Are midterms, the looming presence of finals, and the current political climate making you want to immediately leave the country? If your answer was yes, then you’re reading the right article. Take a look at this list of six essential items to take with you on your international travels, so you can still feel responsible all while leaving your responsibilities in the dust.
Backpack
A decent backpack is the most important item to invest in for your travels abroad, because you’ll use it more than anything else you take with you. It needs to fit a huge amount of stuff without being too bulky or uncomfortable to wear around. Look for ones with decent pockets and padded straps so you don’t feel like your arm is being sliced off after you’ve worn it while walking around a foreign country contemplating your place in the universe all day. My personal favorite is the REI Trail 25 Daypack. This backpack managed to fit my laptop, camera, change of clothes, snacks, water bottle, wallet, passport, toiletries, chargers, adaptors, and anything else I didn’t want to lose if my luggage got lost on a seventeen-hour flight. All while fitting in the tiny space underneath the seat in front of me with room to spare.
Hard Shell Suitcase
If your luggage is outside on the airport tarmac, waiting to be loaded into the plane while it’s raining, you’re going to be really sorry if you picked a soft shell suitcase. Hard shell suitcases are preferable because they’re waterproof, and easier to organize compared to their soft shelled counterparts. Soft shells usually open up to a single large void, and anything that gets packed in usually ends up in one big messy pile. Hard shells tend to be divided into two even compartments separated by a zippered sheath which allows you to spread your items out, and see most of them all at once.
Packing Cubes
If you want to get super anal about packing like I do, do yourself a favor and buy yourself some packing cubes. These babies will save you so much space, time, and frustration. You can organize your clothes into different cubes so you know exactly where all of your items are and don’t have to spend 15 minutes digging through your entire suitcase trying to find that one specific shirt you want to wear. Here’s the major bonus: you can fit double the amount you actually need while using less space. You want to pack every single jacket you’ve ever owned? Five blankets just in case you get too cold? That’s cool, just shove it all in a cube and you’re good to go. These ones from Amazon come in a pack of different sizes, and are the most reasonably priced.
Sneakers
If you’re running away from your seemingly inescapable existential dread and anxiety about midterms in a completely different country, you’ll probably want a good pair of sneakers. Believe me when I say that this is absolutely a necessity. I tried walking around Tokyo for a day in sandals, and learned that lesson real fast. Not. Fun. Nikes are always a decent option, but chances are you’re probably broke because you’re in college, and just spent all your money on international travel. If that’s the case, just hop onto amazon and find a good looking cheap pair. You don’t need to buy name brand for them to look and feel great.
Luggage locks
The cheapest item on the list at an average price of twelve dollars, TSA approved luggage locks can end up saving you major hassle while traveling. You might be asking yourself why you need to spend twelve dollars on some dumb lock…well let me tell you. The last thing you could ever want while traveling is to have your zipper come loose and fly open, causing your suitcase to vomit its contents, while some flight crew member tries to load it into the plane. Save yourself the trouble, and the embarrassment, spend twelve dollars on the dumb lock.
Kindle
I know what you’re thinking, what kind of bougie entitled person is writing this article that they put a KINDLE on an essentials list. Hear me out on this, though. If you don’t have a parent/sibling/relative that has one barely used from ten years ago (chances are you do), just buy an older model online for less than thirty dollars. International flights are long, and even the most experienced Netflix binger like myself, gets tired of staring at a brightly lit screen after a while. There’s a good chance you might be traveling for extended periods of time by bus, train, or metro in whatever country you escape to. Kindles are great way fill that empty traveling time, and give your eyes a break from your harshly lit phone screen. You can take countless novels with you without having to pack them all in your suitcase. Engage your brain a little, bring a few books with you to distract you from the current political dumpster fire happening at home.
After investing in these six essentials, you’ll be set to travel to some of the most beautiful places on earth, experience different cultures, and abandon all of your responsibilities back home. Safe travels!