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There are some essentials you cannot travel without like a passport or visa. And there are other essentials that can be very inconvenient if you forget them like chargers and adapter plugs. These are essentials that people forget. But what about essentials that people deliberately choose to opt out on? There are some essentials that you may not necessarily need but are still extremely useful to have if the worst does happen. These are the things that travelers skip out on when they really shouldn’t. Below are a few examples.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance can financially compensate you for certain disasters that may occur when traveling. This includes medical costs if you need to go to a hospital, financial compensation if you lose your baggage and coverage for costs caused by a flight cancellation or delay. You can shop around for travel insurance at sites like Generali. For most people, travel insurance rates are very low – the exception may be if you’ve got underlying health problems or are traveling somewhere quite dangerous. 

Medication

There are many types of medication that could be useful to bring when traveling. This includes prescription medication (such as inhalers for allergies or contraceptive pills) as well as emergency over-the-counter medication (such as painkillers or anti-diarrheal medication). It could also be worth packing medical supplies like plasters, bandages and antiseptic ointments. This can all be kept in a travel first aid kit. With any luck, you won’t get ill or injured. However, just in case, it’s worth having access to medical supplies – especially if you’re traveling somewhere remote. This post at Cleveland Clinic lists some of the items to consider packing in your travel first aid kit. 

Padlocks and VPNs

Security essentials like padlocks and VPNs can often be ignored. Not having these essentials can put you at risk of having your belongings or sensitive data stolen. Padlocks are very cheap to buy and can be useful if you need to leave your suitcase in the responsibility of someone else (such as in the haul of an airplane or in baggage drop-off point at a hostel). VPNs can meanwhile secure your network if you need to log onto public wi-fi – this can reduce the risk of getting your data hacked. This post offers a useful guide to travel VPNs.

Physical copies of documents

Many documents like hotel booking receipts, travel insurance documents, visas and flight tickets are now all issues via email or an app. While you’ll be able to access these in most areas of the world, there is always a risk that you end up somewhere without an internet connection or your phone dies/is damaged. Having physical copies of your documents is useful as backup in these situations.  

Sunscreen

Finally, if you’re traveling somewhere hot and sunny, make sure that you pack some sunscreen. Sunburn isn’t fun and is totally avoidable. You can buy sunscreen in various factors. Factor 50 is the best option, but any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen.