Travel Gear and Accessories: Where to Splurge and Where to Save

Traveling anywhere in the world can often amount to quite an expense. Not only is there the choice of accommodation and transportation to think about, but there are also dozens of items of travel gear and accessories you will need to take with you.

Knowing where to spend more, and where to save up can be a bit tricky, what with all the countless offers available both offline and online. Here to help you make the right choice is our little guide on where to splurge and where to save on travel gear.

Save: A whole new set of outfits

If your first impulse is to kit yourself out with a brand new outfit for every day of the trip, stay your hand.

First of all, you don’t want to overdo it with packing clothes anyway. The money you save can be spent on the trip, both on local activities, and actual new clothing. Depending on where you’re traveling, you might find some excellent deals on some of the items that may be more expensive at home, or you might find some unique apparel that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. So save up, and spend your money more wisely at your chosen destination.

Splurge: Camera

If you want to remember your trip forever and ever, share your travels on social media or via blog, or you’re simply a photography enthusiast, make sure the camera you take with you is the best you can afford at the time. Whether you’ll be saving the photos just for yourself or you need them in a more professional capacity, you can have a lot of fun toying around with the camera, so investing in this piece of equipment is always a good choice.

Save: Travel guides

You may think a travel guide might come in handy while you’re away, but the chances of you actually reading it are practically non-existent. Even if you like it the old-fashioned way, the fact remains that there are so many exhaustive – and free – online guides you can turn to instead.

Don’t spend your money on a book that will only ever collect dust on your shelves, and rather invest it in a good meal on your trip.

Splurge: Luggage

Quality luggage is a worthy investment  – rather than buying cheap luggage that lasts you a year tops, it’s always better to splurge on sturdy suitcases that are guaranteed to withstand all kinds of conditions. After all, your bag will get thrown around, might suffer a fall, and needs to fit into some really tight spaces, no matter how far you’re traveling.

Browse some of the top luggage brands and find a case that fits your needs: ideally something with spinner wheels for easier rolling, and large enough to fit all your essentials plus everything you may end up buying while away.

Save: Camping gear

If you’re going camping, and don’t do this so often that having your own camping gear would pay off, buy your camping supplies second-hand. Chances are you will be able to find everything you need at a much lower price-point, and the bit of wear and tear that comes with the items will in no way impact their functionality.

The one thing you might want to have of your own is a pillow – as our sleep is highly impacted by this one item, go for something familiar and comfortable.

Splurge: Footwear

Traveling often involves a lot of walking – be it in airports, on hikes, in cities or museums. Make sure that the footwear you’re taking with you is not only of the best quality you can afford, but also broken in and comfortable enough to be able to sustain an entire day of walking.

Go for comfort above style and trend – you don’t want to be forced to stay indoors all day because your cool sneakers have given you blisters.

Save and splurge: Travel tech

Depending on the pieces of tech you want to carry with you, you may want to splurge or save on them, based on personal preference.

If you’re not big on listening to music or audiobooks on the road, you may not need the best noise-canceling headphones on the market and might settle for a more affordable alternative.

Depending on your destination, you may not need to take a portable USB charger, a universal socket, or an extra battery for all of your devices. On the other hand, you may want a quality flashlight, a headlamp or even a GPS device.

Weigh your destination and the type of trip you’re taking against the potential costs, and see how you can limit yourself only to the bare necessities.

The fact remains we tend to over-pack wherever we’re going. Chances are you will do it again as well unless you are one of the masters of minimalist packing. Whatever the case may be, remember that travel is more about experiences than possessions, and pack accordingly. Bon, voyage!