Don’t Leave Home Without These Travel Essentials
When I travel, I always make sure to pack some of my favorite essential items. These are my must-haves for any trip!
1. Avoid Piles of Dirty Laundry On Your Hotel Room Floor
One thing I always pack on all my trips is a small pop-up mesh hamper. It is super helpful to keep my room tidy and feels so much better than just tossing dirty laundry in a pile on the floor. When it’s time to go home, I repack my dirty clothes separately from my clean clothes. The hamper then folds up small and flat so it fits easily in my suitcase.
2. Feel Refreshed in the Hot Summer Sun
If you are traveling to Florida or another hot climate, a personal misting fan can really come in handy. It folds up to fit easily into your bag, is USB rechargeable, and you can fill the tank with water so you get a little cooling mist when you turn it on. Cooling towels are also great to keep you from becoming overheated.
3. Protect Your Valuables by Keeping Them Hidden
It is always a good idea to stay alert and aware of your surroundings no matter where you travel. In areas that are more crowded or where pickpocketing is more common, I recommend using an RFID blocking money belt or neck wallet to carry your passport/ID, credit cards, and cash. These rest under your clothing so it is much harder for a thief to access.
4. Keep Your Portable Devices Charged
If you are going out exploring for the day, I recommend that you take a portable power bank and charging cord. If your phone starts running low on battery, you can charge it without having to worry about looking for a power source to tap into.
5. Don’t Let Everyone See Your Underwear
I think we’re all painfully aware that airport staff are not known for being gentle with luggage. In the event the zipper on your suitcase breaks, luggage straps can save the day. Plus, the bright colors will help you identify your suitcase easily at baggage claim.
6. Quench Your Thirst
While most developed places have safe water to drink, sometimes you just don’t want to risk it. Also, you never know how the water is going to taste in an unfamiliar city. A refillable filtered water bottle can remove those flavors and impurities so you know what you’re drinking is safe and delicious. Bonus: keeping a water bottle with you all day will help you stay hydrated!
7. Keep Motion Sickness at Bay
If you are prone to car or sea-sickness, a motion-sickness treatment may be needed. You can use non-drowsy motion-sickness medication, herbal patches that stick behind your ear, or compression wristbands. If you find yourself in need of relief on a cruise, the Guest Services desk will usually have some patches to hand out. Alternatively, you can purchase over-the-counter medication from the gift shop onboard, but beware that the prices will be much higher than on land. If you think there is a possibility you may need any medication, be sure to bring it with you from home.
8. Extra Outlets for When You’re Short on Power
Older cruise ship staterooms and some hotel rooms may be short on electrical outlets. With all the cell phones, iPads, digital cameras, laptops, and other electronics my family and I tend to travel with, I usually need to take a power strip along for extra outlets to keep everything charged. *Note: Surge protectors are NOT allowed to be used on cruise ships, so make sure your power strip does not have a surge protector built in.
9. Hang It Up
Did you know that the walls and ceiling in a cruise ship stateroom are typically magnetic? Along with the door, you can use magnets to hang itineraries and other important information on the walls to preserve limited tabletop space. Using heavy-duty magnets with hooks will allow you to hang towels, jackets, and lanyards, as well.
10. Keep Small Items Handy
One of my favorite organization tips for travel is to hang an over-the-door shoe organizer on the back of the bathroom door. You can place small items in the pockets to keep from losing or forgetting anything during your trip (e.g. tickets, room key cards, chapstick, toiletries, jewelry, hair accessories, makeup, medications, sunscreen, glasses, extra charging cables, etc.) Then, it folds up nice and flat to pack for your trip home.
