My “Must-Haves” For Travel

I’ve seen a couple of bloggers posting their “must-haves” for their trips, so I figured I would let you all know what I always have on me when I travel (besides the basics, of course!)

1. A word search book. I have a word search book that I take with me on every trip. I honestly have no idea where it came from, but this bad boy has over 300 word searches. I’ve started writing down the date and where I’m going after I complete the word search so I can always look back on where I’ve been and when. I really like bringing it on trips with me so I have something to do when I’m tired of reading or listening to music (or aimlessly staring out the window). Plus, I think it helps wake my brain up during those early morning flights!
2. Book(s)/Kindle/iPad/Magazines/whatever you enjoy reading. This one is a given: bringing something to read can help your flight fly by! I personally use the Kindle app on my iPad when I travel so I always make sure to have two or three books downloaded before getting to the airport (you never know how the Wi-Fi is going to be!). If books aren’t your thing, grab a magazine or two, I guarantee getting lost in a story will help time go by faster than you know.
3. A camera. Early 2018 I bought myself a camera and it was one of the best decisions I made. Those pictures man, they’re just different than the ones you take with an iPhone camera. I originally bought the camera for vlogging but that hasn’t caught on for me (yet!). It’s been so long since I had an actual camera, I forgot how beautiful the pictures can come out. If you’re interested in getting a camera, you don’t have to spend $1K on one or more, I got a perfect working camera on eBay *no shame.* But any camera you can find will be perfect, sometimes it’s just nice to have something different than your phone.
4. A backpack. I kind of learned the hard way that you should always have a backpack on you. I found myself on some trips with no way to carry things around when I was out exploring! Luckily, I wised up and bought myself a backpack that has been used mainly for traveling. I’ve been using a small Steve Madden one that I would use as a carry-on and then while I was out and about on vacation, use it to carry the necessary things. The only problem as this was not a backpack I would want to use while ATV-ing or hiking or anything too dirty. My best friend was kind enough to get me the “Sunhiker Cycling Hiking Backpack” for Christmas which I am so excited to use on my upcoming trips. Once I get a few uses out of it, I’ll let you guys know my opinion on it!
5. A speaker. For when you’re getting ready to go out to dinner, or if you’re just trying to pump yourself up in the morning before an excursion. You can never go wrong throwing a speaker in your luggage!
6. Sneakers. My mom always told me “wear your sneakers on the plane so you don’t have to pack them.” I don’t care what kind of sneakers you wear, they always take up too much space in your luggage! Plus, when you’re going though security, it’s more comfy to take you sneakers off and have socks on then it is to taking your sandals off and having to walk barefoot (yuck!). Sneakers are key on vacations no matter where you’re going and I always have at least one pair with me.
7. Wipes. Self-explanatory!
8. First Aid “Kit.” I put the word kit in quotation marks because I don’t bring a whole legitimate kit with me. Usually I bring a small Ziploc bag with Neosporin, Band-Aids, Q-Tips and a bottle of Advil and that’s usually enough of a First Aid “Kit” for me! I do have a small wallet-sized thing with tweezers, nails clippers and cuticle scissors on me always just in case. Unless you’re traveling somewhere that you fear you may get injured or traveling with someone who is extra clumsy, the minimum is usually best.

So there you have it, my must-haves while traveling! I’m sure there are some things that I may be missing, but these are the definite ones. I hope I can help some of you enjoy your future trips a little more with my ideas!