In the four years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic that started in early 2020 I traveled to 19 countries and all over America, racking up nearly 200,000 miles in the air and countless more from road trips.  While I now consider myself somewhat of a minimalist traveler, almost exclusively with a carry-on bag, I still manage to pack a fair amount of bits and bobs in.  A future article will come about my bags of choice, for now the focus is on things that have proven to be extremely helpful and not what if items.