Photo by Kace Rodriguez
I always travel light. I try to fit all my things needed for a trip into a backpack. Apart from shirts, pants, undergarments and toiletries, there are travel essentials that I find myself bringing in every trip.
The funny thing is that I also have some of these things in my handbag whenever I go out. It is a survival kit of sorts when I am not in the comforts of home.
1. Shawl
A shawl serves as a blanket for those trips where I need a little warmth without having to bring a bulky blanket. It can also double as a cover-up in the beach, picnic mat or extra piece of clothing in case there are wardrobe malfunctions. In my case, I use it to cover my arms whenever I get self-conscious wearing sleeveless.
2. Travel documents
Of course, I won’t be able to leave the country without a passport. If it is a domestic travel, I bring any ID.
3. Headgear
This is a piece of stretchable cylindrical fabric that can be wrapped around your head. Unlike a hat, the head gear is easy to pack. Sometimes I just wrap it around my wrist so that I can wear it when needed. I use it to protect my head from the sun, wind and draft. On bad hair days, this made me look a little decent. ha!
4. Sunglasses
I have a polarized prescription sunglasses to protect my eyes from the sun’s glare. I have astigmatism so regular off-the-rack sunglasses would not suffice. I use the required lenses for my vision.
5. Medicine
I bring my own stash of anti-dizziness pills, paracetamol, loperamide, antacid and pain relievers. I also bring alcohol and betadine. This comes in handy when I do not feel well and there is no pharmacy nearby.
6. Socks
I sometimes travel red eye or on a night bus. My feet need some warmth.
7. Water bottle
I need to hydrate. All the walking and sightseeing often leave me thirsty. If you are like me who converts foreign prices into Philippine peso when traveling, you need to bring water bottle and fill it up with the water from the hotel. I remember having to shell out SGD 3.00 (Php 100) for water when I can easily drink water from tap if only I brought water bottle.
8. Tablet
I used to bring ballpen and paper for notes. Now that I own a tablet I do my note taking on the device. I have my ebooks stored there also so I have something to read during those times I am waiting in line or when I am staying in places where there is no television.
9. Cash
Cash is king. As a backup, you can always buy things in case you forget to bring something to your trip.
Not in the pictures above is the one thing I always bring: a camera.
Lately, I am feeling the inconvenience of lugging a big camera around my neck.
A mobile device that can capture quality photos is something I should add to my travel essentials. I have heard good things about OPPO F1s.
Screen capture from the OPPO website
Its 16 MP front camera and f/2.0 aperture will hopefully help me become a selfie expert. (There is still hope in me since I am not good at this skill! Ha!)
What I am most interested to try is its 13MP rear camera that guarantees to capture wonderful photos even in low light conditions.
Screen capture from the OPPO website
If it can capture awesome night shots, I can only imagine what it can capture during the day. This device would make traveling easier and way more lighter than before. I can enjoy the sights and activities without having that camera weight around my neck. And as a bonus, I get the quality photos I want which I can easily share in real-time. Oh, please be mine soon!
More information on the device can be found on their website: OPPO Philippines. Do not forget to like or follow them on their social media accounts:
Twitter: twitter.com/OPPOPhilippines
Instagram: www.instagram.com/oppophilippines
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OPPOPH
How about you? What are your travel essentials?
*This is a contest entry for Nuffnang Philippines.
Great post! I always like to travel with a sleeping mask. I have to check out 13 MP Rear camera. it’s so hard to capture beautiful night shots!
These are great essentials 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
These are all great items to bring with you when you travel. I always have some type of light jacket,etc when I travel. You never know how cold the planes may be (or other ways you travel). Medicine is a must when I travel. I bring all types with me because I hate not feeling well when traveling.
Super great tips on what to bring when you’re traveling. I always try my hardest to include everything I’ll need, but sometimes I overdo it 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Technology and our smart phones have enormously changed the way we travel. One of the things that I absolutely love about smart phones is how I don’t have to bring my camera. I have a friend who owns an Oppo F1s & he totally raves about. I can see why. It does take nice photos. It has a lot of features that are perfect for people who love adventure & are passionate about traveling.
We have the same list for travel essentials! 🙂 I haven’t really tried using OPPO but I have friends who do – and they are quite impressed with the quality of the camera. You wouldn’t need a real camera. 😀
I enjoyed reading your post. I thing that I need to bring a shawl too. That is what I forgot most of the times. That is Singapore, right? I miss that country because it is the first country I visited outside the Philippines. I also heard from my friends that Oppo is a good choice. If I will have a money to buy a phone, I will consider buying Oppo.
I rarely bring cameras now on trips because of excellent cameras from mobile phones. Oppo has one of the best resolutions.
Oppo phones are amazing and their cameras are simply out of the world. Headgear especially caps is the most important travel essential for me 🙂
I agree. During some travels, I’ve taken just my phone and powerbank instead of the bulky DSLR!!! Nothing better than a good camera phone during light travels! Btw, I just added sleep eye-mask to this list recently, after I went sleepless, trying to sleep in an airport one night!
I do not bring a camera much anymore because of my phone camera. I was just deciding between this Oppo FS1 vs. the very similar Vivo V5. I ended up buying the Vivo. The camera was also amazing in its clarity and its flash.
I wonder if OPPO F1 is really good, heard great stuff about it too. Hope to try and test it out some time. 🙂
Now a days, hearing a lot of good words about Oppo. And yes, great tips for travel preparation.