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As a professional tour director, I pack and repack for trips about every two weeks during travel season. I accompany groups on their vacations to ensure that logistics run smoothly and safely, while making sure that people are having a fab time. It also means I don’t really have time to think about replacing anything I forgot to bring with me, so I have developed my go-to list of travel essentials I never travel without.
My Top 5 Travel Must Have Essentials:
1. Travelon backpack- This is my main carry-on bag. I love this backpack because it has locking zippers, anti-slash straps, an RFID blocking pocket, a laptop sleeve and surprisingly comfortable padded shoulder straps. It also holds an astonishing amount of stuff, yet still fits under those pesky economy size seats in the plane, even when stuffed to the gills.
2. Travelon crossbody travel purse- I’ll fly with this as my “personal item” on the plane, or I’ll stuff it into my suitcase to use later on my trip if I need to bring aboard a larger bag. As with the Travelon backpack, I love the locking zippers, anti-slash straps, and RFID pocket, and it too holds a crazy amount of stuff while still being stylish! I can get a bottle of water, a travel umbrella, a sunglasses case and some snacks, a folding fan and a map or two - and still not feel like a sherpa! I have this bag in both black, and black & white stripes because… cute!
3. Apple AirTag- oh my goodness, I will never, ever, EVER travel without this again! After my luggage recently missed my connecting plane, I did some research on suitcase tracking technology, and discovered this genius little baby. It’s slightly bigger than a US quarter - you put it into your suitcase, and then can locate your bag anywhere in the world via your iPhone’s “Find My” feature. Note: you need an iPhone 11 or newer for this little gem, and but there is a Samsung one I haven’ tried yet! The AirTag doesn’t need a battery or a charge- it pings off the zillions of iPhones in use around it to communicate with your iPhone about where it is. A handy map pops up for you to locate exactly where your bag is, which means you can see if your bag has been left planeside or is on its way to the baggage carousel. It will ping at you when the bag is no longer near you, and provide you with the last location where the bag was. The AirTag works for luggage, backpacks, keys, dogs, kids… you name it! If you are an iPhone user, and travel at all, you can’t live without this. They do also come in packs of 4 if you want to go all out and AirTag everything you own.
4. Anker power charger- Ever been one of those people who sits on the floor of the airport next to an outlet with your charging phone because your iPhone battery is at 2%? Yeah, gross, me either – airport floors are filthy - but what to do when your charge is low, you can’t find an open outlet, or you are in another country and you can’t find your adapter? Anker’s travel charger is slightly larger than my iPhone 11, and a bit heavier, but it’s super powerful and provides a really fast recharge. I resisted getting a travel charger until I started traveling professionally, and it has saved my bacon at the end of a long travel day when I still needed to be able to use Uber to get to my hotel. It could also work well if you were on the run with littles, camping, took too many videos and photos for the day, or simply are out of power at your BFF’s house.
5. This Toiletries Bag- I used the same 3 compartment waterproof toiletry bag for ages, and when all of the internal zippers had frayed at the seams, I found this one online, and have never looked back. It has 4 pockets, the last of which is detachable. The other 3 pockets hold a ton of travel sized products. It’s sturdy, waterproof, and has a handy metal hanging hook at the top. I’m a person who is sensitive to fragrance, so I always travel with products that won’t make my allergies go bonkers- I don’t always trust hotels to have shampoo, conditioner, soap and lotion that isn’t crazy smelly. When it’s stuffed full and zipped up, as mine is, it takes up a decent amount of space in my suitcase, but I always travel knowing it has exactly what I need.
6. Bonus Must Have: PATIENCE. I always pack my patience, especially right now when all things travel are wonky!
Okay chicadees, I hope you found this helpful! I would love to hear what your travel essentials are- the best tips come from friends, right? Be well, everyone!