Being a travel blogger, much like any profession, can have its ups and downs.
On the one hand, you get to explore new places and have experiences that most other people in the world will never get to have. On the other hand, it’s work and oftentimes isn’t glamorous.
Living out of your suitcase, going from hostel to hostel, doing your laundry in errant sinks along the way – these are just some of the tribulations you’ll face when constantly on the road.
Then there’s the process of being a travel writer, the one which requires set-up and maintenance with regards to building your travel site, as well as lugging around all the gear you need to successfully document your experiences.
Luckily, with the right equipment, this burden is drastically reduced.
Essential Accessories Every Travel Blogger Needs
A Lightweight Laptop
When it comes to traveling, less is more. And the same concept applies to your laptop.
When you’re changing accommodation every few days, and hauling gear on every manner of transport possible – from buses, planes, trains, trams and maybe even horseback – it’s prudent to have a machine that is a perfect balance of lightweight and powerful.
This used to mean you’d have to fork out a mortgage-sized chunk of cash on a MacBook Air just to get a machine with decent specs. But since traveling is about being thrifty as much as it’s about being frugal, we’d advise against this option.
Thankfully, there are now a ton of other competitors to choose from. Our choice? The Asus-UX390. It has greater functionality than a MacBook Air, weighs less, and is way cheaper.
A Powerful Camera
When it comes to documenting and sharing your travels, a powerful (and lightweight) camera is a must-have in your arsenal.
After all, in the age of Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, we’ve hardly ever been a more image-focused and image-conscious society. And, on the most basic of levels, your readers are much more likely to understand the stories you tell when you have photos to accompany your writings.
It’s therefore important to have a camera that is quick to deploy, can take razor-sharp video, and also snaps crisp photos. For years, a DSLR camera was everyone’s go-to. But today most travelers go the mirrorless route.
Re cameras for the adventure traveler, while many people enjoy the GoPro series for capturing action footage, in the interest of saving money we recommend the Fluid + Form’s Eagle 4K. It has a similar functionality to the GoPro, but without the hefty price tag to accompany it.
Our Camera Gear Recommendations
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A High-Capacity Power Bank
The nature of travel, as well as our dependence on electronic gadgets, means that sooner or later you’re going to need to recharge.
When you’re always on the road, the chances of being next to a convenient power socket for a lengthy period of time are tragically small. A power bank is definitely a pretty essential piece of kit not only for the travel blogger, but for the traveler in general.
You never know when you’re going to need a little bit of extra juice to recharge your laptop, Kindle or mobile phone. Anker is a brand which makes affordable and reliable power banks which, depending on the size and model that you buy, can charge your phone upwards of seven times before it needs to be refilled.
PRODUCTS WE RECOMMEND (CLICK TO VIEW ON AMAZON) ↓
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Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.
Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.
28 Comments
Hi Meg,
Check on all of ’em save the power bank, which I need to add to my collection. I’ve an Acer Chromebook that I love – so light and fast and the battery stays charged forever – a simple Blu phone, sweet little cam and I am good to go. We need a few simple, basic but very essential items to rock out this travel blogging bit.
Ryan
Awesome Ryan! Totally agree that you need just a couple of simple, lightweight, but quality tools and you’re good. Can highly recommend the power banks though, I’ve got a couple of them actually lol and I take them with me when we’re out for a day, comes in really handy if I need to charge up my phone but don’t have access to an outlet :)
A power bank is definitely something I need to pick up – mainly for keeping device powered up in transit – I’m usually pretty good when I’m actually in a new destination, but it’s when I’m trying to get work done in transit, usually on a long haul flight, that everything eventually dies and I don’t have a power socket close by.
Absolutely Vida – power banks are a lifesaver for me when we’re traveling :)
We use the same laptop. That’s a Zenbook Prime in your photo right? Love mine – definitely lightweight. Good recommendation.
