10 things that keep me sane while traveling
between jumping from place to place, navigating language barriers, living out of a bag or two, not knowing where you’ll be next week…traveling can bring about trying times (& part of that is why we love it, resilience through adversity right?) BUT it can be easy to get overwhelmed. so here’s a few things i do that help to smooth out the bumps along the way
((where possible i have linked items that i have personally found useful (or similar ones) based on my own experience & research, but of course do your own research too!))
my uniqlo bag — it fits my passport, kindle, sunnies, cash, cards, phone, jewelry, snacks, eye mask…just about anything i need ESPECIALLY on flight/travel days
getting my clothes prepped for the next day, the night before — i don’t wanna be that person rustling around in my bag at 7am while other people are still sleeping, it also means i get a lil bit extra snooze time
having a VPN — if you’re connecting to a bunch of random wifi’s, especially ones with no passwords/public ones, you’re at risk of having someone on the same connection as you being able to hack into & access your data…scary right? i used to brush it off, & then i met someone in sarajevo who said he had money stolen from his bank account after accessing a public wifi. that was all i needed to hear to sign up. VPN’s work by masking your IP address which makes your sensitive data protected on each site
i was referred by a friend to surfshark (we both get 3 months free if you sign up via the link above)
a tote bag — any tote bag will do!! its perfect for cruising around, being at the beach, but my favorite is putting all my bathroom bits in it to go have a shower in hostels/guesthouses
esim — for me its a non-negotiable having data when i arrive to a country. especially as a female solo traveller, safety is my number one priority & knowing i can get myself to my accommodation, navigate or call help if needed allows me to relax. i looked through a few & found maya offered competitive pricing & have since stuck with them. i had an issue where my sim didn’t work once, i reported it & their support team fixed it within 10 mins
multiple debit cards — ive heard of the horror stories of machines chewing peoples cards, cards being stolen or lost & them being stuck for cash. i’ve got a wise, monzo & chase account to make sure ill *touch wood* never run into an issue, even if a card machine gets hungry
eye mask & ear plugs — as i mentioned above, people can be NOISY in hostels, not to mention street noise or maybe you’re sleeping on a bus, train, plane etc.. i always find my ear plugs & eye mask allow me to tune out and relax, now its almost ritualistic & my brain associates that with sleep time. these ear plugs in particular are great! my friend gave them to me
kindle — guys i USED to be a sworn paperback girlie until i decided I didn’t want to cart around with multiple books (sounds heavy!!). so… a month before i set off on my travels i got a kindle, safe to say its LIFECHANGING. i’ve never read so much in my life because its so much more accessible in kindle form. the lighting is soft & warm so i regularly fall asleep reading and it fits in my bag (doesn’t get damaged when its floating around in it either)
monthly private rooms — this one i’m still getting into the flow of because i noticed that after way too long being surrounded by people i was feeling a little over stimulated. ive found that booking my own space for 3-6 days where i can settle in a bit & chill out in my own company usually sets me back on track
compression packing cubes — i can’t fathom how these lil packing cubes fit everything i squeeze into them, but they do it so well!! it means i know where my stuff is at all times, makes me look super organized AND i can take more stuff