An Ode To Our Packing List
You’ve set your sights on the sky and decided to fly away to a life full of adventure. There are some things, though, that shouldn’t be left behind. Here are a few tips to help as you embark on this journey.
- VPN
A VPN is MUST HAVE. A lot of programs/databases/etc. only allow you to access them within the US (or your home country). If you’re planning to travel to a different country, you can’t risk being locked out of the sites that get you a paycheck. We’re all for traveling on a budget – but having no money at all could complicate things. We use Express VPN, and they’ve been awesome – allowing us to stream our favorite shows and even watch our Bama boys play football.
- Cellular Plan
We use Google Fi – and ABSOLUTELY love it. It allows you to use its service in most countries without any added data fees and the fee for international calling is minimal. The only drawback is that they limit how long it can be used outside of the US – which is 3 months, and then they pause your data until you come back to the US. You can still use it for voice calling and messaging, with the minimal fees. Once our Google Fi plan hits its 3 month limit – we switch to Grasshopper. Grasshopper allows us to use WIFI to make international calls without fees; however, the service does cost a flat rate of around $36 per month. Grasshopper is a VOIP, so it routes calls to our phones.
We see people recommending local SIM cards as a way to save money – while this is extremely useful in some situations (like trying to order food delivery – the KFC fix is real), it’s not helpful when clients need to access you using your US number. As digital nomads, it’s not great to change your phone number whenever you hop over to another country – so we use these services for much-needed continuity. Whenever we touch US soil again, we switch right back to our Google Fi plan to handle our in-country communication.
- WIFI
We’re sure you’ve noticed the trend by now – ways to stay connected, so you can keep making that money that lets you live like this. WIFI is a big one. When we first started traveling, we stayed at a few places without solid WIFI, and it was a mess – think back to the noisy, dial up, sloth slow internet. We’re traveling so that we can experience the world – not so we can be stuck inside waiting for a post to upload or hear 1 out of every 10 words our clients say. Now, before we book a place (typically through airbnb) we reach out to the host and ask them to run an internet speed test and send it to us. This has helped alleviate stress and anxiety about visiting off-the-path places.
- The Tangibles
We’re fans of packing light (or at least we try our hardest to be) – but there are still a few things that I make sure to carry with us.
Power strip – this one is a game changer. You’ll only need one universal plug adapter and with the power strip you can charge multiple things at one time. If you’re traveling with someone else – this will definitely help if you have a plug hog on your hands *cough cough Mariya*.
Dry bag – in tropical climates, rain can be a sneaky surprise. We’ve been caught off guard a few times on a motorbike with our laptops, and it’s hectic. It’s also useful for boat outings, beach days, and any tours you go on.
Deodorant – We have yet to find deodorant outside of the US that does the trick for us. It’s also difficult in a lot of places to buy stick deodorant, which is our preference.
Menstrual cup – period products aren’t easily accessible in a lot of countries and can be pretty expensive. ALSO – it’s difficult to find public toilets – a menstrual cup typically eliminates those needs (and cuts down on waste).
Face sunscreen – We’re picky about what products we put on our faces, so this is a necessity for us to stay safe and healthy. We use Elta MD, and it’s fantastic. We also use Sun Bum’s face sunscreen when we’re going to be in the water, because it’s reef safe.
Quick-dry towel – lightweight and easy to carry. What’s a good beach day without a towel to lounge on? And – ours are green with palm trees, so they’re easy on the eyes.
BONUS: Amazon Fire Stick – We downloaded the Express VPN app onto our fire stick and can stream all of our favorite shows and games on the TV, instead of having to watch on the computer.
- Honorable Mentions
Here are a few things that we bring with us but could do without / buy local if we had to: favorite seasonings (we also buy local seasonings and carry them with us), hair products, portable blender (morning smoothies with local fruit are clutch), body sunscreen, deet bug spray, and OTC medications.
Being a digital nomad is a rewarding adventure – what you choose to pack can make it smoother or cause some difficulties. So – pack right & pack tight. Let us know if you think we left anything off the list!
WanderGays 