After going on several trips, packing has become second nature. In fact, it’s almost an art form. Whether you’re going away for a weekend, or for several weeks, everything that you do, or don’t pack, is essential. Between worrying about packing too lightly and not being able to exceed the airport’s weight requirement, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s important to take away with you. Here’s a short list of some of the items I find essential while packing for any trip to keep your luggage light and organized.
1. Wrinkle Release Spray
For anybody that knows me personally, I absolutely SWEAR by this product! No need to try a squeeze an iron into your suitcase or chase down hotel staff to find one (and then the ironing board… that’s an entirely different story). There are a ton of different brands that come in a range of sizes. Personally I use the Downy brand. They make bottles in two sizes: 16.9 fl oz and 3 fl oz. The larger ones are perfect for longer trips and the smaller ones are great for weekend trips, especially when you’re flying, they are carry-on approved! All you have to do is hang your clothes, lightly dampen the clothes with spray, and shake out the wrinkles! It is literally magic.
2. Portable Phone Charger
Whether it is for taking pictures, calling friends and family, or blowing up social media with posts of how awesome your trip is, your battery will be drained on a day to day basis while you’re away. A portable phone charger is a great resource to keep your battery alive. They can be found at an array of stores, however, I love mine that I bought at Francesca’s boutique for twenty dollars. It’s cute, light, and small enough to fit in your pocket.
3. Shower Cap
When traveling, you want to make the most out of your experience. It’s difficult to lug around a heavy blow-dryer and to be quite frank, hotel blow-dryers suck nine times out of ten. It’s a pain in the butt to sit there and wait for your hair to dry, so what’s the best solution? Bring along a shower cap. Let’s be realistic, you can go two to three days without washing your hair (that’s what why dry shampoo is for). At the end of the day, it’s stupid to sit in your room waiting for your hair to dry when you could be out eating gelato in Italy or strolling through the markets in Morocco. Shower caps can reduce the time it takes to shower, giving you more time to enjoy your trip. Sally’s Beauty Supply sells several different types of shower caps, all under $10!
4. Trash Bag
After a few days of traveling, it is inevitable that you’re going to become pretty unorganized. To solve this problem, bring a trash bag along with you to store your dirty clothes. That way, you don’t have to go digging through your suitcase to find clean underwear, and when you get home from your trip, you can bring your dirty bag of clothes right down to the laundry room.
5. Headphones
Forgetting these is the biggest rookie mistake out there. Whether it’s to watch a movie on the bus, motivate you while on a hike, or ignoring all your annoying friends on a long plane ride, headphones are the key to traveling. While many say that Dr. Dre’s headphones are the best, I disagree. The Solo Beats are too heavy to travel with and the Powerbeats, although they are my favorite, are not worth it. I prefer to stick with the Apple headphones that come free with our phones. They’re inexpensive, durable, and not that big of a deal if they’re damaged or lost.