On my small group tours, there are some things I cannot travel without. In this blog post, I have omitted the obvious things people pack on trips, but here are some things I MUST have when traveling:
Small Scissors: Not the big ones, but the kind kids use in kindergarten. They go through security pretty easily. I find them very useful to snip off luggage tags, take out pages of books and magazines (to get maps, recipes, etc.). They also come in handy when I purchase something wrapped in that rigid plastic.
Rubber Bands: It drives my travel companion crazy, but I always like to travel with those big, monster rubber bands. When walking around down, I wrap up my credit cards, paper currency, transportation pass in a big, fat rubber band and stuff it in my pocket. Why? It makes it really difficult for pickpockets to get it out of my pocket. Once you bring rubber bands on a trip, there are a thousand and one uses to be found for them.
Headphones: Essential for the plane.
Auxiliary Battery Charger: For those times I can't find an outlet to charge my iPhone
Plastic Bags: They come in VERY handy for keeping stuff dry and separating dirty clothes and shoes from clean ones.
Backpack: Essential for getting at things that I need to get to quickly like headphones, passports, meds, travel docs, snacks, etc.
I always bring with me binoculars, extra pair of shoes, extra pair of glasses, and a pen.