9 Things I Must Have on a Trip
Din Tai Fung in Seattle! 9/10 times I’ll be wearing my meal, that’s why an extra set of clothes is so important!
Other than the obvious things to check off: ID/Passport, cash, camera, deodorant and the ever forgotten undergarment; there are certain items that I’ll regret not having when I am traveling. Of course, these vary based off destination, but…it’s surprising how many times I thought I may not need an item and end up having to purchase it while I’m there (this has resulted in me pawning things off on my parents and friends for when they travel, since I have extras).
Comfortable shoes for walking: I have walked up to 13 miles in a single day (The Haight to Golden Gate Park all the way through and up to Land’s End in San Francisco, my husband was so done by the end). I did this in the most ridiculous shoes and my feet were screaming by the end. I learned my lesson, if I don’t know how far the distance is? Err on the side of caution, be comfortable don’t be ridiculous.
An extra set of clothes(In your carry-on): I am the QUEEN of spilling things on myself. I laid on the grass at Austin City Limits, right in a jalapeno in a light colored shirt, next thing I know I’m buying myself a new t-shirt and changing outside of the merch tent. Just do it, you never know what is going to happen. Note that I say one. Check out my article on what to leave at home, if you are wondering.
Light Jacket or Sweater: We all get cold sometimes and even very warm places can get cold or even rainy, you’ll appreciate having some way to cover up.
A belt or Hair ties: You wouldn’t believe how many time my husband has forgotten his belt, well this is where hair ties come in. I’m so used to him forgetting a belt that I keep extra hair ties on me to daisy chain together and tie between two of his belt loops. Seems silly but it works. Airport security wasn’t too crazy about it……
Blister Band-aids: Sometimes you want to wear new shoes that you specifically bought for vacation, sometimes you aren’t used to wearing your walking shoes this much. Whatever the reason, I have ended up with blisters that have prevented me from exploring everything I wanted to, because I was ill-prepared. I specify the blister type because they stay on better and typically, that is the type of “injury” you will end up with. I’ve used them on almost every vacation.
In addition to blister bandaids, if you are visiting a climate where you are likely to do a lot of walking while sweating, I highly recommend also getting an anti-chafing stick. It’s like deodorant but for your legs. I know Vaseline even makes a spray to go under your clothes to keep you comfortable. This will prevent you from being irritated the next day; you never know what can irritate your skin.
Wet wipes: A 10 pack of wet wipes can save you in so many situations, really want that ice cream cone but know you’ve touched lots of things that day? Can’t find a bathroom to wash your hands? Accidentally stepped in something? All these scenarios can be solved with wet wipes. These are really light and portable and don’t take up too much space.
Travel size sunscreen (and also, bug repellent): We’d think we wouldn’t forget sunscreen, but I went to Texas in October and SURPRISE!!!! I needed sunscreen. Luckily, I keep this in all of my bags now that I live in Seattle (we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer) and walk everywhere. This is really just a good habit to get into in general.
If you are going anywhere with humidity, woods, or the tropics it’s always a good plan to have this: mosquito repellent. You don’t want to be bitten, Zika is enough to freak anyone out. Enough said.
Either a laptop or extra memory cards: This stems from the days when I easily ran out of storage on my phone or GoPro, now we carry extra memory cards for the GoPro as a lightweight, while-we-are-out option and we bring along a laptop to store everything to at the end of the day.
This started as a nice to have item, and then we realized it was a necessity. Even if we are out walking around Seattle for the day, we usually carry one on us. I can’t remember the last time I saw a pay phone, but I do remember the last time my phone died when I needed it for directions, to take a picture or make a phone call. But what is the worst is when you are out on an 8-hour excursion wanting to swim in a Cenote and you spent most of your GoPro battery on footage of pyramids on the Yucatan Peninsula. You’ll need a recharge:
My #1: The Battery pack(s):I recommend packing two different types with you, but then choose to bring the one that makes the most sense for the day out with you and leave the other wherever you are staying. Have a small light-weight battery pack that will charge your phone all the way up at least once. The second type is typically pretty heavy, these ones will have two charging ports, that way you can charge more than one device at a time and it will usually be able to charge faster and provide multiple recharges. The heavy-duty one’s are great if you will be doing a lot of filming, or using GPS frequently.
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