• HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS
  • Nav Social Icons

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS
  • Mobile Menu Widgets

    Connect

    Search

Bucketlist Bri

Bucketlist Bri

Adventurous Slomad Travel

  • Start Here
  • Destinations
  • Digital Nomad
  • Responsible Travel
  • Slow Travel
  • Van Life

Best Travel Accessories for Backpackers

Last Updated: October 20, 2021 · Travel Tips

Having previously backpacked, currently being in the planning stages for an upcoming amazing backpacking trip, I decided to do a little research and discover what are the best travel accessories for backpackers.

I’m not one who will stock up on all the “must-have” of travel accessories per se, but these few items I’ve listed below definitely could make any backpacker’s life a little easier.

When we were backpacking through Europe during the summer of 2014, there was one item my traveling comrades and I had in common that we simply could not have survived without.

That item is thus number one on my list for best travel accessories for backpackers!

Table of Contents show
#1 – Microfibre Travel Towel
#2 – POWER CONVERTER / UNIVERSAL ADAPTER
#3 – MINI / WIRELESS EXTERNAL BATTERY CHARGER
#4 – MINI TRAVEL BOTTLES (3 PACK)
#5 – BACKPACKER’S DAYPACK

#1 – Microfibre Travel Towel

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a small commission should you decide to click through and make a valid purchase (at no extra cost to you). Thanks so much for your support!

Introducing an amazing invention: the microfibre super-quick-drying all-around awesome traveler’s and backpacker’s towel.

I cannot fathom how much we relied on our towels! But here, I’ll try..We used ours several times daily, and therefore we relied heavily on the promised fact that these microfibre towels dry very quickly, are super absorbent, sticky-free (I hate that feeling), compact, lightweight, and everything else that an average backpacker would look for in a towel product.  

After one month of backpacking Europe, through cities, countrysides, showers, swimming, beaches, face-washing, hand-drying, makeshift pillows, and blankets for long train or bus rides, these towels never let us down.  When we were on the go we could easily tie our microfibre towels over our backpacks to let them air dry.

Hands down, an essential backpacker’s travel accessory!

 

#2 – POWER CONVERTER / UNIVERSAL ADAPTER

In order to avoid overpacking our backpacks, the three of us shared much of what we had – including the adapter/converter for our electronics. We would simply just switch out our devices by taking turns as we go.  

In this case, you really only need to carry one adapter/converter for the group.  This one here is rated as the #1 bestseller and for good reason! It includes 3 outlets and 4 USB ports. So if you are traveling with family or friends, this would be the ideal pick.

It’s still compact and tiny to adapt in order to a backpacker’s needs, yet offers several more ports just in case your friend might hassle you over needing to plug in both their phone and tablet!

Speaking of electronics, this is the next best travel accessory for backpackers.

 

#3 – MINI / WIRELESS EXTERNAL BATTERY CHARGER

I was not even aware of these magical little devices until we actually arrived here in Nepal and Paul had his charging when I asked, “Urm, what’s this thing?” Yay for knowledge sharing, right!?

Anyways, with over 5,000 customer reviews, you know this bad boy is a huge “best accessory” for backpackers and travelers alike! When you’re on a long bus ride with no power outlets, a train, plane, a ferry, etc., and there are no convenient plugins to charge your stuff (or perhaps they are all taken, this happened to us several times in hostels), this handy little external battery charger can be a lifesaver.

It’s mini, it’s incredibly useful, it’s worth the cash, and it’s just pretty cute.  An ideal travel accessory for backpackers!!

 

#4 – MINI TRAVEL BOTTLES (3 PACK)

Steering away from electronics now, let me talk a little bit about a simple product that is beyond useful: refillable, small, handy, leak-proof travel bottles!  This three-pack is the perfect travel accessory for backpackers looking to save space in their bag with leak-proof bottles to hold all the required soaps, shampoos, and lotions.

When we were backpacking, we did not have these convenient little travel bottles, but I remember thinking at the time how I wish we did have ’em! Instead, we brought one normal-sized shampoo bottle for the three of us to use.  We designated Paul as the carrier of the bottle which he put in his toiletry bag.  

There were countless times when we had to clean out this same bag and wash all of our other items because the shampoo bottle had leaked.  We had even covered the lid with plastic for tiny spills just in case, but it was no use.  Plus, the bottle was way too big and so inconvenient.  it would have been much more efficient and handy to have small refillable travel bottles like these!

Whether you use it for shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, etc., these mini travel bottles are definitely worth being included in the best travel accessories for backpackers list!

And what better to put them in when your pit-stopped in a city and want to go out for the day than in a handy dandy….

#5 – BACKPACKER’S DAYPACK

Too often on our own backpacking trip did we tell ourselves, “Dang.  Why didn’t we think of that??”  In particular, I remember thinking this very often when we would finally arrive in the morning at our new destination in a new country and though exhausted, just have so much excitement for going out and exploring this amazing new place.

