Irreplaceables
Visualize having 6 suitcases. In each suitcase, you can put one item, i.e. computer, phone, clothes, passport, credit cards, dog, kindle, coffee grinder, grandma, year supply of peanut butter, you get the point. Only six! Got 'em? Great. Now cross out two of the six. Which did you choose?
I've been obsessed with something I nicknamed as irreplaceables since my first solo trip. They're the things that, yep, you guessed it, are irreplaceable or a major pain in the neck to replace. Here are mine:
1. Passport
Knock on wood, but I've never had an issue with my passport. When I was in London, I met a girl who had an airport transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick before flying on to Italy. She was in the bathroom before grabbing her luggage at baggage claim, had her passport out on the counter and left. When she realized and went back, it was gone. Obviously, with no passport, she missed her connecting flight to Italy and had to stay in London a couple of days to sort out her passport with the Embassy. Your passport is essentially the only thing you need to travel, so naturally this falls in the number one spot on my list.
Also knows as the absolute best travel credit card there is if only because of the Priority Lounge Pass that comes as one of it's many perks. Unlimited wifi, all you can eat and drink, and away from the chaos of the main terminal? Yes, please! Not to mention the 3x points on travel and dining, no foreign transaction fees, and $300 annual travel credit. Also, it's one of those heavy metal cards which makes me feel like I've officially reached adult status in society.
3. Phone
I've decided to not bring my DSLR camera due to the weight and size of it and the fact that I have an iPhone 7+ which takes surprisingly fantastic photos for my needs. It's something that is multifunctional: phone, camera, computer, music, flashlight, white noise machine, personal trainer, entertainment, the list goes on. Honestly, this one doesn't need much explanation.
4. Laptop
The newest addition to my irreplaceable list mostly because of work. Instead of vacationing around the world for a year (I wish!) I'm working my way around the world which means I need something to be working from. Being in the insurance industry means we have access to a bunch of personal information. Thankfully, none of which is stored on my laptop. Regardless, losing, or damaging this would not be ideal if only for the hefty price tag.
With this being said, nothing is truly irreplaceable. Passports are stolen all the time, as well as credit cards, phones and laptops. They're a hassle to replace and/or very expensive. On the other hand, the photos taken on said phone or stored on said laptop are irreplaceable. Pro tip: I use iCloud storage to back everything up so even if it's lost or stolen, those priceless photos I took are still on the cloud.
As I'm mentally preparing to pack my bag (singular) for a year, I'm trying to keep the following in mind: all one needs is a passport and credit card, everything else can be purchased if lost or forgotten.
Don't get me wrong, having a years supply of peanut butter or your coffee grinder are nice, and possibly necessary for your survival, but guess what? You can make your own peanut butter if need be, or buy a coffee grinder if you find that you can't live without it. But I can promise you, you won't be crossing international borders, much less get through an airport, without your passport.
What are your irreplaceables?