Hi everyone! With this post, I’m taking a little break from writing about specific places… are you ready to find out about my favorite travel essentials in 2022?
2022 has been a year crazy full of travel for us! And I couldn’t be happier about that. This is going to be our fourth international trip so far this year, and by the time it’s over we will have spent almost 4 months out of the country. But if you don’t have your packing routine down, with a bag full of items that make life easier and more comfortable, it can be difficult.
So I wanted to share the 5 things I can’t live without during all of my travels this year. I hope you find this list helpful!
1. PacSafe Backpack
My beloved old backpack, which I’d had since senior year of high school and had traveled with me as I lived in London and Madrid was on its last leg. 11 years is pretty good for a regular old backpack, right?!
Now for a slightly embarrassing story. While I wore that backpack every day, I was constantly forgetting to zip it up all the way. It would be hanging open, and Dios bless the good people of Madrid, who never tried to pickpocket me. They never did anything other than tell me: “Tu mochila está abierta.” Your backpack is open. This happened literally all the time.
So as 2022 approached, along with planned trips to South America and Europe, Matt said it was time for me to get a new, more secure backpack. Enter… the PacSafe Backpack!
This bag has so many features that make it perfect for traveling. While I’m clearly not very paranoid when it comes to security of my stuff, it has RFID-blocking technology and all that good stuff. The zippers can be locked together so it takes quite a bit of work to open them. And you can even clip the strap to the leg of a table or chair to prevent a thief from running off with it while you’re out working at a coffee shop or grabbing dinner.,
Plus, it’s a great size. And really cute. What’s not to love? I have it in classic black, but it also comes in several other colors, such as gray and navy. There are also a variety of styles and designs for people of all genders. I have the PacSafe Women’s Cityscape, which I’ve linked to here. But take a look around their other styles, too.
Overall, the bag is great quality, and I’m expecting to have it for at least 11 more years. 😉
2. Portable Charger
I’ve had an iPhone 8 for the past 4 years. And truly, I hope I never have to get another phone. I’m not someone who needs the latest technology. And Matt has an iPhone 11, so if I ever want to use a more newfangled feature, like the 0.5 zoom-out, I can just borrow his phone.
But an old phone usually means decreased battery life. Yep, I just checked and it says my battery’s maximum capacity is only 76% and it needs “service.” Well, I don’t want to pay for that right now so I’m gonna just keep going with what I have.
All this to say that my phone dies pretty fast on a normal day. And this is even more true when traveling! Think about early morning flights and being up since 4 a.m., taking two buses two hours across Houston to get to the other airport. Using the boarding pass on your phone to board your 3 p.m. flight to Mexico. Sitting on the runway. Arriving in Mexico City. Standing in the immigration line for an hour. Ordering an Uber and trying to find him outside. Finally arriving at the Airbnb after 45 minutes in the car.
My phone battery doesn’t stand a chance. (I think it would be dead by the time we got on the second bus in Houston.)
Which is why Matt got me an RAVPOWER external battery. And it has helped me out so many times. When it’s dead, it kind of takes forever to charge up to 100% — leave it overnight and it will be done by morning. But it also takes forever for it to fully die. You can get SO MUCH battery life out of it. Hours and hours worth.
I’ve used other portable chargers before, but they definitely don’t have the same capacity as this one. I highly recommend for the peace of mind it gives while traveling, knowing you won’t be left with a dead phone.
(While the one I have isn’t on Amazon, this is a similar model.)
3. Page-a-Day Travel Journal
It was summer 2019 last time I was in Seattle. And while I was there, I visited one of my favorite stores near Pike Place Market: Metsker Maps. If you know me, this is no surprise at all. I am obsessed with maps and travel memorabilia.
It was impossible for me to walk into that store and not buy anything. When I saw this Page-a-Day travel journal, I had to have it.
I’m no stranger to travel journaling. In fact, a good journal is one of my most recommended items for travelers to take on their solo trips. But I thought the concept of one page a day was an interesting one. As a writer, I can write A LOT. Every blog post on here ends up like 2x as long as I plan it to be. 💀 So condensing it to one page per day of travel could be a good challenge. Plus, it meant I would be able to fit years worth of trips into the same journal! Instead of having one entire journal for just one trip.
I squeezed about 3 trips into the journal before the world shut down in 2020. But by mid-2021, I was able to start journaling about my domestic trips. And this year, I’ve been able to write about our travel in so many different places!
It’s such a great way to look back and reminisce on past trips. And once the journal is filled, it could be a really cool keepsake for the future.
4. TUSHY Travel Bidet
Not long after we got back home from Ecuador, Matt and I started investigating bidets. No, bidets were not common in South America like they are in some parts of Europe. And no, living in Spain didn’t convert me into a bidet believer. (My Madrid apartment had one in the bathroom, but it was never used.)
But I guess we decided that we’re 29 years old and we deserve to have nice things. And after a YouTube video about bidets by TUSHY caught our attention — and tickled our sense of humor — we decided to take the plunge *insert plunger emoji*.
TUSHY had some sort of sale going on, so we got two for the house, which meant we could get a TUSHY travel bidet for cheaper than regular price. Knowing how much we travel, I figured it was worth it.
Might be kind of hard to imagine how it works, but basically, it’s like an accordion-style water bottle that has a nozzle that points at a specific angle. You fill it with water, aim, and squeeze. It’s nice because it’s really convenient to travel with. It collapses down and has a carrying case with a D-clip, making it easy to clip on to any bag.
Also, it might sound kind of gross that I’m talking about bidets. But I pride myself on keeping this blog very honest and relatable. And if you’ve never traveled somewhere that had your stomach gurgling, you are in a very lucky minority. The bidet also helps you cut down on using toilet paper, which is convenient when the Airbnb host decides to only stock you with one roll. 💩
5. Kitsch Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
Having curly hair can be a blessing, but mostly it is a curse. A curse I’ve been dealing with since I was about 10 years old when my previously stick-straight hair decided to become wiry, coily, and frizzy. By the time I was 15 I’d mostly managed to tame it using very specific products. But traveling with very specific products is not, and has never been, easy.
My friends can pick up a travel-size Pantene shampoo from Target and be good to go. Not me. Over the past 7 years, while I’ve been traveling for work and for fun, I must have spent the equivalent of at least 6 months of my life trying to transport my hair products into travel-size bottles. Not just shampoo. But also conditioner. And a few other things. Did I mention that none of the very specific products I use come with pumps, for some reason? Which means the whole thing becomes an extremely arduous effort. This is my LEAST favorite part of packing, by far.
I was getting tired of this. So I started thinking about what could make my life easier.
One of my biggest tips for travelers — especially those packing just a carry-on — is to find as many solid alternatives to liquid products as possible. Solid laundry tablets instead of liquid. Makeup wipes instead of a bottle of makeup remover and cotton balls. So what about… shampoo and conditioner BARS instead of liquids?!
I came across this brand, Kitsch, at Ulta. After reviewing their product ingredients and discovering that they ~vibe~ with my personal hair care requirements, I decided to buy both a shampoo bar and conditioner bar. And now, not only am I spending less time with the infuriating process of preparing travel size bottles, I’m traveling with fewer liquids. It’s a win-win!
There are still a few essentials I travel with that aren’t on this list. Check out my list of travel essentials: electronics edition!
In the meantime, which travel essential are you most interested in? Which one surprises you? And what are your travel must-haves? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links. As anAmazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Originally Published on July 27, 2022.
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