Essential Kits - To pack

What to pack for a trip? Whether you are a backpacker or a packaged tour traveler here are a list of basic, practical and essential travel items and kit you might find useful for your next trip or adventures. While some gears and accessories are essential or must-have, some gadgets are nice or fun to have. Apart from tech gadgets, high end gears and camera kit, some of the best yet essential travel kit and accessories are low cost or cheap items which we can easily find in department stores and even supermarkets. We certainly want to be prepared especially when we travel for an extended period of time. Many kits, gadgets and accessories are small, light and compact so make them very handy to bring along.

A compass. Light, compact and handy gadget not only useful in the forest or jungle but also when you are in an unfamiliar city. If you are heading north to explore you will have to go back south from where you start. Plus a map in hand will be extremely useful. You may be lost without it. You may find a compass in smartphones but using apps for extended period of time will suck up phone battery power.

There are compasses that come with a thermometer and altimeter functions. There are mini compasses that come with a carabiner that you can hook onto your bag. And you can find in many souvenir stores small keychain compasses. But of course we can’t expect high accuracy with these mini compasses. Compass is unlikely to be needed if we followed guided tours. It is more useful for independent travelers or for those who hike alone in national parks. But national parks usually have directional signs to various trails though the signs may be inadequate.

Water bottle or container. Essential travel item to keep hydrated especially during long walks or hiking. There is flexible plastic water container that can be flattened to save some luggage space. It comes in various sizes and colors. And you can easily hook it onto your bag as it comes with a carabiner. However many still prefer the conventional round water bottle as it is sturdier and some water bottles come with water filters. Great if we are worried about water quality in places we are traveling in. A travel mug or thermos flask with internal stainless steel lining is an alternative if you want the flexibility for the water bottle to be able to hold hot water or beverage. There are smaller and lighter weight travel mugs and thermos flasks.

Earphone or headset for listening to music or videos . Most travelers will bring a pair. If possible bring extra pair. I brought mine but lost it along the way not once but twice! Wish I had an extra earphone. Small gadgets can be easily misplaced. Bring along one onboard plane. It is sometimes better to use your own earphone to listen to inflight entertainment music or videos because most airlines supply low quality headphones.

Batteryless mechanical hand crank flashlight or torchlight.Repeated winding by cranking the side mechanism will charge up the torchlight. The flashlight may not be as bright as the conventional battery torchlight but still bright enough to find your way around in the dark. Very handy and compact gadget for outdoor and camping or if you are worried your hotel or hostel will run out of power especially at remote areas. You would not have to worry about batteries going flat. There are hand crank flashlights that come with USB cell phone charger. And there are also the hybrid batteryless hand-crank and solar power combo types to give you more eco and environmentally friendly options.

Carabiner. Handy kit for hooking-up all sorts of things. Can easily hook stuffs onto the bags, in the bus, in your room, while camping, etc. It comes in various sizes, shapes and colors. The locking carabiner can be the screwable type for more secure or wire type. But the non-locking simple swing gate carabiner is more popular.

Hand-held electronic tablets or iPad for internet surfing, emails, loading of photos, watching movies, taking photos or videos, etc. The smaller, the lighter, the better. An essential travel gadget if you want to stay connected at all times while traveling. But try not to carry laptops while traveling unless you are on business trip! Not only are laptops heavy (though ultra-books and surface laptops are lighter) but carrying expensive looking kits may expose them to unwanted attention at theft prone areas. Some recommended not to bring tablet or iPad along. But carrying tablet or iPad along is almost unavoidable in these internet age.

Sunscreen or sunblock lotion to protect your skin against the harmful sun’s radiation. Useful at the beach, sunny outdoor areas and at high altitude locations. Apply liberally and reapply often. One should apply one hour before going outdoors. Some would recommend the higher SPF rating, but the general recommendation of SPF 30 would usually suffice. Whatever the SPF rating experts recommend getting the water-resistant type.

