Packing Accessories


Packing Travel Accessories for Europe

What are the best travel accessories to pack for Europe?  By travel accessories I mean those everyday items that add to comfort and convenience.  Electronics and other gadgets requiring power are covered in a separate article.  Here are the 14 best travel accessories, and 8 travel accessories you should never bother to pack:

Most Useful (if you bring nothing else, bring these):
  • Bottle Opener – from soft drinks to beer, if you’re not drinking water, chances are there won’t be a twist-off cap.
  • Notebook/Pen – even in this electronic age, it’s not always convenient – or prudent in public places – to whip out your smartphone or tablet to take notes or to show someone in writing what you’re looking for when language is a barrier.  Good old pen and paper makes the grade.
  • Toenail clippers – legal to carry on a plane and useful to snip open plastic packages, trim your nails, clip plastic zip ties, and even as tweezers if you’re careful.
  • Front-pocket wallet – adds to security and leaves back pockets free for maps and other handy items like tissues or napkins.
  • Travel Laundry Soap – makes your limited wardrobe stretch infinitely and keeps you out of expensive Laundromats.
  • Zipper Style Storage Bags – they take up almost no space and are extremely versatile – waterproof items on a soggy day, pack a lunch, separate stinky clothing, partially inflate to use as padding for breakable souvenirs, the uses are almost limitless.  Bring various sizes from snack to 2 gallon.
  • Tissue Pocket Packs – Extremely useful, especially if you get sick like I did on my last trip, or if your public bathroom is out of TP.

Of Moderate Utility (very handy if you have them; can live without):
  • Toiletries – you can buy all of your toiletries overseas, and you can usually find major American brands.  Cheaper if you bring them from home, but it helps to keep your luggage lighter on your outbound journey.  Consider only bringing your favorite bar soap, shampoo and deodorant.  Get everything else at your destination.
  • Packing Cubes – I was skeptical at first, but I’ve grown to really like these things.  They help to make you focus on organization, which (for me at least) forces you to make tough editing choices for your wardrobe in particular because you’re packing into a cube and not into the whole piece of luggage.
  • Travel Towel – a travel towel doesn’t take up much space and it’s convenient to help dry hand washed clothes or to use as a throw on a chilly train.  But unless you’re camping or couch surfing, you’ll have towels in your hotel room.
  • Zip Ties / Cable Ties – discretely secure luggage, jury-rigged repairs, attach clothes lines, etc.  A dozen or so take up almost no room in your bag.
  • Reusable Shopping Bag – more sturdy than plastic bags you get at supermarkets or with your souvenirs; use this bag instead of the souvenir bag to make you less easy to spot as a tourist.  A reusable shopping bag can also be your beach bag or hold your groceries for a big picnic in the park.  It can also become your “personal item” if you decide to check both your luggage and your day bag on the journey home.
  • Hidden Money Belt – not the most comfortable thing to wear, but useful to safeguard valuables on a long train ride or in pickpocket-prone areas.  A front-pocket wallet and personal and situational awareness go a long way to make a money belt superfluous.  If you tend to perspire, put your money and passport in a plastic bag before placing them in the money belt.
  • Sink/Tub Stopper – doesn’t take much space, but makes hand-washing clothes much easier.  A wadded-up plastic bag can stop a drain, but you might not make friends with the hotel if you accidentally stuff it too far down the pipe ….

Sounds Nice, But Not Worth Packing:
  • Travel Clothes Hangers – most hotels have extra hangers in the closet.  With a limited wardrobe, you only need a few hangers to drip dry shirts and pants.  Tip – lay a towel or the newspaper under your drip-drying clothes so you don’t dampen the carpet and make your hotelier mad.
  • Travel Clothes Line – again, you should be working with a limited wardrobe and won’t have that much to hang.  Socks and underwear can go over the towel racks, on the radiator (wipe the radiator for dust first!), or over the curtain rod of the tub/shower.
  • Emergency Poncho – if you’re bringing a good windbreaker (as I suggest) then this item is duplicative.
  • Luggage Cable Lock – a little bit of overkill, and certainly signals to would-be thieves that your luggage is worth taking.
  • Reusable Water Bottle – save a plastic bottle that held a carbonated beverage (these bottles are stronger than plastic water bottles) and use it along with tap water – tap water throughout Europe is perfectly OK to drink.
  • Compass – you can orient yourself with cross streets and a map, or simply use your smartphone (most have compass and/or GPS features at your disposal).
  • Hoodwink / Eye Mask – use your scarf instead.
  • Plastic Utensils – score a few at a fast food restaurant (or save the ones you’ll be given on the plane) while you’re traveling for those days you’d rather picnic.

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