Fitting everything you need into a backpack to travel the world can be the most daunting thing. Knowing what you do and don’t need can only really happen through trial and error, or through doing your research and hearing other peoples’ experiences.
So after 4 backpacking trips, I have learnt and found some absolutely non-negotiables for my backpack in terms of keeping myself and my things safe.
- Lockable Carabiner
Unfortunately, not all hostels have lockers suitable or big enough for your backpack, or on occasion the ‘safe storage’ to leave your backpack after checkout isn’t so safe and is actually just a corridor. I can’t tell you the number of times this carabiner lock has come in handy, to either lock my bag to my bed, a table or to another friend’s bag. - Mini Power bank
Whilst I travel with a decent sized power bank which will give me a few charges and is great when taking 10-hour bus journeys or spending long days travelling from place to place, I found that often I wouldn’t want to take my big power bank and wires on nights out or trips where I was only taking a small bag. Too many times on my first trips, I have previously been lost or stranded with no power in my phone and no clue where I was going. Luckily on these occasions, I was with other people and the situation was worked through as a team, but I dread to think of how things would have gone down if I were on my own. This mini bank has been a saviour to just give enough charge to see maps or call a taxi! It’s small enough to fit easily in my bumbag and weighs next to nothing, I don’t even realise it’s there. ANDROID IPHONE - Non TSA Padlock
In addition to having a TSA padlock for my luggage when flying, I have found it super handy to take a spare non-TSA lock with me also. I was made aware that TSA keys can be purchased on the dark web, which means access into your locked-away possessions is possible, although I’ve never had an experience such as this (as far as I’m aware) I’ve heard of it happening and found it’s always better to be prepared. I can’t imagine this would be such an issue in hostels, where most are filled with like-minded travellers, but if you ever find yourself having to use more public locker facilities, it’s helpful to have a padlock which only opens with the code.
