This month’s guest post of “5 things I always pack” is from Max Hartshorne, editor of the long-running popular travel site GoNOMAD. (I like that site so much I’ve written articles for it for years.) Here’s what he always carries when he hits the road.
Power Strip
Almost no hotel outside of the US has as many plugs as we electronically-oriented travelers need. So I use a little black compact power strip that gives me three places to charge and I only need to use one of the hotel’s adapter-needing outlets.
Blazer
I usually wear my navy blazer on the plane, it speeds me through security for some reason. It’s a piece of clothing that makes any man feel well-dressed. Coming to dinner without a jacket makes you look like a rube, and so does wearing those ubiquitous white sneakers that brand a traveler as an American tourist. For this reason I always bring nice-looking loafers too.
Gadget sack
These days, everyone has their gadgets and each one needs its charger. In a stiff nylon zip bag, I have my electric plug adaptors, (either the two-prong European style, or the larger three-flat plug used in Britain) my cellphone charger and the various USB cords I need for my computer.
Smaller pack
I like to travel with a nylon drawstring day pack, which holds my travel writer essentials; my camera, my notebooks, my sunglasses and a few pens. Having this smaller pack is crucial because my daypack is full of stuff that I don’t need when in the field.
Neck Pillow
When I’m facing a long flight, using an inflatable neck pillow along with the airline-issued pillows gives me a small chance that I will actually fall asleep in the air. It’s rare but the neck pillow makes it closer to being a possibility. Without it, I’m awake the whole time, no matter how long the flight is.
Max Hartshorne is the editor of the GoNOMAD.com travel website and writes a daily blog called Readuponit. He travels abroad about 10 times a year to write articles for the website.