Mosquito or insect repellant is a must-have if you do end up in the Amazon jungle or in any tropical rainforest. Mozzie repellents usually contains DEET, thought to be the most effective ingredient for repelling mosquitoes and other insects. DEET concentration can be up to 100%. But according to CDC while higher DEET concentration may have longer repellent effect, concentrations over 50% provide no added protection.

There are other types of mosquito repellents available such as those containing Picadirin or those made of plant materials. Similar to DEET the concentration of Picadirin will determine how long the spray can last. When I was in the Amazon jungle the guide told us not to spray the repellent indiscriminately as it may affect the fragile jungle eco system but to spray the liquid onto our hand and wipe the liquid onto our skin similar to what we would do with sunscreen lotion. There is a mozzie repellent that is also a sunscreen so you do not have to apply twice the lotions.

 Aalternative to spray is the individually wrapped insect repellent wipes that you can easily carry in your pocket. Mosquito repellent patches are also available if we do not wish to be sprayed by the repellent liquid. They usually come in a set of four per wrap. But their sizes are pretty small to be much use in the mosquito infected jungles. The patches can be stick onto clothes or on the beds or just about anywhere which are great for protection against mosquitos while sleeping. These patches will last up to 8 hours, depending on make and type. There is also the colourful and cheerful looking mozzie repellent bracelet which is especially useful for children as the bracelet contain natural ingredients and it can usually last up to seven days.

By the way, if you do end up in the Amazon rainforest or jungle, which is an amazing place where you can see piranhas, cayman and parrots licking clay, other than insect repellent, you will also likely need to get yellow fever vaccination which is requirement by many countries. Yellow fever vaccination is effective ten days after vaccinations and can last up to ten years. The immigration desks may ask to see the certificate if you just arrived from areas with risks of yellow fever.

Though not compulsory, some travelers will also like to carry malaria prophylactics against malaria when visiting malaria endemic forest or jungles. The popular malaria pills is malarone. Dengue is also prevalent in some warmer and humid countries but there is no vaccination or prophylactics against it except the good old mozzie repellent. And if you plan to camp in forest or jungles for extended period of time you may also want to get mosquito net! Get advise from your travel doctor before you travel on what precautions to take, especially when you are heading into the jungles and high altitude areas.

 Bring along a comfy and sturdy pair of walking sandals for that lovely walk in the jungle, desert, coast or town. Hiking sandals can also be worn for certain type of activities. Open strapped sandals could be more practical if the walk involves walking across some water streams such as going to the amazing ATM cave in Belize. A pair of slip-on or form fit water shoes is also great for walking on water. Otherwise hiking shoes would be more appropriate.

Washing detergent

We certainly do not wish to carry too many clothes while traveling. And we tend to carry more than we actually needed. Clothes add weight and are bulky especially cold weather clothing. If we don’t have enough change of clothes we can always purchase some along the way in our travels which are great as souvenirs too. Dirty clothes can be sent to the laundry for washing. Laundry services are relatively inexpensive in South America (but may not be so in other places). Laundry charges go by weight, load or pieces. If by load you can share the load with your fellow travelers to spread the cost. In some places we can also find coin-operated washer and dryers. Travel size tube or bottled liquid or gel, or disposable sachet type laundry wash detergent or soap will be handy for washing small items. Though finding space to hang your washed stuffs to dry up may not be easy in cramped shared accommodation. There are also the liquid disposable sachet type and laundry soap sheets that are convenient and easy to carry.

Most hotels would provide hangers and iron, at least the higher end ones. If not bring along a light plastic clothes hanger or a compact foldable or collapsible clothes hanger. There is also the inflatable variant. Yes, inflatable clothes hanger like the photo shown here. This kit will come in handy for hanging clothes, wet or dry.

