018

If you are travelling with only a cabin baggage, packing for your trips could be a little challenging. I recently got back from a conference called TBEX (the first time I attended it was in Costa Brava) and also took a trip to Romania recently. I knew there would be a lot of travelling involved and that I would need to be in touch with people as well as be connected to the internet; so I wanted to make sure that my phone would not give up on me by mid-day itself. As a result, I did a bit of planning beforehand and made sure I was carrying a few useful travel accessories with me. Towards the end of my trip, I realized what a wise decision I had made to buy a few of these things, and I’ll get to that detail in just a little bit. But, yes, I wanted to share my experience with all of you and let you know about the travel accessories I found to be most helpful. So, here are some travel accessories you can consider packing when planning your trip:

Note- Some of the products listed have affiliate links. If you do decide to buy anything from Amazon and go through these links, I would earn a very small commission that would be used towards maintaining this blog.

 

1. Powerbank- As my smartphone has a weak battery backup by now, I knew I didn’t want to be in a situation where I  could be potentially stranded without a mode of connection to the world. So, I decided to buy a power bank on Amazon, after surveying the local markets and coming across mostly expensive things. The one that I ordered online could charge two devices at the same time, once you had fully charged it overnight or so. I found it to be super convenient, as I was using my phone quite a lot for taking quick notes, pictures, looking up details, maps,etc. As expected, it would often start giving up by the afternoon or early evening, and I was glad I could just charge it while moving around, without having to look for a plug point in a cafe.

US visitors can check it out and order it from here. 

[amazon_link asins=’B077XVRXLH,B00VJSGT2A,B071GKH2Y4|B00VJT3IUA,B019GJLER8,B01CU1EC6Y|B00WUGBBGY,B01C8MCPQ4,B078WSVKML’ template=’ProductGrid’ store=’eurodiar0e-21|europediaries-21|europediari06-21′ marketplace=’UK|DE|IN’ link_id=’11f5870e-9c20-11e8-9855-0363fc6e39e1′]

2.Bookcase for my phone– For a long time, I had wanted to buy a flip case for my phone, which would also let me keep some cards or cash. At times, it is really difficult to keep looking for my wallet in my bag filled with hundreds of things, and taking out the card or cash frequently. I bought such a case when I was first visiting Barcelona a few years ago and decided to keep one of my debit cards in it while the rest of my things were in my wallet. THIS, my friends, was one of the wisest decisions I made, as my wallet brilliantly got stolen in a metro, and I luckily had my debit card to use for the rest of the journey, and specially to buy the next ticket!

US visitors, check this out for an idea.

[amazon_link asins=’B00NFY9L76,B00L2NQAXU,B00LBYY8MU|B011CLL3OM,B00OPLMKD0,B0727RS6NB,B01G8MY8SI,B01LB4N2PS|B07F3FQSFD,B01MDS6CUI,B01LQDR6ZG’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’europediaries-21|eurodiar0e-21|europediari06-21′ marketplace=’DE|UK|IN’ link_id=’c9226b36-9c21-11e8-ae2d-a12c0e4b70c0′]

3. Trip organizer app– Since I was getting bogged down by the numerous bookings and plans I was making, I wanted to put everything together, and wanted to be able to find addresses and all my plans easily while hopping from one place to another. So, I decided to try out TripIt. I had also won access to the TripRider app in a giveaway, so I tried using it too. However, since Tripit was collecting all my flight details and booking confirmations from my mail directly, I just decided to go ahead with it. I had signed up for the free version, but if you sign up for TripitPro, you can avail of even better services and get continuous updates about your flights, delays and other things. For me, it was convenient to put everything together on my account and take a printout of my entire itinerary, having all details and directions for every place I would be staying at, and the tours/meetings/plans that were confirmed. Of course, you can get all those details on your app too, but I wanted a hard copy, just to be safe.

