Recommended Packing List for your backpack / personal bag.
In this list we share with your our recommended packing list for your most essential travel bag - Your backpack / personal item. This is the bag in which you pack the most important items and tech for your trip.
Here we list what we consider to be the most essential items that you should pack to set yourself and your trip up for success.
The Starting Point: A Good bag is Essential
Before we get into the packing list for your backpack/bag, we need to start off with the fact that a good personal bag is one of the most essential things you will need. Below we have shared two the backpacks we recommend, and the resons why. These both conform to Airline Small/Personal bag requirements, so you will have no problem getting the on the plane with you.
Wenger Backpacks
Wenger backpacks are our go to for business and personal travel. They have lots of pockets and compartments for storing everything you will need with you as a carry on item for your personal and Tech items, or as a small overnight bag.
We recommend the Wenger 606493 Ibex Ballistic Deluxe 14"/16" Expandable Laptop Backpack with Padded Laptop Compartment with SmartCharge USB Port and a 26 litre capacity.
Ideal as a personal item for taking on a plane, and suitable for every type of trip from a weekend break through to longer and backpacking trips.
Side pockets for water bottles, USB port for connecting to your power bank, and a loop on the back for easily placing the back on top of your suitcase and over the handle for pulling the two together and keeping it secure.
This is a classic all-rounder, and will serve you well for many years!
KEOFID Classic Travel Backpack
A choice for the more style conscious traveller is the KEOFID Classic Travel Backpack for men and women. with a USB charging port and anti-theft design.
Water resistant, It has a 26 Litre capacity, suitable for a 15.6" laptop. Losts of pockets and storage space, 2 external pockets for water bottles and and a luggage loop for transporting on top of your luggage
A small "Day-Bag"
Once you reach your destination and are out and about exploring, you probably don't want to be walking about with a full sized backpack, particularly when you are in a wam location.
We recommend getting yourself a small over shoulder "day-bag" that you can wear across your shoulder or have at your front.
Ideally you want something that can carry everything you need:
- Wallet
- Phone
- Camera
- Spare camera batteries
- Camera Lens cloth
- Ear-pods
- Phone Power Cable
- Power bank
- Maps
This is something you should also pack in your backpack/bag when travelling, so that when you get to your destination, drop your main bags at the hotel, grab this and you are ready to go!
We recommend both the small over shoulder messenger bag you can find here for £8.99 or the TITECOUGO Sling Bag you can find here for £13.99.
We all have both of these, and take the one we feel is best suited to our destination.
Backpack Security
To keep your backpack and its contents safe while travelling, particularly in airports, on trains and buses, we recommend purchasing TSA approved combination padlocks. This means that should your bag need to be opened by security (should you lose your bag), that most government security organisations have a key that will allow them to open your bag without having to cut off/break your padlock - This is particularly useful for checked-baggage also when it undergoes security prior to being loaded on to the plane.
Both of the backpacks and the day-bags we have recommended above are ideally suited to this type of padlock for keeping your belongings safe., by looking them through the metalic loops of the zip fasteners.
Travel Documents
This one is a no Brainer. Dedicate a specific pocket within your backpack/bag dedicated to storing your passport and flight and accommodation booking details and travel insurance policy number as print outs (Incase you lose your phone or your battery dies!),
When out and about exploring, we recommend you carry a colout photocopy of your passport photo page, rather than your actual passport (NOTE: For some tours and excursions [Chernobyl, Easter Island and Travelling through Egypt (Luxor & Cairo) to name but a few], you are required to have your physical passport on you - A copy or an ID card will not suffice!).
Other than this, we recommend keeping your passport in your hotel safe/locked in the locker in your room.
Note: If you are lucky enough to have dual citizenship like Richard, and you are planning to take both passports with you, we recommend only having the passport you intend to use in your backpack/bag - as some countries can be a bit funny about you carrying to passports, especially as you are only entering a country on one of them!
Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is an absolute Essential!
Thanks to Brexit, you can no longer rely on your E11 Card or European Health Insurance card alone when travelling in Europe anymore. Even before this, we STRONGLY recommend having travel insurance in addition.
