Top Travel Essentials

My not-so-recent now trip to Taiwan really made me aware of the essential things you need when travelling, especially overseas. You're always bound to forget something wherever you go, it's unstoppable. But whatever you do, don't forget the following items! Well, I won't anyway...

Water bottle

It's a given... when you're out exploring the last thing you want is to become dehydrated. So keep safe and always keep a water bottle on hand. It will also mean that you're sure about where your water is coming from in the less trustworthy places you come across in your travels. And the best thing is that if you're flying and pack luggage that will go under in the aircraft, you can take liquids (like water). It was the best when I was in Taiwan to be able to get out a waterbottle and drink yummy rain water from home.

Document wallet

The worst feeling is to get somewhere (like the airport) and not be able to find something important (like your passport). I can't say it's actually happened to me, but I am ALWAYS losing things so it's better to be safe than sorry. When I was in Taiwan, I look a little handmade document wallet that stored everything from travel cards to passports and boarding passes. When I got somewhere, I just whipped it out and knew everything was safe in there. I'm so glad I took it!

Over the shoulder bag

When I went to Taiwan, I bought a new backpack just for the trip. I knew that it would be great to hold all that stuff to cart around everywhere (especially since I was taking some pretty bulky things like my Polaroid camera). And it would be much more convenient than a handbag (I will admit I've been shopping, stopped to look at something and then left my handbag behind). Anyway, I thought a backpack would be great. It was but it wasn't.
Sure, it was great for all the things mentioned above, but when we went to the night markets, my lovely hosts warned me of something I, coming from a lovely isolated country town in WA, would never have considered... the possibility of people taking things from by backpack. I would never have imagined something like that but after I was really paranoid. Nothing did get stolen but I did get a bit freaked! On my next trip to busy places, I'd love to take a bag that I can keep an eye on at all times.

What are your travel essentials?