2021 Travel Essentials

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Hello 2021! With vaccine distribution underway, and COVID cases starting to decrease (forever hopefully), we can finally start thinking about travel again. It’s been about a year and a half since we last stepped foot in an airport and our wanderlust has only increased with each passing week. Though we aren’t ready to head out on our next adventure quite yet, we know a lot of people are already planning their upcoming vacations. So we decided now would be a great time to talk about our list of travel essentials for 2021.

It is fair to say that ‘essential’ is relative, and you may prioritize things differently than we do. There may be things you deem essential that we don’t necessarily and vice versa. So our list isn’t the be-all-end-all, but simply our suggestions based on previous experiences we’ve had while traveling.

Health & Wellness

Now more than ever, it’s important to think of the health and safety of not only yourself, but others as well. Especially when you are traveling. Also, having good hygiene is always a great practice regardless of global pandemics.

Hand Sanitizer is a must these days. We have been carrying hand sanitizer with us everywhere for years, even before there was a pandemic. Best practice is to wash your hands (with soap and water for 20 seconds), but sometimes you just need a quick sanitization after being in a store or after using public transportation. We would still recommend washing your hands before you eat if at all possible, but carrying a small bottle of sanitizer in your purse or backpack will go a long way in helping you fight off germs. In the words of The Lonely Island, there’s no such thing as too much Purell.

Antibacterial Wipes are another great item to carry on your travels. We often use them on airplanes (to wipe down tray tables and arm rests) and these days to wipe off things like door handles and light switches. It’s true that most airlines, hotels, etc. have implemented stricter cleaning protocols, but one can never be too careful we say. These wipes can also be good for wiping off phones and keys. (Apple at least has approved the gentle use of antibacterial wipes on their devices.) If you want to splurge a little, you can purchase a cellphone cleaning box that uses UV instead of liquid to sanitize phones, but we usually just give ours a little wipe down.

Face Masks, the new essential travel items. As of today, airlines, national parks, many stores, and attractions are still requiring face masks. And even if they are not required, they are highly encouraged. Even with vaccines rolling out, we’re fairly certain face masks aren’t going away anytime soon. And frankly, we are happy about that. The virus won’t disappear overnight and we both feel much safer around a group of strangers if everyone is wearing a mask. So make sure to pack those masks before your next trip! We love the multipacks from Old Navy. They’re cute as well as functional. And if you prefer to double mask, they work great as your outer layer.

Immune System Boosters, such as elderberry gummies, can help keep you feeling healthy and well on your trip. Airborne is also a great immune booster. We usually take one or both of these with us on every trip.

Band-Aids are always a good item to bring with you on any trip. Frankly, they are even a good item to keep in your purse on a daily basis. We can’t tell you the number of minor cuts and scrapes we’ve sustained over the years just carrying on about our daily lives. Waterproof bandages are also great to put on the backs of your heels if you’re in a position where your feet might get wet. They may just save you a few blisters.

Bags/Accessories

Since we discovered packing cubes, our travel lives have never been the same. We were both skeptical at first. Would they really save us that much space? The answer is yes. Not only are they space savers, packing cubes also help keep your suitcase organized. This is especially helpful if you are traveling from place to place and never really unpack. Courtney currently owns the OEE brand cubes, and Mallory owns the Shacke Pak brand. Both are awesome!

Another discovery we made in the past few years is travel shoe bags. These bags are great to store the shoes you aren’t currently wearing in your suitcase. If you really think about all of the places your shoes have been, things they’ve come into contact with, you definitely wouldn’t want them touching your clothes (or anything else in your suitcase for that matter). Shoe bags are a great way to keep your shoes separate from everything else. These bags from Zmart are cute and waterproof (equally important factors :P). They are large enough to hold 3-5 pairs of flats or sandals, one pair of tennis shoes or one smaller pair of boots per bag. If you have larger boots, you may have to use two bags but, for the most part, we haven’t had any issues.

There are many different types of toiletry bags out there, and we’ve each tried a few. But our favorites tend to be the toiletry bags with hangers. When traveling with multiple females, we have found, counter space can sometimes be an issue. Being able to hang your toiletry bag is very helpful. You can move it to the bathroom when needed and leave it hanging in the closet the rest of the time. Mallory is currently using the large hanging toiletry/cosmetic bag from Bag&Carry.

