Whether you’re leaving for a work trip, a weekend away or a fully blown vacation – there’s one thing that we all have in common. We like to travel as light as possible without impacting our journey.

There’s nothing worse than dragging around oversized suitcases with 16 more outfits than you need, a vibrant collection of souvenirs and a travel iron – you know, just in case you need to get the creases out of that shirt that you’re not going to wear.

To get around the problem of planning what to pack, we’ve narrowed everything that you need – no matter the journey – to just 6 easy to grab items that you’ll no doubt add to when you realise you can’t live with a waffle iron or something…

1. Good pair of headphones

A good pair of headphones is essential when travelling to block out the noise of other passengers on whatever form of transport you’ve chosen.

Whether you need to zone in on work, want to focus in on a movie or don’t want the creepy guy next to you chatting to you about crosswords for 3 hours – there’s nothing better than noise-cancelling buds to get you in the right zone.

We prefer to go for a pair of wired headphones that are a little on the cheaper side when travelling. That way you don’t have to worry about packing a charger, compatibility with your different devices and if you lose them, leave them in a hotel room or break them in the sea (for some reason?) then it’s not the end of the world.

They’re all pretty similar, but I’d recommend something as simple as the Panasonic ErgoFit. It’s a super simple design and for under $9 you can’t go wrong. You can even choose from 15 different colors – cute.  

2. Reliable water bottle

Next up on your checklist after your drowned out the rest of the passengers is something that’ll keep you hydrated (or amped up on caffeine, your choice).

You’re going to need a water bottle – but instead of going for the cheapest single use in the fridge, it’s best to invest in a good, LEAKPROOF, water bottle. You’ll thank me later.

Our go to is the Kool 8, a modern, drop-dead gorgeous, fully insulated water bottle. I personally love my Kool 8 bottle. After 3 months of owning it, I still can’t think of any flaws from my end. It’s sleek design is second only to it’s industrial strength with durable stainless steel preventing wear and tear from scratches and chemicals – leaving the bottle looking as new as possible for as long as possible.

It helps that the company is kind-hearted too with 20% of the profit going towards delivering clean water to underprivileged regions in the world, according to Self Growth. It’s a win-win situation for all – you get to your destination with a dry laptop and underprivileged regions receive clean drinking water.

3. Strong, sturdy rucksack

Having the best travel gear is no use without something to put it in – you silly sausage. Our answer? A strong, sturdy rucksack.

Rucksacks are the most superior relative in the bag family. You don’t have to keep switching hands to relieve pain, you can get plenty of stuff in them and just about everyone can find one that suits them, their personality and their occupation.

This is usually a very individual choice and reading reviews should get you in the right ballpark for a great quality item. But if you’re lacking in ideas, or don’t really care what kind of bag you go for, we’re happy to recommend the super simple (and obvious strong) PANS Military Backpack.

4. Portable charger

The number of times I’ve been saved by a portable charger while travelling is hard to count.

A super simple small and lightweight charger is all that you really need when you’re in a pinch to finish an email (or more likely the rest of a movie marathon). It doesn’t have to break the bank either with plenty of chargers available under the $30 mark.

Our choice comes from the well respected Anker and is one of the smallest and lightest 10,000 mAh external batteries money can buy. You’ll get 2.4 charges out of it to power your iPhone X, 3.6 for an iPhone 8 and 2.2 for a Samsung S9. Not bad for a gadget that weighs less than a multipack of chips.

5. Multivitamins

Travel can make you sick. Sickness ruins vacations. So it makes sense to prevent sickness and make the most of your time away right?

I’m no miracle worker, but with a good multivitamin you’ll be your best self, ready to tackle even the most immune system challenging situations. A good multivit should give you energy from morning to night, giving you a boost throughout the day to get more done and experience as much as possible.

My personal choice comes from Vita Hustle given their current 42% discount. With my first order, they also shipped me a fancy t-shirt and socks.

The Kevin Hart owned company has been developing the vitamin for 4 long years and with the drop right around the corner, we’re excited to get our orders in the mail.

6. Portable electric toothbrush

Last, but by no means least, comes the portable electric toothbrush.

Travel toothbrushes are a tricky business. You don’t want to lug around your full-sized electric toothbrush, but do you really get a good enough clean when manual brushing? Luckily, it no longer matters and for prices as low as $20, you can have your own travel electric toothbrush.

A precision bristle that gives 22,000 brush strokes per minute, AA-battery powered and with plenty of designs – we can’t think of a better toothbrush we’d rather take on vacation. Say goodbye to that grim-feeling mouth and hello to a new world of oral freshness, wherever you are around the world.

That’s smiles all round, don’t you think?