18 Essential Travel Blogger Accessories & Equipment
This post on the best blogger accessories was authored by Catalin Geangos
When you’re traveling away from home, you need your essentials with you. Otherwise, you end up spending big money replacing stuff on the road, or missing the gear you were counting on to get the shot.
As a travel blogger, the stakes are higher. Your gear is how you work. You need everything to keep creating, posting, and earning while you live a nomadic lifestyle, without overspending or turning your luggage into a mobile electronics store.
So here’s an essential list of accessories you’ll actually use as a travel blogger, whether you’re a full-time content creator or just starting to build one of these digital nomad jobs on the side.
Essential Travel Blogger Accessories
1. Anti-Theft Travel Purse or Backpack
Most places you travel are pretty safe, but there are always exceptions. Quick story about a girl who stayed in the same hostel as me in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
She was robbed twice on the same day. In the morning, she went for a walk to explore the city, and a guy on a moped stole her gold chain. Later that day, another guy got her in a snatch-and-grab.
The best advice for these situations: don’t carry anything you can’t afford to lose, and use an anti-theft travel purse or anti-theft backpack to keep your belongings safe.
Editor Note: I can’t agree more! An anti-theft backpack and purse is ALL I use when I’m abroad (yes, I use both!). It can’t hurt, and these bags last ages. Mine have held up for years and still look new. This is a must-have blogger accessory, especially because it’s going to be holding all the precious electronics we talk about below!
2. Backpack with Wheels
A good backpack is non-negotiable. Keep your critical stuff on you at all times, because checked luggage goes in the hold and can (and does) get lost on the way to your destination.
So your travel backpack needs to be big enough, strong enough, and convenient enough to carry everything you need for at least a few days.
Unless you want to lug a heavy pack everywhere, look at a travel rolling backpack. Rolling backpacks are more convenient, they protect your blogging equipment better, and you can wheel them when they get too heavy to carry.
3. A Powerful Yet Compact Camera
You need to document your adventures, whether it’s the sights or the food you’re eating. Phones have gotten scary good, but they still don’t always cut it. A durable, compact dedicated camera gives you more control, better low light, and real zoom.
A big DSLR is clunky to haul around, especially if you’re moving between locations quickly. That’s why most travel bloggers go mirrorless.
Mirrorless cameras are slimmer and lighter, and they usually shoot faster, better video. The photo quality is right up there with DSLRs, and nobody but a pro photographer would notice the difference. It’s the sweet spot for travel bloggers.
Editor Note: Personally, I shoot with a Canon mirrorless camera, and I can’t recommend going mirrorless enough if you really want to get into photography. It’s an essential piece of blogger equipment for me!
4. Camera Strap
Now that you’ve got a nice camera, you need to protect it. Having the best possible camera strap is cheap insurance.
A strap means you won’t drop your camera while leaning over a ledge or when you just lose your grip. Even if you let go, it won’t fall. It also makes it a lot harder for a thief to grab it out of your hands.
The other big win: your camera stays with you while your hands are busy. Instead of setting it down somewhere, it rests around your neck or shoulder while you adjust settings or move around.
A good strap pays for itself by keeping your camera safe and getting your shots faster.
RELATED: 51 of the Best Travel Accessories for Men and Women
5. Extra Memory Cards
Nothing kills a shoot faster than a “card full” message at golden hour. Memory cards are tiny, cheap, and the easiest thing to forget, so pack more than you think you need.
A few tips:
- Check your camera’s specs first. Make sure you buy the card type and speed it supports, especially if you shoot 4K video (look for cards rated V30 or higher).
- Use several smaller cards instead of one giant one. If a card dies or gets lost, you don’t lose the whole trip.
- Stick to name brands. Knockoff cards are everywhere online and they fail at the worst possible moment.
- Keep them in a hard case. Loose cards in a bag pocket disappear.
6. High-Capacity Power Bank
Traveling with tech means keeping everything charged and ready to go. But while you’re out taking photos, writing notes, navigating, and looking things up, your batteries drain fast.
Sometimes a full charge isn’t enough to get you through the day. If you need a top-up in the middle of nowhere, you’re stuck with a dead phone. A high-capacity power bank fixes that.
You get power anywhere, and you’re not chained to an outlet waiting for your devices to charge. Just remember airlines want power banks in your carry-on, never in checked bags.
