The Ultimate Digital Nomad Packing List - Must-have Items

Last Updated on 20th June 2022

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I’ve wanted to write this post about the ultimate digital nomad packing list for a good few months now, but with the whole world pretty much spending the last year in lockdown, and with very few people travelling, it didn’t really seem like quite the right time.

However, as many parts of the world are slowly starting to open up, I wanted to share my guide about everything digital nomads need as part of their packing list when they’re planning their new nomadic life.

In this guide, you’ll find many of the tried-and-tested things I use as a digital nomad, including all the best tech that has helped me work online from anywhere in the world, as well as a few bonus packing items that were included as essentials from other backpackers and nomads that I know.

Laptop – Digital Nomad Packing List

Depending on the type of work you’re planning to do as a digital nomad, it’s highly likely that you’ll require a laptop, especially if most or all of your work is online.

As a freelance writer and travel blogger, my laptop is probably my number one essential as a digital nomad, so it’s imperative that I have a good, trusty and reliable laptop that I can take anywhere in the world with me.

While the brand itself certainly has its pros and cons, I’ve always been a huge fan of Apple products and my 13″ MacBook Pro is an integral part of my nomadic packing list as it enables me to complete client work and work on my blog, wherever I am in the world.

Laptop bag

To coincide with a laptop, you’ll likely also want to make sure that you have a sturdy laptop bag, especially if you’re going to be travelling a fair bit as a digital nomad.

The laptop bag that I’m currently using is an incredibly old one that I bought from Primark years ago, but before we head off travelling again, I’m going to invest in a much studier laptop bag so that I know that it’s well protected when travelling between flights, buses, trains and more.

Wi-Fi router – Digital Nomad Packing List

Thankfully, wherever Matt and I have travelled to in the past, we’ve always been blessed with either decent Wi-Fi or my mobile hotspot which we can use all across Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

While for the most part we had pretty good Wi-Fi that allowed us to either work from a hotel/hostel/Airbnb or from a nearby local cafe when we were travelling, there were times when the Wi-Fi signal wasn’t the best, so I’m definitely going to invest in a portable Wi-Fi hotspot next time we travel somewhere where great internet isn’t guaranteed.

It’s all well and good having a laptop to work from, but if you can’t actually access the internet as a digital nomad, you’ll probably struggle to actually get much work done!

Osprey Backpack

If you’ve read any of my packing guides before, you’ll know just how much I adore my Osprey backpack and it’s probably one of my top three packing recommendations for any traveller.

Of course, as a digital nomad, it depends on how much travelling you plan on actually doing as to whether you need a proper backpack or not, but the kind of traveller/nomad that I am, I needed a backpack that would stand the test of time.

My beloved Osprey 70L Fairview backpack is the perfect companion for me as a traveller and it’s travelled with me to many countries all around the world across many different climates and I truly wouldn’t travel with any other brand of backpack.

Camera

As a travel writer and blogger, my camera is an essential part of my digital nomad arsenal, so it’s important that I have a pretty decent camera to take with me on my travels.

I have the Nikon D3500 camera which I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for a slightly fancier camera, but one that doesn’t require a degree in photography in order to use it!

Tripod – Digital Nomad Packing List

I think a tripod is another excellent item to include in your digital nomad packing list, especially if you’re a solo traveller as it’ll make life so much easier when it comes to taking photos of things/yourself.

I just have the Amazon Basics Tripod and I’ve had it for over three years now and it’s still going strong; I’ve used it in many terrains and climates, including snow, rain, sand, mud and more, so I can vouch for its durability. It’s also incredibly affordable too!

SD Card Reader

For the longest time, I went without an SD card reader and instead, I used the Nikon mobile app to transfer my photos from my camera to my phone and it was a bloody nightmare. Once I got a card reader however, it made my life 100X easier when importing photos straight from my camera to my phone and I literally wouldn’t be without it now.

If you’re a nomad who takes a lot of pictures and you want to import them straight onto your phone, I’d highly recommend investing in an SD card reader.

Noise-cancelling headphones

Working in a relatively noisy environment isn’t something that I usually struggle with too much, as long as it’s more cafe noise rather than nightclub noise!

However, if you do plan on working in co-working environments, or even just from coffee shops as a digital nomad, you might want to think about getting a pair of noise-cancelling headphones to take with you on your travels.

Not only will these be great for when you’re actually working, but they’ll be a godsend when travelling via public transport, or if you’re staying in a hostel with noisy neighbours!

Travel Adapters

If you’re going to be travelling to various different countries as a nomad, you’ll probably have to switch between numerous different plug sockets as you go, so the easiest and best way to manage this is to have a single travel adapter that will work with any plug socket in the world.

We’ve had the Hyleton Worldwide Travel Adapter for over two years now, and even when we’re back in the UK, I still use it every single day to charge both my phone and laptop at the same time. It’s lasted incredibly well, across many countries and the many different ports make it insanely easy to charge multiple things at the same time; always a bonus for digital nomads who will likely have several things to charge at a time!

Phone – Digital Nomad Packing List

This one probably goes without saying but having a phone as a digital nomad is useful not only for working purposes, but also for keeping in touch with family and friends back home as well.

Whether you keep your current phone and get a new sim card every time you go to a new country so that it works everywhere you go, or you’d prefer to just pick up a new, cheap phone in each country, it’s a good idea to think about your phone situation as a nomad.

Bonus gear for digital nomad packing list

I’ve included the below as “bonus” items to have as part of your digital nomad packing list as I don’t think that they’re strictly essential, but they can be great additions to your backpack as a nomad.

Laptop stand

A laptop stand can be an incredibly useful tool as a digital nomad as it’ll allow you to work comfortably from bed, on a train, plane or even just at a cafe. While I don’t personally use a laptop stand, I know many people find them to be great additions to their packing list, so I thought it was worth including in this list.

The Digital Nomad Handbook

Lonely Planet has been one of my number one go-to resources for all things travel and working remotely for many years now and their Digital Nomad Handbook is an excellent resource for digital nomads as it includes plenty of tips and advice about working remotely and on the road. If you’re thinking of leaving the 9-5 and pursuing a life as a nomad, I’d highly recommend taking a look at this book for top tips and advice.

Drone

I definitely don’t think that a drone is an imperative part of a nomad’s backpack and Matt and I didn’t even have a drone while we were travelling New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia, but it is something that we talked about getting for a while. I purchased the DJI Mini 2 back in February this year as Matt’s birthday present and I can already tell that it’s going to play a huge part in our travels as it’s an incredible piece of kit.

Of course, if you’re not really into the tech side of being a digital nomad too much, then I certainly don’t think a drone is important to have, but if you do want to up your content game, or even just get some awesome footage for yourself, then I think a drone is a worthy investment.

GoPro

Similarly to a drone, I don’t think that a GoPro is necessarily a piece of equipment that a digital nomad needs to have, but as someone who creates travel content on my blog and social media for a living, our GoPro Hero 7 was an awesome thing to have while travelling.

There are probably dozens of more things that I could add to this digital nomad packing list, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with loads of tech gear that isn’t necessarily “essential” for a digital nomad. If you are looking for more inspiration on what to take with you on a trip around the world, or other ideas on tech and equipment, check out some of my other packing posts below!

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