Given how much we travel, we recommend a multi-trip or annual travel insurance policy (For Backpackers we recommend an annual policy - Particularly if you haven't decided how long you will be travelling for!). We use Insure&Go - This is not an affiliate pitch, but rather a company we have been using for years and have had nothing but good experiences with.
NOTE: Depending on the activities you plan to do when you are away (Snowboarding / Skiing / Water Sports / Rock Climbing etc), you will want to check in advance to make sure that your policy covers these before you purchase it!
Your Maps & Guidebook & Language Cheat-Sheets [Optional]
Depending on your style of travel, you may want to pack your Guidebook and Maps in in your backpack/bag.
You may question why you would want to to this, given that most of us use our phones for almost everything. But below we have listed a few reasons why you may want to do this.
Maps
In some places, its better not to have your phone in your hand as you roam around, particularly in places where you already stand-out like a sore thumb among the locals.
Sometimes is is safer and ultimately easier to have printed versions of your maps available, to make it easier to find your way without having to constantly fish out and look at your phone.
The Maps you get with all of the Plan It For Me packages include all of the main sights/sights of interest yo you, and as we use google maps as the basis for crafting your maps and Itineraries, these automatically include local landmarks and street names to help you find your way - They are also designed to be printer friendly!
Our maps are zoomed in to at least 100m giving you as big a view of your surroundings as possible to make life and navigation as easy as possible. When travelling from one location to one further afield, you should also have a copy of your local transport/metro map to help you jump from place to place (Note: We DON'T Recommend printing your full Travel Pack - Only the Maps, Transport/Metro Maps & Language Cheat-sheets!).
If going by foot, you may want to consult your phone, but we recommend doing this from within a coffee shop or bank to ensure both your safety and the safety of your belongings [depending on your location].
Guidebook
Plan It For Me is run by a group of people who are passionate about ravel, and have travelled far and wide. BUT, that said. We don't claim to know everything, and a guidebook can be really helpful depending on your location and the type of trip you are doing (Eg: For Backpackers, guidebooks offer great recommendations on how to save money and meet like-minded travellers as you go).
We would be lying if we said we hadn't used them, and Lonely Planet guides are by far the best we have used, and they are particularly good for backpackers, packed with tips & tricks on how to save money as you go.
Unfortunately Lonely Planet have largey discontinues thier "On a Shoestring" series, and the quality isnt what it used to be, but they are still useful.
Language Cheat-sheets
We recommend printing off your Language Cheat Sheets - It s always useful to have a folded copy in your pocket when you are on the go, especially when you are navigating sites and attractions, stopping for lunch, or even just coffee.
One of the main things we have learned over the years is that using, even a few simple words in the local language, will endear the locals to you, and improve your overall experience. And if anything, it is just polite!
Medications
If you take regular medications or require essential medical equipment, we recommend carrying these in your backpack/bag, as checked bags can and occasionally do go missing/ go on little adventures of their own, and can take up to 3 days to get them back, and you don't want to be caught short without essential medication!
Cables & Adapters
In this section we cover off some of the most essential, but also bulkiest and messiest components of travel, and how to manage them, along with some of our hand-picked recommendations (Remember - We never recommend anything we haven't used ourselves!)
Universal Adapter
A universal travel adapter is one of the most essential things everyone should have when travelling. This saves you from having purchase and carry multiple adapters with you. One purchase and you are se for the future.
We recommend the AUNNO Universal Travel Adtpter (20W Plug Adapter with 3 USB-A & 2 USB-C ports) covering all of your essential connections. You can get yours here for £17.99.
We also recommend buying these ahead of time and having them in your backpack, as the ones available for sale at the airport, although they do the same thing, are usually substantially more expensive! (Sometimes up to 4 times the price!)
Cable Storage
Cables are essential, but generally a pain in the arse. They are messy and somehow manage to tie themselves in the weirdest knots possible.
So we thoroughly recommend getting yourself a cable storage pouch. We recommend the flexible and light weight Woodland Cable Bag and Cable Organiser Bag. You can get yours here for £8.49!
Phone Charging Cables
Keep yout phone charging cables in your backpack/bag, to make sure you have easy access to them when you are in airports, or need a top-up from a power bank.
Keeping your Universal Adapter in your backpack/bag will ensure you can top up from a mains supply, so that you don't have to use your power bank when a mains supply is available.
All Airport lounges, both airline and pay to use offer power points and charging facilities. Some more modern airport Lounges, both airline and pay to use have wireless charging facilities, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
It also never hurts to have a spare in your Cable Storage bag, so that you have have one in your hotel, and one with you on the go for use with a power bank.
Be sure to cover your cases and have charging cables you can use with both plugs, adapters, power banks and laptops.
Watch Charging Cables
Just like your phone, there is every chance you will need to charge your watch while travelling, particularly if you are on a long layover.
Make sure you have a version of the cable you require with the relevant connections to you universal adapter and power bank.
eReader Charging Cables
Make sure to pack the correct cable for chnaging your Kindle/eReader.
Newer Kindles utilise a standard USB-C connection. Older Kindle's (Older, but still great) use older Micro USB connections for charging.
So check your Kindle/eReaader to made sure you have the correct connection before you go.
Portable USB Docking-Station
Regardless of how long you are going to be travelling for, we thoroughly recommend the YISH USB-C Hub 6-in-1: USB-C Hub with PD100W,4K HDMI,2 x USB A,SD/TF Card Reader for use with your laptop.
This allows you to connect your USB-A, USB-C, Camera Micro/Photo SD cards to your laptop to upload and back up your photos as you go to your laptop, Dropbox, One Drive and the like.
This also allows you to connect an HDMI cable to the hub, allowing you to connect your laptop to the TC in your hotel room/hostel should you want to review photos or even just have a chilled night watching Netflix.
Camera Cables, Batteries, Battery Charger & Spare memory cards
Make sure that you pack all of the cables you need for your camera, particularly your charging/laptop connection cable. Most Battery chargers, similar to the one shown in the photo will fit nicely in your cable storage bag, along with any spare memory cards to keep them safe.
As Cameras and batteries, particularly lithium-Ion batteries need to be carried in hand-luggage, we recommend packing your camera and spare, charged batteries in your day bag, that you can pack it in your backpack/bag, and have it ready to go for when you arrive.
We also recommend packing a lens cleaning cloth in your day bag, as humidity and insects can necessitate cleaning your lens on the go if you dont want to ruin that perfect picture with strange marks!
Power Bank
We recommend the Anker Large Capacity power bank for a number of reasons.
First and foremost is the ultra-large 27000 mAh charge capacity and Fast-Charge functionality. It has slots for USB-A and USB-C devices, and can charge up to 3 devices at the same time, and small enough to comfortably fit in your day-bag.
It also has a built-in power gage to see how much charge you have left, as well as a torch - Useful for finding items in your backpack/bag in dark places like night trains and buses.
This is the main power bank we all use when travelling, and due to the large capacity is one of the best powerbanks we have used.
Persoanl Tech
Regardless of the duration of your trip, we recommend packing a laptop / Tablet with you to help you stay connected while you are away.
Laptop / Tablet
We generally always take a laptop or a tablet with us to keep connected or watching movies or tv shoes on Netflix or Amazon Prime while travelling.
On longer duration and backpacking trips, a laptop/tablet is useful for planning the next stages of your trip, researching transport options, booking your next accommodation.
We always recommend something compact and lightweight. For Laptops we generally recommend something no larger than 14" to make sure it doesnt take up too much space. We at Plan It For Me are fairly evenly spread on our preferred devices: Richard's a Mac guy, Liam is a Chromebook guy, and Alex and Lance are both PC guys.
A Tablet is also a great option either as an alternative to, or along side your laptop. Due to their size, there generally more practical for using on Planes, trains and buses.
The key thing is having a device with a larger screen. Phones are great, but sometimes you just need something that offers you a a bit more visual real estate.