A camera is a must-have in most travelers packing list. In the age of Instagram and Youtube it is something we cannot leave without. When we travel we want to bring back some memories and a picture can tell a thousand words. Invest in Digital SLR Camera. It does not have to be the most expensive one, and you do not have to be a pro to use one. With its zoom function you can take photos of parrots licking clay or the amazing condor birds flying by. These days DSLR cameras are user friendly and easy to use. A simple and very handy point and shoot camera is still very useful and at times more appropriate especially when taking photos in crowded cities or dodgy areas as sometimes it is not good idea to expose your bulky and expensive looking kit. We can take photos with smartphones but smartphone camera have limitations and photo quality is usually not as good, but the high end ones are getting better.

However unless you are a professional photographer try not to lug too many additional kits like tripod, etc., as metal gadgets are heavy. Ensure that the camera has a big enough flash card memory. Perhaps bring a couple of 8GB memory cards. Or 16 GB if you are on an extended trip. And a spare battery or long-lasting batteries if the camera use the AA or AAA type of batteries. The good thing about digital camera is that we can take as many photos (and videos) as we want and delete off those that do not turn out as well. We no longer have to carry a separate video camera.

And for those who hate to carry heavy and bulky full-frame DSLR cameras, there are mirrorless DSLR grade pocket size cameras with interchangeable lens options but they certainly will not come cheap and will cost as much as a full-frame DSLR camera. These compact and lighter mirrorless digital cameras look less obtrusive so ideal for city shots. The handy mirrorless digital camera is probably the travel gadget for 2013 as it combines small with quality. Btw, it is good to transfer photos along the way to cloud or some free photos storage websites or apps in case you lost your expensive cameras and all the media storage cards. There are Flicker, Dropbox, Picasa, among others. Alternatively create a website using free blogging websites such as WordPress, Blogger, Weebly or Tumblr and transfer some photos there. Travel blog is always nice to have to remember our journeys.

A sturdy light-weight hiking shoes will be useful if you plan to do some hiking or trekking. Normal casual walking shoes may not grip the slippery rocks or the sandy trail. I have learned that the hard way. Make sure you break into your shoes if they are a brand new pair. Some hiking shoes may look like sneakers so they can look cool for that casual walk in town and you may not want to carry too many pairs around. Shoes can occupy lots of luggage space. If you are not planning to do any hiking normal comfortable walking shoes are fine.

How to survive a long flight? Nobody looks forward to that cramped long haul or red eye flight except those lucky enough to be on business class! But a soft neck pillow (and inflight entertainment) may help us snooze or nap or be entertained in comfort. The headrest is useful too for long inter-city bus or train rides. Some may prefer the inflatable type but many would prefer the soft beady type that you can easily hook up to your hand carrier.

While waiting for your flight or during transit you may want to pick up a word or two of the language of the countries you are visiting. Get a pocket language translator, phrasebook and dictionary if you do not speak the language. They come in easy to carry booklet and is very convenient and useful. You want to be able to at least order a meal or buy a bus ticket, etc., when you are at a foreign land. Of course it will be great if we can pick up the language before we leave. An ability to speak some basic foreign words goes a long way to make our travel easier and more meaningful.

Always carry anti-bacterial hand sanitizer. They come in easy to carry cheerful looking mini bottles and contain colorless or colorful germs killing liquid with pleasant smell. There are also the disposable individually wrapped towel type sanitizers. Personal hygiene is important during travel and we certainly do not wish to get sick during our adventures. Its no fun being sick when we are away from home. Vaccination for flu, typhoid, etc., will help to some extent but they are not foolproof and we have to maintain cleanliness at all times. Make sure vaccinations are up to date. Check with your doctor. Get the necessary vaccinations before you travel. If you are on medications make sure you bring enough to last the trip. Again check with your doctor to make sure all is in order and if you are fit to travel because travel insurance may not cover pre-existing illnesses. Never travel without insurance.