7. Lightweight Yet Durable Laptop
A huge part of your job is writing, researching, and editing or at least sorting your photos.
You can do some of it on your phone, but that’s not ideal when writing is literally your profession. You need a laptop that’s light and tough enough to handle constant travel.
Something heavy is a pain and usually overkill. What you do want is something that can get knocked around a bit without dying on you, and a battery that lasts a full day in a café. Pair it with a few free online tools and you’ve got a full office in your bag.
Editor Note: I’ve traveled with a MacBook Air for years, and I can’t imagine traveling with anything else. It’s light, powerful, and does everything I need.
8. External SSD + a Backup Plan
Your photos and videos ARE your business. Laptops get stolen, dropped, and soaked. If your only copy lives on one device, you’re one bad day away from losing months of content.
Get a portable external SSD. They’re small, fast, and way more durable than old-school spinning hard drives because there are no moving parts. Then back up to the cloud too (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, whatever you already pay for).
The simple rule: keep at least one copy on your laptop, one on your SSD, and one in the cloud. And don’t store your SSD in the same bag as your laptop.
9. International Power Adapter
Plugs are different around the world. You could buy adapters when you land, carry a pile of country-specific ones, or just get one universal adapter that works almost anywhere.
It’s small, cheap, and convenient. Look for one with built-in USB-C ports so you can charge your phone, camera batteries, and power bank at the same time from one outlet.
RELATED: All The Travel Gear I Use and Love
10. A Travel eSIM
You can’t post, upload, navigate, or answer brand emails without data. Hunting down a local SIM card shop every time you cross a border wastes hours you could spend creating.
A travel eSIM fixes that. You buy a data plan online before you leave, scan a QR code, and you’re connected the second you land.
Most newer phones support eSIM, and you can usually keep your home number active for texts and calls at the same time.
Do the setup before your flight, not in the arrivals hall. This pre-trip phone checklist walks you through it.
11. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
An app as a blogger accessory? Yep. Think about how many places you’ll be, how many strangers will be on the same network, and how much free Wi-Fi you’re going to use.
If you access anything important on the road, you need to protect it. That could be passwords, your blog’s admin login, or your banking info.
A VPN encrypts everything you send over the internet so nobody on that café Wi-Fi can see what you’re doing or steal your info.
Bonus: if you travel somewhere with heavy internet restrictions, like China, a VPN helps you access the sites and apps that would normally be blocked. (Set it up before you arrive. Downloading one once you’re there is a lot harder.)
12. Travel Insurance
Insurance gets overlooked, but it’s critical when you’re traveling the world. If you get hurt or sick, treatment can cost a fortune. Without insurance, your options are to eat the cost or live in pain until you get home.
Buy travel insurance before you leave and it covers you for most things while you’re away. If something serious means you need to be sent home, a good policy should cover that too.
One thing to know: most standard travel medical plans have limited coverage for expensive electronics. If your camera and laptop are worth a lot, read the fine print or look into separate gear coverage.
Bottom line: do you want a trip that ends up costing you thousands, or some peace of mind?
Editor Note: Depending on my trip, I use one of the above but usually go with SafetyWing. It’s one of the most reasonably priced options out there, especially for long term insurance.
13. Action Camera
Your mirrorless camera handles food, sights, and portraits. But if you plan to do anything adventurous, you’ll want a camera that can capture the action without wrecking your main gear.
That’s where action cameras like the GoPro come in. They’re not built for fancy stills. They’re built for rugged, waterproof, on-the-go adventure photos and video.
If you’re a video creator, consider adding a drone for aerial shots. They’re an investment, but they add a ton to your videos. Just check the local drone rules before you fly, because they vary a lot country to country.
14. Tripods and Selfie Sticks
Unless you travel with your own photographer, you need help getting yourself in the shot. A tripod or selfie stick (or a combo of both) makes it easy, and photos with you in them are what readers actually want to see.
A photo of just a waterfall is boring. Get yourself in the frame, whether someone’s around to help or not. That’s why it’s worth investing in something that holds your camera or phone steady.
Editor Note: If you want stable video or photos, if you want photos of yourself while you travel solo, if you’re looking to do more video for your socials, etc., a travel tripod is a MUST-have travel blogger accessory! I use both of these!