However, we didn’t have a daypack made for travelers. Instead, we used just a small and older backpack of Paul’s, that had one big pocket and one little one.  It especially was not convenient for holding our water bottle(s), for example, as they would tip over and start leaking.  We had Camelbak water bottles, but the tip of mine in particular, when tilted at a certain angle, would leak.

We agreed that in the future we would invest in a small daypack that has handy pockets, zippers, and compartments specially designed for traveler’s and backpacker’s use.   This one made by Outlander has close to 3,000 reviews and has a great rating, all at a very reasonable budget cost, making it the final and one of the best travel accessories for backpackers.

This list could go on and on but I tried narrowing it down to 5 highly reviewed and budget-priced items that all types of backpackers could potentially adopt into their travel style.

I hope you enjoyed my selection of the best travel accessories for backpackers!  If you’re a backpacker yourself and have additional or alternative “best travel accessories” you think should be mentioned on this list, don’t hesitate to let me know!

I recognize every traveler will have different products to adapt to their own needs, but I truly believe that these 5 travel accessories could positively influence your time backpacking as they provide lots of usefulness and efficiency while remaining compact and lightweight! Basically the recipe for a happy backpacker 😉

By: Bri · In: Travel Tips

you’ll also love

Best Way to Carry Money While Traveling
Best Travel Accessories for Long Flights
Woman on black sand beach on an international trip abroadHow to Plan an International Trip

Join the List

Stay up to date with the latest adventures and travel guides.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Next Post >

Traditional French King Cake Recipe: Galette des Rois

Primary Sidebar

hello!

I’m Bri, an adventurous digital nomad living abroad full-time since 2015. It is my hope to inspire you to live a life of adventure, seek out meaningful experiences, and travel slowly and mindfully!

About Me

Connect

join the list

Featured Posts

bucketlist bri standing in El Chiflon Waterfalls in Chiapas, Mexico

11 Best Day Trips from San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Europe Travel Tips for Americans

Europe Travel Tips for Americans

Blonde woman walking through garden of cacti in Oaxaca City, Mexico.

25 Unmissable Things to Do in Oaxaca City, Mexico

QUICK LINKS

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • WORK
  • COURSE
  • PODCAST
  • DESTINATIONS

Search

Let’s Connect!

@bucketlistbri

Mexico with mummy pt. 1 🌵 Last November, Paul Mexico with mummy pt. 1 🌵 

Last November, Paul and I slow-traveled and lived for 6 months in La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur where we basked in the sunshine, dove with sea lions, and ate our weight in fish tacos 🌮 

(Peep my La Paz blog guides for all the juicy deets)🧃👀 

Some of you may remember La Paz is also where I started my Invisalign treatment earlier this year (update: my bottom teethies are nearly straight!!) so here we are six months later to pick up my second load of trays, but this time I brought mom along for the ride to show her around some of my favorite places😃 

Highlights from La Paz (except for the first)👇

💀 Face painting for Día de Muertos in Oaxaca
🌊 Playa Tecolote, one of the best beaches next to Balandra Bay
💡 When in La Paz
🍕 The BEST Naples pizza + burrata salad @ La Casa Madre 
🦋 New baby tats thanks to @tattooinknm
🌞 Sunset and sunken ships from the hurricane
💻 Snuck in a bit of blogging 
🍻 Beach beers!
♟️ My favorite little park in La Paz with a giant chessboard (Parque Piedras y Pájaros)
✈️ We got a plane to catch! La Paz > Oaxaca 

Being back in La Paz made me super nostalgic 🥲 
Revisiting a place after spending an extended amount of time there is always a strange feeling; you feel at home yet you're still a visitor, a tourist, with much to discover. You see people from the community you started to build, but before you know it you are packing your bag and saying goodbye again. I even had to go pick up some clothes we left in our last apartment 🙈

As bittersweet as it is, I'm so grateful for the "slomad" life. And also very grateful to be able to share some of the places close to my heart with my mom 🇬🇧 

I'm not sure exactly when I'll be in La Paz again (if not for my teeth, lol, which is not a bad place to "have to go back to" for that, right?) but I know that this wasn't my last visit 🥲 

#lapazmexico #bajacaliforniasur #mexico #mommydaughtertrip #golapaz #lapazbcs
Alone but not lonely is my new mantra 💛 I am s Alone but not lonely is my new mantra 💛

I am so proud of and grateful for the version of myself that solo travel has made me to step into... 🤗

10 years ago, even if I had already been living abroad, the thought of eating ALONE in a restaurant or taking myself out alone (not to mention traveling through different countries alone) just baffled me — literally, I didn’t understand what the attraction was to do such things alone! 
But now... OH MY GOODNESS 😱 total transformation. Now I’ve solo traveled abroad in Portugal, Japan, and Nepal and all three were like stepping stones to the next solo adventure 🥾 🧘‍♀️ 🏔️ 🥰 🏯

Please everyone go solo travel, if you can, and if you feel pulled to!! 

It’s such a powerful way to get to know yourself, step outside your comfort zone, and make connections! 

