17 TRAVEL BLOGGER MUST-HAVES | MAKING YOUR TRIP MUCH EASIER

Being a travel blogger I get to be invited for some media trips which require me to travel for 15 days or more.

Traveling for these number of days is quite challenging especially when packing what are essentials. Of course, you don’t want to miss some items which are very important.

Let me share with you some of my travel must-haves.

1. HARD CASE SUITCASE

When I won in the Kerala Blog Express 3 last year, I was made to travel to Kerala for 2 weeks for free. The travel was a combination of some adventures and we keep on moving from one place to another which means changing hotels almost every day. I was glad that I brought along with me a hard-shell Suitcase containing all of my clothes, footwear, and other much-needed items. The hard-shell suitcase gives me the assurance that my clothes will not be in trouble even if it rains or when not handled properly while in transit.

If you will be staying in a hostel with others, the suitcase comes to be a great option because you can lock it and simply strap it in your bed using your cable lock.

2. VERSATILE BACKPACK

Apart from my suitcase, I always bring along with me a backpack which can carry my medicines, a small laptop, other essentials, undergarments, and clothing for at least 2 days.

I remember years back when I attended a month long training in Chiang Mai. One of the delegates from Europe had his luggage lost by the airlines. It took the airline 1 week to give him his luggage. Hence he ended up buying clothes for the first few days.

Moreover, if you need to go out for an adventure, all you have to do is to leave your suitcase at the hotel and just bring your backpack with you.

3. SMALL SHOULDER BAG

When going out and you don’t need to bring a backpack, a small shoulder bag comes very useful to keep your passport, money, medicines, carry etc. If you will be carrying other hand carry bags you can just keep this small bag for a while in your backpack.

4. MEDIUM SIZE CAMERA BAG

I normally bring 2 hand-carry backpacks while on transit. My backpack and my camera bag. I normally work while waiting at the airport, so my laptop is always inside my backpack.

Also, being a travel blogger, the camera is always needed. Hence I got this nice medium sized camera bag which can contain my camera, an extra lens, action camera, battery charger, my tablet, and charger for my phone. I also keep on these bags some of my important documents like passport, etc.

5. PLASTIC BAGS

Plastic Bags are so versatile. You can use it to secure your toiletries not to mess with your other items in the bag. Not only that, when you need to go and you still have some wet garments with you. These plastic bags come handily.

6. JACKET

In my country, the Philippines, I don’t normally bring a Jacket because we are a tropical country and our climate is generally humid. But during rainy days and when traveling to some cooler countries I would bring of course a piece of jacket in a neutral color. If you want to take a nap when having a long layover you can simply roll your jacket and make it as your pillow to support your neck.

7. SCARF

One of my most favorite travel accessories when traveling are scarves. A scarf comes as a multi-purpose accessory for me.It keeps me warm when it’s cold, I use it as a towel sometimes when I don’t like using the hotel’s towel (in cases of a very cheap hotel or inn). For the ladies, it can help them if they wanted to accessorize themselves. I also use it to cover my camera when caught by some drizzles while covering an event.

8. SNEAKERS, RUBBER SANDALS, AND MULTI-PURPOSE SHOES

Three foot wears? To others it maybe too much. Just make your own judgment if you really need the three. But I have my reasons. Whenever I am invited for some media trips, sometimes the host will give you a surprise dinner which requires you to dress a bit formal. So, the multi-purpose shoes (in neutral colors) comes practically.

Rubber sandal? I have my rubber sandal which I’d been suing for many years now. I use it when I am on a beach to protect my feet, and also for some other adventures.

Sneakers. Visiting tourist spots normally requires some walking, and sometimes even long trekking. This is where a versatile and comfortable sneakers come very useful.

I was introduced lately into the latest collections of Converse Shoes as follows: Chuck Taylor All Star II Gum Sole; Chuck Taylor All Star II Lux Leather; Chuck Taylor All Star II Shield Lycra; Chuck Taylor All Star II Craft Leather; Converse Cons Thunderbolt Ultra, and Converse Cons Pro Leather LP.

