"These are a few of my favorite (travel) things” (sing it!)
- Ilene
- Oct 22, 2024
- 5 min read
Tomorrow marks three months on the road. It's flown by, no pun intended, and I've learned a lot about myself, especially the things I need, I mean really need to be comfortable and happy. David and I really tried to keep the extras minimal as they add to the bulk and weight, both of which we’ve tried our best to limit. Yet there have been a few things we've carted around in our checked-bags and carry-ons (1 of each per person) that we weren't sure would be worth it, fortunately many have.
Thought you might find some of these things useful or at least interesting to read about and... I mean the holidays are coming up, so ya-know, maybe this will spark an idea for your travel partner (or yourself!)
The legal stuff: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through our link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Phone safety - I’m starting with this one because it’s a great item whether you’re traveling abroad or just going to Disneyland or a music festival. I’ve heard more and more stories of peoples phones being yanked right out of their hands or back pockets and this tether has given us both some level of security and confidence, especially in high traffic / tourist areas. David connects this to his belt loop and I connect it to my cross-body bag. They are $13.99 for two.
Speaking of women’s bags… I took a shot and bought a Travelon bag to use as my daily purse / cross-body and have been really happy with it. It has a lot of security features (read more in the link above) including mini-carabiners on the zippers which allow me to “lock” the zipper. That's the bag below, and they make a lot of styles. One trick we've learned on the road though, take a small carabiner and connect your back pack or purse zippers with it; makes it a tad bit harder for a pick-pocket. That's my Travelon Bag:
Water bottles - Plastic bottle waste is HUGE as a traveler and we wanted to do all we could to avoid adding to it. LARQ has a UV filter + charcoal filter bottle. Unfortunately it was a new product release this summer and didn’t arrive in our hot little hands before we left. Not to worry, we brought regular old water bottles with us but Josh will be bringing our LARQs when he meets us in Egypt. These would be great for any ol’ day but fantastic for traveling where you're not always feeling 100% about the water.
Travel size heating pad - I mentioned this one in my blog before we left and the jury was out on if this would even get used, but it absolutely is. I’m LOVING this one. It’s small, light, wraps up and stuffs into a small space AND it’s USB-C like most of the other electronics we have, so we’re able to share cords, AC adapters, etc. A long travel day or bad pillow or just cuz (the body aches are real) are the only excuse I need to take this out and enjoy the comfort it provides. This would be great for a roadtrip also.
Bag scale - weight is a big deal traveling with one bag, 50 lb limits (less in some parts of Asia which is already worrying me). This little guy is AWESOME. Doesn’t take up much space, weighs in at only 3.5 ounces, $9.99 and has come in super handy many times over. Rachael even borrowed it for her month-long trip to Idaho this past summer (and was able to remove some items before she got to the airport!)
Travel speaker - I thought David was pushing the ‘luxury’ items when he suggested we bring a travel speaker, but I will say it here, loud and clear - I WAS WRONG. LoL. It’s been really nice having some music in our hotel rooms or Airbnbs when we’re enjoying a cocktail, cooking dinner or just hanging out. This JBL speaker one is $50 on Amazon, weighs in at 7.36 ounces and is pretty flat (1.6”D x 3.4”W x 2.7” H). Sitting here on the entertainment unit in our current Airbnb.
Travel Razor for men
David struggled to find a razor that wasn’t enormous like the one he had at home. He finally came across this one. He was holding out judgement until he saw how it worked. So far, so good and better yet, it’s USB-C.
Charging station, 3 in 1 - We have had different approaches to device charging. David went for the 3-in-1 type device for all his bedside stuff and I went with a simple hub. He’s loving his and I’m enjoying mine. I think it depends what you’re looking for. I like the flexibility to plug whatever I want in with just one hub. The hub is nice because it has a single long cord and often plugs are not easily within reach.
Clothing, let’s start with socks (so sexy right?) We both invested in some merino wool shirts and socks before leaving. The promise of anti-bacterial, anti-smell, quick drying was all we needed. And so far, all true (at least David isn’t complaining about me smelling yet). We’ve been wearing our Darn Tough and Bambas socks more days in a row than you want to know and they feel great and don’t smell. They also dry quickly on the drying racks (most places we’ve stayed in have washers but only drying racks). My Bambas hiking socks are really soft but I’ve also really love my Darn Tough socks which are not quite as tall on my leg, so might be a personal choice there.
For shirts, we went the same route and my Smart Wool long and short sleeve shirts have been great. Softer with each wash, dry fast, don’t smell, etc. etc. I did try the Bambas shirts and found they ran short, we’re pretty tall people and I don’t love to share my midrift with everyone. Here's the green Smart Wool one I have, also bought a short sleeve blue that's beautiful and a couple of long sleeve ones.
Some other items that are pretty self-explanatory:
Dump the zip locks, this TSA approved sized bag for liquids is AH-MAZING. It’s clear, the right size but larger than the zip lock approach!
Travel tags - given the length of our trip, we ditched the crappy ones and bought a couple that are more secure (steel loops) and bright colored (easy to see on the luggage carousel)
Cosmetic bottles - Always struggled with an item like this but finally found a set that is TSA approved size and has not leaked!
Lacrose ball is my back and muscle savior - small, fits anywhere and sooths my muscles after a session with my heating pad.
Slippers - we took the slippers provided by Turkish Airlines on the first leg of our trip and have been using them ever since. In fact, we just talked about needing an upgrade! So many Airbnbs have hard floors and we prefer not to wear our day shoes around our living space, so flat slippers may not be the most comfortable but definitely helps and easily slips into any bag on our way to the next destination.
Dish gloves - laugh all you want but buy them wherever you arrive or before you leave… but trust, really helps keep the nails strong and the skin soft.
Another funny one, shower caps - these are a fantastic hack for your dirty shoes. Put them over the bottoms and ta-da- dirt won't go everywhere in your suitcase!
Happy shopping!
Many Airbnb's don't have storage containers in the kitchen. If you bought a stash of disposable shower caps, one or two could be used to cover leftover food.
It’s the little things, isn’t it! Uncooked rice in a long sock heated in a microwave also works as a heating pad. Pour about 3/4 full, knot and cook in increments of :30 so as to not cook the rice. Mold to body part. Empty before next plane ride. Almost every country has rice!