TRAVEL GEAR & ESSENTIALS
How many of you try and pack your entire closet or better yet your entire home when your getting ready to travel ? I know that I'm guilty of that because that's exactly what I did on my first trip overseas and boy did I learn my lesson. Now I know for some of you it's hard to imagine how can you not take all your shoes (because you never know, right?) or all your jeans, dresses, and tops. Especially if going on a long trip the anxiety of packing kicks in and that's when you make the mistake of taking way too many things, that trust me when I say, you will more than likely NEVER wear.
So after a few years of traveling through out Europe, including 3 to 4 months straight at times with only a carry on and a backpack, my husband and I figured out a way to only bring our most needed essentials and travel gear. We put a list of what we thought every traveler should pack before taking a trip.
clothing & shoes
Light & Comfy Jacket
This jacket from North Face called the "Theromoball Echo" jacket is perfect for pretty much any type of weather in my opinion. My favorite feature about the jacket is the weight. It's very light yet well insulated to keep you warm and it has a really cool feature allowing it to fold into a small pillow, perfect for travel and easy to store. My husband has the same jacket in the men's version, and loves it as well. It is important to keep in mind when traveling you want something that is practical, light and doesn't take too much space in your luggage.
pair of comfy jeans
Everyone usually has a favorite pair of jeans so for this recommendation I will leave it up to you to decide which one's to pack. My personal favorite are skinny crop jeans with a little bit of stretch to give that extra comfort especially if I'm going to be doing a lot of walking, but also more importantly for some extra room to splurge on food dishes around the world. My husband and I usually buy our jeans from Old Navy, plenty of styles to choose from yet fairly priced.
T- Shirt & Tanks
These two items right here are our GO TO no matter what. We recommend bringing a white and black in both t-shirt and tank because they just go with everything and don't take up much space in your luggage. Same goes for men, my husband loves to wear t-shirts when we're traveling, they're just so comfy and practical for both men and women. These tops are very easy to find like at Target or Old Navy.
Comfy Pair of Shoes
Before packing up to make our move to Spain my husband and I bought ourselves some comfy tennis shoes, we knew we would be doing a lot of walking. Having a comfortable tennis shoe is also crucial when you're traveling, especially if you're going to be doing a lot of walking, you need all the comfort you can get! I wear the Nike Air Presto and I LOVE them, super comfy yet stylish. My husband prefers the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus, also very comfy and stylish.
accessories
Travel Adaptor
This little gadget here should be the first thing you pack. We absolutely love this travel adaptor that we bought through Amazon .It holds multiple USB cables and has worked for us in every country we have visited so far with no problem! We have tried different adaptors in the past and the best advice we can share is don't get anything too cheap, you will definitely get what you pay for. Your blow dryer disconnecting every 5 seconds because the adaptor connections are flimsy will get old fast!
Portable Charger
A portable charger is another must. We bought this one through Amazon and has worked great. Charges your devices fast and fits perfectly in your purse or backpack. The key here is to have a portable charger that charges fast and not take hours to simply get a 20% boost charge!
Travel Documents/Card Wallet
I don't know about you but I'm usually a mess at Airport security, so this travel wallet helps me stay organized with our passports, boarding passes, currency, etc. You can find these travel wallets online, like Amazon which has tons to choose from, We bought this one at Nordstrom. It's light weight, thin, and protects you're documents and easily fits in your back pack or purse.
Travel Smart Luggage Scale
Although my husband and I are pretty good about packing light now, we still like to carry a luggage scale with us just in case we do a little shopping where ever we may be. The last thing you need is to have to pay extra for going over the weight in luggage, some airlines will gouge you with fees. The scale pictured above can be found at Target, it's very easy to use and is even digital and compact.
Travel Day Back Pack
This back pack was such a life saver for us. We took this back pack everywhere we traveled. It has so many compartments and fits so much stuff inside. With comfy backpack straps, I carried my laptop, pair of tennis shoes, sandals, two pairs of jeans, a couple small tops, travel wallet, cables, and a portable charger. You can literally pack for a weekend trip with this backpack, I love it! I bought mine through Amazon, as it had great reviews and now I can see why. If you're looking for something that fits lots of stuff with a padded laptop pouch, yet not huge and heavy, check out this backpack.
Travel space saver compression bags
The MagicBag compression bags is another item we use that comes in handy. They are a big help in saving space in your luggage and help you stay organized. They are perfect to stuff underwear, socks, bras, and under shirts. The bags are easy to use, and do not require a vacuum so it's perfect for travel and they are reusable.
toiletries
Travel Bottle Set
Having travel size bottles is a must when your traveling, main reason being it saves you so much space and there really is no need to bring your big bottle of shampoo/conditioner. You can find these bottles just about anywhere they sell Travel stuff. I bought mine at Marshalls, love that they are silicone and leak proof so I don't have to worry about spills or taping the tops. The ones pictured above are from Amazon, but again you won't have any trouble finding them online or local stores. I would just recommend buying the silicone leak proof type, cause they will spill and taping the tops and removing the tape can get annoying.
Toiletries Bag
A toiletry bag is essential when traveling for it helps you stay organized with all your stuff. Although Airport security varies around the world with some requiring all your fluid toiletries to fit inside a sandwich sealed size ziplock type bag when stored inside your toiletry bag, its still a big help in keeping your toiletries organized during your travels.
Shower Cap
For you ladies that don't wash your hair everyday LIKE ME, you most definitely need to pack a shower cap. I have a re usable one but you can also buy the disposable one's, I seen a pack of 100 in Amazon priced super cheap.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen of course is important wether traveling or not of course, but definitely handy when traveling. I'm a big fan of Neutrogena products, being a lightweight container also helps. I like the way this sunscreen has a dry touch, as I don't like the icky thick lotion feeling especially in the hot days of summer time.