Curious about what travel gear we pack for our trips? We’ve explored the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia and Africa, travelling on foot, by bicycle, by car and even by campervan — and we’d like to think we’ve nailed our travel gear for every type of adventure. In this article, you’ll find the best equipment for travel based on our hands-on experience.
Working remotely while travelling is, in our opinion, the best way to make the most of location independence. The downside? On top of our regular travel gear, we lug around a ton of electronics that take up roughly half of our packing space. So our list might not be for everyone.
Honestly, we’re amazed at how much we manage to carry! But every single item on our list has earned its place for a good reason. And because we know how helpful these kinds of packing lists are — they’ve certainly helped us — we decided to share exactly what we travel with.
Travel Luggage: Suitcase, Hiking Pack, or Travel Backpack?
The first question every traveller faces is what type of luggage to go for. Personal preference plays a part, but practicality matters most. If you’re hopping on local buses across Southeast Asia, a comfortable hiking pack or backpack is the way to go. But if you’re mainly heading on city breaks, a suitcase makes far more sense. Only you can decide, but these questions should help you narrow it down:
- What’s my most common style of travel?
- How often do I move from place to place during a trip?
- Which countries do I travel to, and where am I planning to go next?
- How long are my typical trips?
You essentially have four options: a suitcase, a hiking pack, a travel backpack, or a wheeled travel bag.
Since we travel frequently and to all sorts of destinations, we own a bit of everything. We take the hiking pack on trips where we won’t be renting a car, will be moving around a lot, and staying in hostels. Travel bags and backpacks come along for long weekends, and we break out the suitcases when we’re planning to stay put in one place for a while.
Osprey Kestrel Hiking Pack (Men’s)
The Kestrel range is incredibly durable and high quality. Lukáš carries the black 68-litre version, which fits absolutely everything.
Osprey Kyte Hiking Pack (Women’s)
The Kyte is a more compact pack designed for women, with a more ergonomic shape and nicer colour options. Lucie has the 66-litre version, though 48 litres is more than enough for most trips.
Thule Landmark Travel Backpack
Choosing a travel gear backpack can be tricky. Our top pick is the Thule Landmark — it’s pricier, but you get guaranteed quality and a brilliantly thought-out internal layout.
For an in-depth comparison of travel backpacks, check out reviews on sites like Wirecutter or Switchback Travel.
Essential Travel Gear
This is our core set of must-have travel gear that comes with us absolutely everywhere — camping trips included.
Trekking and Camping Gear
We love heading out on long hikes in the mountains and camping under the stars. Weight and quality are our top priorities, so we invest in higher-end outdoor gear. And don’t forget insect repellent — it’s a lifesaver!
Electronic Travel Gadgets
We rely on electronic devices for our work, and without the following gadgets, life on the road would be much harder. Every single piece of this travel gear is valuable enough that we gladly accept the extra weight in our bags.
Why Don’t We Travel with Carry-On Only?
For long weekends, we sometimes fly with just a carry-on, but for most trips we bring a full-size suitcase or a large hiking pack. The reason is simple: our electronics alone fill the cabin bag, leaving zero room for anything else.
A common argument against checking luggage is the fear of the airline losing your bag. But here’s the thing — in five years of flying tens of thousands of kilometres a year, we’ve never had a bag go missing. Before that, it happened just once, and the suitcase turned up the next day.
That said, we always hedge our bets. In our carry-on, we pack at least one change of clothes, plus a toothbrush, toothpaste, and small travel-sized toiletries. That way, even if our checked bag is delayed, we can still function like civilised human beings. 😊
Staying Connected: Useful Travel Accessories for Connectivity
One thing we can’t stress enough is staying connected while abroad. Having reliable internet access is essential — especially for digital nomads like us, but also for navigating, booking accommodation, and keeping in touch with family. We highly recommend picking up an eSIM before your trip. Services like Holafly or Yesim offer affordable data plans for virtually any destination, so you can skip the hassle of hunting for a local SIM card on arrival.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
Don’t Overpay for Flights
Search for flights on Kayak. It’s our favorite search engine because it scans the websites of all airlines and always finds the cheapest connection.
Book Your Accommodation Smartly
The best experiences we’ve had when looking for accommodation (from Alaska to Morocco) are with Booking.com, where hotels, apartments, and entire houses are usually the cheapest and most widely available.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Good travel insurance will protect you against illness, accidents, theft, or flight cancellations. We’ve had a few hospital visits abroad, so we know how important it is to have proper insurance arranged.
Where we insure ourselves: SafetyWing (best for everyone) and TrueTraveller (for extra-long trips).
Why don’t we recommend any Czech insurance company? Because they have too many restrictions. They set limits on the number of days abroad, travel insurance via a credit card often requires you to pay medical expenses only with that card, and they frequently limit the number of returns to the Czech Republic.
Find the Best Experiences
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can book guided walks, trips, skip-the-line tickets, tours, and much more. We always find some extra fun there!