Thinking of my next travel, I picked the Chuck Taylor All Star II Craft Leather. The shoe has a good quality leather upper. The sneaker would be a perfect walking shoe because of its leather, total look and most importantly the comfort it offers because of the  Nike Lunarlon insole.

Another good sneaker they offer is the Chuck Taylor All Star II Gum which comes with a  gum rubber soles instead of regular rubber. This sneaker provides the same grip and its ability to withstand wear as classic Chuck II rubber. It also has the Nike Lunarlon insole to ensure all day comfort. comfort.

Another interesting collection that Converse offer is the Converse Chuck II Lux Leather. The sneaker has an upper detail that’s made from a raised dot texture leather. Just like their other shoe collection, this sneaker has Nike Lunarlon insole for extra comfort.

A weather-friendly variant of the Chuck Taylor All Star mixed with Lycra also caught my fancy.The sneaker is wet ready.For this collection, the medial eyelets were removed and have an added  reflective pull tab heel counter for easy wearing. It has a padded gusseted tongue and a Lunarlon sock liner.

The classic Thunderbolt Ultra is the modern design of the classic running sneaker. The sneaker provides tight woven upper and internal neoprene bootie which give the wearer a comfortable fit.

The Pro Leather LP  is inspired by the classic basketball silhouette. Again, the addition of the Nike Lunarlon insole provides cushioning and extra comfort yet retaining the classic look.

For people in Bacolod City, Philippines, you can visit the Converse shop at the 2nd Level Robinson’s Place Bacolod.

9. PENLIGHT

A rechargeable small penlight is necessary when traveling especially when your trip requires a bit of adventure.

10. PEN AND SMALL TRAVEL NOTEBOOK

Being a travel blogger, I do a lot of travel guides for my readers and it requires a lot of details which I felt necessary for my post. So, a small notebook and pen are always inside my small shoulder bag or inside my camera bag.

11. DRY BAG

During my visit to El Nido, Palawan, I did a lot of Island hopping. During the trip, I realized that my DSLR can get wet especially when the waves gets a bit wild. So I dry bag can surely protect your gadgets from getting wet. You don’t have to worry about bringing this extra bag as this can be very small when emptied and folded.

12. MEDICINE KIT

When traveling, the medicine kit is very important to me. I am diabetic and I am taking some medicines for my maintenance. Not only that, when traveling, at times we get to eat in places where we don’t know how they prepare the food and can give us some stomach problems. So my medicine kit normally contains my usual medicines, paracetamol,anti-allergy, loperamide, large patched bandages eye allergy drops,anti-itch oil which you can get from any Chinese store, and don’t forget to bring few sachets of hydrite. Don’t forget your vitamins, you need to stay healthy during your travel.

Well, you can just more medicines from you kit. Tablets won’t take much space in your bag anyway.

13. GARMENTS

You can use your own judgment on what to pack. In my case, I normally travel on my short pants because it’s comfortable and easy to wash when needed. However, I made sure to bring at least 1 pair of pants (casual)  that can pass for a business look or can be paired with your multi-purpose shoes.

I love wearing cotton t-shirts but if I am on an adventure trip, I prefer to bring more jersey or dri fit shirts. I also made sure to bring at least 1 long sleeves for a surprise dinner.

Since I am always on an adventure trip, I always bring along with me a swimwear.

14. ANTI-BACTERIAL WET WIPES

I have a very sensitive stomach so I as much as possible I won’t have much contact with germs. Alcohol is not allowed on your carry on bags. So these anti-bacterial wipes are very practical.

15. SNACK BARS

Being diabetic, I can’t afford to get hungry. Even in media trips, some meals and snack are served late because oftentimes you are on the road. This is where snack bars comes very useful. There are many healthy snack bars available in the grocery store. Get something that satisfies your fancy.

16. CABLE LOCK

I used this cable lock for my bike. Yet, I also bring one when doing some backpacking. If you will be staying in a hostel with other guests, you can simply keep your hard-case suitcase to your bed. So if someone will still your bag, he has to destroy the bed first.

17. OUTLET EXTENSION CORD

Some hotel rooms have limited electrical outlets. So if you are sharing a room with another person who also needs to charge his/her gadget an extra outlet extension cord comes very useful. Just get one that is not very bulky.