As much as I enjoy traveling with my partner, I just simply wouldn’t have had the same encounters or made the connections that I did on this trip and to think what I would have missed out on 🥲 ❤️

Because traveling alone literally forces you to *go out there* and in doing so, you realize just how capable you were of doing it all along! 🙏

#solotravel #solofemaletraveler #nepal #soloadventure #nepalnow #nepaltravel #nepaltourism
When you stay open and curious, pretty magical thi When you stay open and curious, pretty magical things can unfold 🥹 ✨ 

I’ve been harboring this story unsure as to HOW TO EVEN BEGIN to tell it, but the how is less important than the why. 

And this experience reminded me of my why ☺️ 

I live for this kind of magic in life, or rather, it’s this kind of magic that lights me up and makes me feel most alive — the adrenaline of an adventure and how a story unfolds right in front of me like a movie, one in which I’m not only the producer, director, graphic artist, etc but the screenwriter too. And perhaps most interestingly, the viewer as well. 

I’ve said this before, and recently too, but whenever I travel, I often let “the story” lead the way. And there’s always a story. Whether you think of it as scripting your own play, directing your own film, or authoring your own book, we get to be both the creators and the audience. And I think that’s pretty neat. 

For a long, long time, I’ve often kept those kinds of travel moments locked away in my journal — for my personal reflections only, unsure that they’d mean anything to anyone else. But what I’ve come home to lately, is that these stories are mine to tell and if they matter to me, then, well, that’s all that matters.

So here’s to sharing stories that matter, for the intrinsic value of the story itself, and for the meaningful seeds of inspiration and magic that take root in our hearts 🥰 ✌️ 

#solotravel #trekking #nepal #langtang #travelstories #travelblogger #travelstories #mindfultravel
Did you guess it? You’ve probably heard of trekk Did you guess it? You’ve probably heard of trekking routes in Annapurna, Everest, Manaslu, and Upper/Lower Mustang… but have you ever heard of Langtang? 

Langtang village inside Langtang National Park was tragically wiped out after a devastating landslide (caused by the 2015 earthquakes), but the village is rebuilding and tourism to the region is picking up! 

You will hike through the landslide area as well as the new village on this gorgeous Langtang Valley Trek. 

The trek takes 8 days roundtrip and goes from roughly 1400m up to 4980m, with the last village of Kyanjin Gompa resting at around 3900m. 

It’s one of the most BEAUTIFUL treks to do in Nepal! Plus, you don’t need to journey far to reach the starting point in Syabrubesi which is just 115km north of Kathmandu (however, it still takes around 7 hours by bus to get there!).

Save this to your Nepal adventure bucket list 🔖 and head to my blog for the free detailed guide to the trek! 

#nepal #langtang #trekking #himalayas
Guess where?! 😁 (hint in the 4th clip!) But al Guess where?! 😁 (hint in the 4th clip!) 
But also this shouldn’t come as a surprise! As a nomad, I’ve slow lived and based myself out of Mexico 5-6 times since 2018. 
Each time, going back feels like going home! 💛
And even though I was just there for a short period to show my mom around and celebrate Day of the Dead, I’m happy to be returning for a few months so I can fill back up my cup. 

The majority of 2023 has been a non-stop whirlwind which wasn’t my initial vision for this year, so this next move is about slowing down (even more), writing, and recharging ☀️ 🔋 

If you could move anywhere, where would you go? 

#digitalnomad #mexicotravel #oaxacamexico #slomad #slowtravel #slowliving
La Velada is such a special part of Día de Muerto La Velada is such a special part of Día de Muertos traditions to witness 🧡✨ 

On October 31st, we went to two local cemeteries (Panteón Xoxocotlán and Panteón Atzompa) where families labor away with love by decorating the graves with marigolds, candles, and their dead beloved’s favorite food, drinks, objects... you name it! 💛🪦

You’ll see families laughing, playing music, and drinking while some are embracing or visiting alone, quiet in their remembrance. Meanwhile, you can find typical street food outside the cemetery gates and bands/concerts and mariachis playing loudly in the background 🎺 

It’s festive, sentimental, and magical (and more), all in one 🥹❤️

If you have the wonderful opportunity to visit Oaxaca or any of the other places in Mexico where they celebrate next year, please make sure to be respectful! 🫶🏼

In Atzompa, the grave mounds are harder to see and you should take extra care with your steps and how you take photos (if you decide to). We were invited over by a family for mezcal and my friend also got to light candles for her father and share it with their family’s gravesite. 🕯️ It was a very special experience for all of us! Many many thanks and much love to everyone who made it so beautiful 🙏🌼🕯️💜

#diademuertos #dayofthedead #oaxaca #lavelada #atzompa #xoxocotlán #oaxacatravel #mexicotravel #oaxacadejuarez #cempasuchil #diademuertos2023
Follow My Adventures

Footer

On the Blog

  • Start Here
  • Destinations
  • Digital Nomad
  • Responsible Travel
  • Slow Travel
  • Van Life

Info

  • Work With Me
  • My Blog Course
  • Slomad Stories Podcast
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

adventures await x

Copyright © 2023 · Bucketlist Bri | All Rights Reserved

0 shares