If you’re getting ready for a trip but find yourself wondering how to travel with an AeroPress, you’re not alone.
One of the things that was immediately obvious when I first saw my friend’s AeroPress, was its portability. I could see the huge benefit in owning a coffee maker that you could bring with you pretty much anywhere.
My friend spoke about just that. He would bring it with him when he went camping, when he visited his parents, when he went to the office and when he went for cycling trips.
It was one of the things he loved the most about it, aside from making great coffee. Since owning my own, it’s also become one of the things that I love the most about it, too.
If you want to travel with an AeroPress, you could purchase an AeroPress travel kit or case, or the AeroPress Go which neatly packs away into a travel mug which you press your coffee into, or even the JavaJug.
There’s many options and there’s no right or wrong way of doing it. As with most things, it comes down to what your needs are.
Before you rush off to buy your travel setup, there’s a few factors to consider that will help determine which option will suit you best:
- What items you need to bring
- How much space you have
- How much weight you can carry
- How long your trip is
Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.
How to Travel With an AeroPress – Factors You Should Consider
Useful items
Your travel situation will greatly impact what you need to bring with you. Here’s a list of items that may be useful for you when you travel with your AeroPress:
- AeroPress or AeroPress Go (obviously)
- Portable Hand grinder
- Travel cap for storing coffee beans in the plunger tube of your AeroPress
- Herb pot for storing ground coffee
- Travel kit
- Travel mug suitable for the AeroPress
- JavaJug
You’re not going to need all of these things every single time you travel with your AeroPress, but some of them will help you greatly.
If you’re just visiting your parents locally, for instance, the AeroPress, a suitable hand grinder and a travel cap for storing beans would be enough.
You could even make it simpler by grinding the coffee beans before you go and bringing them in a herb pot. I’m sure you get the idea here.
Storage space
If you’re traveling in a way that restricts how much storage space you have, take a minute to think about what you really need to bring with you and why.
If you’re only going for a day or two, you might be better off bringing pre-ground coffee. If anything, you’ll appreciate your freshly ground coffee that much more when you return.
When storage is a real deal-breaker, you should seriously consider getting an AeroPress Go.
If you’ve already got an AeroPress, I don’t need to convince you about the benefits, such as it’s:
- Compact,
- Durable,
- Fast,
- Portable, and
- Lightweight
Obviously, the AeroPress Go is all these things and more. It comes complete with its very own travel mug that you can press your coffee directly into, so that’s one less thing you need to bring.
Not only that, but it’s even more compact, as it can be packed away entirely into the travel mug, drastically decreasing the amount of storage space needed.
But if that doesn’t persuade you and you already own an AeroPress, you could instead look at the option of grabbing a JavaJug.
It’s a big coffee jug that you can press your AeroPress coffee into and also store your AeroPress inside of when you’re all done.
It’s not as compact as the AeroPress Go, but if you don’t need to be that compact, it’s a suitable option.
Another option is a travel kit. There’s plenty of kits available, each with a different style and size.
Think carefully about exactly how you plan to use it, making sure it can accommodate your AeroPress and other essentials.
Weight
If you’re traveling internationally, the weight of individual items in your luggage can begin to really add up. The last thing you need is another heavy item to add to your list.
AeroPress to the rescue! As I stated earlier, being lightweight is one of the key benefits of the AeroPress. You should have no hesitation about bringing it with you overseas whatsoever.
You’ll want to use some sort of travel kit to avoid your coffee gear getting damaged or moving around in transit.
And if you’re going on more of a backpacking adventure, the AeroPress Go would be a clear winner here, taking up the least amount of space, but also providing a travel mug.
You should also have your own coffee hand grinder that compliments the AeroPress, as no pre-ground coffee will last a long trip. To find out which hand grinder is most suitable, see my recent article.
Length of trip
Every trip you take is different. Are you going for several days or longer? If so, will you need to bring a grinder that matches the benefits of the AeroPress?
If the freshness of ground coffee is less important to you, can you instead pre-grind your beans before you go and bring them in a compact storage container?
For some people, they can sacrifice their desire for freshly ground coffee in exchange for the extra space they will have. For others, it’s not an option.
If you really can’t go without freshly ground coffee, you can maximise the space you have by bringing a hand grinder that can fit inside your AeroPress.
You could also use a travel cap that seals over the end of the plunger tube to hold your coffee beans.
It won’t hold enough for a long trip, but it’s something. Perhaps it’s enough to keep you going until you can purchase some more coffee beans on your travels.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve got a clearer idea about what you may or may not need to bring with you when you travel and that I’ve provided some insight about how to travel with an AeroPress.
Have you tried out any of my suggestions? How did they work for you? Do you have something to recommend that I missed? Let me know in the comments below.
Stay caffeinated!