Electronics

Though most hotels, and even airports and train stations, now have more places to charge your devices, sometimes there still just aren’t enough outlets. This is why we love to travel with USB charging cubes. You can plug in multiple USB devices at one time, which works great for us as we typically charge our phones, tablets and cameras every night. Try out the Multi USB Wall Charging Cube for domestic trips or, if you are traveling internationally, we recommend getting a multi USB travel adapter. (Note that travel adapters are not the same as voltage converters and are not to be used with devices such as curling wands or hair dryers.)

A portable charger or cellphone charging case can be very useful when traveling in today’s world. Most of us have a smart phone, and most of us use it more than we use a computer these days. It acts as our connection to our loved ones, the internet, maps, weather info, and as our camera a lot of the time. When you’re traveling, it can be hard to find plugins every time you need one. Having a portable charger or charging case has really helped us out on long days out and about exploring (or standing in long lines at conventions).

Other

Lip balm, such as Burt’s Bees is a must, especially when you are traveling to destinations with harsher climates. We use lip balm on a daily basis, so of course we use it when we travel. No one wants chapped lips on vacation.

One of the most important things you can do on any trip (and at home really) is to stay hydrated. This is especially true if you’re going to be spending a lot of time outdoors, either in summer or winter. We always carry a water bottle everywhere we go. Not only will having a reusable water bottle help with hydration, it is also good for the environment and your wallet. You can find places to refill water bottles almost anywhere you travel and it will definitely save you from having to purchase multiple plastic water bottles, which can be expensive. We both like the stainless steel bottles, but there are tons of options out there. And if you are worried about the drinkability of certain water, consider investing in a water purifying bottle.

Whether it be summer or winter, whether we are traveling North, South, East or West, we always take a light raincoat. The truth is, you never know when it might rain so it is always good to be prepared. And the lightweight raincoats will also usually fold up pretty small and will fit easily into a backpack.

bonus Items We Love

There are some items that are “essential” to one or both of us that you may not typically find on a list like this one. We wanted to include a few of our favorites.

The average person experiences headaches once or twice a week. And that doesn’t include chronic headaches or migraines. If you are a person who has frequent headaches or migraines, you know how debilitating they can be. Headaches are no fun at any time, but especially on vacation. One of the best ways we’ve found to tackle headaches is the Migrastil Migraine Stick. It is an essential oil stick that helps relieve migraine and tension headache symptoms.

If you are going on a long flight (or really a long car, train or bus ride), a facial spray can really work wonders. It helps refresh your skin (flying can really dry it out) and helps give you a quick pick-me-up when you arrive in your new destination. The chamomile and lavender spray from Mario Badescu smells amazing.

Are you a nervous flyer? If so, try this Panic Button Spray from Aura Cacia. The smell may seem a little different at first, but then a real sense of calm washes over you. It can also be helpful at night to spray a little on your pillow to calm your mind and help you sleep.

Not a fan of wrinkles? Don’t want to do laundry on vacation? Check out Downy Winkle Releaser spray. We love to take this with us when we travel, both to help with wrinkles and smell. Now, don’t expect this to work as well as ironing but this spray will help get out most wrinkles in most fabrics. Give your garment a good spray, shake it out, and hang it up overnight. We also spray items that we think may smell throughout our trips to help keep our clothes (and shoes) smelling as fresh as possible. (Especially if we’re going on shorter trips or don’t want to do laundry.) You can save a little money by purchasing larger bottles and refilling your travel size when necessary.

If you’ve ever had motion sickness, you will appreciate this one. Though we were both skeptical at first, we’ve found Sea Bands to really help with motion sickness. We haven’t tested them on the water yet, but we have worn them many times in cars, planes, trains, and busses. They make adult and kid sizes, so these work for the whole family.

If you ever need a energy boost on vacation, and let’s be real…most of us do, we would recommend trying out Spark Energy packets by Advocare. Spark is made with 20 vitamins, minerals and nutrients plus a little caffeine to give you that energy boost. It is a much healthier alternative to traditional energy drinks. You can also buy Spark by the canister, but it is much easier to travel with the packets.

Hopefully this blog gave you some ideas of what to pack for your next trip. Have fun and be safe out there!