We all love a good gadget, and when it comes to travelling there are lots of great accessories out there to make your life easier. Gadgets for men are often easier to find but what about women? We’ve put together a list of travel accessories for women, including security accessories and health products, all of which deserve your consideration when choosing what to pack for your backpacking trip.
1) Eagle Creek Bra Stash
The first travel accessory to make our top 5 is the Eagle Creek Bra Stash. The bra stash can be clipped to the centre or side of your bra and filled with currency and or debit and credit cards, enabling you to hide cash and valuables under your clothes. Many people pack money belts when travelling, but if this isn’t your cup of tea, the Bra Stash is a great alternative. It is also made from soft natural silk material and comes in either black or rose.
2) She Pee Female Urination Device
In many countries around the world you may be shocked at the difference in toilet facilities compared to what you’ve come to expect in the Western world. In popular gap year destinations such as Asia, you may find yourself faced with a glorified hole in the ground in public rest rooms. If you don’t fancy your chances of keeping your balance whilst squatting over these types of toilet, a female urination device will make life much easier. The She Pee is an extremely useful travel gadget for women, allowing you to urinate whilst standing up, they are also great for trekking and camping. Get one that is re-usable to limit the environmental impact
3) Lifeventure Giant Travel Towel – Flowers
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, ditch your towels from home…unless you enjoy the smell of damp greeting you every time you open your backpack! Normal towels are not only bulky, but they don’t dry as quickly or absorb as much water as their softfibre counterparts. This Lifeventure Travel towel comes in a giant size (150 x 100cm) but packs down to a compact 17 x 11 x 7cm, which is a fraction of the size of a normal towel. This one also comes with permanent anti-bacterial protection to stop mould developing in hot climates and prevent odours when you’re unable to wash it for a while. The fun floral world map design and pink and purple colour also makes this a great girly towel for female travellers…it can even be used as a sarong!
4) Personal Safety Alarm
This may seem like overkill, but if you’re travelling alone to countries with a high crime rate, you may want to consider packing an attack alarm. 9 times out of 1o you probably won’t end up using it, but it’s one of those ‘just in case items’ that gives you peace of mind and doesn’t cost much to have or take up too much space in your backpack. These alarms are compact enough to keep in your pocket or daypack just in case you find yourself in trouble and send out a high pitched 100dB signal to alert passers by that you’re in trouble! If you’re out alone on a night having one of these alarms to hand is always a wise move.
5) Water-to-Go Bottle in Pink
Water purification products are a must have for most destinations around the world. In many countries it can be difficult to know whether or not the water is safe to drink and drinking contaminated water can lead to an upset stomach at best and water-borne disease at the more severe end of the scale. This 75cl water bottle by Water-to-Go comes with a built in filter which removes 99.9% of contaminants found in water sources, including bacteria, parasites & viruses.
You can fill it up from taps, streams, lakes and other natural water sources (apart from salt water!) for safe and clean drinking water wherever you are. It’s better for the environment too as it minimises on waste plastic created from buying bottled water. Both men and women should have one of these in their backpack, but this one is particularly great for women with a hot pink coloured sleeve!