7 Travel Essentials for Remote Workers in 2024

Are you ready to take your remote work setup on the road? Whether planning a long-term digital nomad lifestyle or just taking a few months off to explore, having the right travel essentials for remote workers can make all the difference.

The world of remote working is quickly changing, and staying up-to-date with the latest technology and gear can help ensure your travels are as productive and enjoyable as possible.

From noise-cancelling headphones to mobile hotspots, here are 7 essential items for any remote worker packing list.

What are the Travel Essentials for Remote Workers?

There are so many items you could take to improve your remote working experience and elevate your remote workspace.

And no, I’m not talking about a standing desk even though it’s a good pun 😜

From portable monitor to DSLR camera, the goal here isn’t to list them all as you obviously wouldn’t have enough space for everything.

You will find below a list of travel stuff you can fit in your carry-on bag so you can be space efficient while you’re working remotely, away from your usual home office.

Lightweight Laptop

This is a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning. Lightweight laptops are essential for remote working abroad as they will be much easier to carry and transport from place to place. Look for one that has enough processing power to complete your tasks while not being too bulky or heavy.

A lightweight laptop will also help ensure your work remains secure while on the go, as you can lock or password-protect it easily. Plus, the latest ones boast impressive battery life and are often more durable than their heavier counterparts. Not to mention, they generally come with a lower price tag than conventional laptops.

In terms of practicality, having a lightweight laptop is essential for remote workers who travel frequently. With a smaller laptop, you won’t have to worry about lugging around a heavy machine in between trips. You can also save space as they easily fit into a backpack or carry-on bag.

Finally, modern lightweight laptops are designed specifically for remote working. This means that they come with features such as extended battery life and fast processors to make sure that your workflow isn’t hindered while you’re away from home. In addition, many of them also feature sleek designs with minimal weight and size which make them ideal for travellers looking to stay focused while on the go.

I’m not an Apple products fanatic but my personal favourite is the 13″ MacBook Pro. Mac users can testify to its power and practicality!

Pro-tip: Get a padded laptop sleeve to protect your laptop and don’t forget your laptop chargers!

Noise Cancelling Headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones are a must-have for remote workers travelling abroad. Not only do they help reduce distractions, but they can also improve focus and concentration levels, allowing remote workers to remain productive while on the go.

For starters, they block out background noises such as traffic, people talking, or loud music. This can be especially beneficial when you’re taking a Zoom meeting in a noisy or crowded area, as it helps you stay focused on your tasks and not get distracted by unwanted noises.

Another benefit is that they allow for clearer calls and video conferences. With noise-cancelling headphones, the quality of your conversations is improved thanks to its active noise reduction features that help minimize background noise interference during calls. In addition, this allows remote workers to remain engaged during important conversations with their team members without distraction from external sources.

Overall, noise-cancelling headphones are great for remote workers who travel frequently as they offer numerous benefits such as improved concentration and clearer communication during calls or video conferences.

I used to prefer the overhead Sony WH-1000XM Series headphones but now I only swear by Apple’s AirPods Pro.

The latter are the best earphones I’ve had by far. They are super lightweight, the noise-cancelling is top-notch, and the charging case easily fits in my pocket.

That makes them the best headphones to use for video calls, listening to music, cutting out background noise in coworking spaces, and focusing on your own work.

Universal Travel Adapter

For remote workers who travel frequently, having a reliable and versatile universal travel adapter is essential. It can be used to charge any type of device in any country around the world, making it an invaluable tool for those who are always on the go.

One of the main benefits of using a universal travel adapter is that it eliminates the need to carry multiple adapters with you while travelling abroad.

Most models come with various plugs and sockets so you can easily connect your devices anywhere in the world without needing additional adapters or converters. This makes packing easier as all you need is one compact unit instead of several bulky ones.

Some modern ones also include multiple USB type A and C sockets, allowing you to charge other devices at the same time.

Another benefit is that it helps protect your electronic equipment from power surges or voltage spikes caused by unstable electrical systems found in some foreign countries.

