After spending 2 months with just a backpack in Indonesia, I’ve had some time to reflect on the most useful travel gizmos, gadgets, and accessories that I had with me. My hope is that if you also need to travel at some point in the future, then this list will help you, particularly if you are doing minimalist travel. None of these links are sponsored, they are all my own personal opinions.

1. The Scrubba

First off is something that makes it very easy to do ultralight travelling, by giving you a washing machine anywhere. The Scrubba is an ingenious little accessory. Essentially, it’s a dry bag with a plastic washboard on the back of it. Dirty clothes go in with some sort of detergent, then you rub the clothes against the washboard which washes them. After that, empty the water, put fresh water in and do the same thing for a rinse cycle. Then take all the clothes out, squeeze them, and hang them out to dry (in my experience, usually on bits of furniture around the accommodation). Of course, you can buy travel detergent, but I found something which worked just as well: soap or shampoo, depending on what was free and available at my accommodations. A few squeezes in and it worked just as well as detergent (and even better than the dry detergent I had brought with me). When you’re not using it as a washing machine, it can also function like any ordinary dry bag too, so it’s handy for carrying other things around. I used it to carry wet swimmers if I was out and about on a day trip somewhere. When I bought mine, it came with a slim wallet as well which has served me well as a travel wallet also. Highly recommended!

2. Osprey Ultralight Dry Stuff Daypack (20L)

Of course, when you travel with just a backpack, you limit yourself in terms of ability to go out on daytrips. My backpack was the Kathmandy Litehaul 38L, which is pretty big to use as a day pack. Plus, I would have to empty everything out of it, and then I might not have somewhere secure to lock my things. That’s where this accessory comes in. The Ultralight Dry Stuff Daypack from Osprey folds into itself, self-storing into a package the size of my palm. It unfolds to be a decently sized bag, although you won’t find much support here. I did have to be creative with packing things to avoid things poking my back and potentially causing blisters from rubbing. The dry name in the title refers to the fact that the zippers have extra protection against water, and the top of the bag is done up, rather strangely, like a dry bag. This is perfect for tropical climates like Indonesia where the weather can change on a dime. When folded down, it fits into a pocket, which means I didn’t have to count it towards my 7kg of travel weight, instead keeping it in my back pocket (and then putting it in the bag after being weighed). Reasons to get this over other similar bags: the fact that it keeps things dry; that it doesn’t have a separate bag to put things in; and I trust Osprey as a company.

3. Braun Mobile Shave M30

When travelling light, you have to think through every kilogram of weight you take with you. Originally when looking up this travelling method, I saw some people travel with these shaves which have a USB-C attachment that plugs into your phone – so your phone becomes the handle. While this is a cool concept, and maybe something I’ll do when I upgrade my iPhone in 2028 (when I am next due for one) as it should have USB-C by then, I couldn’t find any that connect via a lightning port. I wasn’t keen on taking my normal shaver, as it has a proprietary charging cable that is more weight itself, plus a carry case if we want to go there.
Enter the Braun Mobile Shave M30. This shaver is specifically designed for the traveller. It is lightweight, with a clever twisting mechanism to lock the shaver, and it includes the brush as part of the body. Also, it is powered by 2 double A batteries, which are available anywhere, and it lasts a long time anyway. Mine is still going strong after shaving every second day for 2 months. I do wish it charged via USB-C instead, but we can’t have everything. Obviously, it’s not a great shaver. I don’t grow hair quickly, so every two days was fine for me, but if you’re a fast grower you might need to do every day. I also found myself having to pluck certain hairs which became too long for it to get properly. Overall, these were pretty minor things. It’s cheap too.

4. Wise Travel Money Card

The Wise Card is a travel money card with support for many currencies. While bank travel money cards exist, they often don’t support many currencies (my bank, for instance, doesn’t support the Indonesian Rupiah). You can use a credit card or debit card, but I don’t have a credit card, and debit cards can have extra fees. Not to mention ATM fees. The Wise Card supports a whole bunch of currencies and has the best money conversion rates I found, even compared to official changers. This is after their fees start coming in, which is after 2 free ATM withdrawals each month and after a certain threshold of money exchanged. Before you reach those thresholds, you get a great deal. You can load it up with multiple currencies too – so I had AUD, IDR, and MYR all on there at one point. It will also automatically convert for you if you have money in an account different to the one you are paying into (e.g. if I had 5 AUD in my account and tried to pay for something that was 6 AUD, it would take the remaining 1 AUD by converting my IDR balance, for example). I used it all over Indonesia with no issues anywhere.

5. Loop Earplugs

These have become a bit of a fad in my circles, and for good reason. Loop earplugs are, essentially, just really nicely designed earplugs. They are stylish, and they also sit nicely in the ear, and their default models actually don’t stick out much at all. They offer three different modes: Experience (mainly targeting live music), Engage (to tune out background noise), and Quiet (for meditation and sleep). You can buy these separately, or there’s also a Switch model which lets you switch between these different ones by adjusting a, well, switch on the earplug itself. I have one set of Switch and one set of Quiet, both of which I have found to be invaluable (they were Christmas gifts, but they are just excellent). The Switch actually works. When I first heard about it, I thought for sure the Switch would be just a gimmick to get you to pay extra for something which didn’t work. I tested all 3 modes at the Taylor Swift concert in February, and let me tell you, you can clearly hear the difference in the modes. I use Switch when out and about, in music rehearsals, on planes, and if I need to tune out noise to concentrate. My quiet pair I use exclusively for sleeping, they’re super comfy and only rarely do I get some level of pain (usually from sleeping on my side and it resting weirdly on my ear). They come with small carrying cases, which makes them easy to chuck into a pocket. I’ve been very careful and more aware of hearing damage these past few years and I feel much safer now carrying Loops with me as I know that I’m always insured should I end up somewhere where I need ear protection.

What other travel accessories do you recommend? Let me know in the comments below.