Our Travel Gear
July 1, 2026
By Raistlin van Spronsen
Over the years I’ve had the unique opportunity to travel to a wide range of locations, using a wide range of methods of travel from air, road and bus trips. This has allowed my to have a collection of travel gear that I never leave without.
Things to consider
While no two trips are the same, there are some key factors to consider when planning (I will have another post talking about how I research, book and plan my trips out soon) and selecting the gear that I prefer.
Length of trip
The length of trip is a key factor when selecting gear. It is also important to factor in your accommodations as well (most will have laundry facilities for a lengthy trip) so a large checked suitcase will be your go to. For trips that are 3-7 days long a small carry on is more than enough and a shorter trip a simple backpack is the best bet.
Type of trip
The reason for your trip is also another factor, for example if you are an athlete or coach, you will more than likely bringing your sporting gear (or coaching equipment), for business professionals you’ll be bringing your laptop, notepads and other business items for your conferences and meetings.
Checked Luggage vs. Carry On Luggage
Both luggage types offer both a hard shell and soft shell options. As mentioned before I use checked luggage for trips longer than 7 days as it allows me to have clothing for the trip and room for small gifts (I usually pick up keychain, magnets or post cards of my travels for my closest friends)
Anything shorter than 5 days I use my carry on as it’s small, lightweight and it’s seamless to board flights, buses with the same suitcase (I always travel with a backpack as my personal item)
When I’m shopping for carry on and checked luggage, I look for luggage sets as they often come with a full size suitcase, a standard carry on size and often another smaller bag size. Check with Amazon or your local department store (Walmart, Target, Costco) will more than likely have them in stock.
My recommendation:
Backpacks
Having the right backpack can make or break a trip. While everyone is different, the right backpack should be able to hold a few days of clothing, essentials and a laptop for business needs if needed. It should also be comfortable wearing event with everything in it.
My Recommendation is:
Travel Accessories
In addition to the main travel gear, I also have a collection of travel accessories.
Selfie stick/gimble – as a content creator this is crucial to ensure my footage is stable. At this point in time I only have a selfie stick, however I do plan to get a gimbal before my next trip
Universal Travel Plug – having access to power to charge your devices is crucial when on the road. I usually carry my laptop, camera, phone and tablet and they all require power. This universal power adapter has 2 USB-A ports (my batteries for my camera use this, but normally they can last an entire trip between all 4 batteries), my phone, tablet and laptop are the ones that are charged more frequently so this is an important device
Travel Wallet: this might be one of the best investments you make, and might even make you change your regular daily routine. I highly recommend picking up a slim RFID wallet. These prevent your data being picked up by RFID scanners as it blocks the signal. If you prefer to keep your regular wallet you can pick up an RFID blocker card that you can place in your wallet/purse and it will act as the same
