Personalized Travel Kit

“Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind and fills your life with stories to tell.”

Paula Bendfeldt

My husband is a travel enthusiast. He loves to learn about our world’s history and explore different cultures and over the almost two years that we have been married for he has sparked an interest in traveling the world in me as well. We haven’t visited a lot of places because this is just the beginning and…the pandemic. So far we have visited four destinations and I’ve quickly learned few essentials I need, to make my journey hassle free. Depending on the time and place of your trip, essentials might vary. However, these are few of my necessities on every trip.

Neck Wallet

We watch a lot of Rick Steve’s youtube videos and one thing we learned from them is that you want to have a pouch that can hold your money and IDs securely to prevent theft. After our trip to France we quickly realized why that is important. Although, we did not experience robberies, we both would have enjoyed our trip more if we did not had to worry about loosing things. We constantly had to check for our belongings. Usually places that are popular tourists spots also have a lot of pocket pickers. Neck Wallet will ensure your valuables stay close to you and out of reach for pocket pickers.

Disinfectant Spray and Wipes/ Hand Sanitizers

This is a must have whether you are traveling domestic of international. I usually like to carry Lysol spray (travel size) mainly for disinfecting bathrooms. Sometimes finding a bathroom can be challenging and when you do find one, it isn’t in the best condition. I’ve had to use pretty gross bathrooms on my travels, including some in large population centers. Wipes are handy for wiping down surfaces and cleaning messes. And of course, last but not least, hand sanitizer. I personally prefer warm water and soap but that isn’t always the case when you are hiking and you want to have lunch on the peak of a mountain. You are going to need hand sanitizer or wet wipes to clean your hands.

GPS/Phone Stand(if driving)

We like to have the freedom of roaming around at our own pace even in a foreign country. Therefore, we usually rent a car whenever possible. For this carrying your own GPS/ phone stand is a must. Holding your phone or asking your spouse for navigation can be annoying and dangerous especially driving on foreign land where the driving rules might be different. Having your own stand can limit frustration and danger.

Tip: Make sure you have an international driving license prior to your departure. AAA issues them fro around $30 and if you are a member, it might be under $30.

Universal Adaptor

For international trips, this is a must. We live in a world where we are surrounded with gadgets. Although they are wonderful at some point they need to be recharged. Having an adaptor with different converters is very helpful. You also don’t have to carry multiple adaptors if you purchase the one with multiple switches.

Slippers

We all know how clean hotels are. It is difficult to disinfect hotel floors especially when they are carpeted. You also don’t want to bring in dirt from the shoes you wore all day. They are also great for when you get out of the shower. For this I highly recommend bringing your own slippers (in case hotels don’t provide them). They come in handy so make sure you pack them for your next trip.

Tip: check out your local dollar tree for slippers. Occasionally they have slippers for a dollar that you can discard after your trip. They are quite compact so they won’t take up a lot of space in your suitcase.

Camera

This one is a no brainer. We live in the world of social media and there is no harm in sharing your travel experiences through pictures. Even though phones come with great cameras nowadays, if you are into photography and you travel a lot then definitely bring a separate camera.

Compact Vanity Mirror

This mirror is mainly for people who wear makeup. A mirror with lights comes in handy when you are getting ready for the day at the crack of dawn or if the lighting in the bathroom isn’t that great. The one I have is off of Amazon for around $22. It is rechargeable and comes with its own charging cable and a pouch.

SIM Card

Having a working phone is an essential! If you have a smart phone, you can access your GPS, pull up your hotel books, make emergencies phone calls, etc without having to find WiFi. Before you begin your travels makes sure to check where you can purchase a SIM card and weather your phone needs to be unlocked or not. Often time you can simply purchase one from the airport along with other information (at no additional cost) such as maps.

I hope this information was useful to you and will come in handy the next time you travel. As always, be safe and all the best!