15. Wireless Microphone
People will forgive slightly soft footage. They won’t sit through bad audio. If you’re making Reels, TikToks, or YouTube videos where you talk to the camera, a mic is the cheapest upgrade with the biggest payoff.
Clip-on wireless mic kits (think DJI Mic or Rode Wireless GO style) are tiny, connect to your phone or camera, and cut out a ton of wind and street noise. Many kits come with two transmitters, so you can interview someone or film with a travel partner.
Grab the little furry windscreens too. Outdoor wind will ruin your audio faster than anything.
16. Ergonomic Mouse and Keyboard
As a travel blogger, you’ll spend a lot of evenings holed up in hotels writing after a big day out. You still need to take care of yourself. Hunching over a laptop on a hotel bed is a fast track to back and neck pain.
Get an ergonomic mouse and keyboard for your hotel or Airbnb setup so you can work better and stay pain-free.
Editor Note: Besides a mouse and keyboard, I can’t recommend a laptop stand enough. This is the one I use. It packs away easily, it’s cheap, and it 100% helps me avoid tech neck! The wrist pads plus the mouse got rid of my wrist pain, which was terrible before I made the switch!
RELATED: Simple Travel Home Office Accessories You Need to Work Comfortably
17. An Up-to-Date Smartphone
Your action camera handles adventure shots and your mirrorless handles the polished stuff. But for quick social content, or filming on the down low in restaurants and markets, your phone does the heavy lifting.
You don’t need the newest model the day it drops, but a phone from the last couple of years makes a real difference. Newer phones have much better low-light performance, multiple lenses, and video that’s good enough for most social platforms straight out of the camera.
Load it up with the right travel apps before you go and it becomes your map, translator, ticket wallet, and camera all in one.
Editor Note: I upgrade my iPhone every few years, and I can’t imagine creating content with anything else. The camera on recent iPhones, particularly the wide-angle lens and RAW photos, is AMAZING. It makes my job so much easier.
18. Photo and Video Editing Tools
Capturing great footage is only half the battle. You also need reliable editing tools to turn raw files into content people actually stop scrolling for.
Whether you’re editing blog photos, YouTube vlogs, Instagram Reels, or TikToks, the right tools save you hours. Here’s what’s worth having.
Photo Editing:
- Adobe Lightroom: The go-to for most travel bloggers. Edit on desktop or mobile, sync across devices, and use presets to keep a consistent look.
- Canva: Not a photo editor exactly, but perfect for Pinterest pins, blog graphics, thumbnails, and quick social posts.
- Snapseed: A free mobile editor that’s great for fast fixes on your phone.
Shoot on an iPhone? Your photos save as HEIC files by default, and a lot of websites, WordPress setups, and editing tools still don’t play nice with them. Run them through a free heic to jpg converter before you upload, and you’ll skip a lot of headaches.
Video Editing:
- Adobe Premiere Pro: A professional-grade editor with advanced features, ideal for high-quality travel vlogs. Best for desktop editing.
- Final Cut Pro: A favorite among Mac users for its smooth performance and intuitive interface.
- DaVinci Resolve: A powerful free option with professional color correction tools.
- Descript: Edit video by editing the transcript, which is a huge time-saver for talking-head videos and podcasts.
- Movavi Video Editor: User-friendly drag-and-drop editing, perfect for beginners or quick edits without a steep learning curve.
- CapCut: A mobile-friendly editor perfect for quick social clips with trendy effects.
- LumaFusion: Great for on-the-go editing if you prefer working from a tablet or phone.
- iMovie: If you’re just starting out, this one helps you learn the basics for free on Apple devices.
✨Everything you need to know to move abroad✨
Final Thoughts on Travel Blogger Accessories
Take some time to go through the list and figure out what actually fits your work. You don’t need everything here, but it’s a good checklist to make you think about what you need when you’re traveling and creating.
Your setup depends on what kind of creator you are. Maybe you’re mostly shooting photos and video, or maybe it’s all about the writing. Buy for the content you make now, and upgrade as you grow.
Pack only what you need, and keep everything easy to reach and safe.
Editor Note: Got the gear but still figuring out the money side? Here’s how one change turned my blog’s affiliate income around in my Stay22 review, plus a huge list of ways to make money while traveling.
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Catalin Geangos is the Founder and Editor of TravelTrained and a travel blogger who mainly focuses on hostels, social life, and day trips and tours while traveling in Southeast Asia.
