As another spring and summer travel season arrives, my bags remain perpetually packed. You may notice plenty of of dark colors in the ten essentials above- when traveling for extended periods of time (especially to Europe), I tend to mix and match along one color scheme. This seems to make packing so much easier, where you can later add pops of color in your scarf, watch, or other accessories. I also ensure the majority of my gear can serve double duty for more active pursuits such as hiking or biking.