Must Have Travel Items

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Must Have Travel Items

Be prepared for you vacation experience with the items recommended below. All items are recommendations based on experience to better prepare you for your travels or to simply make your life easier while traveling.

Luggage

Durable Luggage

One of the most important travel purchases you will ever make is your luggage. I’ve had many bags over the years and what I can tell you first and foremost is you need strong resilient luggage. I’ve had front pockets torn off (lost everything in that pocket), wheels, zippers, and handles break. There’s nothing that will stress you out more on your vacation than having to awkwardly drag your broken bag through the airport. My recommendation to you is to get a hard shell bag with a solid reputation such as the Travelpro or Samsonite.

Why I recommend these products:

1. One of the top rated luggage companies
2. Hard shell
3. Killer warranties
   • Samsonite has a 10-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
   • Travelpro has a Lifetime Limited Warranty with a Trusted Companion Promise which includes the cost of repair for damage caused by an airline or other common carrier for the first year after registration

Bag Tags & Trackers

Welcome to the wild west of checking bags. Anything and everything can happen. You need to be prepared.

It is incredibly important to attach your contact information to your luggage. I have personally had my luggage delayed and completely missing many time. I’ve even watched bags fall off luggage carts that were left there for what seemed to be an eternity. So, long story short in the unfortunate situation you luggage gets lost, they need to know who to return it to. Make sure to put a tag on both checked luggage and carry on items.

Why I recommend this product:

1. Buy one and done- Solid material that will serve you for years to come. No junky plastic here
2. Your information is covered- I’ve had many tags over the years and many of them end up wearing off my information. Your information is tucked away from the elements so you don’t have to worry about it smearing or becoming unreadable.
3. Leather buckle attachment- This puppy isn’t going anywhere. It would take the grace of god for this tag to come off. No worries here.

Luggage Trackers– For Checked Bags

I HIGHLY recommend GPS trackers for international flights. International flights tend to be the wild west I spoke of earlier. I hate to say this but sometime you have to tell the airline where your bag is. These trackers work with your smart phone and can tell you where they are located anywhere in the world. When you’re not traveling you can use them to track things like your keys, wallet, pets or ex-boyfriends (kidding).

Luggage Tracker for Samsung & Apple devices

Packing Items

Toiletry Bags

A good toiletry bag will eventually become your partner in crime so it’s important to find a bag that suits all of your needs. As you can likely tell by now I am all about function and having product serve you to make you life easier.

Why I recommend these products:

1. They can hang- If I had a dollar for every time I stayed somewhere with no bathroom counter space I would be rich. These items are a tri-fold setup so you can hang your bag out of the way and still have easy access to your items. My previous bag would hook but was a bulky bag- that I do not recommend.
2. Separate compartments- Let’s face it- spills happen. The separate compartments of this set up with keep your items from spilling all over each other. I’ve had this happen TOO many times, my toothbrush ended up tasting like perfume. Don’t let that be you.

Laundry Bags

There is nothing worse than having your clean clothes smelling like your dirty clothes when traveling. I’ve tried putting my dirty clothes in separate compartments but ultimately the clothes still smelled and anything else in that compartment would smell too.

Why I recommend this product:

1. Keeps your clean clothes smelling clean no matter what bag you’re using. I tend to change hotels often so I have to repack my bags multiple times during a trip. This will prevent the stank from spreading.
2. Require minimal space- No sacrificing space for this item. They fold up very small and won’t add much weight. Big benefit for minimal space/ weight

Money Belt

Now this one might sound a little weird to you and yes it kinda looks like a fanny pack. But the reality is, in MANY tourist destinations, pick pocketing is incredibly common. I promise you, you will never see them coming. I highly recommend a solution such as this money belt. It’s meant to be worn under your clothes and hold some of your most valuable items such as passports and money. All of these recommendations have RFID so scammers can’t just walk by and steal your credit card information (Thank you contactless pay). I’ve heard many stories of people struggling after all their money and passports were stolen. It’s not something you ever want to deal with. Don’t let this be you!

