Is there anything better than traveling? That feeling as you anxiously head to an airport knowing in a few hours you’ll be in a country you’ve never explored, trying foreign food and turning strangers into friends. I love travel, it’s definitely one of my favourite hobbies and a true love of mine. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of travelling to a range of countries, from eating way too much cashew chicken on the streets of Bangkok to wandering the Atlas mountains of Morocco during the cool of the evening. No matter where I go, there are a few things I don’t leave without, so I wanted to share my three travel must-haves.
1. Travel Insurance
This is one of those things you don’t really think too much about until you really need it. I’m always seeing horror stories being shared on my Facebook page of a young, bright-eyed 20 something girl from a Western country who rented a motorbike somewhere in South East Asia and now finds herself in hospital, without travel insuranceand with no means to pay for her hospital care. It makes me sick to my stomach and I feel so much for her poor family who have to endure the stress, both emotional and financial, while their precious girl recovers, if she does. If you can afford a holiday you can afford travel insurance and if you can’t afford travel insurance, perhaps you should stay home. I feel so firmly about this topic because you could be putting your life at risk! Almost a third of all travel insurance claims are made for costly medical expenses, and another 31% are for holiday cancellation. Without travel insurance, this is quite simply money you’re just throwing away.
2. Packing Cubes
As much as I love travel, I really don’t enjoy packing, living out of a suitcase or a backpack and having a limited wardrobe. But packing cubes make these challenges a little easier for me. With packing cubes I can take more clothes, keep them more organised and easily get clothes in and out of my luggage without getting everything disorganised. I also like to travel with a medium sized draw-string bag so I can keep all my dirty washing in the one place until I’m able to get it cleaned.
3. A Local Sim Card
I always pick up a local sim card when I’m in a country for longer than a week. It allows me to use it for maps, to find my way around and to keep in touch with friends and family at any moment. I use it to tether to my laptop to work when the internet connection is poorly. Many people find them unnecessary, but I personally find it really valuable to be connected no matter where I am.
What are your travel essentials? I hope travel insurance is on your list too!
Check out this helpful infographic by AIG Ireland on some of the statistics about travel insurance: