Being away from your comfort zone and all your usual comfort objects eventually becomes stressful. For me it was stressful after about 40 minutes. Here are some things I packed that made travelling a bit easier.
Portable cell phone charger
This was a life saver. If you take only one thing I recommend, take this. My phone was my map and my notepad and my audio book player, so I was using it constantly. Like any cell phone these days, my iPhone 6s does not have a great battery life. I combated the dwindling % gauge with this portable charger, which holds 2-3 full charges before it has to be recharged itself. Now, the charging isn’t super fast and having your phone connected to it as you use your phone to navigate can be a bit of a tangled pain when you are also using earphones, but the alternative is death. The only drawback is the grey cord this portable charger uses to charge itself is small, unique to this device (no regular old USB cord will do) and easy to lose. Do what I did and keep all your cords in the same gallon ziplock bag.
Gallon Ziplock Bags
Yes, there are many bags out there for holding your makeup, toiletries, shoes, food, and whatever, but I quickly found that being able to see into the bag saved a lot of time and frustration. I packed about six Ziplock bags and had Dad bring me six more when he met me in Copenhagen (they don’t last forever and once a shampoo explodes, that bag is pretty done with life). I would recommend at least bringing a dozen. They are lightweight, take up almost no space, and it’s much better to have them and not need them.
Travel Adapter
I brought two of these travel adapters and they worked everywhere I went (Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, England, and Ireland—I didn’t charge anything in Sweden so I can’t be sure they would work there). You can use the usual two- or three- pronged electric plug and/or a regular USB. I had to figure out how to use all the different prongs in the back—or maybe VR helped me—but once I had that down, it was all good. I am glad I brought two so I could charge all of my items overnight if I wanted/needed to. The only problem is these are a bit bulky.
Earbuds
Bring at least two pairs. I went through three—using them for hours every day inevitably lead to their untimely demise. Don’t buy expensive ones like I did. Just get some cheap ones from the checkout counter at Walgreens.
International Cell Phone
I wasn’t going to bring one of these—it seemed excessively over-prepared to do so, but I ended up using my international cell phone a lot when some one ripped off my ATM number and my debit card was rendered inactive. Calling Wells Fargo was a horrible experience, and I can’t imagine how much more stressful it would have been had I not even had a phone to do so with. I got the JT phone on the suggestion of CC, and am REALLY glad I did. You just add more minutes as needed by buying more on their website. This of course requires a credit card—luckily I had another one as I was going through the Wells Fargo malarkey.
Tablet
I brought two phones, a laptop, and a tablet with me, which even to me seemed like too much. I thought bringing my Kindle was a bit indulgent, but it actually was one of my most soothing comfort objects in that I could watch American television via Netflix or Amazon Prime. Sometimes at the end of a long day of culture and history I just needed to watch Teen Wolf.
Woolite Individual Laundry Packets
Staying in Airbnbs with a washer available saved a lot of time and stress—I can barely function in an American laundromat, imagine me dealing with a soap dispenser machine that doesn’t even speak English. No thank you. Filter your Airbnb search to places with washers available (dryers too if you’re not staying more than a few days—laundry needs at least 24 hours to air dry in my experience) and have these handy packets with you. Woolite is gentle on your clothes and works with all fabrics (all that I wear, anyway). I definitely used less laundry soap as I was travelling so as to ration these, but if you pack enough, you can use the usual excessive amount. Also, even if you don’t have a washer, one packet of Woolite will do for a quick wash of your underthings in the sink and the crotch area of your jeans. One relevant thing I noticed: many European places have heated racks for hanging laundry to dry on. They may actually just be towel warmers, but I used them to speed the drying process.
Antibacterial Gel
I didn’t end up using as much antibac as I thought I would, but there were definite times I was desperate to de-germ. I would pack two or three of these (I ended up losing one and another one was taken at the airport because GASP! LIQUID!) for those especially dirty moments.
More essential items on the way.
paralyzedbynotcaring 