I’m constantly getting asked what I pack on my trips abroad. How do I decide what to bring, and what to leave behind? After thirteen years of packing and unpacking and covering more miles than I can count, I have trip preparation down to a science. I always, ALWAYS, carry these three things. And I have no doubt you when you find out what these items are, you’ll always carry them yourself.
1. Identification Papers
No big surprise here. I always carry my passport (duh), my credit cards, and even my drivers license. In addition though, I carry paper copies of all the documents with me just in case. Not only that, I leave a copy of the papers at home with my family, and I carry a flash drive with copies of all the info in my toiletry kit. I can’t stress this enough-This is your most important possession while traveling. Imagine losing your wallet at a bar one late, debauchery-filled night in your hometown. Now picture yourself instead of being at home the next morning, you are in Nairobi, Kenya, no ID and probably only a hazy recollection of what happened. No bueno, people.
2. Cash, Credit Cards and (maybe) Travelers Checks
I carry a significant amount of cash with me when I travel. This is my preference. Now that I’ve let the cat out of the bag, jinxed myself and will be mugged the next trip, let me tell you why I do this.
I hate getting hit with charges from my bank when using ATMS abroad. Also, I’ve had incidents with cash machines eating my debit card in big, scarily overwhelming cities. Waiting for the machine to spit your card out turns my stomach as I type. Blech. I spread my cash out throughout my stuff and duly keep track of where I hide it. I have been known though to be pleasantly surprised when using an old suitcase-$200 dolla in my secret compartment! I also bring credit cards as backup. I have moved away from using travelers checks, after feeling hassled to go to the bank to change them.
3. Sunglasses
I never leave home without my sunglasses. Enough said.
Notice there aren’t any real surprises in this top three?
Because seriously, and I cannot state it strongly enough:
As long as you’re not traveling to Antarctica, North Korea, Burma or Cuba, you can buy anything you need abroad.
Sure maybe I have my favorite travel pants, my most worn t-shirt I always try to pack, my toothbrush that I love to have with me. But I don’t absolutely need it. And personally, I feel comforted to know that I can get on a plane with these three things and I’ll be set.
Okay maybe I don’t need to put my sunglasses in the same category as my passport and cash. That’s just personal preference.
What are your 3 things you never leave the States without?
Photo courtesy of Foxtongue on Flickr.