Worthwhile travel accessories

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Packing

I recently went on a trip to Europe with my family, so I had the opportunity to test some new travel gear, and I decided to share what I found useful. First, as I said in a previous blog post, I wholeheartedly stand by my dual-sided compression packing cubes. Not only do they help keep everything organized in my suitcase, they also help clothes take up a bit less space! I actually tried compression bags (the kind that have a one-way valve so that you can roll them up and expel air from them), but the cubes are definitely my favorite. They accomplish the same thing, but have the advantage of looking good and being much more practical in both open and closed states, so I’m sticking with them. I slip an AirTag in each suitcase, which gives me peace of mind by letting me track my belongings. I also like using TSA-approved combination locks, which make my life easier because I don’t have to also keep track of a key. Pro tip: Use the same code for all your locks.

The easiest way to travel light is to bring fewer clothes than you need for the trip and do laundry on the go. I love having my laundry travel kit for just this purpose! It also comes in handy if I (or one of my kids) get a stain and we need to treat it as soon as possible, before the trip is over.

Toiletries

As for toiletries, anything that comes in a gel form (moisturizer, shampoo and conditioner, hair lotion, etc.) goes into Go Toob + silicone bottles, which have a wide mouth that makes filling them (and cleaning them) easy. Meanwhile, true liquids (like mouthwash) go in Nalgene bottles. Both of these are completely leak-proof, and I am particularly happy to have found those Nalgene bottles – everything I had tried previously for mouthwash had leaked, but these are perfect! I then put my toiletries and personal care items in my Bagsmart toiletry bag, which has convenient clear compartments, multiple zippers, and is easy to hang behind a door.

Purse

I needed a cross-body bag big enough to carry my essentials (like a purse but also for travel items like water, sunscreen, passports, etc.); however, it had to be small enough that I could take it with me into museums and churches, where backpacks or large purses are not allowed. So I bought this medium-sized Travelon anti-theft cross-body bag and loved it! It was absolutely perfect for my needs, and I even had extra room in there for a few souvenirs. It doubled as my personal item on the plane. It was very useful during this trip and a great investment for future ones! I also got an RFID card holder so that I could carry an ID card, a few credit cards, and some cash, without the bulk of the rest of my wallet.

Children’s safety

Finally, if you have children older than 4 and want to keep them safe in vehicles, get a MiFold seat. This ingenious device folds up very small, and helps adjust a vehicle’s seatbelt to be safe for smaller kids, so that you don’t have to worry in a rental car or cab. I’ve used them for the past 6 years and absolutely love them! This time around, I also tested out SafetyTats, which I actually used on my kids’ clothing instead of on their skin. It allows me to write down a phone number when I can be reached in case we ever got separated, and the adhesive worked incredibly well – I could remove it from one shirt and apply it to another for a whole week!

My single best tip to pack a suitcase

The internet seems full of advice for packing a suitcase, much of it redundant or obvious. I mean, we all know already to pack toiletries in a resealable plastic bag and to put our heavy items at the bottom of the suitcase, right? So, I’ve decided to keep it simple and tell you about the one single thing that has improved my suitcase the most: packing cubes.

Yes, packing cubes have been an absolute game-changer for me! Gone are the days of the entire contents of my suitcase shifting during travel, or of having to riffle through everything just to get the one shirt that I wanted. With packing cubes, you can just grab the cube you need and reposition all cubes as you see fit without creating a mess! They are easy to arrange neatly in suitcases of any size.

I’m a big fan of these dual-sided packing cubes by Taskin for packing socks, bras, and underwear. I put all the items on the side with the mesh cover when I pack, then as the trip goes on, dirty items go in the water- and odor-resistant side until laundry day. I do the same for my kids. Taskin packing cubes are also expandable, which is a big help.

I like to separate my items among a few cubes (which, to be honest, are not cubes so much as rectangular prisms). On our family trip to Florida in June, I had my swimsuits and cover-up in one cube, then t-shirt-and-capri-outfits in one and skirt-or-dress-outfits in another. Some people might prefer to have one cube for tops and one cube for bottoms; one cube for business-wear and one for casual clothing; or perhaps one for their clean clothes and another for dirty clothes. It’s about whatever works for you on this trip. Obviously, I file-fold clothes in there just like I do in my dresser – that’s been another gamechanger!

I also love that packing cubes come in different colors, which is particularly useful if you are packing a single suitcase for two kids, for example. You can assign a color for each one and never have to riffle through a whole bag to get their things, since they’re visible at a glance. I also designate a color for the first aid kit so that it stands out among my black packing cubes. (Packing essential first aid items for a trip, by the way, is a great opportunity to organize your first aid and pharmacy items at home! Toss what is expired or no longer useful and replenish stock as needed.)

So, there you have it. – packing cubes. I wouldn’t live without them now!