As I mark each passing day off my calendar and get closer to my departure date, I continue to add more things to my “To Do” list. It’s becoming a little ridiculous. But in the midst of my scattered suitcase checklists, flight itineraries, and bank statements, there are a few last minute things that I don’t want to forget.
So below are my 7 Last Minute Things to Throw in Your Suitcase.
Let’s skip the clichés like your passport and sense of adventure. How about something with a bit more substance, hmm?
An external battery for electronic devices
Just imagine with me for a minute – you’re walking through the streets of Rome and taking in the beautiful sights. The sun captures the strangers walking by and engulfs them with a heavenly glow. The colors grab you and take hold of your soul. You are enraptured and inspired! You’re snapping pictures left and right trying to keep this moment alive forever…. And then? Your phone dies a quick, cruel death.
Don’t be unprepared, and don’t be stuck in some back corner of a restaurant while you try to recharge your device. Consider purchasing an external battery. Most have a USB plug which allows you to recharge just about anything. So throw it in your suitcase or backpack and away you go.
Some external batteries can be recharged themselves and some can’t so be sure to look into that. To browse a few options, click here.
Quick drying towel
Unless you’re going to be staying in a 5-star hotel where you’ll be wrapped in luxurious bath towels, you might want to consider throwing a quick drying towel into your suitcase. I’ll be traveling to different cities and hostels frequently, and a normal towel won’t have time to fully dry before it’s time to pack it up and move to the next city. I would prefer to take in the smell of foods and flowers instead of the mildew on my clothes. But, you know, that’s just a personal preference.
I searched far and wide for a great quick drying towel and found one at REI. Click here to see more.
Rain jacket or umbrella
I’m currently trying to ignore the predicted rainy days that are coming up during my trip. Maybe if I just don’t look at my weather app, it’ll all go away. But unfortunately, that isn’t how it works. It will probably rain at least one of the days while I’m there.
So I’m sucking it up and packing my rain jacket and umbrella. Because as much as I hate rainy weather on vacations, I especially hate being caught in the rain without a way to stay dry.
A back up credit card
You never know when an ATM will eat your card or someone will steal your wallet. I mean, both of those things are extremely rare and slightly paranoid, but c’mon. Do you really want to risk being stuck in a foreign city without money? Yeah, I’m going to pass on that. Keep an extra credit/debit card buried in your suitcase or in a separate pocket for emergencies.
A copy of your passport and emergency contacts
Stash them away in the far corners of your suitcase. For me, this will also include hotel addresses and email confirmations. Hopefully I won’t need them, but again – just in case.
Dates of when to pay bills back home
Since I’m going to be gone for a month, I’ll need to pay bills while I’m overseas. What a drag, am I right? Make sure that you write down which bills are due when. I’m not going to kid myself; I’ll be spending way too much money on pizza and gelato to afford late fees as well.
Offline map app
Though you can’t exactly store this in your suitcase, you should definitely consider getting an offline map app on your phone. Though it uses a bit of memory, you don’t have to rely on the internet to maneuver through foreign cities. Just download the specific city you want to your iPhone, and it will store it in the app. The top rated apps right now are City Maps 2Go and Maps.Me.
And that’s my “Don’t Forget” list! Did you see something I missed? I’d love to read about it in the comments!