Nicholas Kristof’s Tried-and-True Packing List for Any Situation (Really) – Wirecutter, A New York Times Company

For sleeping in dubious places, I recommend a silk sheet sack from REI. This 4.7-ounce piece of cloth is like a sleeping bag but much tinier, and I use it if I have any concerns about bedbugs. I’m still traumatized by the bedbugs I encountered in Central African Republic. My promises to my long-suffering wife when I head out the door are that I won’t get hurt and won’t bring back bedbugs.

If you’re getting away from civilization, bring a tiny GI P-38 Can Opener, which costs just a bit more than a dollar; this is useful when you’re starving and find a store with a can of tuna fish but no opener. I gave away my first one to a Bedouin in the Sinai when I was learning Arabic, and I’ve gone through a number of them since.

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This tiny can opener has a hole, so you can add it to a key ring.

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If it might rain, I bring a tiny, 3.2-ounce Montbell umbrella, sometimes along with another item borrowed from ultralight backpacking: a 5.4-ounce rain jacket from Zpacks. Neither item looks distinguished, but they both fit in a small pack.

I’m a deep believer in coffee in the morning, but I haven’t figured out how best to address that need. Occasionally, I’ve brought a small filter and some ground coffee, but then it’s even more exasperating if I can’t find a mug or hot water. I’ve settled for a small baggie of Starbucks instant coffee—which takes up less space than a filter but is useless without hot water—and chocolate-covered espresso beans as a last resort.

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The bathroom is easy: I bring a small roll of camping toilet paper that can slip into a pocket. In plenty of countries, you’ll be greeted by a toilet that has no paper or perhaps has scraps of an old newspaper (as a journalist, I find this to be a very undignified retirement for aging newsprint).

One last suggestion, to make sure that all of this gear actually stays with you rather than walking off: a ski lock to lock your belongings together in a train or bus or even in a hotel room, so someone can’t snatch and grab. A colleague in Iraq once had thieves open the back of her vehicle when it was stopped and run off with her bags; that wouldn’t have been possible if they’d been cabled together. Your security doesn’t have to be perfect, but you just want to make thieves prefer to think another target will be easier.

And, most important, in your travels, bring along a sense of wonder to appreciate the privilege of seeing the world. That is lighter than air, takes up no space in your luggage, and fills your journeys with purpose.

This article was edited by Maxine Builder and Hannah Rimm.