I travel for a living, which means my work and my income depend on the assumption that I can get from one place to another without everything falling apart.
This weekend’s travel chaos in the Caribbean hit close to home. As flights were canceled and people were stranded for days, I was reflecting on more than just missed vacations. I thought about travelers who couldn’t get back to work, couldn’t get back to their routines, or didn’t have the necessary tools to function once the plan unraveled.
I’ve been close to that edge before. In early 2020, I was in Colombia just days before airports worldwide began shutting down due to the COVID pandemic. There was a very real moment when I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave the country. I wouldn’t pretend that having the “right” things with me made me relaxed. In fact, relaxed wasn’t a word in my vocabulary at all as I meandered the aisles of Colombian grocery stores, stocking up on ramen and toilet paper for whatever lockdown I was facing back in the US.
Getting stranded is terrible when all you want is to go home. But the travel essentials I had with me made one thing clear: life could still go on, even when the world got rocked. That’s shaped how I travel ever since.
For me, the ability to work from anywhere isn’t a productivity flex or a digital nomad brag; it’s a necessity. It’s a safety net. Here’s what I always have with me, and why I would never travel without these things, even on trips that are supposed to be about unplugging.
1. My laptop with a VPN
I’d never, ever go anywhere without my laptop, even on a getaway that’s meant to be a break from work.
When plans unravel, your laptop becomes leverage. It buys you time, flexibility, and options. I’ve watched travelers stranded without laptops scrambling to borrow devices, sending frantic messages from phones, or explaining to employers why they suddenly couldn’t do their jobs. I refuse to add “unemployed” to an already stressful situation.
It also doubles as your entertainment system when you’ve got an indeterminate amount of hours to kill. On that note, add a VPN to your list so you can access all your streaming services from any ISP address.
2. A portable battery bank that can actually power devices
When flights get canceled, outlets become scarce, and airports turn into makeshift bedrooms. A portable battery bank — one powerful enough to charge a laptop, not just a phone — means I’m not fighting strangers for wall space just to stay online.
I’ve filed stories from airport floors using a power bank while entire terminals went dark. It’s not glamorous, but it works.
3. My passport (even on domestic trips)
I always carry my passport, even when I’m flying domestically. Plans change. Routes get rerouted. Borders get strange quickly. It’s one of those items you hope you never need, but absolutely don’t want to be without when things stop making sense.
4. Extra medication and prescriptions
I travel with more medication than I think I’ll need: pain relievers, anti-diarrheal meds, Pepto, and electrolytes, all on top of prescriptions. Delays stretch, and pharmacies close. When your body starts failing on top of travel disruptions, everything feels 10 times worse.
5. Protein bars and emergency snacks
When travel collapses, food becomes unpredictable fast.
Restaurants close. Airports sell out. Hunger makes decision-making worse. Protein bars won’t solve the problem, but they’ll keep you steady enough to solve everything else, especially when your only restaurant option is the TGIFridays in the parking lot of whatever airport hotel you’re crashing in.
6. Earplugs, an eye mask, and more socks and underwear than I think I need
Rest becomes currency when you’re stuck. Earplugs and an eye mask make it possible to sleep in loud terminals or unfamiliar rooms. When it comes to socks and underwear, always pack more than you think you need. If the trip stretches and laundry access disappears, comfort suddenly matters more than aesthetics.
7. A bathing suit
This sounds frivolous until it isn’t. If you’re stuck somewhere longer than planned, access to water can be a grounding experience. Pools, hot springs, beaches, and hotel spas can sometimes be the only places where your nervous system gets a break.
8. Portable WiFi or an international data plan
Deadlines don’t care about travel delays. I’ve filed stories from airport floors, hotel lobbies, and — more times than I can count — from the passenger seat of a moving car. On a cross-country road trip, I was constantly taking interviews, answering editors, and filing stories while the prairies of North Dakota and the Canadian Rockies rolled past my window.
A portable WiFi device or a reliable international data plan means I’m not dependent on hotel routers, café passwords, or the hope that WiFi will magically work when I need it most. When travel breaks down, connectivity is the difference between falling behind and staying afloat.
9. Travel insurance
I never travel without insurance. After a travel companion was in a serious motorbike accident in Thailand and spent a week in a Thai hospital — fully covered because we had travel insurance — I stopped thinking of it as optional.
You don’t have to travel for a living to learn these lessons. Whether you’re a business traveler, a freelancer, or someone who just wants to make it home on time, disruptions can happen to anyone.
Packing with the assumption that things might go wrong isn’t pessimistic — it’s practical. When travel breaks down, the ability to keep working, stay healthy, and remain connected becomes more than convenience. It becomes stability.
Do you have any work-related travel tips you’d like to share? Email this editor, Agnes Applegate, at [email protected].
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