My Travel Necessities: What I Take with Me on Every Trip
I travel a lot–work trips where I spend a lot of time in my hotel on my laptop, fun trips overseas where I’m gone for several days at a time exploring new places, and weekend getaways where I find a fun AirBnB and a new area to explore. (It’s actually a goal of mine to travel at least once a month.)
There are a few things that come on every single trip with me–my travel necessities. No matter if I’m gone for a few days or a few weeks, if I’m a few miles away from my home or a few hundred miles, these travel must-haves come with me every time.
In addition to the usual items (passport, electronics, etc.), these are my top five travel necessities that I take with me on every trip. (I also have a specific list of bookish accessories I travel with, too.):
It’s hard to believe that we used to travel without electronic items (yes, I’m that old). Because now I really can’t go anywhere without a phone (sometimes two), earphones, an iPad, a FitBit, and sometimes more. And often when traveling (especially on long plane rides or day trips), I don’t always have a socket to plug them in to, so a portable charger really is a travel necessity. And after trying a few different ones, this one really is the best: it’s slim, lightweight and easy to carry; it has 3 built-in outputs (so I don’t even have to carry cords); it has 3 other outputs, so if I needed to, I could use it to charge six things at once; and it’s affordable!
Although this messenger bag is advertised as a great bag for travel, I actually use it every day. (So it’s a travel must-have and a life must-have for me!) It’s the perfect size to hold everything I need: my electronics (including my iPad, which I use as my e-reader), a “real” book if that’s what I’m reading right now, a water bottle, and all the usual purse stuff–keys, chapstick, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc. It has a lot of little compartments and pockets which are great for keeping organized and it has alot of security features like slash-resistant straps and RFID-blocking pockets.
One of my travel buddies introduced me to this product and I now have it in two different sizes. It’s a toiletry bag with just enough pockets and compartments (that are see-through!) made of waterproof materials (so even if something leaks inside, it doesn’t get far) that comes with a hook, so I hang it up in any bathroom and easily access all of my items. I have it in Large for my longer trips (it can hold full-size products) and Small for shorter or carry-on only trips. I love being able to hang it up, especially since so many bathrooms don’t have enough counter or storage space.
I don’t think I’m completely addicted to coffee/caffeine the way some people are, but I do enjoy a good cup of coffee, especially while traveling and I often don’t want to get dressed and have to go out just to get a cup. I’m also one of those that needs a few things to doctor-it-up and the one packet of powdered dairy creamer and one packet of sugar usually provided by a hotel is not enough. Thankfully, I discovered these amazing coffee sticks when I lived in Korea. They’re easy to carry, have the coffee, cream, and sugar already mixed in, they’re tasty and all you need is some hot water.
We all know the importance of staying hydrated while traveling and having a refillable bottle is definitely a travel necessity since you never quite know where or when you’ll be able to have clean water, so you want to have a bottle you can carry around with you all times. I’ve tried a few different ones, but this one has become my favorite: it’s a good size, it doesn’t leak, it’s easy to fill, it has a removable strap, it fits in my car’s cup holder (great for road trips), it comes in fun colors, it keeps the water chilled for quite awhile, and (definitely a must-have for me), it’s dishwasher safe!
I love to travel and all five of these travel necessities have made my travels easier and more enjoyable. I’m always up for discovering new products–I’d love to know what you consider a travel must-have! Send me a note!
