What’s In My Travel Bag?

Travel is a fantastic way to figure out what's important to you in your day to day life! What you choose to take with you can define you better than any personality test, or horoscope. So let's deep dive into my purple hand-me-down carry-on bag, and I'll let you see what I hold near and dear when the home is far away.

I have a love-hate relationship with red eye flights. :)

Vital Things
These are the things I couldn't go without and have to be in my travel bag for me to be able to last more than a couple of days away from home. There's medication- aspirin, my asthma inhaler I haven't needed in years (but don't want to risk needed without having it!), and Tums in case my need for spicy food doesn't line up with my body suddenly deciding to show my age. Besides that, there's a phone charger, a tiny bottle of scented hand sanitizer, a little bottle of lotion to chase the sanitizer with, and of course, any important documents I need to bring with me. I keep these with me first and foremost, grabbing them before I pack anything else.

Photo credit: Nintendo Today.

Fun Things
I can live without these things, but why make myself go through that? These are the things that keep me sane in my travels. A mini-notebook in case inspiration hits me midair, my Nintendo Switch so that I'll be too distracted to get inspired- and a mix of different local candies so I can still have my sugar fix while away from home. There's nothing to cure homesickness like chewing on taffy from the town where you grew up.

Skincare is life. 

General ThingsLess fun, more necessary, I keep these so I can survive travel without a hitch. I make sure chewing gum, extra hair ties, make-up, face wipes, and a stain-pen stay in my bag. These help travel go smoothly and save me the worry of missing bodegas when I'm in the middle of a great outdoors excursion. Sometimes I leave some of these out if I need the space, but usually, they go along with me.

Tiny travel buddy.

Just-In-Case
Travel is something that you have to take seriously, so plan for everything! These give me a little peace of mind, while all being relatively small enough that I don't even notice they're there. I keep a small GPS tracker in my carry-on, and my purse, while I'm abroad that only I have access to see. This idea only came up after an almost-theft in Barcelona that made me realize how easily everything important to my travel could have gotten taken. Whether I'm on a ski trip or looking at Atlanta houses for sale, if my purse goes missing, I'll be able to help the cops locate the thieves.

I've spent years of traveling everywhere from Japan to Belgium and have used that time to whittle down what I need when I travel. Trial by fire is the best way to figure out what you need with you, and what's just taking up space and could be replaced by some fun souvenir or trinket! Give yourself time to find what works best for you, and don't be afraid to let that list change with time.