The first series I ever wrote was about you should pack this (formerly Useful Travel Items): all those bits and pieces that make getting around or getting outside easier or more comfortable. This is equipment, this is packing, this is electronics, this is the closest I come to “travel hacks” (get a pouch for all your documents, get a native European multi-USB hub and get a dry bag).
These are all things I’ve bought myself (or been given for my birthday or Christmas, I guess) which I’ve used and decided are good enough to be worth adding to the list of “things other people may find useful” so if it’s here, it’s because I’ve genuinely liked it and think you could benefit from it.
Over the last year or two, I’ve become a bit of a convert to solid haircare bars. Unless I’m taking my tent to Iceland, I usually go hand luggage only, which means I’m limited to 100ml bottles of liquid shampoo and conditioner and frankly, 100ml of conditioner barely touches my hair. On the other hand,… More What is the best solid conditioner bar?
What do you wear when you go to Georgia in winter? What’s the weather like and what do you need to take? Well, I think I got it kind of completely wrong but that’s ok because now you’ll know. I started with finding out the weather in February. January too – I titled this Georgia… More What I wore in Georgia in February
The oldest series on this blog is Useful Travel Items but I’ve decided it needs a bit of an overhaul so among other things, it’s now called you should pack this and the first thing to pack in the new format is my charging kit. Packing electronics has always been a thorny issue. Have you… More My charging kit | you should pack this
I bought a new jacket to wear in Iceland. It’s a lightweight stuffable warm down-filled jacket and I’ve never owned anything quite like it. I did have something puffy in purple which I wore in Finland in 2014 but 1) I’m pretty sure it wasn’t actually down 2) it didn’t stuff down into a tiny… More £27 Uniqlo down jacket vs Icelandic winter
So, you’ve just got a GoPro and you plan to make some amazing videos of your travels, or take inspirational photos of your adventures. But what mount should you get? There’s a dazzling choice of mounts and that’s just among the official GoPro products. Dive into the world of the unofficial and there’s a whole galaxy… More Which GoPro mount should I get for travel?
For years, I’ve idly dreamed of having a tablet with a reasonable-sized screen that I can use as a blogger on the road. Something I can actually write on, as someone who doesn’t get on terribly well with virtual keyboards. Something smaller and lighter than a laptop, something more spontaneous than a laptop. I’ve had… More Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite review: is it a good travel laptop replacement?
This is a two-in-one: it’s a Useful Travel Items but it’s also a Things I Made For Travel. It’s the mini passport bag, aka the bee bag, aka “I made a bag!”. My mum had a bag. Little sage-green thing with flowers on, very small. In theory it’s two open-topped pouches sewn back to back… More Useful Travel Items: the mini passport bag
Two surprising things: a new installment in the Useful Travel Items series and… raving about Crocs. Yeah, I’m a convert. I never thought I’d be telling the internet how much I enjoy my ugly plastic clogs but here we are. On one main condition, anyway. They’re not my favourite shoes ever but Crocs are the… More Useful Travel Items: Crocs, the best glamping shoe
One thing I seem to have done in 2020 is switch over from liquid shampoo and conditioner to the solid variety. I have quite a lot of hair and it needs quite a lot of conditioner. There’s a reason you normally see it in plaits and that’s because it very easily gets in a state.… More Useful Travel Items: solid shampoo & conditioner
At the beginning of summer, Girlguiding launched a new casual backpack, noting it’s “a great choice for casual use, the gym as well as camps and outdoor activities”. I’m a fan. I own the fold-up Giving Girls Adventure bag and that’s great but a bit on the small and flimsy side. A proper backpack –… More Gear review: Girlguiding’s casual backpack