The road warrior’s “must-have”

No matter how much stuff I have packed in my carry-on or my checked-in luggage, there are a few items I can’t travel with.

But before you follow my recommendations, do not forget to pack light and smartly. Seen the movie “Up in the air” ?

Here are the very few items I can’t travel without:

- Unlocked GSM smartphone: Get a local SIM card in the country of your destination. Many providers allow you to get prepaid data usage as well so it allows you to use your phone to get your emails, do some GPS navigation in your new city. There are a few models I recommend :

• Blackberry Bold – The one which doesn’t have the very fragile track ball .
• iPhone 4  – I am not a fan but nothing ( yet) can beat a iPhone for multimedia. Phone calls quality needs to be improved though
• Nokia E72 – Smaller than a Blackberry and a iPhone. Not as fast as a Blackberry for emails.  Better sound quality of the three.

- Noise cancelling headphones: This is  worth the purchase if you are a frequent flyer and your flights usually last more than 3-4 hours. They changed my life and you would feel more rested since you can use them without the music just to cancel

• Bose QuietComfort 3. Get a used pair on eBay and purchas some spare parts from Bose to refurbish them. Dont’ forget to get an extra battery.

- Leatherman (in checked in luggage ) : The ultimate traveller tool which can help you to get out of some tricky situations. Our European friends prefer the “Swiss knife”.

Finally, don’t forget your clothes,personal pharmacy, passport, air tickets, camera….