Anti-bacterial mouth or breath spray is a quick way to clean-up our mouth after meals. Convenient during flight and on the road. Not a substitute for proper teeth brushing but for a quick refreshing breath after meals on the road.

Wet tissues or moist wipes and personal wipes are useful for bathroom trips or to clean hands, especially at remote areas and at places where water or soap may not available. We were once stranded on a highway en-route to the Amazon trying to fix a broken truck and the wet wipes came very handy cleaning our greasy dirty hands! A pack of facial cleansing wipes can also be useful. If the wipes are good for face they should be good for body too! Sometimes shower facilities are limited in remote areas or the hostels don’t seem to have enough shower facilities or you are in a hurry having to wake very early in the morning for some exciting excursion. A quick wipe can sometimes do the job.

I am not a fan of diary or journal as it adds weight. Plus my handwriting is so bad I could not decipher what I wrote later on! I type notes in my smartphone or tablet instead. But many still find diaries a romantic way to jot down travel notes while swinging on a hammock or sitting in a train looking out at the world. While a journal may not be necessary, stationeries like writing pens and a couple of envelopes can be useful. Actually it not good idea to be too dependent on your tablet or smartphone for jotting notes down in case you lost your expensive electronic devices along the way. However notes stored in cloud or email notes system in smartphone or tablet can be retrieved. You can also jot down your thoughts in many free blogging websites but then you will need access to Wi-Fi for that to work.

Anti-slip wool hiking socks are useful for hiking and toasting cold feet while sleeping in tents up in the freezing mountains. Fleece socks are lighter. Useful for general use such as in chilly airplanes or in the heater-less freezing hostels. There are also hiking socks made for warmer seasons so that it will drive moisture away. Bring several pairs of socks when you travel, can be usual cotton material, for general use. Socks get dirty and smelly easily especially when wet!

A travel guidebook is invaluable for the places we are going to visit. They give insight about the history, culture and places of interest. Guidebooks also recommend places to stay and eat. Many useful info such as safety tips, the dos and don’t can also be found inside. As paper books add weight you can buy the PDF version and download it to your tablets or smartphones.

Sunglasses. We not only look cool wearing them, but they also protect our eyes from the glaring sunlight or reflection if you go to snow-ish white areas. For those who wear prescription glasses you can get transition or tinted glasses. Or the clip-on sunglasses that you can clip onto your prescription glasses, though a clip-on may not look as cool. Ensure sunglasses have UV protection otherwise it is as good as not wearing one.

And not forgetting a cap or hat for some sunshade. A wide brim hat would be better. Get the soft, easy to fold type. If you go to Quito, Ecuador, you can get some nice Panama hat.

We need a charger and a cable to charge up electronic devices. A retractable charger cable is a neat kit to charge your mobile devices. The wire can be easily pulled and retracted. No more messy wires in your bag or on the floor.

A light foldable cheap hooded poncho is an easy way to protect from rain. A waterproof windbreaker can also do the job. Though it always a good idea to pack a cheap poncho.

Carry spare batteries for your electronic devices. If the batteries are AA or AAA type get the long lasting type. We do not want our bag to be filled with batteries! They may cost a bit more but one extra set will usually suffice. Alternatively carry rechargeable batteries, which means you have to bring along the charger too. Batteries charger is pretty compact and light so will not occupy much space.

Carry some zip-lock bags. They come in various sizes. Neat way to separate and carry toiletries and other stuffs, such as passport, money, camera and clothes. And food. And you can see through the clear re-closable bag. You can also compress clothes with zip-lock bags and save your luggage space. For clothes compression get the sturdier plastic material or purpose made roll-up compression bag.

A shoulder sling bag is a neat way to carry some personal stuffs, a compact camera and a small water bottle. Get the sturdy zippered type. Your sling bag should always be on you strapped diagonally or when you are sitting should always be on your lap and should not be hung onto a chair. There is also the slash proof anti-theft sling bag to prevent pickpockets or thieves cutting your bag. Though it has been known that thieves can also try to rip off your bag off your body which can cause serious injury or harm.

