Top 5 Essentials to Pack While Traveling

Traveling is a great opportunity to see other cultures, try new foods, and take a break from your normal routine. Whether you're traveling for a week to relax in Costa Rica or a few months to Hamburg, Germany, packing is always a stressful endeavor. There's always a worry that you'll forget something important or overpack. To help make the process a bit easier, here are five essential items you must pack while traveling.

1. Toothbrush

When you're traveling for an extended period of time, there are some daily luxuries that have to be forfeited. Some aspects of personal hygiene become much more difficult to maintain while on the road. Whether you're staying overnight in an airport, sleeping in a hostel, or taking a long flight, it's going to be much harder to stay clean and smelling fresh. While you can justify a day or two without a shower, your breath isn't something that can be hidden. Packing an electric toothbrush is a great way to ensure your dental hygiene doesn't slip during your travels. These devices are compact, lightweight, and provide a thorough clean within a few minutes.

2. Daypack

When considering the most important items to pack, an extra bag may sound redundant and unnecessary. There's not an obvious reason for taking a smaller pack on a trip. No matter where you travel, you'll want to carry some items with you during the day. From phones and wallets to sunglasses and souvenirs, there are many objects that travelers carry on a daily basis. Instead of having to fill your pockets to the brim, or carry that gigantic suitcase, it's much easier to have a convenient daypack to carry all of these belongings. These daypacks also help to keep these items safe.

3. Comfortable Shoes

Every type of travel requires a significant amount of walking. Whether you're a foodie eager to try all of the different restaurants in a city or a photographer hoping to snap some photos of the surrounding nature, walking is going to be an integral part of most trips. Packing comfortable shoes is crucial if you want to avoid blisters, pinched toes, and sore feet overall. Unless you're going on long hikes, a standard running or sports shoe should suffice. Make sure there is enough padding to support your feet. You can always buy soles for extra protection if needed.

4. Sun Protection

Most travelers spend a good majority of the day walking around outside. If you're in a city, you're most likely exploring around the old town. When traveling to a natural park, you're probably going on long hikes. Even relaxing days are usually spent on the beach or relaxing on a park bench. Every vacation involves a lot of time in the sun. It's important to pack methods of sun protection to keep your skin from becoming damaged. While sunscreen is an obvious choice, there are some other items that can be useful as well. Hats with large brims, sunglasses, visors, and umbrellas are all protective against the sun.

5. MP3 Player

There will be many times on vacation where you have nothing to do. Whether you're waiting for a late train or dealing with a flight cancellation, vacations aren't always full of exciting events and memorable excursions. It's much easier to deal with these moments of waiting with some form of entertainment. MP3 players are the perfect option. Not only do these devices hold hours upon hours of entertainment, but they are also compact and lightweight. Unlike tablets or gaming systems, MP3 devices have a long battery life. These characteristics make these pieces of technology the perfect option for travelers.

Vacations are the perfect opportunities to escape the monotony and hecticness of everyday life. There's nothing more exciting than checking flights after finding some time off of work. After you've found a great destination and confirmed all of your bookings, it's time to start packing. While many people are tempted to only pack the bare minimum, there are some important items that shouldn't be forgotten. Make sure you've got these five essential items packed before heading out on your next vacation.