Jaunted

· Antler Size Zero carry on case: I was lucky enough to be sent this by Antler when they launched the Size Zero range, about three years ago. It’s meant to be superlight, although I don’t think it is particularly (I have a big suitcase in the same range, though, and that’s definitely light). But after three years of constant traveling, it’s barely taken a battering, and that counts for a lot.
· Macbook Air: I bought my first Air in November 2008, when I went to Chicago to cover the US election when I worked on a London newspaper. Swapping my hulking Vaio for this was really revelatory – I finally had a laptop that didn’t hit the Ryanair weight limit by itself. I’m not totally enamoured of it—the battery life is appalling (mine was down to less than two hours till I had it replaced this summer) and I’ve had loads of technical issues which Apple can’t sort—but the weight means I can’t give it up. In fact, now I’m working for Jetsetter, I have to take a Macbook Pro round with me, and my shoulders hate me for it.
· GPS: I bought this GPS in 2009 when I did a solo LA-New York drive across America. It was the first time I’d ever used GPS. Now I won’t even get on a freeway without it. This is my American one; I have another for Europe. I should probably update it though, because the stern lady often misjudges journeys by a couple of hundred miles.
· iPod: Since all technology commits suicide when it comes under my ownership, this is semi-broken; the screen only works half the time. But when I’m traveling a lot and have seen all the movies I can bear (this summer, for example, I racked up seven transatlantic flights in as many weeks—watching the Justin Bieber documentary was a low point) I crack this open. The case is from Hamburg.
· Samsung Galaxy SII: My first really smart smartphone. All my iPhone-wielding friends told me I had to join their ranks, but this one had a bigger screen (which my podgy fingers like), a great camera, I got an unbeatable £15-a-month deal on Orange with it, and Orange also do incredible value bundles for data roaming within Europe (£3 a day for 30MB). It’s my first touchscreen and my first good cameraphone, and it’s revolutionized both my work and my life. Although my Facebook friends may be slightly irritated by my bulging Mobile Uploads folder by now.
· Blackberry: Roaming charges are insanely expensive when it comes to using my Samsung in the US, so I have this Blackberry that I bought for $100 in a no-questions-asked-type store in North Las Vegas. It’s pretty janky and crashes repeatedly but better than nothing. I hook it up to T-Mobile, which has the worst customer service but the best prepay rates for foreigners with no credit. Unlimited data, calls and texts costs me $80 a month. On roaming, using my Samsung costs about that much per day, so it’s worth it even for a short trip. Better still, if you’re coming back soon, you can freeze your account for $10 a month and use the rest of your credit next time you’re over.
· Driving license: Ah, my shabby old driving license that’s been with me since I was 17. It’s the old style UK one with no photo and archaic terminology, and it’s so gloriously incomprehensible that producing it got me off a speeding ticket when a State Trooper in Alabama caught me doing 110mph in a 60mph zone. Obviously, once I got my US license, I was never shown mercy again – so when I rent, now, I always use the UK one.
· Passport holder: This is from the Bryant Park Hotel in New York, it’s bright enough so even I can’t mislay it, and it holds my passport, driving license, various boarding passes and a cut out pig that my grandmother made for me as a good luck charm when I was a child (don’t ask, I’m from Cornwall).
· Pillow: I was always too embarrassed to have one of these till I moved to America and saw everyone had one. So I thought I’d confront my embarrassment head on by buying one in the shape of a panda. This got me through a month of nonstop flying on All You Can Jet 2010.
· Flight socks: Because I’m six feet tall and hypochondriac, and convinced DVT will strike me down. I wear these even if I’m flying biz.
· Balanzza scales: The best travel investment I ever made – I use these to weigh my case each time I’m packing, so I avoid excess baggage charges. Not only does this save money, it also saves you the humiliation of doing the Crouch of Shame at the check in desk.
· Healthy snacks: I returned to the UK from 18 months in Vegas with, among other things, a stomach ulcer, so I find it hard to eat crap anymore, which rules out most airplane food. In economy, I usually just tackle the main course and then snack on nuts or edamame if I get peckish later on. I also take Rennies or Gaviscon, because my dicky tummy gets grumbly if I have more than one glass of alcohol.
· Cameras: I have a Casio Exilim compact camera which I take around with me day to day—it’s awesome in low lighting, and has a fantastic wide angle lense. But on most trips I also take my Canon SLR so I can polarize and all that jazz. This time, I’ll be using this in the mountains of New Mexico.
· Universal adaptor: I always take one in my carry on (in case I get stuck at an airport) and pop one in my big bag too. That way I can charge phone and camera overnight.
· Umbrella: Because I’m English.
· Epipen: Because I have comical-but-serious allergies to kiwi, melon and pineapple, and have to carry this at all times. I once had an allergic reaction to some unannounced melon in a salad on Air New Zealand, an hour or so over the Atlantic. And no, freebie-seeking harpies, before you get ideas, I didn’t get upgraded.

About the Author: Julia Buckley is a super cool chick and uber-frequent transatlantic flyer. She's also Deputy Editor at Jetsetter’s new UK site. Before that, she freelanced for UK publications like National Geographic Traveller, the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Mail On Sunday, GQ, and the erstwhile News of the World (no phone-hacking involved). You can follow her (and the rest of the British Jetsetter team) on Twitter @Jetsetter_UK.

[Photo: Julia Buckley]