A nail clipper and a small pair of scissors are very handy to have around especially for extended travelling. You can find travel manicure set sold at many convenience stores.

We all love to travel light and be warm at the same time. A lightweight waterproof outer-shell jacket with (separate) fleece layers inside will keep us from rain and cold. Windbreaker is a essential travel gear when we travel at cold mountainous regions or just about any cold and windy areas.

If you are camping or spend a lot of time outdoors, a headlamp or headlight with a strap is a hands-free kit to find your way around in the dark. It can also serve as a book light, a convenient gadget for night-time reading without turning on the room light and disturbing your room mates. The lamp is usually the LED energy saving type.

Bring a pillow case or liner. NOT the actual pillow. Along your travel you may sleep onto smelly or dirty looking pillows especially if you stay in hostels or budget hotels. Bring a worn-out pillow case that you can afford to leave behind. In any case it is a light piece of cloth.

If you wear prescription glasses bring along a pair of spare glasses. Just in case. You may want to also bring few pairs of disposable contact lenses. If you need reading glasses pack a pair in.

Power supply and socket outlets are not uniform worldwide. Carry the interchangeable power pins or the universal power plug adapter to charge your electronic devices. Plug adapter is one of must-have travel accessories. We all know electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets can’t work very long without recharging. Most electronic devices have dual voltages so voltage converter are usually not necessary unless you bring along a hair dryer or straightener. But a hair-dryer is usually not a must-have travel item. Higher-end hotels usually provide hair-dryers. Plus a voltage converter will just add weight to your luggage.


A pair of light rubber slippers or flip-flops are handy for hotel or hostel room or for casual use. Flip-flops can also be very useful for showers as floor tiles can be wet and slippery, grimy with dirt, dust, mould and possibly germs. Backpackers love to wear rubber flip-flops and look sloppy and happy. They are on vacation afterall.

36. It is always advisable to drink bottled water. In some places brushing teeth and washing food using bottled water is also advisable. But sometimes bottled water may not be available or boiling water may not be convenient so water purification tablets can be used to purify water. The purified water may taste saltish due to the ingredient and some may not like the taste. Purification tablets are cheap and can be bought at many pharmacies. Read the label for directions.

Toiletries. For toiletries to save space and for convenience bring mini bars of soap and disposable shampoos packs or sachets and small tubes of shower gels. You can save those unused small packs of soaps from hotels for future travels. You can also save soap slivers from home and break them up into few pieces that can be convenient for use in public restroom or shared bathroom and just leave them behind or throw them away after use. We certainly do not want to carry big bars of soap while traveling. Basic essential toiletries also include toothbrush, toothpaste and teeth floss. A hair brush or comb is also necessary. Get the foldable toothbrush and combs. Though at certain countries you may need to use bottled or boiled water to wash your mouth.


Other useful toiletries are skin and lip moisturisers or balmespecially useful for cold weather and winter traveling as our skin tend to dry easily and may cause itching or cracking. A make-up kit for women and grooming kit for men are also important part of toiletries. We certainly don’t want to look shabby while traveling. But of course just bring enough for the trips. Nowadays toiletries and skin care products come in travel size or you can purchase small tubes or containers fill them up accordingly so they can be convenient to bring as carry-on in the airplane. And for those who sport long hair especially the ladies hair bands are also required.

A backup or portable cell or smartphone battery charger or power pack or juice pack is handy and easy to carry just in case your smartphone runs out of battery in the middle of nowhere. This gadget must be pre-charged for it to work. The battery pack can charge single or several cycles depending on its capacity. The higher the capacity the more heavier and costly it will be. There is also the solar power type but it not as popular nor widely used. There is also the solar charger though its availability and robustness could not match the regular battery charger.

