Packing
Rolling Backpacks: What’s the Lightest and Most Comfortable for One-Bag Travel?
Rolling up to the train station with my favorite rolling backpack and a daypack Going up some stairs underground in Paris transport with the same rolling backpack now on my back It rolls! But it’s a backpackers’ pack! And it’s also small enough to be a carry-on! This, for my minimalist travel, is the sweet …
The Differences in the Top Osprey Daypacks — And How to Choose the Perfect Smaller Pack for Daily Use
I’m obsessed with lightweight travel and have been using Osprey packs and daypacks for years. I also think they’re very much worth recommending for school, hiking, cycling, outdoor sports, shopping, carrying laptops and gear for work, and more. An older favorite I’ve used for years: The Osprey Daylite Travel daypack. It’s got a full set …
The Coolest Flask/Wine Skin/Road-Drinking Companion/Picnic Wine Vessel: The Bota!
Sure, you could take a bottle of wine on a picnic in Italy, on a flask of vodka on the overnight train from Saint Petersburg to Moscow. But the best road drinking gear comes from Spain: the bota. These drink sacks are made from leather with an inside lining of goat bladder, pitch or — nowadays …
The Best Universal Power Plug Adapter for Travel with Fast-Charging USB-C
In our years of travel we’ve tried out loads of too-flimsy or too-bulky power adapters, and have always been hungry to find the one plug that could do it all without weighing us down. It’s the key travel gadget that makes all other travel gadgets possible. Sure, you can stop at any electronics store or …
Recommendations for Larger (Checked Luggage) Rolling Backpacks
What is the best full-sized luggage with both wheels and backpack straps? We’ve analyzed all available options as well as the reviews put out by consumer testing organizations, travel bloggers, and professional critics. This is more than just an obsessive research exercise; after 20-plus combined years of living around the world out of suitcases and …
Can I Take Fido? Top Tips for Riding European Trains With Dogs
For over two years I’ve been crisscrossing Europe by train with a dog. I am a digital nomad and the dog in question is actually my daughter’s, but is with me while my daughter finishes her degree. So where I go, the dog goes. Traveling around Europe may seem like a carefree life, but it …
How I Set Up a Dual-Screen Standing Desk That’s Actually Portable
After a bit of failure, here’s the portable standing desk setup that I’ve finally arrived on, designed to go anywhere and still work while standing up with good posture: the monitor at eye height and the keyboard just below elbow height. My requirements for a portable standing desk were: Two monitors (for vastly improved productivity) …
On the Snobbish, Obtuse Evil of Travelling with Portable Coffee Gear
Let’s talk about what you’re missing when you travel with your , you self-righteous, jittery vagabond. “Enjoying” a cup of local coffee in Belgrade, because I’m a trooper and didn’t bring my own gear. Or the other famous road espresso gear: your , , , and so on. The solutions for pulling a reasonably good …
The Best EU- and TSA-Compliant Travel Corkscrew for Opening Wine While Travelling
At this point we’ve spent decades on the road — as well as decades uncorking wine. It was finally time to take a good hard look at our road uncorking options. All too often we have wound up in some cheap tourist apartment, hostel, or campsite sans that most basic of basic necessities: the corkscrew. …
Stuff we’re currently testing—the good, the bad, and the we dunno yet
Not everything that we test we find interesting enough or useful enough to include in our main packing lists, or review. This article details some of the things we love (but that don’t merit inclusion on a minimalist’s packing list), we hate (and didn’t even want to bother reviewing), or that we’re just not sure …