I’ve been doing a lot of traveling in the last 8 months and it’s finally starting to slow down. It’s been a crazy season with all the vacation trips last year, traveling for interviews, and then all the traveling to find, buy, and partially move into a new house.
I absolutely love to travel but there are times when it gets overwhelming and you just need a little break. Thankfully our life is starting to slow down soon and we won’t be traveling anymore… for a little while at least.
With all the traveling, I feel like I’ve honed my packing system a little more and also truly figured out what I must-have when I travel and when can really stay home. Of course, there are still times when I over-pack but I’m getting better.
I thought it would be a good idea to share all of my must-have travel items with you! Things that I cannot travel without or I surely feel lost.
Packing Cubes
I’m actually new to using packing cubes and I’ve only used them for about 3 different trips so far but dang how did I pack without these before?
They make organizing and coordinating outfits for different times of day and trip so much easier. They also keep things so neat and tidy and prevent everything from squishing together or getting too wrinkled from the baggage handlers just throwing your bags everywhere.
Laundry Bag
My packing cube set came with a laundry bag that I use for all my dirty clothes. However, before I would just take the plastic laundry bag from the hotel and use that.
I don’t like to mix my dirty and clean clothes when heading home from a trip. It just makes it a little easier to unpack because I already know what’s dirty and I can just throw it all in the wash instead of having to go through and figure out what is dirty and what is clean.
Makeup Case
This is the case I use now and I absolutely love it. It has hard sides so it won’t get squished in the suitcase when being throw around heading to and from the airport and plane.
I love that it has dividers so I can see everything I have while keeping it all neat, tidy, and organized.
It’s also large enough to fit all my makeup, makeup brushes, and all of the bath toiletries that I need so I’m not packing a ton of different bags for all the different stuff. One and done.
Second Set of Mini Toiletries
Over the years I’ve been trying to build up my travel toiletry supply. Keeping a separate set of everything in a basket in my linen closet has been a lifesaver for me. Now I don’t even have to think about what I might need to bring, I just grab the basket and throw everything into my travel case and I’m ready to go.
I also try and keep travel sizes of my most used hair and makeup products in a second basket – things like hairspray, blow dry spray, dry shampoo, etc. Having that extra stuff just makes packing much quicker and easier.
Toiletries List
- Shampoo & conditioner
- Body wash
- Mini loofa
- Disposable razor
- Toothpaste
- Hairspray
- Blow Dry Spray
- Dry Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Q-Tips
- Cotton Face Rounds
- Facewash
Tiny Containers
I use these little guys to put a little of my face cream in, or some of the toner I use, or just a few face pads. Since I never need all of something while I’m on vacation it makes sense to grab just a few and put it into a travel sized container.
It’s not 100% feasible for me to create a complete separate set of mini toiletries or makeup and this is the best alternative. Using these little containers instead of bringing the whole big container gives me more room to bring stuff or more room for souvenirs.
Jewelry Organizer
I love this little organizer, it has pockets and hooks for any kind of jewelry you can imagine. It keeps everything neat and tidy while also keeping necklaces and bracelets from getting tangled.
It also has a cardboard insert for you to hook all of your earrings onto and also a little zipper pouch for rings, bracelets, or whatever you want!
Electronics Accessories Organizer
I use this with the same premise as my travel toiletries. I keep this organizer stocked with a couple extra USB chargers, wall plugs, and car charging port.
Right before I’m leaving for a trip, I put an extra camera battery and battery charger in it. Keeping makes it so I never forget a phone charger again. Because we all know that’s happened before.
Portable Charger
This was a recent investment and I am so glad I bought it. I’ve had portable chargers before but they never charged very fast and they usually only held one full phone charge.
This one is wayyy better! It holds about 7 full phone charges before you have to recharge it and it charges my phone super-fast. I love that if I’m out with the hubby or friends I have enough juice for everyone!
Camera & Laptop
I don’t always bring my laptop, especially if I’m trying to unplug while on the trip but I definitely always bring my travel camera. If we’re going away for a “work” trip for the hubby I’ll bring my laptop so I can get some work done while he’s in his meetings.
However, I’m so glad I invested in this camera a while back because it’s perfect for travel. Now I don’t have to lug my giant one around with my everywhere and I can still get great shots for the blog wherever I am. Plus, it fits perfectly in my crossbody purse and I’m not having to carry a giant bag either just because I have a giant camera.