Travel Insurance

One of the most important things to consider when working remotely from abroad is having a good travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance can provide coverage for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, lost or stolen baggage, and more.

Having a comprehensive travel insurance plan in place before embarking on your journey can give you peace of mind knowing that if anything goes wrong while you’re away from home, you’ll be covered financially.

For example, if your flight gets cancelled due to bad weather or other reasons beyond your control, having travel insurance means that you won’t have to pay out-of-pocket costs associated with rebooking fees or additional accommodation expenses.

Additionally, many policies cover emergency medical expenses incurred overseas which can prove invaluable should something happen during your travels requiring urgent care or hospitalization.

Pro-tip: If you’re using a credit card like American Express (Referral Link) to book your trips. Chances are you are already covered and don’t need to buy extra travel insurance!

Practical Travel Backpack

If you’re planning to go working remotely for a little while in an exotic location away from your home country, then you need to maximise your luggage efficiency.

The modern remote worker understands that one of the top remote work travel essentials is a high-quality backpack.

Whether you’re working remotely from your hotel room, a coffee shop, or a coworking space, you’ll need to have a remote work setup that’s easy to carry everywhere without breaking your back. Especially if you’re above 30!

I personally don’t use packing cubes (yet?) as I prefer a light and easy remote work lifestyle.

I’d rather have a backpack to have the following characteristics:

• Made from durable materials
• Ideally waterproof
• Can fit everything I need to work remotely
• Is comfortable and ergonomic to carry
• Has a practical storage layout (i.e. pockets in the right places)

While I enjoy working remotely from private rooms when travelling and making the most of my living space, I still often go to a nearby local coffee shop where I can meet other remote workers working from there.

My backpack is one of the few items I almost use on a daily basis and I need it to fit everything I need to carry on working remotely in a productive manner.

My trusty go-to backpack is the 26L Backpack Pro by Db Journey. I toured the world with this bad boy and it never let me down.

Local SIM Card

This one is not something you’ll need to pack beforehand but it’s one of the best travel tips to stay connected abroad.

Unless your phone plan already includes free roaming data, calls, etc. in your destination country, you will likely be better off getting a local SIM card for the duration of your trip.

Having access to a reliable internet connection is a must when you work remotely while travelling abroad. A local SIM card can be the best way to stay connected and get online while working remotely in another country, as it provides the most cost-effective solution compared to other options such as roaming or buying an international SIM card.

One of the main benefits of using a local SIM card when travelling abroad for work is its affordability.

You can often buy prepaid cards with data packages that are specially tailored for tourists, which provide excellent value for money and usually come with more data than you would normally pay at home.

Additionally, having a local SIM card provides you with a local phone number. Making it easier for locals to reach you, and for you to use some local services.

For example, having a local SIM card in Bali allowed me to sign up for Gojek and start using it.

Furthermore, depending on where you go, there may be special offers available that give even better value!

With all these advantages combined, using a local SIM card when travelling abroad makes perfect sense from both an economic and practical point of view.

Power Bank

Power banks are essential for working remotely while travelling abroad because they provide a reliable source of power to charge your devices and keep them connected.

Firstly, having access to an external source of power helps ensure that you can work remotely even in areas with limited access to electrical outlets. If you’re in a region without reliable access to electricity, a power bank is an extremely useful tool to have on hand for your digital nomad work setup.

Secondly, power banks are available in different sizes and capacities, so they can also be used as a backup battery supply for those times when you know you’ll be away from any power sources for extended periods of time. This way you never have to worry about your devices running out of juice when you need them most.

Finally, power banks come with several safety measures built-in to protect your devices against overcharging or short-circuiting. This added layer of security helps ensure that your expensive devices won’t get damaged while out on the road.

All these features combine together to make power banks a remote work essential, especially for those who like more adventurous destinations.

Other Ways To Elevate Your Remote Work Experience

In addition to the essential items listed above, there are a few other products and tips that can help you further elevate your remote work experience while travelling abroad.

