Must-Have Items for Digital Nomads
Before we headed off into the big wide world as digital nomads we were curious as to what we needed for our travels. Having been travelling before, we both knew that we could be a tendency to over-pack or bring things we didn’t actually need on the road. Some things you think are going to be really useful turn out to be useless weight while others are incredible and you can’t believe you almost left them behind.
Must-Have Items for Digital Nomads
Here are a few of our most loved items as digital nomads.
Osprey Backpacks
I’ve done a full rundown on our large packs, but the topline is that they are big enough for full-time travel. Having wheels and a harness means you can transition from flying to cobblestone streets with no problem, and the quality is good enough to cope with full-time use. I'm so happy we splurged on these bad boys.
Get your Osprey Farpoint 65 Wheeled (Men’s) or Osprey Fairview 65 Wheeled (Women’s) here.
Insulated Travel Cups
One thing about travelling around Southeast Asia is the plastic. It’s everywhere: bottled water, coffees to go, food at the markets, and shopping anywhere. Our insulated cups have been our go-to for our takeaway coffees and also double as the perfect way to keep your gin and tonics cold when you’re lying by the pool.
Get your insulated travel cup here.
Water Filter
Again, a winner on the plastic front. This is probably our most used item. It allows us to turn undrinkable tap water into fresh drinking water. Sometimes we plan ahead and make enough that we can chill it if we have a fridge in our room, other times we make it on the go. Either way, avoiding all those plastic bottles is a huge win.
Get your water filter here.
Water Bottle
Out hiking, exploring a city, on a boat trip, or working from a cafe. Carrying a water bottle with you means using fewer single-use plastic bottles (and saving money). Fill yours up using the abovementioned filter, and you’ve just cut out ¼ of a litre of oil for every litre water bottle.
Get your water bottle here.
Drink Coolers
No one likes a warm beer. Some places will serve your beer with a glass of ice, while others will have coolers (or koozies). But if you’re drinking at home or want to be able to make sure your drinks out don’t get warm, you can’t go past your own drink cooler. Just remember not to leave them behind! They’re also fun to remember places you’ve been to or support organisations you love! Ours are from La Vagabonde, a couple that sails the world making YouTube videos. Check them out for some ocean travel inspo.
Get your Sailing La Vagabonde Coolers here.
Allbirds
As a woman, cutting down the number of shoes I had when we hit the road was hard. I needed something I could a) wear around town and b) wear to the gym. Finding something that would do both and still look good was challenging. I love my Allbirds as they’re perfect for a treadmill jog, a weights session, a long walk to get coffee and a day travelling. We both bought Tree Runners.
Get your Allbirds here.
Shopping Bags
Stashing this permanently in your day bag is a must. Even when we think we won’t buy anything, we stop to get fruit, snacks, souvenirs, or something else. And everywhere, people really want to give you a plastic bag, even if it’s just for a few items. A bag ready to whip out is the best way to explain that you don’t need one.
Get your reusable shopping bags here.
Ziploc Bags
We travel fairly slowly, often staying in a place for a month or two. This usually involves some cooking, which results in leftovers. None of the places we’ve stayed have provided containers for leftovers, which a zip-loc bag is perfect for. Also, sealing liquids before they go on the plane and leak sunscreen all over your clothes is always a good idea.
Get your Ziploc bags here.
Battery Pack/Power Bank
Full days of sightseeing combined with insufficient chargers at home means we often have a dead battery on something. Battery packs are the perfect solution. Just make sure you read your airline's rules regarding packing! Most will want them in your carry-on and may confiscate them from your checked luggage.
Get your power bank here.
AirPods
Sure, overhead headphones look cute on your hot girl walk, but they’re just another large item taking up space and weight allowance. Our AirPods are small, tuck away inside our day bag, and can be used as earplugs in noisy spaces.
Get your AirPods here.
AirTags
We recently flew from Auckland to Kuala Lumpur via Sydney. As we sat at the empty luggage carousel in KL, it became clear that no one knew where my bag was. Auckland? Sydney? Hawai’i? No-one knew.
We bought AirTags for our luggage the next day and haven’t lost luggage since. (My luggage turned up a few days later, so thankfully I didn’t have to replace everything on this list).
Get your AirTags here.
Travel Adapter
If you’re travelling outside of your own country, you’ll most likely need one of these. Our best pick? One that will go with you everywhere. Nothing is worse than arriving at your accommodation after a long travel day to realise that you can’t charge anything.
Get your travel adapter here.
Digital Luggage Scales
We travel with checked luggage, and some airlines have a sliding scale of prices: one for 15kgs, one for 20kgs, etc. We’re able to save money by knowing exactly what our bag weights are currently. Having a small scale that doesn’t take up much room is important here, as you’re not going to weigh your luggage just once.
Get your luggage scales here.
Greens Powder
Eating local food is one of the joys of travelling. Unfortunately, it sometimes means a lot of fried food without many vegetables. Or we are somewhere where there aren’t a lot of choices. A powder that contains a long list of essential nutrients is a great way to boost energy, get your daily dose of goodness and increase your fibre intake.
Get your greens powder here.
Yoga Mat
This is a personal choice, but I’m glad I made it. I left without a yoga mat and wanted to practice at home. Yes, I can practice without a mat, but there is something about rolling out my mat that helps focus my mind on my practice. Kieron also uses this for his home workouts as it gives him grip and a bit of padding on wooden floors.
Get your yoga mat here.
Resistance Bands
Alongside the yoga mat, resistance bands are the perfect piece of workout equipment to carry with you. They’ll give you that little bit (or a lot) of added resistance without needing weights or a fancy gym.
Get your resistance bands here.
Cables Organiser
Phone, tablet, AirPods, power bank, GoPro, drone, laptop, additional screen, Kindle, mouse… And that’s just Kieron’s devices that have cables. To keep this in some form of organisation, you need good storage. As a leaving gift, he got a Bellroy Tech Kit. It keeps everything organised, and he can now find cables when needed. Plus, it fits perfectly in his Bellroy carry-on.
Get your Tech Kit here.
Things On Our Wish List
Espresso Machine
We don’t function without coffee. Some places have great, local coffee that won’t break the bank, but in other places, we’ve ended up with awful instant coffee. This small machine is highly recommended by other travellers as the perfect companion without the need for pods and extra plastic waste to make sure you’ve always got fresh espresso on hand.
Packing Cubes
When we left, these seemed like unnecessary extra luggage. But after watching a lot of packing videos, I’m starting to think they might be a good idea—and almost essential if you want to travel carry-on only.
Get your packing cubes here.
What do you think, did we miss something from this list? Let us know in the comments below what your must have items are.
