Over the past 11 years of traveling to other countries, I’ve fine-tuned my personal list of “must-haves” that I bring with me. For every trip, I still make a packing list, which I highly encourage everyone to do. There’s nothing worse than getting to your destination and discovering you left something crucial back home.
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| Photo Credit: iStock |
A lot of items you’ll need to pack, like clothes, shoes, camera, chargers, etc. are pretty obvious, but there are some things that you might not think of – especially if you are traveling internationally for the first time. Read on for a list of my travel essentials.
International voltage converter and/or adaptor: Packing all the charging cords for your cell phone, iPad, camera, etc. isn’t going to do you a bit of good unless you have an international converter/adapter as well. I always bring two or three so I can charge a few things while I sleep – but I actually found one online that has several USB ports, so I think I’m going to buy it before my next trip. Do some research to figure out what type of plugs are required in the country you are visiting and make sure you bring the correct converter and/or adaptor.
Extra camera battery: When I travel, I take pictures of everything – and sometimes six pictures of the same thing, but from different angles and with different settings. I come home with thousands of pictures every trip (unsurprisingly, my friends and family don’t clamor to see my photos anymore, since they have learned that going through them all will suck up hours of their lives). I’m usually quite diligent about making sure my camera battery is charged, but one time I forgot. My camera died when we were on a day trip from Rome to Orvieto, and I’m pretty sure I cried. So now, I always travel with a fully-charged spare in my bag.
Washcloths: I use a washcloth on my face every night, so when I first began traveling outside of the U.S., I was surprised to find that the hotels (unless a U.S.-based chain like Hilton or Marriott) didn’t provide them. There may be exceptions to this, but none that I have seen. None of the apartments we have rented have supplied them, either. So now, I always take a couple with me.
Downy Wrinkle Release spray: I absolutely love this stuff. No matter what packing method I use – whether I roll my clothes, fold my clothes, or use specially made packing gear – I am always unpacking wrinkled clothes. So, every night before I go to bed, I pick out the clothes I am wearing the next day, spray them down with Downy Wrinkle Release, smooth them out with my hand, then hang them in the bathroom. By the next morning, voilà, the wrinkles are gone!
Tide-to-Go stain removal pen: Let’s face it – after your third glass of Chianti, things can start getting messy. The last thing you want to do is walk around with red wine dribbled down your light-colored shirt. The Tide-to-Go pen takes up very little room in your bag and can save you from further embarrassment.
Charmin To Go toilet paper: I will never forget the first time I visited the Vatican Museum and had to use the ladies’ room. After standing in line for about ten minutes waiting for my turn, I went into the stall, locked the door, and realized there was no toilet paper. Not one single square. It wasn’t like I could easily switch stalls…but luckily I had a packet of Charmin To Go toilet paper. Again, it doesn’t take up much room in your bag, but can absolutely be a life saver in a situation like that (which is NOT uncommon). Charmin also offers toilet seat covers to go.
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| Photo Credit: iStock |
Notebook/Journal:From the very first trip I took to Italy back in 2004, I have always loved writing down a recap of our day every night before going to bed. It started out pretty general, with simple “went here, saw this” type of stuff. But over the years, it evolved into a lot more detailed information about what we ate, what the prices were, if we talked to interesting people, etc. Long before I started blogging, I took copious notes because I loved reading them after our trips and reliving the memories. Now, obviously, they are an essential part of creating blog posts!
Jet Bags:For me, no trip to Italy is complete without buying wine and olive oil to take back home. The first time I went to Rome, I ended up rolling my dirty clothes around the two bottles of wine I bought, and I panicked the whole time that they were somehow going to break and ruin everything in my suitcase (and, worst of all, leave me with no wine!). It turned out okay, but after that, I bought a few Jet Bags, which are padded, absorbent and resealable, so you can use them again and again. They are biodegradable and you can get a 3-pack for $20 on Amazon. Totally worth it.
Luggage scale: I sincerely admire women who are able to go on international trips (or any trips, really) and use only a carry-on suitcase. I tried it once, and I just simply cannot do it – especially because I tend to travel in the Fall/Winter months and need sweaters and jackets. Therefore, it’s important to know how much my checked bag weighs so I can avoid any extra fees. I weigh it prior to leaving the U.S., but it’s also very handy when heading back home because you know you’re going to buy things during your trip that are going to increase the weight of your bag!
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| Photo Credit: iStock |
Extra bag: So after you’ve packed those bottle of wine, olive oil, leather purse, new shoes, etc. and realize that your luggage weighs 15 pounds over the limit, what are you going to do?? Well, I always pack an extra bag, like the Dooney & Bourke Nylon Shopper, which folds flat in my suitcase on the way out, but can be used as a carry-on for the way back.
So those are some of my travel essentials. How about you? What are some of your must-pack items when traveling internationally? Let me know in the comments below!
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