What Items Are Essential to a Digital Nomad's Backpack?

Travel
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Hello Nomads,

I’m doing some research, and am trying to narrow down the items that are absolutely essential to pack as a digital nomad. I know this will vary by the region in which you’re travelling, but on a broad level:

What things did you pack but didn’t end up needing?

What did you leave behind, but wish that you’d packed?

And, what are the items you brought that you use the most?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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One thing that’s been good to me is a power splitter. So when I’m at an airport or cafe and all the outlets are already in use, I can still plug in. https://www.amazon.fr/Legrand-LEG50632-Fiche-Multiprise-Latérale/dp/B005JR2N40/

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Digital or not, we all need to wash clothes. Sink plug, so that you can wash your clothes :slight_smile:

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=sink+plug

Spare cables for some of the electronics, solar charger, little flashlight, zip-lock bags, photocopies of your documents (scans or images also stored on some cloud service).

Recently heard how practical Kensington cable lock can be, so I’d take that one as well. Can be used to nicely secure your backpack or at times just the laptop.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=kensington+lock

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YES! I also have a nice power splitter - with USB and three-prong outlets. I use it a lot.

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I keep meaning to get one of these. Thanks for the reminder.

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I like shower toilet (or washlet) but it’s too big to bring for travel.
https://www.inax.com/en/japan_showertoilet.htm

I take portable reasonable one :

with petbottle (Japan size).
The name is Botllet costs JPY108 ($0.9, €0.8) at 100-yen shop in Japan. :hugs:

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I cannot find a pet bottle or Botllet on Amazon and is this anything like a shower-toilet that is shown in in shower-toilet link? I’m thinking Japan’s Amazon offers it where it’s unavailable in other countries (I’m in the USA). I had not heard of a shower-toilet before, so I found the shower-toilet website very interesting indeed! Thanks for the link, tak Pioneer.

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There are so many dangerous places in the world like nuclear plants and wastes.
To detect and avoid radioactive area, like

I have two Geiger counters portable and useful.
Soeks amazon.jp is useful and less than half price in comparison with amazon.fr.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B016C5EXZE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Aircounter is reasonable.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/product-reviews/B006YJEWTQ/ref=pd_sbs_328_cr_1/357-0481419-9465830?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B006YJEWTQ&pd_rd_r=f3749fbe-3590-11e9-bbe0-e17b654797a6&pd_rd_w=1RRxh&pd_rd_wg=yZElj&pf_rd_p=ad2ea29d-ea11-483c-9db2-6b5875bb9b73&pf_rd_r=9XPY22ZAJRWRMP9GTT0W&refRID=9XPY22ZAJRWRMP9GTT0W

Especially in east Japan including Tokyo, (from Yokohama, east Nagano, to Sendai, Morioka) you should avoid visiting there within 200km from fukushima nuclear plants. Highly contaminated drinking water and sea shore and fishes and soil and so on those will shorten your life.

:bomb: It is much more dangerous than indiscriminate bombing and terrorism.

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Hi, Jyoti
You could have the similer items under the name of portable bidet. Although the price is 10 times more expensive, i.e.
https://www.amazon.com/PERSONAL-PORTABLE-BIDET-WASHMATE-REFRESHER/dp/B0095WCH6Y/ref=pd_sim_60_1/131-8890189-8536356?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0095WCH6Y&pd_rd_r=d7e9aa57-3710-11e9-9f14-0518718f1dc0&pd_rd_w=TLG3t&pd_rd_wg=p4KJ6&pf_rd_p=90485860-83e9-4fd9-b838-b28a9b7fda30&pf_rd_r=XK078A5ZQ63SF6YB7TN4&psc=1&refRID=XK078A5ZQ63SF6YB7TN4

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Portable bidet and radioactive counters! Might be good for remote trekking.

My “must have” items are a little more common, but I’ve done mostly urban traveling. Here are the ones I’ve been using the most:

  • Earplugs so I can sleep despite construction noise, dogs barking, or whatnot. In ~15 years of using earplugs, Mack’s are the best for smaller ears, and Howeard Leight if you don’t mind more foam with the benefit of slightly better sound insulation
  • HDMI cable so I can connect my laptop to any TV in the Airbnb/hotel I’m staying
  • Google Chromecast so I can take over the TV wirelessly and play videos or music through it (YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, casting from my phone or laptop etc.)
  • Google Home Mini - a voice controlled Bluetooth speaker with Google Assistant on it (similar to Alexa in the Amazon Echo Dot). Super handy to ask anything while cooking, chatting with friends etc.
  • Portable Bluetooth speaker and battery (phone charger), e.g. JBL. Great for parties at the pool or wherever without a power outlet.
  • Logitech G700s laser wireless/wired mouse (far better than being cramped on a trackpad, and it charges its AA battery too while connected)
  • Airpods or equivalent (e.g. Samsung Buds) slim-profile earphones
  • 3.5mm AUX audio cable to connect your phone to older audio devices or rental cars
  • International travel charger with 5A USB charger. Can’t recommend a specific model - Amazon is full of copycats, I bought one and it works
  • ExOfficio underwear
  • Laser pen/pointer - not a must have, but really fun at night
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I’ve been traveling per sessions of 3 months many years, and now I can fit everything in a 30 liters backpack for a multi-month session. Here is my essentials, pretty basic:

  • earplugs and eye cover, to be able to sleep in hard condition (very often). Also, an inflatable pillow depending of your clothes

  • wireless AirPods or jack AirPods.

  • a multi-usb charger + slim country converter + car converter (when renting)

  • a small SD card box with an sd card and mini tools to extract your sim

  • another, small form factor phone (to relay wifi with another sim in it)

  • an external battery

  • 1 small notebook + pen

  • my computer + 2 dongles + my phone

  • 1 long iPhone cable + 1 short multi usb/iphone output

  • 1 trashbag

  • packing cubes

  • 3 good underwears that don’t smell easily, 3 pairs of socks in a fabric that don’t smell easily

  • baby wipes for quick cleaning when most needed

  • 1 small anti-odor spray for fabric (yes, managing how many clothes you’re going to take with you is key for lightweight)

  • 1 detergent for clothes

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Powerbank that quick charges

Good and solid travel adapter (the good and solid is the tricky part, ime. I finally found a decent one)

A second set of headphones, at least one set not Bluetooth in case the BT gets wonky.

ExOfficio undies - comfy and wash and dry like a dream!

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Sink plug! brilliant.

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  • Small bag with essentials for the toilet - so you don’t have to pack / unpack everything all the time
  • A small emergency powerbank in my purse / shoulder bag and the JBL charge as both speaker and powerbank
  • Not for the minimalistic luggage, but if evening entertainment is important for you, a small beamer, and a small tripod (but big enough that it can hold the beamer :blush: ). You can get an HD beamer at a decent price that’s not too big. There’s laser beamers which would be perfect but outside of my budget.
  • 2-3 packing zipper bags to keep your underwear and your socks together. I prefer the zipper ones, so they’re kept organized
  • A simple USB charger with double pin power input cable. Make sure it supports 100 - 240V, then all you need to do is buy a double pin power cable from whatever country you’re on. :grin: Can also be used for your mac
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I’m still in research for a good one, which one do you have?