What's in My Suitcase- Travel Must-Haves!

What's in My Suitcase- Travel Must-Haves!


Travel is a pretty much universally loved activity. Seriously, have you ever heard someone say they don't like to travel? It's like saying you don't like pizza or birthday cake. The feeling of hitting that road or stepping onto that plane to a destination unknown feels like freedom. Once you've been bitten by the travel bug, it's kind of hard to get un-bit ðŸ˜Š

The only thing is, traveling seems to involve more and more prep work the older you get. In college, for example, I used to literally haul my entire life around in a minivan- which consisted of about nine boxes of stuff. If I was going on a weekend trip, I'd just throw a couple clothes in a backpack and skedaddle!

Now things are a bit more... complicated. There are skincare routines to consider. My hair impossibly frizzy if I don't at least run a flat-iron through it. I NEED my eyeliner or there will be hell to pay. Etc.

What's been helping me in the past few years is having specific routines and an already typed-out list to follow, as well as keeping a separate cache of "travel stuff" all in one place. I'd like to share with you some of the things that have helped me feel less overwhelmed when packing!



Packing cubes


I finally tried out some packing cubes this year, and they're a game changer. See, I'm the kind of woman whose suitcase looks like a hurricane swirled through town the second I open it. And seriously, what do you do with all that dirty underwear anyway? In case you're wondering, I found the answer. They're called laundry pouches and they're wonderful.

Besides keeping your dirty laundry separate, packing cubes also keep all your other clothes separate, manageable, and easy to find. Blessed be!







+ Skincare travel bottles


I've been developing a skincare routine in the past two years that I really like. Unfortunately, that means that whatever random soaps and creams that are de rigueur in hotel bathrooms just don't work for me anymore (did they ever?)  So how do you pack a whole entire skin routine into a suitcase? Easy! Pick up a couple of travel containers for liquids and creams, along with a little pouch to keep it all together.

You can then squeeze or glop your products into the travel bottles, put the bottles in the pouch, put the pouch in your packing cubes and never worry about forgetting your favorite moisturizer again.

Travel Checklist Skincare




+ Haircare products


Same idea as putting together your travel skincare bag. But this time, I actually prefer to buy the travel-sized versions of products from brands that I use. It's certainly possible to buy travel bottles and transfer your hair products into them- but for some things, it won't make sense. For instance- have you ever tried to sift dry shampoo into a jar? And then use that jar full of powder to un-grease your hair? I have. It didn't work. I just bought the mini-version for the next trip.

Again, I do recommend getting some sort of pouch to keep everything in, and I cannot overstate the convenience of this. And of course, once you have everything you need, into the packing cubes they go.


Travel Checklist Hair Products



+ Scarf.


I'm a scarf gal, you can't really change me. One of the reasons I keep one around is that I get cold easily. Maybe it's because I live in a city where the temperature is always changing and one major piece of advice we give tourists is to "layer up." But I absolutely love, LOVE having a scarf with me at all times. When I'm cold, it instantly warms me, even if I didn't bring a jacket.

I've found that traveling with a scarf is essential and super convenient for cold trains, planes, and cars. Bonus points for using a blanket scarf, as you can use it as an actual blanket!

Travel Checklist Scarf



+ Sunscreen


I only started using sunscreen daily about five years ago. I wish I had started sooner, but oh well better late than never. It's become an indispensable part of my daily routine. Most days, I use a Japanese sunscreen called Shisheido Senka Aging Care. It's lightweight, doesn't make me greasy, and is miles better than most sunscreens from the US.

Though if it's a really hot/ bright summer day, I still go with Neutrogena dry touch 100+. They say they extra SPF doesn't make a difference, but I think it totally does, especially when you're pale.

I usually buy two at the same time and keep a spare in my skincare bag... it's worth it to banish your sunburn-based travel worries!



+ Notebook for jotting things down

Travel can be a lot of logistics. And sometimes where logistics is concerned, I like to go old school. I find that keeping information all together on my phone- flight numbers and times, directions to the Airbnb, which bus to take, which documents I need- feels unintuitive. The sources of all that info come from so many different places. I need a place to keep it all together, and usually like to jot it down in a notebook. It's unconventional, but I can still reference my phone any time I want. It just makes it so I don't have to depend on it.


+ Doubles of Makeup


Now this can be a little more expensive, as most people can't truly afford to have doubles of EVERYTHING around. However, it's convenient to keep things like eye and lip pencils that have been shaved 2/3 of the way down. I keep the 1/3 as my travel makeup and re-buy the full size. Or lipsticks that I like, but aren't my everyday colors.

The less I have to think about bringing, the better. I throw all the odds and ends in my little makeup pouch, and use that during the trip.



Those are some things that have really saved me in terms of time and comfort. There are also basics or things specific to me, including-
- Ear buds
- Pain reliever
- Travel pillow
- Phone and laptop chargers (don't forget your phone/ laptop)
- Sunglasses
- Contact lenses
- Contact lens solution
- Glasses
- Basic toiletries
- Meds
- Hair Dryer/ Flat Iron
- Etc.


Hope you liked the post! Have a great day 😊








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