DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT….
Whether I’m traveling overseas or just to the lake for a weekend getaway, here are a few things that I never leave home without!
While it doesn’t have a ton of internal compartments or an outside pocket for easy access, this Longchamp Le Pliage Shoulder Tote has been my go-to travel buddy for nearly a decade! The zipper ensures that nothing falls out when going through airport security scanners and the fact that it’s water resistant means you never have to worry about carrying it around in the rain or having it double as a beach bag. Plus it helps when the flight attendant drops an open bottle of water all over you and your bag….camera stayed dry! It also folds up into the size of a small wallet so you can pack it away once you arrive if you plan to switch to a smaller bag once at your destination for day-to-day use.
Little pouches are IDEAL for keeping yourself organized while traveling and especially great to use when your carryon doesn’t contain a lot of built in pockets, like the Longchamp I usually travel with. I’ll have one pouch that contains my passport and other valuables, as well as one with my ‘travel essentials’ – any medications, face wipes, chapstick, gum, etc. I really like ones by Herschel, but you can pick up little pencil case / makeup case bags just about anywhere – Target has tons!
It’s not like your razor is taking up a ton of room in your toiletry kit to begin with, but this mini razor, complete with case, has become a staple of mine when traveling. The case helps protect anything else in my bag from getting shredded by the razer and the fact that you can just swap in a new Venus blade when needed means it’s here to stay.
This little guy has been a game changer when it comes to doing my hair while on the go! Small enough to not take up a ton of room in my suitcase, but still powerful enough to provide a good curl in my long hair, I’ve plugged this curling iron in around the world (with a converter where applicable) and have had zero issues. Pair this with a bottle of dry shampoo and I’m free to not wash my hair for days…
Whether it’s wine, coffee (wine and coffee) you’ll thank me later! I spilled red wine down the front of a white tunic at a dive bar in Cape Town (shouldn’t be drinking wine in a dive bar anyways…), but saved it from an early death by busting out the Tide pen and going to work on the stain that night. By morning, you’d have never known it was there. Since packing usually involves mixing and matching various clothing items to create the most outfits, you can’t afford to be down a staple piece due to a stain!
While these don’t necessarily create more space in your bag (contrary to what some may say…see my solution to that below), they are an awesome way to keep your luggage organized. Some swear by the pants in one, shirts in another, etc, etc, method while others separate clothing by outfits. Either way, packing cubes help me avoid having to unpack everything each new place I land and help me keep better tabs on everything that I’ve brought!
I was SO skeptical. There was no way that these were going to work without a vacuum, stay compressed or really hold that much……I was happily wrong. Sure, you’re not going to be able to shove your entire wardrobe in the bag and expect it to squish down to fit in a carry-on, but if you are traveling somewhere that requires sweaters or bulkier clothing or are just a chronic over-packer these bad boys are a lifesaver. I’ve found that they work best if I don’t put too much in the bag and I try to fold the clothing items going into them as flat as possible.
With the medium sized bags specifically, I’ve found that I can fill them up, flatten them out and that they fit perfectly stacked on top of each other on one side of my carryon suitcase (standard size) with room on top to still add additional items. One thing to note, these aren’t made to last forever. I’ve had mine for about a year, have taken multiple trips with them and can tell that they are starting to stay compressed less and less, but for $20 I’m happy to buy more! Also, make sure that when you are compressing the air out that you keep the air valve clear of clothes or it won’t seal properly.
It can be hard to travel with your arsenal of lotions, serums, toners…especially with TSA size regulations and just taking up valuable packing space in general. Luckily, more and more brands are coming out with minis or travel size versions of your favorite products. I love the No. 7 Protect and Perfect travel kit which includes a day cream (with spf 30!), serum and night cream, but plenty of others offer great options as well depending on what you’re looking for. Another favorite are the Drunk Elephant On-the-Go Minis – their ‘The Littles’ come in a cute waterproof bag and are perfect for traveling!
There is nothing worse than waiting to board a plane and praying to the battery gods that your phone doesn’t run out of juice before they scan your digital boarding pass (personally I always get a printed one if possible, but that’s a tip for another time). Or being the person everyone is waiting on as you try to get just one more bar of battery in your phone before heading out the door for the game, weekend getaway, dinner….With the amount we use our phones these days and since they are usually doing double duty as our camera as well, making sure your battery doesn’t die is key! A portable charger can also stand-in for a few days if you forget your converters in another country.
I have heavyweight winter scarves, I have lighter summer scarves…..regardless of the time of year or where I’m traveling, I always have a scarf on hand. I use them as a pillow, a blanket, a shawl…beach/picnic blanket, headband….the list of uses goes on and on making it a great item to include on any packing list.
