Travel gear is all about enhancing your travel experiences. With the wrong gear, your entire trip could be jeopardized. On the other hand, the right gear can take your travels to the next level
1. Stashing the Cash
Keep your secret stash of bills safe from pickpocket with the Travelon money belt (Nylon USD15, Leather USD60). I’ve worn this while walking around pickpocketinfested Buenos Aires, and experienced the city without fear. It looks like a normal belt, but on the inside, there is a secret zippered compartment that can hold 8 - 12 bills. Plus, the nylon belt can go through airport security without hassles due to its plasticonly buckle. This money belt comes in either nylon or leather. While wearing this belt, you can feel safe without attracting attention.
2. Keeping Warm
The Arc’teryx Atom LT jacket (USD200) is disproportionately warm for its weight. All 12 ounces of the Atom LT will keep you toasty when the weather turns cold. While traveling through South America, I wore this jacket for activities ranging from trekking in high altitude to casually
walking around town. When not in use, the Atom LT can be packed into its sleeve to the size of a grapefruit. It is water resistant, wind resistant, breathable and super compressible. What more could you ask for?
3. Staying Connected
The MacBook Air (USD1,099) is hands down the best laptop for any traveler. Slip in and out of cafés and airports seamlessly without having to pull out a chunky laptop. I use the MacBook Air for managing my blog, doing schoolwork, and just updating my Twitter account. The laptop can easily fit in any carry-on bag or purse. The MacBook Air weighs only 2.38 pounds, and is 0.68 inches thin, yet powerful. It is as beautiful as it is practical.
4. Keeping Fresh & Clean
Traveling requires versatile gear, and the Patagonia Men’s Capilene 1 Silkweight T-Shirt (USD29) is just that. The shirt can be worn as a comfortable base layer or on its own. It weighs only 136g (4.8 oz), has 50+ UPF sun protection, and has built in odor control to keep you smelling fresh while exploring the world. The polyester T-shirt is comfy and will barely take up any space in your luggage. If purple isn’t your style, you can always get it in another of the five colors available.
5. Locked Up Abroad
A durable suitcase is useless if you don’t have a lock on it. Thankfully, the Master Lock Cable Luggage Lock (USD9) makes it easy to secure luggage with its flexible cable. It is TSA accepted, comes in four different colors to make your luggage more visible when at the baggage claim, and has an easily customizable three-number combination.
6. Packing It In
The Eagle Creek Pack-It Mobile Locker (USD38) is the ultimate packing accessory. The locker is made of three compartments for sorting and organizing your clothes. I usually use the top compartment for shirts, and the bottom compartment for pants. The clear compartment is great for storing slides, sandals or even dirty clothes. The locker can easily zip up into a compact and organized cube that can be hung in any hotel for quick access. When not in use, the cube can fit in a carry-on luggage, or even a large backpack.
Bio: Jonathan Looi is a teen traveler, currently exploring South America with his family on an RTW. He blogs and writes travel gear reviews on his website, thetravelgearreviews.com.