Travel Size

One of my favorite travel hacks is having travel size bottles of various products. This is helpful especially for those who do not check luggage and will need to get their items through security (3.4oz liquid limitation). Many times purchasing these items at your destination can be incredibly expensive (Ex. sunscreen) and even if you do, you may not be able to bring it back because it’s full size. Below I’ve compiled items I like to purchase ahead of time and have on hand for my travels.

My #1 Travel Size Must Have: Sunscreen

Toothpaste

I’m picky about my toothpaste, so I always have these on deck.

Travel Size Bottles, Containers & Tooth Brush Covers

Airport

Travel can be stressful for many reasons. Let’s make your airport experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Water Bottle

Something just as simple as water can be incredibly expensive at the airport. My solution is to bring a bottle (filled with ice, you can bring ice through security, not water!) through security and fill up your container with water at any of the many filling stations. Not only will you have cold water during your travels, but you will have your bottle throughout your entire trip. It is one of my most used items when traveling.

Why I recommend this product:

1. It’s double wall insulated so it will keep your drink cold without sweating
2. Stainless steel- BPA free and can handle abuse
3. Has a hook on it so you can hook it to your bag or purse (This is a deal breaker for me)
4. Screw off top- The last thing you want is attempting to open a container with a straw/ spout 30k feet in the air- It goes everywhere! (Ask me how I know)

Passport Protector

Your passport is one of the most important items you will be carrying with you if you’re traveling international. The last thing you want is for it to get destroyed. Keep your passport safe with any of these solid protective covers. With durable exteriors and slots for other items it helps you keep everything important in one place. It’s significant protection for minimal cost.

Carry On Items

Let’s get comfy! Sit back and relax, we’re on our way to our vacation experience! Here are some comfy plane must haves!

Neck Pillow

Trust me when I say it’s not fun for anyone to witness the bob and weave. Keep your head and neck comfortable and avoid unexpectedly making a new friend on the flight.

Blankets, Pillows and all things Fuzzy

Fuzzy…..Need I say more?

Activities

Water Shoes

Water shoes are probably one of the most underrated items on this list. Many times when we’re on tours and activities we don’t know what to expect. I highly recommend wearing or bringing a pair of water shoes with you on your excursions especially if it requires water, mild hiking or off-roading. One pair of shoes can handle walking, getting dirty and getting wet. Or if you simply don’t like things touching your feet in the water (like me), this product is a win-win.

Why I recommend this product:

1. Unisex sizes makes ordering easy
2. They don’t look like your normal hideous water shoes (YAY!)
3. Light weight & easily foldable

Waterproof Bag

I highly recommend bringing a waterproof bag for any water activities. You can never be too safe and you get to keep your items with you instead of storing your items elsewhere likely unattended. Be prepared for all water based activities with a waterproof dry bag. Keep all of your items dry no matter the level of water involvement or rain.

Why I recommend this product:

1. Waterproof- No worries here, your items are safe!
2. Folds up for easy storage in your luggage
3. Will float if it makes it overboard

Resort

Booze, I mean, Drinking Cup

No one like a watered down warm margarita! Prevent yourself from ever having a warm beverage with bringing your very own insulated cup to use at your resort. With a straw for easy drinking, all you have to do is ask the kind bartender for a refill. No warm drinks ever again!

Resort Bag

Ahh, my very first resort mistake- Not bringing a resort bag. It’s not an item you would normally think of but boy are they helpful. I ended up fumbling around with all of my room keys, covers, water bottles and whatnot until I broke down and bought one. Yes many times they have bags you can purchase, but boy you’re going to pay a premium! Here are a few cute resort bags that will fold up nicely in your luggage.

I hope this list was helpful for you! I will be adding items as I continue to travel and experience. Last but not least, please be sure to visit my Pre Departure Checklist page to ensure you have everything you need for your travels.