“What’s In My Travel Bag” With YouTubers Damon and Jo

Damon Dominique and Jo Franco are a pair of travel YouTubers, language-learning enthusiasts, and self-proclaimed 90s kids. For the past six years, the duo has been roaming the globe and documenting their travels on their YouTube channel, where they’ve amassed over a million followers, and on their site, Shut Up and Go.

Wherever they are, Damon, 27, and Jo, 26, (and a former DoSomething intern!) make an effort to travel sustainably and encourage others to do the same. Sustainable travel is all about tourism that minimizes the harm and works to improve the natural and cultural environments of where you visit. For Damon and Jo, that can mean things like packing minimally, carrying reusable bags, and wearing clothes made from natural, breathable fibers (like Damon’s go-to cotton cargo pants)!

Read our interview below to hear more travel tips and stories from these two best friends. And be sure to check out our Green Your Getaway campaign sponsored by Cotton to learn how you and your friends can be sustainable travelers while satisfying your wanderlust this summer.

DoSomething: What’s your go-to travel outfit?

Damon: I am always stuntin' in the airport. I just feel better in a pair of baggy cargo pants and a tucked in tank top than sweatpants or athletic wear.

Jo: My "hippie" traveler pants that I got from Thailand, and a crop top with a granny sweater that automatically doubles as a neck pillow in-flight. Oh, and even if I'm wearing sandals on a travel day, I ALWAYS have an extra pair of socks in my bag because those flights get frigid.

What’s something you pack that helps you travel sustainably?

Damon: It's not one specific item, but really the entire content in my suitcase. Almost all of my clothes are from second-hand, vintage, thrift stores -- and once I'm sick of my clothes, I always gift them to friends or drop them off at a thrift store. Again, when you're literally living out of one suitcase -- you can't pack much!

Jo: Canvas bags for the win. Anytime I go shopping I avoid getting any plastic bags because I'm a certified bag lady (in a good way). Plus, it'll always come in handy even if you use the canvas bag to separate your dirty clothes from your clean ones.

What’s one item that’s a “must” for your travel bag?

Damon: Breath spray and floss. There's something that grosses me out about transporting a toothbrush anywhere outside of my own bathroom.

Jo: Some sort of hair product or leave-in conditioner. I wouldn't be able to see all the beautiful things if my hair is so big it'll block the sun.

What’s an item that people would be surprised to know you travel with?

Damon: A tennis racket (hahaha). It has been in my suitcase for the past year; I have played twice. It's not the most useful item, but anytime you really do a hobby you love in a foreign place, the hobby feels so much more special. Playing tennis in London was so much more of a moment than playing tennis back in the USA.

Jo: A tennis ball (hahaha) and no, I don't play tennis, but It's really great for getting pressure points in your back, neck, and feet. It's like a DIY massager, and oftentimes when you travel the last thing you have time for is taking care of yourself.

What’s the smallest item you couldn’t travel without?

Damon:

Jo: A nail clipper. Trust me, everyone will need it at one point or another. Damon's answer is blank because he usually just borrows mine lol.

What accessory or extra article of clothing do you always carry with you?

Damon: I'll just put this out there because it's a travel tip that no one talks about and that's what I'm here to do. I've completely switched to that smaller brief-like underwear -- maybe it was my recent trip to Brazil, but I'm just sayin' it takes up a whole lot less space in your suitcase when you're basically wearing dental floss.

Jo: Socks, cause really, I can go commando, and bra-less but my poor feet shouldn't suffer (is that TMI lol)?

What’s an item that’s kinda unnecessary but you always have with you?

Damon: A protein shaker. Like I could easily just pick one up in each place, or just buy little packets of protein -- but for some reason, I've had my bulky protein shaker in my bag for the past six months. Help me.

Jo: A travel speaker. I'm a huge music lover, and having a bluetooth speaker at the beach, in an Airbnb, or even in cheap rental cars that don't have USBs sets the mood. Bonus tip: listen to music from the place you're in, you'll get immersed that way.

What’s an item you’re a little embarrassed you always need?

Damon: Moving from climate to climate, I'm surprised when I'm not having a skin reaction to something. I wouldn't say it's embarrassing at all, but hydrocortisone is a must-have when you travel. There's always some sort of rash that appears after swimming in a gorgeous waterfall (worth it, by the way), or a red mark that appears on your face after you just gave someone a bisous in France. It's like, can my skin get a break, damn?

Jo: It's a tie between deodorant, and over-the-counter yeast infection medication (suddenly this is a tell-all interview). I'm gonna keep it real, things start acting up when you're hopping time zones and going through different climates. There's nothing worse than feeling clammy while on the go.

What item in your bag are you most likely to lose?

Damon: I'm always losing converters and adapters, and you can imagine how important those are, when your full-time job is to make travel videos on YouTube. It's not like you're always in a studio with a plug. You're in foreign countries, with different types of adaptors. The multi-country ones are always super bulky, and the country-specific ones are...only country-specific. Yeah, I could always use more of those!

Jo: My credit cards. I always try to be so "minimalist" that I'll often leave with one credit card in a pocket of loose hippie pants, and when I put my hands in the pocket the credit card is gone. That, or I leave my wallet hanging around and get pickpocketed. It sucks that it always happens because canceling a card and trying to get a replacement is a nightmare -- but hey, don't feel bad, it happens to me all the time. My trick to this is always separate your cards so you have access to money even if you lose a card.

Where are you both off to next/anything else you’d like to add?

Damon: It feels funny to say that after traveling the world for the past year, I'm actually very excited to visit my hometown. I haven't seen my family in a year. Giving up the sense of stability with friends/family is just the name of the game when you travel a lot. You have a few good friends here, and few good friends there, but they never really meet...and don't know if they'd even get along. It's both beautiful and quite sad at the time. Can you tell I've been living in Paris -- with all this melodrama?

Jo: Having experienced the melodramatic reality Damon mentioned last year after living out of a suitcase for 6 months, I decided to get rooted in LA again and have a home base while taking trips here and there. So we're in opposite modes because I'm jazzed about jet setting again and going to places like Vietnam, the Philippines, and anywhere else that has culture, and beaches. As far as immediate plans are concerned: I'll reunite with Damon in the Midwest for a show we're hosting!

Editor’s Note: As Damon and Jo can clearly attest, your travel bag (and the stuff you put in it) can really have an impact on how your vacation goes down — so make sure you’re packing the right things! If you’re looking for some cotton essentials for your next trip, take a look at our sponsor Cotton, a leader in sustainability and our partner in creating our sustainable travel guide.