4.Internet sim card– I generally depend on free wifi while travelling, as my current phone plan would charge me an unbelievable 19 CHF/MB while roaming (the last time I checked). But, as I mentioned earlier, I knew this time I might have a greater need of internet access, as I used Couchsurfing,AirBnB, hostel as well as a hotel for accommodation and was sure that I would have to call up some people and get in touch. I wanted to have the option of checking Google Maps whenever necessary, look up the internet for updates regarding my travel plans, check and reply to emails, and post updates.So, I was glad I came across MTX Connect. This sim card, which is delivered for free to you, provides internet access while roaming in 25+ countries in Europe, and they are expanding their coverage. They have a few internet plans that you can choose from and recharge online. People can choose to buy a 1 GB package for 30 days, or unlimited data for 24 hours (incase you are planning on working). If you just need access to check the map or your emails, you could also take the 100 MB plan for 24 hours, or just go with the pay-as-you-go model. You would just need to select a local service provider in your settings, each time you move countries. Even though all the setup instructions come along with the sim and are given on their site, I had a bit of a confusion while I tried setting it up in Spain. However, their support team is very quick and helpful, and they helped me via email instantly (while I used wifi ofcourse). Another good thing is that the credit on your account is valid for a year.So, even if you did not use all the money after recharging, you could use it for another package the next time you travelled. MTX helped me get in touch with people who would be hosting me, look up maps and details, post social media updates, be connected to the world and also most importantly, it helped me immediately look up emergency numbers and make calls to block cards, etc when disaster struck.

 

Since 2015, I have been using MTX on most of my short trips in Europe.  This was in Portugal:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Menorca@EuropeDiaries (@europediariesblog)

 

Or you can get a Wifi Hotspot device like My Webspot which gives you 5 GB data each day. this works the best if you are travelling in a group for instance or need constant internet access. I used this in the Czech Republic recently and was glad to be able to work with internet access even on 3-hour long train journeys.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Menorca@EuropeDiaries (@europediariesblog)

5. Packing Cubes –  These really make a difference in your packing. I feel much more organized and seem to fit in more things in my cabin baggage while using some packing cubes. Definitely, give these a shot.

[amazon_link asins=’B074PNWSZY,B01IJODETC,B01N7UA6RA|B019OF87V0,B075JBQ6RW,B014VBHC1I,B072K4658X|B014VBIEZQ,B014VBHC1I,B074L3K81C,B07FTQDG2K’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’europediaries-21|eurodiar0e-21|europediari06-21′ marketplace=’DE|UK|IN’ link_id=’8d811ccf-9c22-11e8-a0f7-ebc9f468fe5a’]

6. E-Book reader

Besides, for people who like to read, but find it difficult to carry thick books in their cabin baggage, a Kindle or an e-book reader is not a bad idea(even though I am not a big fan of e-books).

[amazon_link asins=’B00QJDO0QC,B01J90P010,B017AAZ8FO|B0186FESVC,B00QJDO0QC,B004K56MNU|B0186FF45G,B00QJDOEAO,B06XYKXG6Q,B00U4OQ8FS’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’europediaries-21|eurodiar0e-21|europediari06-21′ marketplace=’DE|UK|IN’ link_id=’e7831a80-9c22-11e8-81de-4b8abafdbf79′]

7. Safety belts and wallets-

One of my friends once had a waterproof wallet from Jack Wolfskin, that I thought could be safe to use while camping or travelling in the monsoons. Of course, please be careful of your wallets and passport while travelling. Split up the important things and keep them in different places. Maybe using a safety pouch under your shirt would not be a bad idea.

 

[amazon_link asins=’B071HSDL8D,B075YF9WC9,B0055C74UM,B00171R23Y,B000G4XRKU,B00AWPWJCA,B07D76F2KQ,B078S4SZGD|B00JA3UBDY,B076S89PYN,B01MXCTXT1,B01KMZS3LU,B01N6NP1OO,B0787GQQV2,B077FQR2V7|B000OOEOZO,B00LERH6CI,B01N7RX8Z6,B07DF542RN,B07FJZ7RC2,B075ZB3F12,B01MA1M1OA’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’europediaries-21|eurodiar0e-21|europediari06-21′ marketplace=’DE|UK|IN’ link_id=’e9a2a983-9c23-11e8-883f-2f85e092b5a5′]

Here are some of the best Anti-Theft bags . 

 

Leave a comment telling me about your Europe travel plans!

 

Merken

Save