Don't forget to a pack in a swimsuit. It would not occupy much space in your bag. Of course it would be good if you can swim in the first place. It is light and is also suitable for layering in cold weather due to the polyolefin material which acts as insulation. But if you plan to spend a lot of time in water, a pair of goggles is useful too.

A backpack or daypack is convenient if you intend to do some hiking or trekking. Useful for casual walk in town if you prefer not to carry sling bag. But if you intend to carry backpack around town best to carry smaller unobstrusive backpack as places such as museums and even supermarkets may not allow big bag inside their premises though there will be lockers or security pigeon holes for you to stow away your stuffs. For safety reason it is better to place the bag in front of the body where we can see our belongings instead of at the back especially when we are in some dodgy crowded towns or cities. It may look odd though carrying backup in front as ‘backpack’ supposed to be at the back, so carrying sling bag may look more appealing. Unless you need to carry around bulky DSLR camera then a camera backpack may be required.


A roll of toilet paper or paper tissues will come in handy during your hiking or trekking or while traveling at remote villages and towns. Toilets at some areas may not be in the best condition of what we are used to. You can flatten the roll or fold the papers to save space. You can take some papers from the bathrooms of your hotel or hostels but the quality may not be as good as what we are used to back home. Do note that many toilets in South America and many other parts of the world cannot cope with toilet papers being thrown into the toilet bowl. Dispose toilet papers in the trash bin. Perhaps bring the recycled eco-friendly composting papers and save some trees.

For practical reasons we love to carry small compact items. A foldable toothbrush (aka travel toothbrush) and a foldable hair brush or comb are compact and will not take up much space in our already cramped bags. Great for plane travel or a quick brush during transit. In many stores we can find TSA approved toiletries travel kit suitable as carry-on into airplane.

Eye mask and ear plugs. A sleep or eye mask is useful for the long overnight or red eye flight or when you are in long transit. Most full-service airlines will give amenity kit which include eye mask, small foldable toothbrush and single use mini tube of toothpaste and a pair of socks, but cost cutting measures by airlines these days may mean you may not get this useful kit. You certainly will not be getting this pack if you are flying in budget or low-cost carriers. An eye-mask might be useful too for those who are sensitive to light especially when sleeping in shared accommodation. A pair of ear plugs can be useful too if you are staying in party hostel or shared accommodation.

Bring along a foldable reusable and recyclable bag to put stuffs in. In case you pick up things along the way and need that extra bag to carry some shopping stuffs. Shop owners usually dispense plastic bags so a recyclable bag will come in handy.

If you go hiking up the mountain a skull cap will be very handy especially if you have to sleep in the freezing tent. A skull cap is an essential gear for traveling during freezing winter months.

A luggage lock is useful when you have to leave your luggage unattended. These days most locks are TSA approved type. Of course when you travel do not bring valuables that you cannot afford to lose. Leave them at home. A lock is also useful if you staying in hostels as most would provide lockers without the locks so you can store your valuable stuffs inside the lockers.

A plastic laundry bag with drawstring is a convenient way for putting your clothes in to be sent to the laundry. You can always re-use it. But then you can also use any large grocery or shopping plastic bag.

A MP3 player or iPod is a useful gadget for listening to music during your long bus journey or in the plane and during transit. Try not to use your smartphone as it will suck up battery power pretty fast unless you have some backup battery or charger on hand.

If you planning to go camping or sleep in tents a sleeping bag will be necessary. If you are going on an organized trekking or hiking trip, you may be able to rent one, so you do not have to carry the bulky sleeping mat from home. Get a sleeping bag suitable for the weather.

A pair of gloves will be necessary if you plan on going or sleeping high up in the freezing mountain or traveling in cold weather places. There is also the high tech gloves that would allow you to touch screen your smartphone without removing your gloves!

