5 things I always pack when I travel

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Minnesota winters are beautiful, but totally brutal in terms of length, temperature, and amount of snow. On a weekend in April this year, we got 22 inches of SNOW. Needless to say, I’m over it. Back in March, my fiancé surprised me with a trip to visit one of my friends, who lives in Tampa. With how crazy my full time job has been, the earliest I could go is this coming weekend. It will be 90 degrees, but I am SO ready to sweat and have an amazing time doing all the things I love to do in Tampa with her.

I used to be so good about making lists and packing days in advance, but those were also the days of less responsibility. Now, I make the task of packing less daunting by starting with my list of five trusty products I can’t travel without:

Young Living Essential Oils — in mini rollerballs

My essential oils are absolutely clutch for stress relief, relaxation, and general well-being. I use them at home constantly and I only trust Young Living because of the way that their oils are produced and distributed. In order to maximize space in my bags, I put them in these mini rollerballs (which are Prime eligible, because, procrastination). Love being able to apply my oils (and not worry about having to dilute certain ones on the go, because I can premix them in these rollerballs) on the road and continue to enjoy their benefits. Would LOVE to hear if you use oils as well (what are your faves?) or if you haven’t taken the plunge yet (questions?).

 

Comfy Travel Pillow

You should probably know that one of my biggest fears while traveling is falling asleep on someone else on the plane (and, of course drooling and snoring). This is why I don’t generally sleep when I’m traveling, but, even when I’m reading or watching episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians that I haven’t seen yet, I need something to prop my head on. Enter: Brookstone Nap uPillow.

I’ll admit — I was a total sucker on a layover with a delay, then another delay, then another delay, when I spotted these babies from across the airport in a Brookstone store. And, I took the bait. They cost about $20, but they are so soft and durable. The material feels more like a terry cloth than polyester, so it mimics a warm pillow that’ll put you right into a trance. Brookstone has a few different colors and all are available via Amazon, so if you’re packing in a pinch like I do, you can grab one quickly.

 

A bright suitcase that’s easy to maneuver

My parents bought me a suitcase for my 16th birthday that was SO loud in terms of design. This thing was hot pink with (are you ready for it) HIBISCUS FLOWERS AND PALM TREES on it. Can. You. Believe. It? I found it sort of weird at the time, mostly because we weren’t the type of family who traveled much together because of my parents’ jobs (and because we were a middle-class family without a ton of extra to take lavish trips).

Anyway, this suitcase was a far cry from any other suitcase I’d really been exposed to. All of my friends had solid colored travel bags and I didn’t want to be any different. What I didn’t realize is that I would come to love this thing for the 15.5 years I had it! I did (eventually) get a solid plum suitcase that’s a little different than what you typically see, so it works. That was before these amazing Oh Joy! and CALPACK pieces were released — now I’m in lust again. Obnoxiously colored and/or patterned suitcases are so much easier to spot when coming down the chute and onto baggage claim at the airport. I have too many ounces of liquid product to travel with a carry on (so, if you can, I envy you!) and am always schlepping myself to the baggage claim post-flight. Claiming your bag has come a long way over time (shoutout to Delta for the in-app notifications within seconds of my bag being dropped down the chute), but it’s also important to make sure that you’re grabbing the right baggage when it arrives, among the sea of black suitcases so you’re not surprised at the contents when you get to your final destination.

 

Laundry bags for wash and wear

Keeping clean clothes clean and dirty clothes separate is one of my travel musts. I hate digging through my suitcase and smelling things to determine whether they’re good enough to wear (which is also not very classy), so I invested in a divided bag with a section for “wear” and a section for “wash”. My only complaint is that my little bag is just that; little. I’m going to grab this laundry bag to store my dirty stuff in while I’m away from home instead, as it’s more roomy and economical.

Packing Cubes