15 Things I Always Carry In My Luggage for Trips Abroad

I have my in-flight mode down to a science. I pretty much keep my “personal item” ready. This is my Cole Haan Leather backpack that I can shove my small shoulder bag into; it also has a strap to fit onto the handle of my spinner suitcases. As a frequent traveler, I’m sharing what I use on almost every trip as people gear up for another big holiday break with lots of travel and maybe it will help you, too.

These are things I pack that are just part of my travel routine. They help me stay calm when traveling and to enjoy my trip–even if there are hiccups. And maybe I visit a few places…This year was: St. Kitts and Nevis, Amsterdam, Kentucky Derby, Montreal, Napa, Tulsa, Thailand and Portugal.

So here are 15 things that almost always come with me:

1.Tablet. Many airplanes are switching to not having in seat back screens, OR you can get stuck with one that doesn’t work. Download a few movies, books, and some games that work offline just in case something fails, or you get stuck somewhere unexpected.

2. Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones. I don’t care how comfortable your earbuds might be–they aren’t after 6 hours. Over-ear Bluetooth headphones cancel noise well AND can be worn on very long flights. I tend to be a Beats girl because I have REALLY small ears, and appreciate the Apple connectivity, but there are any number of great and more affordable options, too. My Beats were so old they disintegrated (true story) and I had to order new ones, so right now I have my off brand backups in my travel bag which were $30 on Amazon and still work well. 

3. Puffy Hooded Cape. Yep, I know this sounds crazy. But I have an amazing puffy cape from Woolrich, the “Ellis.” It’s a mix between a jacket, blanket and pillow. When I am on a flight, the hood can come down over my front eyes, it’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, you can move your arms underneath it, and it keeps a nice separation from your seat mate, and I can squish it into a packing cube. If you want to take your travel game to the next level: hooded, puffy, cape. An affordable one can be found at Muji.

4. TRTL Neck Pillow. This weird neck pillow braces your neck while you are sitting or gently reclined, and folds up much smaller than the traditional doughnut style pillow. It is made of that soft fabric that also keeps you warm. I hate how much room those doughnut pillows take up, and for me, they just aren’t small enough and my neck still flops all over. I LOVE this thing. 

5. Collapsible Water Bottle. You cannot give me enough water on a flight, and yes, I will be the person who needs an in-flight potty break. Sorry, not sorry. I get really parched on international flights. Most airports now have bottle-filling stations. Bonus, I then have a bottle on my trip too, so I can be sustainable. (Note, if you are going somewhere that doesn’t have outside water you can drink, but your hotel has filtered water, this is an extra good option.) 

6. Large Light But Warm-ish Scarf. I love a large scarf on a trip. Plane is extra cold: scarf. Body odors: scarf. Mosque I need a head cover for: scarf, temple or basilica where my shoulders need to be covered: scarf. It’s too light in my room: scarf, wine bottle needs to be packed: scarf. Shoot I forgot how cold San Francisco is in the summer: scarf. 

7. Chargers and cables. I always have a bag with a converter with usb plugs, a dual mag- lightning charger, USB-C and USB micro-A, USB-C to USB converter. This actually never leaves my travel bag. 

8. Battery Backup. This is absolutely critical, and needs to be big enough to charge multiple devices or one device multiple times and small enough to fit in an evening bag.

9. Mini Toiletry Kit. Spray deodorant (won’t melt like stick), Fragonard perfume sachets (you can use as perfume for you, drawer sachet, stick them in stinky shoes/bag), witch hazel wipes, body cleansing wipes and Oribe dry shampoo and a little basic makeup (Bare Essentials powder, or solids like Rituel De Fille are flight-friendly) foundation/color that can be used on cheeks/lip/eyes). You never know when you need to look decent right off a plane. Have a tiny go kit with these essentials so you don’t feel too icky before you hit a shower. Get your loved ones the super bougie ones– they smell so good. Often for ourselves we try to be practical, so we don’t buy the expensive travel size items we would love to have, so this makes an awesome gift.

10. Travel Clutch to Hold Your Tablet. Have you ladies already figured out this hack?  If you get a super cute zippable bag that holds your tablet (mine is Kate Spade), you not only protect your tablet, BUT you have a small bag for evenings out, or the pool/beach when you don’t want your big purse that holds all the junk you need during the day while touring. 

11. Packing Cubes. They keep everything in place, help if you over-packed, and are easy to locate when you need to grab items in a hurry.

12. Packable Duffle. I love my Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler Duffel, they can be used mid-trip as a backpack, overnight bag mid trip, checked if I need to control weight throughout multiple bags, and stuffed away into my luggage when I don’t need it.

13. Slip-on Shoes with Socks. Don’t be that person. I never wear socks, but airplanes are disgusting, and cold.  Wear slip-on shoes through the airport and on the plane with your socks. Even if you have pre-check, even if most places in Europe no longer require taking off your shoes: slip-on shoes with socks. 

14. A Bathing Suit. Let yourself be open to possibilities. A spa, a swimming pool, a sauna.  I always, always pack a bathing suit no matter what, because when life throws you a chance at a spa day, you use that bathing suit and take it.

15. Medical Kit. Bandaids, Ibuprofen, Sudafed, Benadryl, Pepto BIsmol, Gas-X, Flonase, Lactaid. Take the basics, ALWAYS. There is a high chance that traveling in winter with dry air, strange food, lots of germs, you may get sick. Be prepared to be sick or that someone you are with might get sick.

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