Posts in category

Packing

The writers of this site have been on the road for much of the past two decades now. And as we’ve noted, if experience teaches anything, it’s to pack lighter. So keep that in mind. These articles and reviews are sorted by date published; you can find our advice for specific items to pack in the menus at top. But above all, don’t take anything that you think you only “might” need. Things can be acquired on the road, and you can learn to live and travel without. We recommend some really high quality gear here, the things that have held up and served us the best for years. But don’t buy anything unless you know you’ll actually use it and enjoy it. Otherwise you’re likely to just end up discarding it on the road.

Recommendations for Larger (Checked Luggage) Rolling Backpacks

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The Differences in the Top Osprey Daypacks — And How to Choose the Perfect Smaller Pack for Daily Use

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The Most Durable Rolling School Backpacks (2022 Recommendations)

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How I Set Up a Dual-Screen Standing Desk That’s Actually Portable

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Minimalist Packing List: How to Travel the Globe for Decades with Only a Carry-On

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How to Choose Among the Top Osprey Backpacks for Trekking

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The Essential Travel Trade-Off: Less Luggage = More & Greater Adventures

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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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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) …

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 …

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. …

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 …