Portable Monitor

Having a second monitor can drastically improve your productivity when working remotely from home, but it also does when you work remotely from abroad!

You can use a portable monitor for the latter to multiply your productivity on the go and carry on working in a similar way to what you’re used to at your home office.

A couple of good ones are:

• MSI PRO MP161 15.6″
• ASUS ZenScreen Portable Monitor 15.6″

Laptop Stand

Portable laptop stands are also a great addition to your remote work setup.

Here are some of the key benefits of using them:

1. Increase comfort and ergonomics: Using a laptop stand can help to improve your posture and provide you with more comfortable viewing angles while working remotely from abroad.
2. Better cooling capabilities: Laptop stands raise the laptop off of flat surfaces, allowing for increased airflow around the device which helps keep it cool while you are using it.
3. Increased portability: Portable laptop stands make it easier for digital nomads to carry their workstations wherever they go due to their lightweight design and small size when folded up.
4. More organized workspace: The raised platform provided by a laptop stand also gives remote workers better access to cables and peripherals that may otherwise be hard to reach or organize within tight spaces (such as in an airplane seat).

Using a laptop stand like this one is a small touch that can make a big difference, especially when working remotely from non-ergonomic places like coffee shops.

VPN Service

VPNs are very useful for privacy protection and accessing geo-restricted content.

For example, some of your favourite Netflix shows back home may not necessarily be available in the countries you’re travelling to.

Using a VPN allows you to bypass this limitation.

Cloud Storage

Gone are the days when you needed to carry an external hard drive to store your important documents, photos, and videos.

Nowadays cloud storage is super affordable and helps you keep all of your files in one easily accessible centralised place.

Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Evernote make it easier than ever to stay organised and never lose your files.

I personally prefer Google Drive and Evernote due to their ecosystem and capabilities respectively. For example, you can quickly and easily save anything to Evernote by emailing it to your Evernote inbox and Google’s ecosystem includes Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc.

Luggage Scale

A good quality luggage scale helps you keep track of your bags’ weight and makes sure that they are always within airline restrictions.

This means no surprise fees or delays when checking in at the airport.

With a luggage scale, you can know exactly how much your bag weighs before leaving home or your travel destination to avoid any potential hassles while trying to board your flight.

One of the biggest benefits of using a luggage scale is convenience.

When packing for trips, it’s often difficult to estimate just how much your suitcase will weigh without actually weighing it first; this can lead to over-packing and potentially overweight baggage charges at check-in time.

Having a reliable and accurate luggage scale eliminates this guesswork so that you can be certain that your checked bags meet airline requirements every time you fly with them.

As a remote worker you probably already understand the benefits of travelling light. However, we also have these extended trips to the other side of the world where we need a bit more space for both our travel stuff and the souvenirs bought on the way back!

You can easily find digital luggage scales for around £10 on Amazon such as this one.

DSLR Camera and GoPro

If you want to take high-quality photos and videos, you might want to invest in a DSLR camera to capture lasting travel memories.

It has a bit of a learning curve but it’s well worth it in the end!

Another handy camera to take with you is a GoPro. It barely takes any space and can help you capture some tricky shots, including underwater.

Keyboard and Mouse

An external wireless keyboard and mouse are the staple of any decent home office and although you don’t necessarily need them on the go, they’ll definitely come in handy.

My favourite everyday wireless keyboard and mouse are:

• Magic Keyboard (Apple)
• Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse

Packing Cubes

This one is for the OCD digital nomad.

Packing cubes make it easier to keep all your belongings organised whether in your suitcase, backpack, or any other packing accessory.

When working remotely from abroad, it’s important to be prepared with the right tools and accessories for both work and leisure.

I hope this blog post has given you some useful insights into which remote work accessories are essential for your next trip.

From reliable luggage scales that ensure you don’t pay extra baggage fees to a trusty backpack that keeps all of your belongings organised, having the right items on hand will make your remote work journey more enjoyable and productive. With these seven essential items in tow, you’ll be ready for any adventure!