What is the single most ultimate thing you bought/borrowed or nicked to take traveling?
I was in a camp shop today gettin a new backpack, 65 litre for £30 on sale! :D ( not my best buy) AND I was having a look in the reduced box just incase there was a couple little handy things I could pickup cheap, and at the bottom was THE SINGLE most greatest item I have EVER seen in my life!!!
Free Energy
It's a little green box size of half a Mars Bar, at the back is a little handle attached to a cord. at the front are 2 little sockets, and inside is a rechargeable battery. ( anyone see where am going?)
You get a little cable that has an adjustable end so you can not only fit ANY mobile phone to it but you can also hook it up to your MP3 player and usb tools. AND when you pull the little handle at the back it CHARGES up your Phones and MP3's FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHY WAS I NEVER TOLD ABOUT THIS BEFORE???!!! NO ONE sells them at gigs or phone shops or anywhere I can see AND I even went into a phone shop and asked someone and they had NO IDEA what I was talking about!!!!
TODAY I let my battery in my phone run Flat, hooked "Free Energy" up to my phone AND IT CHARGED UP!!! PLUS you can hook ANY USB tool to it! Like a USB light that you get for laptops, airs fans, alarm clocks you name it!! ITS AMAZING!!!
Needless to say I have been happy ever since. :p
So what was your best buy for traveling? 😊
Reply to this The things I find most useful are the little things like band aids and nail clippers. They are the things that are needed at the times when it is most inconvenient to go out and buy them. They are also the things I most often forget to take with me, and only remember when a finger nail breaks in an awkward place or when a small nick is producing way more blood than it should causing me to have to try to do everything with a kleenex wrapped around my thumb(or whatever) or not being able to go to be bed until a razor nick stops bleeding to avoid getting blood smears all over the sheets.
I would also hate to be without books in English.
Other things I have recently started taking, because while travelling in the past I wished I had them with me.
A universal sink plug
A coffee cone
Ground coffee and an air tight container to keep it in and coffee filters. Coffee creamer in individual serving packets.
Cellotape to tape down the lids of shampoo, suncream... to prevent them opening and leaking in my bag.
A multi function camping knife
Reply to this I always travel with my traveling plastics..........where i can stuff my clothes, press down, and all air gets out so that the entire stuff is compressed and readily fits in my small bag, with more room to spare for the other stuff.
Reply to this I like that gadget! - nice - who makes it?
For me - the netbook - a 1kg laptop I can afford 😊 - and when trekking the water purification pump - safe water from clean water! saves a lot of carrying. I'm all for gadgets and gizmos that reduce weight and space requirements...
Lili - I've never used the travelling plastics - roughly how much space do they reduce the clothes by?
Reply to this Hi Ali. Have you ever seen those pillows on sale which are compressed (really pressed flat), but easily bloats once you open the plastic bag? It's like they take all the air out. Got mine from Australia though they were actually Made In China........where it is called clothing compress bag. Claims you triple your storage space by using these plastics. I say double is fine.
Reply to this Lili - I've never used the travelling plastics - roughly how much space do they reduce the clothes by?
Those are often for sale in Germany. People use them to pack blankets and duvets, winter clothes etc in Summer time to prevent them taking up so much space in their cellars. But, I think the thing for taking the air out is quite heavy. Wouldnt you need to take that along too when you travel, to recompress your stuff after you use to repack? And although it makes things smaller, it does not make them weigh less.......
Reply to this No,it does not make them weigh less........but definitely takes less space. I travel only with the plastics.....no need for that thing to take air out. I just kneel on the plastic with all my stuff inside (and with all my weight), press while rolling them up. It works!
Reply to this Kneeling on them always works liliram! That and a vaccuum cleaner usually works too - no need to buy any special gadget to suck the air out. Love the travelling plastics for shoving as much stuff as physically possible in. The only downside is when you get to your first hostel and your bag explodes everywhere and you realise you brought way too much stuff and you'll probably never get it back into the space it's just come out of!
Reply to this Thankfully, that never happened to me! But i always bring with me extra plastics ---- hmmmm, for the stuff i might buy along the way. tsk tsk 😊)
Reply to this I always take one of those pegless travel clotheslines. They are essential a long piece of twisted elastic cord with hooks on the end. It means you can hook it to anything and you don't need pegs. They are small so don't take up any space in your bag. They are supringly useful and considerably better than constantly looking for things to hang damp clothes over.
Reply to this Zip lock bags serve the same purpose as those travelling plastics you mention, and you can get them at a regular supermarket. And Liliram, kneeling works a treat, you're right! I wasn't introduced to them until half way through my second trip and I don't know how I did without them.
My favourite travelling item was a Christmas present and I love it! Simply, my Berghaus mac! It can pack up really small into a little breathable bag, and has that wonderful invention goretex. Even when not travelling I rarely leave the house without it.
I always carry Pritt-Stick too, as I am a compulsive scrap booker.
Reply to this Oh and DJ Barbie, that Free Energy sounds fantastic!!! I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.
Reply to this I love to have a head torch with me and was gutted when I lost mine a few weeks before the end of our trip and couldn't find another. Essential for reading in dorms/on buses/trains etc. and also for walking around in the dark when camping or heading for a sunrise viewing.
We also had one of the twisty clothesline things which was great.
I know I was only supposed to choose one thing but for us we were always grateful to have a pack of cards on us. Not very technological or gadgety but perfect to fill time, meet locals and make friends.
Reply to this agreed! Cards are a must! very social in an age where backpackers are often found on there netbooks instead of chattin and playing strip....i mean texas holdem poker 😊 Says me sitting in a hostel writing on this forum! :p
Reply to this Portable DVD player
Travelling alone with a small child, the portable DVD player has been priceless travelling for 5 weeks in India and Nepal last year and this years 1 month road trip in Northern Europe. Great for trains, cars, camping, couchsurfing and even restaurants when dad wants to relax and drink some wine.
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thecrashpacker
The Crashpacker
Post Count: 104 Msg: #15 5 days ago, August 5th 2009
condoms.
agreed
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