I’ve Traveled Half the World and Discovered the 15 Things That Really Save You Money and Effort on the Journey

My name is Pavel and I love to travel. I try to take with me on every trip only what I will definitely need to save money and make life in a foreign country a little safer. I have already told you about the most important things for an experienced traveler, and today I decided to add a few small useful items to this list, which helped me to see half of the world.

Now I will tell the readers of awesome.club how it is possible to use cheap parts that are easily accessible on any trip, to solve the most recurrent problems of any tourist.

I have been traveling with two passports for a long time. I was given this tip by a Ukrainian traveler I met in Ushuaia, Argentina. He was traveling with three valid passports.

In my country, Russia, you can have two documents at the same time: one valid for 5 years and the other for 10 years. This is convenient if you visit a country where you have to surrender your passport to obtain a visa (for example, in Peru I applied for a visa for Bolivia). While my first was at the embassy, ​​I used my second to check into a hotel, rent a car, or buy a train or bus ticket.

The extra document will be useful when you need to use it as a guarantee, for example, or also to rent a car in Asia, where sometimes they want to charge you an additional fine for a scratch, blackmailing you by saying that they won’t return your passport if you don’t pay the amount. In these cases, it’s worth considering saying goodbye to your second document if you feel like you’re being extorted.

Having a second document is also very convenient for security reasons. If you lose one, you don’t have to worry about being able to go home with the second one.

After I was robbed, first in Mexico and then in Chile, I started to keep the money stuck in the elastic band of my underwear. I usually wear it around my waist, and if I need money, I take off my belt and take a note from the “purse”. Buy underwear with a thick elastic band, fold it in half and sew it to create mini pockets where you can fit a bill. In addition, it is very comfortable to lie down and sleep peacefully without fear of being stolen.

If you are going to travel to the country that is not the calmest in the world and you want to protect yourself, here is a simple device. It allows you to easily lock any door so that no one can disturb you when you are resting in your rented room or apartment.

In principle, you can fix anything with duct tape. It can be very useful when traveling: cleaning clothes, gluing torn notes or easily removing the price tag from a gift. It can also be used to create a hiding place in your hotel room, gluing valuables under the bed, for example. So that it does not take up space in your luggage, just wrap the ribbon around a pen.

Dreaming of taking pictures underwater or maybe a selfie in the middle of a waterfall, but don’t have a good waterproof camera? It is enough to buy a special transparent bag for documents with a vacuum seal (it costs no more than 2 euros). First, it is the safest way to store your documents.

Second, your smartphone will easily fit into the bag when you need to protect it from water. In case your device doesn’t have a sensitive enough screen and it’s difficult to press the camera’s launch button through the plastic, you can start filming before putting your phone in the bag and then you’ll be free to enjoy the water without worry. .

Hair elastics are just as useful as duct tape when traveling. They can be used to tie clothes together so that they take up less space in your suitcase. They can also be used to “fix” almost anything. For example, attaching the cell phone to the selfie stick in case the holder is broken. Take rubber bands to the beach or to a picnic — they’ll help secure whatever you need.

Take some needles, attach them to plain cardboard and wrap the thread between the needles (choose the color of the threads depending on the color of the clothes you are taking on the trip). First of all, this mini-kit will help sew up that torn garment. In addition, the needle can be of great help to remove any splinter or thorn that penetrates the skin (before using it, sterilize it with alcohol or with the flame of a lighter).

You can also use a needle to adjust a chain, remove grains of sand or some dirt from your appliances and jewelry. The pin can be used to quickly repair your purse or a broken zipper. And with the pendant ring you can close your suitcase or backpack in a way that makes it difficult for others to open. For example, attach two zipper slides so they don’t pull away from each other.

Instead of shower gel and big bottles of shampoo, it’s better to take a piece of bar soap: there are specific types for washing your head and body, and they are just as good as liquid products. First, you will be able to take it in your hand luggage without weight and volume restrictions.

Also, you don’t run the risk of smearing your entire bag if the pot opens and, after using it, just dry it with a towel or napkin. In addition, they are much more convenient and easier to wash and remove stains from clothes than liquid soaps. And finally, it is worth remembering the ecological awareness, as it prevents the release of plastic into the environment.

If you’re going somewhere where you won’t be able to shower for a few days, dry shampoo and toothpaste will be your best friends. With them, you don’t have to look for water to wash your hair or brush your teeth.

You can purchase a hook like this at any home improvement or hardware store. It can be used, for example, to hang your backpack on public transport rails for long journeys, so you don’t have to carry the weight yourself.

A regular flashlight is built into almost every phone these days, so why do you need an ultraviolet light? With it, it is possible to verify banknotes to avoid receiving counterfeit notes when exchanging money. It can also help in checking the cleanliness of your hotel room. For example, the light will show the dirty spots on bedding and personal care items that are invisible in ordinary light.

Also, always take it with you for an evening walk on the beach so you don’t accidentally step on any scorpions that aren’t clearly visible. It is under ultraviolet light that scorpions begin to glow and can be seen even under the sand.

This is a very simple and necessary thing that takes up little space, but can come in handy on any trip when you are going to spend a lot of time in nature. In a foreign country, it is not always easy to get medical help, and when you are bitten by a tick, you need to remove it as soon as possible with special tweezers.

Carrying salt in a box of matches can be useful not only for salting your food when you are at the beach, but also for removing stains on your clothes and preventing dehydration. We sweat a lot in the heat, and to maintain the water-salt balance in the body, you need to drink special, and often expensive, fluids with electrolytes, or just add a little salt to a regular bottle of water. This is a much more economical option.

Sometimes you need to charge the device and the hotel room, for some reason, has no outlets or they don’t work. However, there is always a lamp. This situation is frequent, for example, with tourists in Nepal. For these cases, there is a special compact adapter (sold at any hardware or construction store), which is screwed into the entrance of the chandelier, where the lamp is fitted. With it, you will have light and two additional outlets.

If you like to travel light or are just carrying a small bag for a walk around town that won’t fit a tube of cream, then be sure to pack a regular lip balm. It can be used not only when your lips are dry, but also as a moisturizing cream, for example, to prevent the appearance of blisters.

Often, the Wi-Fi signal in hotels is very weak and does not reach the room, which forces us to go down to the lobby to check social networks and email. A compact extender that plugs into an outlet in your bedroom can help boost your Wi-Fi signal.

If you had to pick just one useful thing for your trip, what would it be? Smartphone, wallet with money and credit cards do not count. We want to know your experiences!