Tiny and cheap gadgets worth bringing
The best general advice for bringing extra gadgets with you on your RTW trip, is don’t. You’ll be amazed at how little you can get by with when you are leading a simple life of long-term travel. Many things you just won’t need or use, and other things can be easily purchased for even less abroad than at home, and then left behind when you no longer need them. But there are a few small and cheap things that will be far more useful than you might realize.
A tiny flashlight is one common item that is on many people’s lists, and these are a good idea. You can either get a small, high-quality one like a Maglite, that sells for around $10, or you can bring an even cheaper one, like those keychain lights that are designed to help you find the key hole when you come home at night. Those can be found for around $2 or even at a dollar store. They won’t last forever, but they will probably last for your trip.
The disposable cheap ones aren’t ideal if you want to use it to read in a hostel room for many hours, but they are fine to provide enough light so you can look through your pack in the dark and not wake the entire room. You can even find these things on the road in many places, so if your first one goes dead you can easily pick up a new one.
Another tiny item that is well worth considering is a keychain compass. With no electronic components, they should work forever as long as they work well enough in the store before you buy them. You can find one for around US$5 or even less, and you might be amazed at how useful they can be in cities you don’t know.
The most common place where having a small compass can be very helpful is when dealing with subways/metros in large cities. Very often you’ll know you are supposed to get off at a certain stop and then walk 3 blocks north or 5 blocks west or whatever, to find the museum or hotel you are looking for. But with many different exits to these subway stations, you never know which direction you are facing when you surface, and street signs and names are often hard to find or read.
Another thing you’ll probably face quite a few times on your trip is having to leave from or switch trains at a small station. Often these stations only have one or two platforms, and it can be surprisingly difficult figuring out which way is west and which way is east etc. You know you have to board a train going east and one is arriving, but the sign on the side of the thing just gives a city name you’ve never heard of. With a keychain compass you can pull it out of your pocket and within 2 seconds you’ll know if that train is heading your way or not. Just one or two of these little instances can make this tiny $5 thing one of the most valuable things you brought with you.