Yes indeed, it’s very thin and lightweight. Mine’s about 5 years old though so it’s getting time for an upgrade :)
I recently bought a mirrorless camera and OMG it’s so much easier to travel with than my DSLR. Really good quality photos which surprised me, because I think we’re conditioned to think that a bigger camera with a huge chunky zoom is going to always take the better photos, but I’m glad that I made the switch. I’m using the Sony Alpha A7R II and it’s super lightweight. Love it.
Absolutely agree with you – so many travelers are going the mirrorless route now for exactly those reasons. Nice that you can downgrade the size but not sacrifice on the quality :)
A very good list – you don’t need anything fancy or complicated, just some good quality basics.
Thanks Pam, totally agree with you :)
I would also add an international adapter to this list. Travel Inspira makes the best adapter I’ve seen; it’s cheap, lightweight, fully global without attachments, and has two USB charging ports.
Hotels usually have adapters if you forget them, but I wouldn’t count on it, and they’re always so expensive at the airport. Getting one which covers every country is far easier to keep organized than individual country – country ones. I have a drawer of them and it’s confused me at the best of times. Accidentally taking a US adapter for a trip to Europe etc. Avoid the problem entirely when it’s all in one!
Great tip Laura, I don’t think I’ve used a Travel Inspira adapter before, so I’ll definitely look into it – I do love the idea of having an all in one, as I too have individual adapters for each continent.
I used to work at a hotel, and yes you’re right, we would often have draws of adapters that guests had left in rooms after their stay. So even though it’s not a guarantee, good to check with the hotel desk just in case if it’s an emergency :)
I use a sound recorder and I love it. Means I can keep sound bites whenever I think of something, because I don’t always have access to a pen and paper when I’m traveling or in the middle of an excursion or activity. And there’s nothing worse than getting back at the end of the day and not being able to remember an award winning thought you had earlier!
Great idea Aimee – I have a sound recorder on my phone, I might start trying to use it in my day to day – you’re right, it’s so frustrating when you forget a something brilliant you thought of earlier when it comes time to note it down!
Honestly I don’t even think you need a powerful camera. I use my phone. Photo quality is fine for my blog.
Depends on what your purpose for the photography is, but absolutely, the quality of images off camera phones these days is quite incredible!
No doubt, today phones with outstanding cameras have made things easy
For sure! :)
Ohmygoodness yes, a powerbank is definitely one of the most important things you could pack. I swear, I needed this list when I first started out. I’m going to Spain on a little Spanish adventure for the next two months, and have to remember all of these for it.
Same for me – my power bank constantly saves me! Have an amazing time in Spain, glad our post could help in putting together a pre trip packing list :)
I am a fan of your writing style and really look forward to your future posts. Great work!
Glad you enjoyed the post Daniel, happy travels!
My friend isn’t a super serious travel blogger, but is starting her own site soon. She is doing it just for fun and to document her travels more than anything. Her husband just got her a new camera, what are some other good gift ideas to get her?
Hi Anna-Lisa, you could definitely get her some camera accessories if she doesn’t already have things like a tripod, lens, or a camera bag. A laptop sleeve or a keyboard protector are always really useful, or an external battery / powerbank. For something a bit more fun, but still practical maybe something like portable speakers, or a nice set of headphones. Also, I really love this cord organizer I have, it was the best thing I ever got given, because now my cords don’t get tangled when I travel.
Hope that helps!
Hi Meg. We’re looking for travel bloggers such as yourself to review their photographic equipment in hope to help others choose the right camera for their needs. We have most up to date cameras listed including DSLR’s, Mirrorless, Action cameras and even some drones. We’d appreciate if you could spare a few minutes and review any of your past and present gear. We have a little giveaway going on too to help make it worth while. Carry on the great work. RMC
Thanks for reaching out, sounds great, I’ll jump over and check out your website :)
Happy Friday!
Where are you from,i am from Pakistan, the country of lovers
Lovely to connect, we are from Australia