A money belt might be useful to hide some money and credit cards. Try not to put too much stuffs in there as it may protrude out of your clothes. Thieves are smart and know if you wear one. There is also the undercover hidden pocket with belt loop that you can slip onto your belt and tucks into the waistband of your pants. Or we can sew some hidden pockets. Safety wise best to spread out and store your money and credit cards at different places just in case one may get stolen or lost. We have heard it all before. Never put all the eggs in one basket. And don’t forget to buy travel insurance before you leave home.

A flexible clothesline or rope can be useful for some laundry washing on the go. Well, provided you have space to hang them. Handy for camping trips or when you are staying in the desert or coast area. If you bring along a clothesline you may want to bring a couple of clothes peg too. These pegs are not only useful to hold together your clothes so that they will not fly away especially for small items like socks, but the pegs can be useful as food bag lids. Amazing things that you can do with that cheap wooden or plastic peg.

Some might find a swissknife handy for that picnic stop while hiking such as for cutting fruits. A complex swissknife can contain up to sixty tools. A simple no-frills swiss gadget should contain at least a knife, a pair of scissors and a bottle opener, which should be sufficient for the most basic uses unless you plan to spend lots of time camping or being outdoors in the forest. However do note that sharp items must always be checked in when you fly.

Band-aid and vasaline. Essential items in our first-aid kit list. It is good idea to bring some antiseptic lotion too. Vaseline is useful not only as lip balm or moisturizer but can also be used to protect small cuts, scrapes and burns. It is cheap and has been known to be effective for generations. Vaseline comes in small bottles and tubes. For more information on what to pack for first-aid kit see some useful links in “maps apps” page.

A foldable umbrella. Handy when rain or shine. Get the light-weight and compact type that you can easily carry in your sling bag or backpack. If not a poncho or windbreaker will do.

Towel. If you stay in hostels they may not provide you with a towel so this this certainly an essential travel item. Though one may be available for rent. A towel is necessary too if you plan to camp or spend lots of time at the beach. Bring as light towel as possible. Not a too small towel though. There is quick drying ultra-light travel towel made from microfibre which is perfect for traveling light and for camping. Normal cotton towels are bulky and occupy luggage space.

And not forgetting a mobile or smartphone. An essential travel item. We cannot live or leave home without it. We just love to fidget with our smartphone that are full of apps and games. And we can listen to music with it. Apart from making that important phone call and text messaging, we can surf the net, send emails, update facebook status, tweet, etc., with the smartphone. We can make free long distance phone calls and text messaging with free apps such as Viber and Whatsapp, though this will usually require Wi-Fi for these free apps to work. iMessage and facetime is free too provided both parties use iPhone. We can check the weather using smartphone. And we can download apps such as currency converter and foreign language translation and phrases which can be useful during our travel. And smartphone also has many in-built features like compass, GPS and maps, alarm clock and calculator so that we know how much we have spent on that expensive trip! And we can also find our way in the dark using our smartphone flashlight (there are many flashlight apps out there) though doing that is never a good idea because it will suck up your mobile phone battery faster than you imagined. Get a separate flashlight for travel.

A small blanket. One will be provided if you travel on full-service airlines which most will fly in for long haul flight. But if you travel in low-cost or budget airline you will have to bring one or purchase one on board. We all know how cold airline cabins can be. Some airline charge for pillows and blanket for extra revenue. Blankets can be useful too during long bus or coach rides if we travel overland. Some buses feel like freezers. Or when we are stuck in the airport transit during long layover a blanket can be useful. Or while camping outdoors or if the blanket provided is insufficient in a freezing hostel. If you pass by some handicrafts market you can always purchase one which is great as souvenir.

Travel alarm clock. They come in many shapes and sizes, compact enough for travel. Some alarm clocks come complete with flashlight, so it can serve as a dual purpose, useful to find your stuffs in the dark. However you can also use your smartphone, alarm clock one of the many features. Smartphones also have compass, GPS navigator, maps and camera, among the many features so when you travel lots of individual stuffs can be redundant.