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My Current Travel Essentials

Miranda Wabl Student Contributor, Boston University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Let’s be honest, traveling can be a pain. We all love exploring new places and vacationing, but flying itself? Not as fun.

I’ve always been a big traveler, but after surviving two 18-hour travel days by myself last week, I feel like I’ve finally got my travel routine down. So, here are some of my must-haves to bring with you on your next trip!

A Crossbody Purse

This was a new addition to my travel outfit on my most recent trip, but it made all the difference! Instead of having to reach into your carry-on, a crossbody purse gives you easy access to your keys, wallet, and passport, while ensuring your items are secured.

Pro Tip: Make sure to put the purse into the top of your carry-on when boarding the plane as sometimes airlines will consider it another personal item!

An Eye Mask

Yes, neck pillows are great, but the key to getting some rest on a pane? An eye mask! They take up much less room but are just as effective for letting you get some shut-eye on your trip!

Not only do planes never get fully dark, but you also never know if the person sitting next to you will have their overhead light on all night.

Podcasts

Before any trip, no matter the transportation, I always download podcasts! They’re my favorite mode of entertainment for a trip since they’re more engaging than music but still let me close my eyes and relax.

If you’re not sure where to start, some of my favorites include Therapuss with Jake Shane, Chicks in the Office, and Sentimental Garbage!

A Portable Charger

Self-explanatory, but more important than perhaps anything else on this list, a portable charger is key for any trip, since our phones are vital to travel. This is especially helpful for international flights when you might not have an adapter that fits with the airline you’re traveling on!

My favorite is the Veektomx Power Bank, as you just plug it into the wall when charging the charger itself. There are also charging cords already attached to the charger when you need to plug in your phone.

A Kindle

No matter how much of a reader you are, everyone loves a good book on vacation! What people don’t love, though, is the person next to them having their overhead light during the flight. A Kindle easily solves this problem since it’s digital. Bonus: the Kindle Paperwhite (which I have) also mimics the pages of a book, which won’t hurt your eyes!

An Air Tag

Everyone’s worst fear when flying is losing your luggage. Using an air tag can help prevent that!

Putting the air tag into your suitcase and connecting it to your phone lets you track your bag to ensure it’s actually getting on the plane. And if it isn’t, at least you know where it is! This device is worth it for people who usually carry-on as well because, often, airlines love to make you check your bag at the gate.

Snacks

Finally, no one can travel without some good food. My current flavor formula involves something sweet, something savory, and something with protein to cover all the bases.

My savory and protein normally vary, but they’re needed—so I’m not just eating sugar. My sweet of choice is sweet is usually Haribo gummy bears, which is a family tradition of mine. Really, you can’t go wrong with whatever you bring with you!

P.S.: Unless what you’re bringing is Canadian or federally illegal.

Safe travels!

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Miranda Wabl (she/her) is a bi-weekly writer and editor for the Her Campus BU Editorial Staff. She is currently a sophomore Public Relations major, with a minor in English.

Wabl is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, CA but loves living in Boston and on the East Coast. Along with Her Campus, she is a radio DJ for WTBU, and a part of the Sigma Kappa sorority.

In her free time, Wabl is a die hard sports fan, and loves to watch reality tv. She reads over 50 books a year and can probably be found holding an iced coffee no matter the time of the year!