Which of the ‘luxuries’ have I found work well and are worth taking?

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Or, more accurately, are worth considering taking?

1. Travel adaptor

Skross World Travel Adapter MUV USB. Why? It is well made. It has an earth, many do not. It has the two USB sockets. In a perfect world, join it to Skross’ World to Italy / Switzerland / Brazil adaptor and gain two more USB ports. One adaptor, to charge anything and everything.

2. Long USB lead

Anker Powerline Braided. Why? It’s long enough at 3m to reach most out of the way power sockets. As it’s braided, it should last longer than the other tat and maybe even longer than your phone.

3. Multi-head USB lead

SDBAUX Multi Charger Cable 4 in 1, Retractable Fast Charge with Type C/Micro USB/ 2 iP Ports for Smartphones and Tablets. Why. One, reasonably long, retractable cable, to charge up to four things at once. Now you don’t need to bring four separate cables.

4. Charging ‘brick’

Why? You can charge things on the go. You can keep your phone going, whilst your bike in lying in pieces on the side of the road, whilst you make an invariably large number of calls. Anything with a decent amount of power, preferably with more than one USB socket and of the right type of USB for your device(s). If you are going to take a ‘brick’, why ponce about with one USB socket or something that will struggle to just about charge your phone only once? Find one that charges up via USB, not a dedicated transformer. Why? You don’t want to be carting the transformer and the brick.

5. A payage bleeper thing

Why? Bods moan like buggery about the entry / exit card the machine spits out. The cards are a bitch when it rains, dissolving in a soggy mess. Bods also moan about feckin’ around with coins. They panic if their credit card does not work. They moan about dropping their gloves. In short they moan and panic about most things. A payage bleeper thing, cuts all that shite out. It sits in a small freezer bag in my jacket pocket. The freezer bag is to keep it dry.

6. Travel clothes line

Why? Doing washing is easy and manly. It means that you’ll cart less stuff to wear. Find one (it’s not hard) with a double strand twist, it’ll make it much easier to hang things. Look at it and ponder, just for a moment, if you think you’ll be able to attach it at either end to something in the hotel bathroom or on the balcony or wherever you’ll think you’ll be. If you think it will do, buy it. If you don’t think it will do, think about something small to add, that will enable you to do so. If you don’t you’ll be holding a length of double twist line in your hands and still have wet washing.

7. One large’ish supermarket type bag

Why? They fold up to all but nothing and weigh feck all. I watched my bike depart on a low-loader. Before then, I’d changed into my casual clothes, piled all my bike clobber into the bag and given it to the pick-up driver, to take along with my bike. I wouldn’t be needing any of it for a day or two. Of course, I could have carried it, too. I then jumped into a taxi and went to my hotel. In short, it made things easy and tidy; which is all you want to do when the wheels have come off.

8. A decent quality multi-tool

Now we are getting into the real technical stuff. Why? Well, it’s a luxury, innit mate. Me? I happen to like the offering from Victorinox ‘Swiss Tool’ but that’s just me.

9. Large screen iPhone or similar

Why? It’s a camera, library, cinema, internet browser, TV, radio, jukebox, calculator, map carrier, address book, bank, ticket holder, route suggester and, if necessary, a GPS device.......the list goes on and on. Everything in one tidy package; just don’t forget the charger and certainly don’t break or lose it.
 
Don't forget a tube of travel wash for your washing.
 
I always carry one of the dispensers of thin sheets of soap, tiny to carry, good as wash, shampoo or for washing clothes smaller than a box of swan vesta
 
Wet wipes. Really good if you get cut short in the middle of nowhere like i did. A small piece of tissue didn't get the job done and a hand full of grass made the situation worse.
 
Top tip no. 258

Keep your wet-wipes in a 35mm film canister. Why? It helps to stop them drying out and takes up less bulk. Younger readers can ask their mum what a 35mm film canister is or, indeed, what film is.
 
One of the luxuries I've found to be worth considering is company - yes, you can do without it, but it can add to the enjoyment of a trip. Careful selection is imperative as it can detract from the enjoyment of a trip too
 
Certainly all of the OP's list (aside from peage bleeper). Anker long USB leads are indeed excellent and pretty tough.

I take my JBL speaker which also serves as a charger brick. I like my noise..

Also a tiny travel high factor sun cream, red noses are no fun unless its Christmas.
 
Just a couple of thoughts, from my days touring 2-up on sports bikes. We were usually tech free, maybe one mobile between us for emergencies. Just use hotel/B&B facilities if needed.

1. cut the crap - invest in some decent dri-fit gear that washes/dries in an instant. No more carting cotton T-shirts around.

2. Mini travel shaving cream & deo - one decent razor will last the whole trip.

Keep a book/list of everything you take. Upon return, note everything you didn't use, or didn't really need, & discard it next trip. Be ruthless, shed the burden; most places have shops/supermarkets icon, or at least the did.
 
Just a couple of thoughts, from my days touring 2-up on sports bikes. We were usually tech free, maybe one mobile between us for emergencies. Just use hotel/B&B facilities if needed.

1. cut the crap - invest in some decent dri-fit gear that washes/dries in an instant. No more carting cotton T-shirts around.

2. Mini travel shaving cream & deo - one decent razor will last the whole trip.

Keep a book/list of everything you take. Upon return, note everything you didn't use, or didn't really need, & discard it next trip. Be ruthless, shed the burden; most places have shops/supermarkets icon, or at least the did.

grow a beard, dont take a wife no ned for shaving cream or a razor, me I have not used a razor in over 30 years
 
A couple of magazines, thin ones such as Time or The Week with plenty reading. Weight very little, easy to stick one in your back pocket when you go for a wander in the evening and sitting by yourself in a bar, ideal to have to read, better than having your face stuck in a phone all the time. Plus you don't always want to have your phone or tablet sitting on a cafe table as the waiter distracts you with an order for another cold beer.
You can also pretend to be busy with it if you don't want dragged into a conversation.
 


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