The top five travel items I couldn't live without when traveling.

Before you head out on a traveling exposition you are always confronted with the packing horrors of trying to fit what you think you may need into a 20kg ratio or however many Kilograms you may be allowed.

It always comes down to that one question, "what do you really need?". That's the question that I myself find difficult to answer on a regular basis. I mean I'm going to a place I may have never been before and I have to decide what I really "need".

For me, I hate packing, it's usually the case of me packing and then unpacking about 10 times until I am satisfied. I would say that I have gotten better in terms of deciding what to pack from my many travel experiences but I have learnt the top five things I couldn't live without whilst traveling.

For me I am a photographic enthusiast. I never go anywhere without some sort of camera, whether it's my Canon EOS 600D or my iPhone, I always have to have some sort of device to capture my experiences with. (It's a perfect blend of picture quality and affordability, plus its light enough to carry around).

When I first headed over to Europe I had a little Olympus point and shoot with me, that I had won in school for coming first in my photography class. For me the HD movie, the 5x wide optical zoom and the 8 megapixels was enough to start off with. It was light, easy to carry around and perfect for a beginner photographer.

Later on in my travels I realised that I wanted something a little more advanced, which is when I invested in my Canon EOS 600D. It was the best investment I had made, and it follows me around like my own personal puppy dog.

I have become more into my photography every day, especially traveling around the globe and getting to capture the worlds wonders. For me photography means so much more than just taking a photo, it captures a moment and gives people the chance to relive moments and even to experiences places where they have never been before.

For somebody like myself, traveling around, my iPhone is one of my main companions. Mobile technology these days is so advanced (and becoming more advanced day by day) that you can compact so much into one little machine. For me my iPhone has everything on it that can keep me going whilst traveling. It's a way for me to keep in contact with everyone that I meet as well as a source to keep me going in the right direction.

Some of my favourite traveling apps include:

- Whatsapp: Im sure most of you may of heard of this before, but for those that don't, whatsapp is a free messaging service to anyone that has the application, all you need is the internet. Through this you can keep in contact with people, by sending photos, videos, voice memos and even your current location. It's the perfect thing to keep your family and friends updated without spending lots of money on phone and SMS bills.

- Google Maps: If you're anything like me and have the sense of direction like a brick then this will be your new best friend. When traveling around you're going to find yourself in new places where you are going to need some sort of directional advice. Instead of using a map where you have to constantly figure out your location, google maps is simple and can figure out your current location and then all you have to do is type in your destination and it will show you the quickest route there and how long it will take, whether you're traveling by foot, by car or by bus.

- Facebook: I'm pretty sure the entire world is familiar with facebook and of your not then you have been living under a rock. I went through a faze (after having facebook for a couple of years), of beginning to despise the fact that you became so reliant on an internet website to keep in contact with the world. I then decided to delete it altogether and go anti-facebook, which ended up lasting a record time of 2 weeks. As much as it's hard to admit, but facebook is the perfect way of keeping your family and friends updated with your travels, saving you having to send 100 emails to every single person on your contact list. It's also perfect when it comes to meeting new people in a random hostel, the perfect way to keep in contact.

- Skype: I love how you can be 24 hours (by plane) away from home and still be able to keep in contact with family and friends. Skype is a perfect way to cure homesickness and actually have the benefit of seeing the persons face you are talking with (the beauties of video chat). It make you feel, in some ways that you are right there with them. As well as video chat, Skype also is a cheaper way of calling home phones, straight from your computer, all you need is a little credit. I think without Skype I wouldn't be able to bare being away from home for so long. Beats being back in the olden days where you may get like one phone call home every couple of months.

- Travel apps: Nowadays most transportation website has an app of some sort. For example with easyjet airlines, having their app makes booking flights and checking in so much easier, all from your phone. Apps like Skyscanner gives you the option to search all airlines to find the cheapest flight that best suits you. The travel app market with iPhones and smartphones is incredible, making it so much easier for travellers to get around the world. There are also apps like tripadvisor that gives you knowledge to where you are wanting to go, from the best places to stay to the most popular things to do. All based on what other travellers have experienced.

I think this, and mostly every traveler would agree with me, that these are the most important things to have with you whilst traveling. If you forgot your phone, your camera or a piece of item, these things are replaceable, you can buy a new one. But travel documents and money are they key things to survive traveling, without them you won't be going anywhere.

You can upload scanned copies of your passport, drivers licence and other documents to Google drive incase you lose anything traveling. Its good for emergencies to be able to access them so at least if anything happens you can identify yourself and use your Paypal account to get accommodation etc.

I also store my documents in a handy folder that gives easy access to everything.

For me music is something I cannot travel without, especially when it comes to long trips, without it they seem to take twice as long, and in the meantime i'm bored out of my mind.

Music has a way of taking you to new places, for me I can plug in my headphones, and I won't be in the room, but in some faraway land lost in musics melodies.

I find also that music can change your mood in a blink of an eye, I find when I am put in a sticky situation that may take my emotions for a rollercoaster ride, the best remedy to take me out of this spin is to put in my headphones, and go for a walk, turning up the music and totally blocking out the world.

For every traveller I think it is always important to carry a piece of home with them, so no matter how far away you are, you will always have some of it with you. For me my piece of home comes in the form of a Greenstone necklace that was gifted to me by my dad before I left.

Greenstone is the stone of NZ, one that never leaves my neck. Another piece of home is my pandora bracelet that holds silver charms all gifted to me by friends and family. Each charm is representation of NZ, from a little Kiwi to the NZ fern. Its the perfect gift for someone that is leaving home, something small that they can easily carry with them all the time.

Everybody has their own personal “The top 5 things I couldn't live without whilst traveling” list.

Sit down for a second and have a think at what your 5 things would be, and have a think of the next time you are packing, how much do you really need those other items?