Laptop / Tablet Sleeve
This is just a common sense item. All of our bags, including out backpack/bag get banged about when we travel. Putting them on the ground at our feet, in overhead luggage bins on planes, overhead storage on trains and buses.
A simple laptop and or tablet sleeve protect your devises and provide a bit more vuishoning from the wear and tear of travels
Security Cable
This is a really useful item, especially when backpacking and staying in Hostels. for keeping your laptop secure.
This allows you to tether/anchor your your devices to something sold. Most laptops have a security port on the on the side of them that you can just plug this into the side of of it, lock it, and you are good to go.
This is particularly useful for Hostels where your locker space is limited.
Wireless HDMI Display Adapter
This is another really handy device. We recommend this over carring a large and bulky HDMI cable with you. This allows you to connect any of your wireless devices to the TV in your hotel room. Allowing you to watch Netflix etc in comfort.
Camera
Smartphone Cameras are great. Handy for everything, quick pics, selfies in front of a site, and wuickly uploading to socail media. BUT, that said, we throughly recommend travelling with a decent camera. There is just something about the picture quality and clarity of colour in photos captured on a proper camera.
Again, when travelling you want something light-weight and more compact.
We thoroughly recommend a mirrorless camera with a full DSLR sensor to get the best picture quality when travelling. I prime example of this is the Sony Alpha series (Richard has been using this series for years and swears by them).
Kindle / eReader
A fairly standard one. We love physical books as much as the next person, but when travelling, saving weight and space is key, and for that reason, we cannot recommend a Kindle enough.
Before you go, make sure you download the books you are wanting to read before you go, to make sure they are saved to the device, rather than cloud storage (We have been caught out by questionable airport wifi a few times), to make sure you avoid airport/plane/train/bus boreddom!
Wifi Hotspot
We have been using this one for years. We never go on a longer or multi-destination trip without it, and it has saved us literally THOUSANDS in international roaming fees. For us this is an essential for multi-destination & multi-country trips!
Solis' founders identified a common pain point for all smart device users: getting on-demand, fast, secure, reliable mobile Internet connections anywhere in the world.
After years of investment in R&D to solve this problem, Solis (formerly Skyroam) now delivers fast, secure mobile Internet in over 135 countries worldwide via patented virtual SIM™ technology. Solis delivers mobile data on-demand through multiple network partners for one flat rate—no contracts, no SIM cards, and no surprise data charges or fees.
The Solis Hotspot & powerbank allows you to stay connected on the go, connecting 10-16 devices to the one 4G/5G hotspot.
Solis offers Regional and Global Wifi Plans, keeping you connected as you move from country to country with no additional roaming fees. Daily, Global Pay-Per GB and monthly/unlimited data Subscriptions are available to allow you to control and manage your spending.
A major benefit of Solis is that your hotspot automatically switches carriers (even in a single city/country) to ensure you get the best service at all times, coupled with automatic network performance automation.
The Lifetime Data Plan is now included with every Solis hotspot, we are excited to introduce our game-changing Lifetime Data plan.
This revolutionary offering gives you seamless internet access with a minimum of 1GB of global data every month.
All coupled with an intuitive app to help you manage your data and subscriptions.
Backpack/Personal Bag Checklist
- Bag
- Day Bag
- Padlocks
- Travel Docs
- Passport
- Colour photocopy of passport photo Page
- A copy of you eVisa (As required)
- Travel Insurance documentation (Policy No & Contact numbers)
- Flight & Accommodation Details
- Your Plan it For Me maps
- Guidebook (Optional)
- Your Plan It For Me Language cheat-sheet(s)
- Universal Adapter
- Cable Storage Pack
- Phone charging cable
- Watch charding cable
- eReader charging cable
- Camera charging cable
- Camera Battery charger
- Portable USB docking station
- Spare Camera memory card
- Power Bank
- Laptop & or Tablet
- Laptop/Tablet Sleeve
- Laptop Security cable
- Wireliess HDMI display adapter
- Camera
- Kindle / eReader
- Wifi Hotspot
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