Hey Everyone!
How are you?
It seems many of you are talking about travel lately. School vacations, spring breaks, going to see family or friends, traveling to events or weddings. I guess the travel industry is pretty much back to “normal”.
We are also traveling a fair amount. In the last year we have traveled to visit family and friends, vacationed in Europe, Disney twice, and Florida. And we are going back to Disney again soon and then another trip in April.
With all of this travel, having the essentials feels even more important and it certainly makes packing even easier! So here they are, these are my essentials that go in my suitcase for every trip.
Suitcases
The most important part of travel is a good suitcase. We have been using suitcases of various sizes from the Travel Pro brand for years. We have them in the carry on size, the medium (checked luggage size) and the large size for longer trips. The Travel Pro brand is advertised to be the brand that pilots and flight attendants use. They are incredibly durable. Well designed spatially and have great wheels. They are very lightweight and come in a variety of colors and sizes. They also offer soft sided or hard sided and many of them are expandable to give you a few extra inches when needed. In addition to the Travel Pro brand, my personal favorite carry on size suitcase is my Away Even Bigger Carry on suitcase. I have been using this carry-on since 2019 and I really like it. It’s a hard-sided suitcase with four wheels and is the maximum size for an overhead bin on most airlines.
Carry-on Bags
In addition to a good suitcase it’s also important to have a great carry on bag. I have used many over the years but my current favorite is the Luka bag from Calpak. Many people call it the Mary Poppins carry on bag because of its incredible capacity and I completely agree. I love it for the soft “puffer” exterior and for all of the well placed pockets inside and out as well as the sleeve on the outside to slip it right over the handle of your suitcase. In addition to the Calpak Luka bag I have also found the Athleisure Soft Tote from Target to be a great choice as well.
Packing Cubes
Now getting everything into your suitcase and or carry-on bag can be a bit of an adventure in and of itself. This is where the packing cubes come in for me. In the last five years, I don’t think I have packed for a trip long or short, local or distance, without using my packing cubes. Packing cubes to me, are a game changer in terms of how much I can fit in the suitcase. Which when you are a habitual over-packer (that’s me!) is crucial.
Toiletries & Accessories
After you have the packing cubes loaded up then comes all the other stuff. The toiletries, hair products, jewelry, make up. Ladies, you know what I am talking about! I try to stay stocked on travel size of all of the necessities and avoid packing anything full size if I can. I find places like Sephora, Ulta, Target, CVS, and Walgreens are great places to grab all of the travel size necessities. For years, I used one large toiletry bag that had many compartments to put almost everything in one place. However, what I found over time was that this one bag was so big and heavy that it took up valuable packing space. So I shifted to various sizes of clear travel bags instead. This allows me the flexibility to place these in empty places in the luggage or carry on where there might be a hint of room. Filling in every nook that I can. It also helps when I arrive at the destination to have my mini hair items together, mini facial care items together, make up together etc.
Travel Electronics
Last but certainly not least are the necessary electronic cables, chargers, and batteries. Over the years, I have accumulated enough of these that I have two of everything. This way, I have an “electronics” charging bag ready to grab and go anytime rather than running around the house unplugging things when it’s time to go. When packing my electronics I am also sure to include an external battery for the phone, a 3-way charger that will charge my Apple watch, my Apple iPhone, and my Apple headphones. And the last item to be sure and pack for every trip is a portable power strip. Newer hotels and homes tend to have plenty of outlets and USB ports however older places never seem to have enough for all of the modern technology so this power strip comes in really handy!
I hope learning about all of my travel essentials was helpful for your next trip!
Travel safely on your next adventure and Have fun!