Comments on: 10 Must Have Items for the Independent Traveler

By: marta

marta — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:10:10 +0000

i think you could travel without a travel guide, depending if you got the time to discover a country at your own pleasure.
we spent 6 weeks in new zealand without buying one or having made some prior plan; we just visit the tourist office, talk to locals and fellow travelers and got the best insights.
the travel towels for us are great: quick to dry, light and don’t take much of our space as instead a conventional towel

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:18:10 +0000

I ditched guidebooks years ago, too heavy, and with an iPod touch or iPhone I haven’t found I needed them.

By: Jeffery Patch

Jeffery Patch — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:23:46 +0000

A bandanna is a great idea. Here’s another idea for them: spray deet (mosquito repellent) on them and tie them to your belt, backpack, etc. Saves you from getting strong chemicals all over your clothes and skin.

By: Scribetrotter

Scribetrotter — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:11:10 +0000

A bandanna, always a bandanna… If you’re too hot, wet it and wear it around your neck or wrist; use on hair; as a sling or bandage; mask in a dust storm; in a fire – on your face; filter water (not the best but worked for me in the Amazon); to tie back your hair; as a washcloth… and there are zillions more.

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:00:12 +0000

Agree on the comments that suggest a first aid kit (very important I think, because you never know) and the plastic bags, they always come in handy. My suggestion would be a flashlight. But other than that you’ve made a great list!

By: All You Need to Know About Hostels | Have Pack, Will Travel

All You Need to Know About Hostels | Have Pack, Will Travel — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:08:26 +0000

[...] thing you should bring is a towel. I recommend a thin, quick drying towel made for traveling or camping. These take up very little space in your backpack and dry fast so [...]

By: Mark H

Mark H — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:24:45 +0000

Good solid list pretty consistent with what I’d recommend. Depending on where you are going, I’d add the following:

1. small first aid kit, needle, thread, couple of safety pins and medications (these can be made seriously small and still cover a range of minor mishaps);

2. Swiss Army Knife (I can’t live without one of these – too many useful tools on them – yet they can be more of a pain now as it means you have to check your luggage)

3. A couple of plastic bags (as suggested by prior commenter) to separate wet or dirty clothes or to wrap precious items in.

4. I don’t bother with the water bottle unless hiking. Water is easy enough to buy in places where you need to or is pretty easy to get access to in places where you can drink from the tap (Nth America, Australia, Europe).

By: To Travel Blog, or Not To Travel Blog | Have Pack, Will Travel

To Travel Blog, or Not To Travel Blog | Have Pack, Will Travel — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:58:57 +0000

[...] The Expeditioner as an example. I found Matt Stabile’s wonderful site after he linked to my 10 Must Have Items for the Independent Traveler list. These types of travel blogs attempt to provide plenty of useful information for their [...]

By: 18 Easy Ways to Save Money Traveling | Have Pack, Will Travel

18 Easy Ways to Save Money Traveling | Have Pack, Will Travel — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:53:30 +0000

[...] don’t always recommend following every word the guidebook says, but they will often warn of possible tourist traps and will recommend cheaper places to eat, [...]

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:52:26 +0000

Good list — mostly things we’ve carried around over the last three years of our travels. I don’t take a waterbottle though – I just use cups and, when I need to carry water, a platypus water bag. It packs lighter and smaller than a bottle which is a big win.

I’m also on a small backpack – 45 liters for my main one and a smaller daypack with fits in two fists when it’s empty. Both of them are Berghaus.