We’re constantly on the road and as you can imagine, have a pretty defined list of things that we never leave home without. Here’s a peak at what’s in our luggage, from our favorite camera to portable wine glasses. It’s the ultimate packing list for a seasoned traveler!
We never travel without …
Riedel wine glasses. One of the more luxurious items on our packing list (and the one that makes our friends chuckle the most), these stemless wine glasses from Riedel come with travel cases. Thin-lipped and high quality, these really make a difference when enjoying a glass of wine after a day of sightseeing.
Arcteryx waterproof jacket. Designed to protect against water and wind, we bring this waterproof shell on every trip. It even has zipper vents to let air in while keeping you dry. Whether its a cool night on the beach or a downpour in the middle of the monsoon, you’ll be glad you have this jacket.
Bluetooth speaker. We do a lot of calls while on the road and while our iPhone is great, the external speaker/mic is not. This beautifully designed and exceptionally well-made speaker allows us to easily do conference calls (and listen to music) anywhere in the world.
What we use on location …
Canon camera. We’ve been huge fans of Canon for a long time and their new model is our latest obsession. This camera is our go-everywhere, do-it-all camera of choice — it’s a portable camera with the power of a DSLR.
Better than a flashlight. The interiors of many ancient structures lack electric lighting, so having your own light source is quite valuable, especially when you want to get a better look at wall paintings. Although many times there will be a guard on hand who has a flashlight that you can use for a small tip, we opt to bring our own to guarantee a good view (and great pictures).
Tripod. We always travel with a tripod. Especially one that is super light and very easy to set up and take down and easily fits in a bag or backpack. Highly recommended!
For her …
Clothes for the global gypsy. Flowy kimono cover ups are perfectly designed for a travel lifestyle: they’re beautiful, wearable at the beach and in the city, and are often made by talented artisans around the world.
Simple gold necklace. When traveling, we leave most of our jewelry at home, but will still bring a few pieces along. Simple pieces like an initial necklace give an elegant touch and are perfect for travel.
Long cardigan. Perfect for the plane or when you need a sweater that goes easily from day to night. Look for something with leather detail to give it a city feel, while being suitable for any country you visit.
For him …
Lightweight bag. Lightweight and thin, Rapha’s bags are perfect for carrying around an iPad, camera, map, and more.
Sport watch. The ultimate sport watch, Suunto provides a heart rate monitor, altimeter, barometer, temperature, compass, and GPS. This is our favorite travel watch and has been for the past 10 years.
Icebreaker base layer. Another company that’s creating great clothes for travelers, Icebreaker is based out of New Zealand and designs stylish merino wool shirts that are perfect for travel to both warm and cold climates.
The basics …
North Face waterproof duffel. We’ve tried many types of luggage and this duffel from North Face is what we use most often. It’s waterproof, indestructible, easily goes on your back (especially helpful when staying in old cities with cobbled streets that make rolling luggage difficult), locks easily, and easily compresses into any space. Ideal!
USB-charging electronic toothbrush. Travel is no reason to let good dental habits die, but up until recently, all electronic toothbrushes required a heavy charger with an adapter or batteries to work in a 220v environment. So we were thrilled when Sonicare created a toothbrush that charges by USB. Highly recommended.
USB charging port. We’ve got a lot to charge. From our iPhones to our electronic toothbrush, everything demands electricity. But we’ve ensured that most of what we carry charges via USB, so we only need one power source for everything. This gem is the ultimate charger.
Yoga mat. This natural rubber, ultra-light (2 lbs) yoga mat is grippy and eco-friendly. It’s small form factor means it’s designed to go anywhere.
Multi-tool / pocket knife. This is a great tool and comes in handy more often than expected. The Leatherman contains pliers, knife, screwdriver, scissors, bottle opener … all in a compact, indestructible package. It’s invaluable. (One note, this is also an item favored by thieves, so make sure you keep it in your locked luggage at all times).
A backup hard-drive. Like all travelers, we take a lot of photos and videos and those files are VERY important to us. To get the ultimate protection, we download our photos and videos onto a separate, external backup drive (in fact two drives, but we tend to overdo things), which is stored separately from our carry-ons.
Luggage locks. No one wants to think about things going missing, but it happens to everyone at some point. To protect our belongings, we lock all of our bags, from small carry-ons and to larger checked luggage. And we lock them all the time: not only while moving from point to point, but also in our hotel rooms. They’re programmable (all locks can have the same code) and TSA approved.
Travel containers. We’re always in the market for small travel containers to keep shampoo, body wash, or other liquids in when we’re traveling. Durable (they’re silicon) and well-made (they won’t open in your luggage), they are the best we’ve found.
Dry bag. We carry several dry bags with us when we travel. These waterproof bags are ideal for keeping dirty laundry separate from the rest of your clothing or, if you have hand-washed laundry that’s not quite dry, you can toss in your wet bag to keep it separate from your dry clothes until you arrive at your next destination. These bags are genius!