Things to bring on an adventure

1. A camera. However crappy it may be, this item of still motion is essential to the capture and recollection of small moments.
2. A tiny jar. "Why?", you ask? It is optional, but a very nice reminder of the certain place. Find a tiny jar, and fill it with something that has to do or will remind you of the place you are at. For instance, dirt, crystals, sand, confetti....you know, if you go to a carnival...
3. Postal stamps. You need to let your friends know what's going on at your end, and getting letters and postcards is always nice. It makes you feel good to know your friends and family are thinking of you. 
4. An item that reminds you of home. Be it a photograph, your mom's old sweatshirt, a baseball cap, or whatever! It's always a great comfort to have an item that can ground you and hold you in one place when your head is flying everywhere. And there's always that middle-of-the-trip-crisis, and you want to be prepared. 
5. A journal. You need to write down all your thoughts and what you had for dinner, and who you sat next to on the bus, and if the flight attendant was crabby, and what big monument you saw, etcetera. It's also nice to get out your emotions of homesickness, see rule 4. 
6. Your iPod. Get rid of that old music you don't listen to anymore and put some other albums on. Have you heard the new one of your favorite band yet? And audiobooks are always awesome! Get at least three new ones, and re listen to them all the time, if you like them.
7. A sketchbook. This is totally optional, you don't have to follow any of this, but a sketchbook is one of my personal favorites. I'm an artist anyway, and when I'm on a trip, I usually get all this stuff crammed up inside me, so I have to take time to sit down and draw or write about it. 
8. Books. DUH. If you know me, you know that this is a no-brain-er. Get new books you've never read to try them out. And, of course, bring old favorites.