Too often have I found myself losing item in my luggage, or worse – forgetting them all together. I made a list of my favorite items to have on hand for trips three nights or longer. They keep me organized while packing, help to prevent overpacking, and make unpacking once I’ve reached my destination a walk in the park.
Some of these items may have affiliate links which will earn me a small bit of money to throw in my travel jar.
- Packing Cubes: I love packing cubes any time I am flying by air. They keep me organized. They can easily be placed into a roller bag or a backpack. They keep my clean clothing sealed off from say, that dirty pair of shoes I was too lazy to throw in a bag. And for me, they help prevent overpacking. We have a wide variety of packing cubes in my house. I like the ones with a defined frame, my fiancé likes the ones that roll up and come in a bunch of shapes and sizes. Whichever you like, you can find them on Amazon, or at your local T.J. Maxx.
2. Jewelry Case: I can’t tell you all the creative places I’ve packed my jewelry, but I can tell you where I pack my jewelry now. This jewelry organizer from Leatherology holds all of my funky earrings I wear on vacation, keeps my necklaces from getting tangled on each other, has a strap to hold onto my silicon adventure ring, and zipper pockets for everything else. I can not recommend this product, or those similar, enough.
3. Travel Sized Bottles: I’m not a fan of how much hotel shampoo I need to use to wash my hair. I hate how the bars of soap dry out my skin, and there’s never enough lotion in the bottle for more than 2 legs. Instead of keeping up with my persistent grievances, I avoid them all together by packing my own soapy essentials from home using these reusable travel bottles. My favorite thing about this set is the small jars to put face wash, makeup remover balm, and face cream in without having the need to bring bulky tubs with me.
Holly’s Happy Tip: Wash these after every trip or so, they have the potential to dry out and get funky.
4. A Weekly Pill Container: A Pill Container? You heard that right. Why waste room with bulky bottles when you can condense all that you need for a trip? My go-to medicine to travel with is Zyrtec, Imodium, Lactaid, Advil, Dramamine (Chef’s kiss to motion sickness), Prilosec, and Iron. The only big bottle I bring with me is activated charcoal just in case. You’ll never know when you’ll need something while traveling, and having these separated out helps me find them fast when I really need them. Find yours on amazon, or at your local drugstore.
5. Makeup Case: If you’re anything like me, you LOVE makeup. But you probably don’t love how much precious counterspace it takes up when you’re traveling. With this case, you can grab items as you need them and keep them hung up and out of the way when you don’t. I sometimes pack this empty case in addition to my faithful, perfectly sized Estee Lauder makeup bag my Sitto gave me. It helps keep the bulkiness down in your carry on.
6. Waterproof Fanny Pack: A friend introduced me to this product at a Las Vegas pool party. Since then, I’ve brought them to the beach with me, drank in an ocean bar with it, trekked through the Belizean jungle with it before cave tubing, jumped off docks with it, and wore it in the pool at an all-inclusive resort. Every time, I only had water in it that I introduced (aka, I had to reach my wet hand in there to check my phone or grab cash). It’s leak free, it holds all the necessities, and it’s triple zipper rolls up and is secured with velcro. Get yours on amazon.
7. A Dry Bag: I bought my first dry bag ahead of my trip to Belize knowing we’d be going snorkeling and diving multiple times. This bag was a lifesaver during group excursions when everyone is getting back in the boat soaking wet. It kept my clothing dry, my sunscreen in a safe spot, and I threw my non-waterproof electronics in this with no issue.
Holly’s Happy Tip: Buy a shoulder strap for this. You’ll thank me later.
8. Saalt Cup: To my vagina equipped friends, we all know that tamps suck for the environment and they make swimming an interesting experience with a side of anxiety about leaks. These menstrual cups stay put for up to 12 hours, and collect rather than absorb all while allowing you to enjoy the water worry free. This product is definitely out of the usual for many of us to try, but my life was changed after getting the hang of them.
Holly’s Happy Tip: give it a try at home prior to traveling to get used to how they work and make sure this is the right option for you and your body.
9: This backpack from Amazon: I’ve traveled with purses, mini duffels, and big backpacks with minimal spots for organization. This one really hits it out of the park with tons of pockets, plenty of space to store just about anything, and an extremely handy external USB port for when you need to charge your phone on the move. It also features a super convenient strap on the back to make it easy to throw on your carry on.
10. Hard-Sided Luggage: I used to live in Orlando, Florida. Home to Mickey Mouse, Florida Man, and daily thunderstorms that would stop everything in it’s tracks – the luggage carts at the airport included. After receiving my first soaking wet suitcase, I knew it was time to rethink the function of my luggage. Then I found these hard-sided, American Tourister suitcases and I’ve never looked back. Pair them with packing cubes for extra support.
Holly’s Happy Tip: Accesories. There are so many similar types of luggage, make sure that yours doesn’t get picked up by mistake with luggage tags, stickers, and a colorful strap.
Holly's Happy Trips 