When you go on a long journey, only living out of your backpack or suitcase, there are some essentials you should remember to bring.
Whether you are staying at a hostel, hotel or doing a road trip, these things can be useful for every kind of travelling.
They serve for your safety, organisation and convenience.
These are 10 things you should remember bringing when you are packing for your trip!

1. two microfiber towels

I found it very handy to always have 2 small towels with me.
One for the beach and one for the shower afterwards.
Microfiber towels dry fast and can be rolled up really small and fit in every bag.

2. a lock

Whether you stay in hostels or are camping in a tent, a lock is always important to keep your belongings safe.
In hostels, you can lock your valuables in a locker, or I sometimes just lock my backpacks zippers shut.
When I camp in a tent and leave it in the spot for the day I like to lock it with my small lock and when I sleep I felt safer locking it from the inside.
A number lock is good, so you don’t have to care about losing the key for it.

3. packing cubes

After a while of travelling, your suitcase or backpack might get pretty unorganised.
When you have packing cubes, you can sort all your clothes and other stuff and beware it from getting lost in some crevice of your luggage.
You could also get vacuumable ones, so you have more space in your suitcase, but I didn’t find that necessary.
I also always bring plastic bags for dirty clothes or my wet towel when I go to the beach to keep my bags organised and clean.

4. a water bottle

It’s important to stay hydrated, especially when you’re travelling and are outside a lot.
I always bring my water bottle everywhere and make sure it is full before leaving.
When it is empty during the day, I always found a water station or bathroom to fill my bottle back up.
Like that, you can save money and the environment.

5. a powerbank

When you are solo travelling, make sure your phone always has enough battery and bring a powerbank.
You will need it for navigation in a foreign place, maybe for music and when you are in an emergency you need power.
When you always bring a powerbank, you’re on the safe side and hopefully don’t get lost and are able to call someone in an emergency.

6. card games

I forgot to bring that, and my family sent me some of our card games from home in their Christmas package.
When you are with friends or strangers it is a great way to spend your time, get to know them and have fun with them.
I always find it exciting learning new games from others and spending hours and days playing that game.

7. ear plugs

If it is in hostels, when camping or in a noisy hotel, I always use ear plugs during the night to have a good sleep and to be fit for the next day.
There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep because of noise, so don’t forget them.

8. an eye mask

When you are sensitive with light when you’re sleeping, you should bring an eye mask.
You never know how dark it will be in the places you will sleep at and when it will get bright in the morning.

9. a headlamp

I wasn’t sure if I was going to go camping during my travels, but I did, and it was really handy to have a headlamp for cooking and the way to the toilet, as it got dark pretty fast after 6 pm in Australia.
I also brought it when we were out playing beer pong on a public table with lights, which turned off at 9 pm, so it was definitely used there as well.
My headlamp just became an insider for us, because I truly find it practical.

10. shower shoes

You never know what the shower in a hostel or really anywhere is like, and you can be sure that many people have used it before you.
It is always best to have flip-flops or any kind or shower shoes with you for that and if it is slippery, the chance that you slip might be smaller.

Those are my most important packing essentials.
Let me know if there are other things you couldn’t live without on your travels.
Happy packing!aa