Let’s face it. The act of traveling can be a time-consuming pain in the butt. It’s even more so now that we are living in the middle of a pandemic. Travel now involves taking a bunch of safety precautions, including making sure we’re socially distanced, wearing a mask, and have gloves on deck.
I’ll talk more about the pandemic-made challenges of travel in another post, but for now, let’s touch on the basic items you’ll need for short trips.
If you’re anything like me an over-packer, you dread the art of getting everything into your bag. This is especially true for shorter trips where I only bring a carry-on sized suitcase. Just the thought of having to leave half my life behind is enough to invoke a potent spell of anxiety. Thankfully, I have my list of essential items to help make the process much smoother.
Check out my tried and true travel items I pack for short trips that can help any traveler on the go!
Suitcase
When it comes to suitcases, I only trust Briggs and Riley.
After one of my earlier travel experiences where my luggage was destroyed by mishandling (on a carrier that shall not be named), I invested in my first Briggs and Riley bag. And I can completely attest to its durability.
Whether I’m traveling to a different state or country, I can always count on my Briggs and Riley suitcase to be in one piece. I’ve been rolling with the B&R for almost a decade now, and chile, my bag has been through it all. Needless to say, it has withstood the test of time.
The great thing about Briggs and Riley bags is that they have a lifetime guarantee. So, if my bag is ever broken or damaged, they will repair it free of charge…without proof of purchase.
If you’re also in the market for a shoulder bag to carry items like your laptop, check out their baseline tote bag.
Packing Cubes
As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, packing cubes are a necessity, especially when you are packing for carrying on. They aide in helping you easily organize and compact your clothing so that you can get the maximum use out of your suitcase. My go-to packing cubes from Amazon even have a cute little laundry bag.
Toiletry Bag
For my toiletries, I have two options for bags, which really depend on how much of my life I plan to bring with me. The bag I typically use when I am taking my full cosmetic routine with me is this hanging travel toiletry bag. It’s highly rated on Amazon and for a good reason. It fits everything I need and more and can be conveniently hung when I get to my destination. When I’m going for a less maintenance approach, I bring this TSA approved travel clear case.
Hardshell Camera Cover
Any camera lover can tell you, carrying around the bag for your camera and related equipment can be a hassle. I’ve found it takes up so much space and makes it difficult to pack. Thankfully, I’ve stumbled across this compact case for DSLR cameras. I can just carry my lens and camera body in one condensed case and throw it in my carry-on tote bag.
Neck Pillow
Because what is life without a neck pillow on the plane?
My go-to pillow is this memory foam pillow from Cabeau. It’s elevated enough to support your neck properly, so it doesn’t look like you’re playing the live version of hangman. And it comes with a compact travel case that cuts the pillow size in half to fit right in your bag.
Headphones
Whether your flight has crying babies or chatty passengers, my go-to noise-reducing headphones are these wireless Beats Solos. They’re not quite as bulky as other noise-canceling headphones and come with a pouch that you can fold your headphones into and store in your tote with minimal use of space. Plus, you just charge them up and get 40 hours of straight playing time.
Disinfectant Wipes
In case you may be living under a rock, these are new and interesting times (i.e., COVID-19).
Therefore, here’s my PSA - We are now wiping down airplane seats!
Unless you’ve been secretly doing this all along like me (slight germaphobe), you probably need a stash of disinfectant wipes. With the scarcity of cleaning products nowadays, one of my go-to brands, Jike, has affordable portable wipes that you can keep in your bag to wipe down that petri dish of an airplane seat.
I really couldn’t recommend any of these products enough!
Tell me, what’s your travel go-to essentials?!
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